The Westcombe Park Foraging Map

0: Blackberries

1: Blackberries

Not in Westcombe Park, but not far away.

2: Cherries

This part of the heath is full of cherry trees, though it can be hard to catch them ripe.  In the last two years they have begun fruiting but the fruit has disappeared before ripening, without a trace - they don't seem to have been picked by human or bird, just disappeared into thin air.  Does anyone know the reason?

3: Cherries

4: Chestnuts

This probably doesn't need saying, but Greenwich Park is famous for its sweet chestnuts in autumn (learn to distinguish them from inedible horse chestnuts or 'conkers').  Get there early in the day, as the fanatical gatherers will beat you to it otherwise, but not early in the season, as they are best eaten well into October.  Follow the park rules about only picking fallen nuts from the ground - NOT by whacking the venerable old trees with sticks.

5: Elder

There is at least one elder tree here (still bearing fruit surprisingly late in November 2009).  See if you can find it for autumn berries and spring flowers.

6: Elder

The woodland dell between Beaconsfield and Mycenae has a good handful of elder trees. Check them in Spring for their glorious white flowers - a traditional ingredient for many drinks and desserts - and in mid-to-late autumn for their bushels of tiny black berries.

7: Elder

There is an elder tree behind the fence on this railside line - whether you can reach through the fence to get at its blossom and berries is another question.

8: Elder

9: Elder

10: Firethorn

11: Firethorn

12: Gorse

13: Lime tree or Linden tree

14: Nettles

If nettle tea or nettle soup is your thing, the Beaconsfield-Mycenae dell is a great source.  Pick young leaves for the best results.  Because they flourish where people or animals leave refuse or droppings, check there is nothing dodgy such as a sewage outlet or old dump near where you are picking them.  If you have nettles in part of your garden, celebrate them - they're edible, and they're great for biodiversity.  They're also rich in vitamin C and iron.

15: Nettles

If nettle tea or nettle soup is your thing, Angerstein Lane has plenty.  Pick young leaves for the best results.  Because they flourish where people or animals leave refuse or droppings, check there is nothing dodgy such as a sewage outlet or old dump near where you are picking them.  If you have nettles in part of your garden, celebrate them - they're edible, and they're great for biodiversity.  They're also rich in vitamin C and iron.

16: Rosehip

17: Rosehip

Lots of rosehip here, on the slopes beyond the railings at the panorama end of the park.

18: Swedish whitebeam berries

This tree is on land owned by the council, but it seems unlikely that anyone will mind its bright red autumn berries being picked as long as no damage is done to the tree. Pigeons love these rowan-related berries and so will you.  Wait until they have started to 'blet' before using them, as that is when they get their sweet flavour.  There's another whitebeam round the back by the communal washing lines.

19: Swedish whitebeam

20: Swedish Whitebeam

Here there is a cluster of around seven of what I am 99% sure are Swedish Whitebeam.  We'll be sure when it fruits next autumn - the red berries - after the first frost or a week in your freezer - make a great sweet autumn pie filling, with apple and elderberry, and when baked have a heady, heavy, almost liqueurish taste.

21: Various

22: Yarrow