Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

AS September gives way to October there have been periods of high wind and heavy rain.

All has not been gloom, however, as some of the fruits and seeds are now at their very best.

I collected enough blackberries to enjoy an excellent pie and I gathered these along the side roads between Gisburn and Barrowford.

Also ripening fast were a couple of crab apple trees which I will revisit. I can then make a blackberry and apple pie and instead of sugar I am going to use honey which I bought last week from a farmhouse in the Trough of Bowland.

In the woodland areas around the Trough of Bowland I found a lovely mixture of mountain ash and common ash.

The mountain ash is a member of the apple family and when ripe the berries are the favourite food of members of the thrush family. On September 25, I saw my first fieldfares of the year, which is a sure sign that autumn is here.

In contrast the common ash does not produce succulent fruit but long dry structures which look rather like half of an aeroplane propeller. The ash keys, when they are green, are "crunchy" and in the old days they used to be pickled in vinegar and were eaten in salads.

When dry and the wind blows the ash key twists in the air. This is the way its seeds are dispersed.

As I moved through the wood and around the edges, I found that greater bindweed was growing well with its white trumpet-like flowers standing out from the hedgerows.

The rose hips are also at their best in October and these are also an example of "food for free."

Take one kilo of rosehips, take out the pips, add one kilo of sugar and cover both the hips and the sugar in boiling water. Let the mixture cool and finally filter off the liquid. It tastes lovely and the rosehip syrup is a rich source of vitamin C.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.