Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: Rosehips, sweet chestnuts, sloes – there’s an order and a rhythm to their gathering, tied to the season and to the devil
The government suggests stockpiling, and while tins and candles might prove useful, a more ancient urge kicks in for me at this time of year. Walking the hedgerows, the colours of jewels entice me, and my pockets fill with rosehips or glossy conkers. It’s ingrained. For a vast stretch of human history, we survived by foraging for food and medicine, even after agriculture became widespread.
My blackberries are stashed in the freezer. Folklore advises picking them before Michaelmas on 29 September – or 10 October in old folklore, when the devil spits on them. It’s reasonable, thus avoiding mouldy or frosted fruit.
