I have my m-i-l staying at the moment and she is picking hedgerow fruits to make jam for us.  We have recipes for Rose Hips and for Hawthorn Fruits but she remembers a WI recipe for Hip and Haw combined although has long since lost the original notes she had.

I've searched online but no joy - do any of you have an old recipe book you could check for me please?  Many thanks

Will see my friend this afternoon she makes all kinds of jams and jelly so will ask her.

Cava14Una. May I have the recipe too, making hedgerow hampers for Christmas presents, many thanks

How do you know which berries are edible?  I have found loads of rose hips in the hedgerow but dont know if they are all good.  I would like to make sloe gin but dont know where to look for the berries and not sure exactly what they look like. 

>How do you know which berries are edible?

The safest way is to walk with someone that knows and ask them to help you.  If you regularly walk the same footpaths during each season you get to recognise the trees and shrubs in leaf and berry so identification is easier.

Blackberries, rosehip and hawthorn are pretty easy to identify from pictures and reference guides.  You can get rosehips from cultivated roses but apparently wild and dog rosehips are better, with more concentrated flavour, so any that you see in a wild hedgerow will be ok. 

Sloes can be a bit more problematic if you don't have someone to point them out to you as there are various wild plum types including bullace and damsons which may look similar to the untrained eye (ooh get me!!).  Sloes are about blueberry size though and very similar in colour, many will have a greyish blush on them.  Check for thorns too as sloes grow on blackthorn.  Wild plums grow on thornless trees.

Good luck :)

mmm rosehip syrup !

Mmmm delrosa! :D

This is a good guide
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Gem-Food-Richard-Mabey/dp/0007183038/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285707809&sr=1-1

That was it delrosa at school we had it on semolina another favourite

Bird Cherry is very similar to Blackthorn - except it has no thorns - don't know if the fruit can still be used.  The sloes in this area were ripe and ready to pick about a month ago - they have gone over now.  End of August beginning to September is best for fruit picking.

Thanks to everyone for their help - i know what im doing this weekend!