The fifth installment of notes supplied by Patrick Duffy in 1994:

During my young days at school we used to gather pocketfuls of sloes [fruit of blackthorn, Prunus spinosa] and eat them during school hours.  We also gathered wild peas [unidentified, suggestions welcome], bilberries [Vaccinium myrtillus], blackberries [Rubus fruticosus], wild strawberries [Fragaria vesca], wild crab apples [Malus sylvestris] and, of course, ripe haws [Crataegus monogyna].  There was an old saying around: ‘When all fruits fail welcome haws’.

Watercress [Nasturtium officinale] which grew freely near at hand to spring wells was often eaten as a substitute for cabbage.

The fern [bracken, Pteridium aquilinum]  was used for decorating fireplace grates during that time of year when fires were not needed.

Image: haws, Wandsworth Common, London, February 2026.

2 February 2026