The 3 most important wild fruits of October

In the month of October, nature is once again at its best, rich in colours, fruits and medicinal plants. Now is the perfect time to harvest sloes, hawthorns and rose hips. These three wild fruits are among the most precious treasures of autumn: they strengthen the heart, circulation and immune system, in a completely natural way and directly from nature. In this article we will show you how to recognize them, use them and store them in your medicine cabinet.

Recognize the blackthorn in October

The blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), also known as blackthorn, belongs to the family of Rosaceae (Rosaceae) and is a robust and thorny shrub that can reach 3 meters in height. It is mainly found on the edges of woods, in hedges and on calcareous soils. THE Schlehe It produces small white flowers in spring, before the leaves emerge, which are an important food source for bees and other insects. The spherical, blue-black fruits ripen in autumn and initially have a hard, bitter taste. The fruits contain a large stone which makes up most of the mass of the fruit. Blackthorn fruits are rich in tannins, vitamin C, fruit acids and anthocyanins. These ingredients give fruits their beneficial health properties, especially for digestion and the immune system.

Natural inspiration for autumn and winter

Do you already know our magazine Kräuterkeller? A print and digital version of the is published once a quarter Magazine of the Cantina delle Erbe (available here). The fall edition is all about wild herbs in autumn. The new winter edition is also already available. There we show you, among other things, which local wild herbs you can best use to strengthen herbal teas in the cold season.

Use hawthorn in October

THE Weissdorn (Crataegus), also belonging to the rose family (Rosaceae), includes several species, the best known of which are the single-handed hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and the double-conical hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata). These shrubs or small trees can reach 5 meters in height and are characterized by their characteristic deeply lobed leaves and thorny branches. The hawthorn flowers are white to slightly pink in color and exude an intense scent in spring. The red fruits, also called rowan, ripen in autumn, are oval-rounded in shape and contain one or two seeds. They are common in open woodland, hedgerows and on sunny woodland edges. Hawthorn fruits contain flavonoids, procyanidins, vitamins (especially vitamin C) and tannins. These ingredients are particularly known for their heart-strengthening properties.

Recognize and harvest wild herbs in autumn

In our book “With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round“(available here), we have included the most important native wild plants. The herb book should be an important help for you in every season in collecting, identifying and processing wild herbs. In the book we have only included plants that are found in abundance in our area. You’ll find it alongside many of our other homemade products, like this one Seasonal calendar of wild herbs (available here), in our Herbal Witch online store www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de There you will also find our unique products Starter set for autumn (available here) with which you are perfectly equipped to immerse yourself in the world of wild herbs

Application of hawthorn

Hawthorn is traditionally used to support the cardiovascular system. A fruit-based tea or tincture can be taken for mild heart problems such as heart arrhythmias and to generally strengthen the heart. Hawthorn can also have a calming effect on nervous restlessness and sleep problems. The best time to harvest hawthorn fruits is from September, when they are fully ripe and intense red in color. Ripe fruits can be recognized by their intense color and slightly soft pulp. They can be eaten raw, pureed or used as an ingredient in jams and jellies. Hawthorn liqueur is also a popular preparation method.

Use rose hips in autumn

Die dog rose it is the collective fruit of various species of wild roses, in particular the dog rose (Rosa canina). This rustic, climbing or upright growing plant also belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae). The dog rose is easy to recognize by its arching, spiky branches and feathery leaves. Rosehip fruits that ripen in autumn are the red, oval or spherical fruiting bodies that develop from the flowers. Inside the dog rose are numerous small, nut-like seeds surrounded by fine hairs. The dog rose prefers to grow on calcareous, well-drained soil in sunny positions and is often found at the edges of woods, in hedges and in uncultivated land. The flowers appear in spring and summer and range from pale pink to white.

This is how rose hips help

Ripe rose hips are veritable bundles of vitamin C and also contain flavonoids, fruit acids, pectin and carotenoids. These ingredients make rose hips a strong ally against colds and to strengthen the immune system. The most popular is probably a delicious rosehip tea, which is best prepared cold first so that the rose hips can absorb the water and then warmed up briefly after a few hours, but not too hot. This ensures great aroma and still preserves most heat-sensitive ingredients. Rosehip powder, made from dried and ground peels, is also a great way to use rose hips. It is used for its anti-inflammatory properties in joint problems such as arthritis and can be eaten wonderfully in muesli. When using the powder, it is important to remove the seeds before processing, as they contain fine hairs that can be unsightly. With tea it’s not so bad if there are some hairs. You can sift them.

Preserving wild herbs in autumn

Excellent tips on the topic of conservation can be found in our book “Preserving wild herbs“(available here) to find. We have written a lot of basic information for you here, which will give you the best advice on how to preserve herbs in the gentlest way, but there are also many delicious recipes in this book. Then take a look at our witch herb online shop www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de Stop by and don’t miss this fantastic guide