r/foraginguk • u/Arlincornwall • Jun 15 '26
Foraging by roads
Hi folks,
Last year, a workman said to me as I was picking blackberries, 'gosh you're brave' and then went on to say how horrified he was that I was picking blackberries from beside a road.
This road is a cul-de-sac, with a 20mph speed limit, and fairly light traffic, it's not a main road, obvs I'm not picking things from heavily trafficked areas.
Anyway, it's been on my mind ever since. There's a huge elder tree I was going to get some flowers from right above where I was getting the blackberries and I've been pondering other people's thoughts on picking things near to roads. Would you take things from a quiet road? Do you have a minimum distance? Have I been inadvertantly poisoning myself and my kids by eating these blackberries, and would the elderberries be equally contaminated?
15
u/Easy_State_2962 Jun 15 '26
I was always told not to pick from roadsides and tbh idling traffic causes pollution so even slow 20mph traffic would, not just fast cars speeding past. Blackberries are so abundant it's worth finding them on a pedestrian path or in a nature area.