My grandparents bought something similar; I believe.. There was always a bowl full of different nuts on the sideboard, anyway. I remember one hazelnut being so difficult to crack that it stayed in the bowl for months. My grandfather bought me an 'Unbreakable Nutcracker' as a sort of gimmick Christmas present, and I gave it my brother to crack this nut, and the damned cracker broke! We threw the nut away after that.. It obviously didn't want to be eaten..!
But no, I think it's just a case of knowing where to look and what to look for. There are loads of people who walk their dogs along the track where I tend o find everything, but I'm grateful they haven't recognised any of the plants and trees yet.You get the odd blackberry picker but there's plenty to go around. And the teenagers still come to collect conkers (Horse Chestnuts) to play with. But the rest is usually all mine for the picking!
I don't think it matters whether you live in city or countryside either. Where I used to live was a really built-up urban area, but the Council had planted fruit trees along several of the pavements: apples and plums etc. I'd always be over there, every autumn, picking fruit. And as a thank you I'd do most of the winter pruning too, because they didn't seem bothered with the trees once they'd been planted. Check hedgerows, parks, abandoned sites etc. You're bound to find something, even if it's not as bountiful as the country.
I just think health and safety has made foraging wild food a taboo in our modern society that the majority think something will make them ill if they pick it wild. It's a shame really..
