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Tuesday, August 19
Tend the Garden..Pick the fruit
by
Alex Smith
on Tue 19 Aug 2008 10:54 PM BST
As I walked into the garden on Saturday evening there were three magpies under the blueberry bushes, snapping up the ripe fruit. I had wondered where the blueberries had been going and now I knew. These birds were very well dressed in immaculate black and white suits and their calls nearly drowned out all other sounds. In the Finnish language they are called HaRaKa , the most onomatopoeic bird name I know. They eyed me as I advanced and eventually, languidly, took to the sky with a we`ll be back in a moment air. Now we have a garden rule; Tend the Garden.. Pick the Fruit and I do not want to lose the fruits of our garden to magpies. They have a place here, eating carrion. Our fruit will be protected from magpies but magpies are stealing fruit without tending the garden everywhere. There is a murder of magpies gathering in the garden of Kent now, intent on stealing fruit but they are being stopped. It is good we CAN
Thursday, August 14
Japanese Knotweed
by
Alex Smith
on Thu 14 Aug 2008 11:35 AM BST
Had my muesli on the garden as normal this morning with elderberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries ( only 2 of each the last two but wanted to include them here ) wine berries and the best, second crop rasberries all from the garden. The only pear on the little pear tree had also blown off in the wind still unripe so that is sitting on the desk ripening I hope. I also picked some Ox tongue thistle, dandelion and Japanese knotweed for lunch.
We were digging out the Japanese knotweed roots for almost a year before starting to plant and it is still sprouting up a bit. If we pick the sprouts for another ten years we may finally get rid of it. In the mean time it is quite tasty and I am sure if it was renamed Japanese asparagus and seen as an aphrodisiac delicacy the patches around the county would be treasured, not reviled
Blog changing from Sustainability to Garden
by
Alex Smith
on Thu 14 Aug 2008 11:18 AM BST
After two years here Joanna is moving to Cambridge and is leaving Alara. She will be missed.
One of the projects she worked on was our garden, which we see as being central to our aspirations. I am working in the garden most days and will be posting a brief note of what is happening there.
Today was a weeding day and a very interesting “weed” pulled out was coltsfoot. I collected about twenty of the plants, washed the mud off the amazing purple roots and have strung the roots and the big umbrella leaves up to dry in the garden shed. They will make great medicinal tea. As Culpepper says: 'The fresh leaves, or juice, or syrup thereof, is good for a bad dry cough, or wheezing and shortness of breath. The dry leaves are best for those who have their rheums and distillations upon their lungs causing a cough: for which also the dried leaves taken as tobacco, or the root is very good. The distilled water hereof simply or with elder-flowers or nightshade is a singularly good remedy against all agues, to drink 2 OZ. at a time and apply cloths wet therein to the head and stomach, which also does much good being applied to any hot swellings or inflammations. It helpeth St. Anthony's fire (erysypelas) and burnings, and is singular good to take away wheals.'
We will try it out in Autumn and Winter in the cough season and see how good it is. Hope no one gets St. Anthony's fire or wheals however and I think we may miss out the nightshade as well. |
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