Sitting at my desk this morning I noticed the winter’s first goldfinch (stillits) sitting having a scratch in a tree in the garden (first video)….and the rest of […]
Fruit / Onions
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This onion is also a fruit!
The onion that thinks it’s berry! Which one? The berry tastes slightly sweet and not at all oniony! Post Views: 158
Brassica / Perennial vegetables
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The Holy Grail Kale and the Janas Ecovillage gardens!
I was blown away by the edible and medicinal gardens at the Janas Ecovillage (Ecoaldeia de Janas) during my stay there. Part of my course there was a […]
Foraging / walks
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In search of the wild asparagus at Bombeira do Guadiana
On the morning of my permaveggies course in Mértola, we did a wild walk into the Bombeira do Guadiana Biodiversity Station where information signs have been put up […]
Edible flowers / Edimentals / Foraging / Walk and talk
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Edible plants of the Sintra Natural Park
In the morning of the masterclass on permaveggies on 1st November 2018 organised by the Janas Ecovillage, we visited Jardim da Condessa D’Edla in collaboration with the Sintra […]
Halophytes / walks
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Mostly edibles at Magoito
An album of pictures of plants and views at Magoito just north of Lisbon on a short botanising visit with Fernanda Botelho! First, two videos showing the cliff […]
Foraging / Talks
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The Wild Plants Lady meets the Extreme Salad Man
The Wild Plants Lady meets the Extreme Salad Man to discuss ready salted vegetables on the Magoito Cliffs north of Lisbon! A) Crithmum maritimum (rock samphire or death […]
Foraging / Salad
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The Ecoaldeias Janas extreme salad
As part of the course organised by Ecoaldeias Janas in the village Janas near Sintra in Portugal, Fernanda Botelho collected wild and cultivated plants and here she is making an […]
Fruit / Perennial vegetables
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Cactus pads for my last lunch in Mértola
Thanks to Matthias Brück for preparing cactus pads (nopalitos) from Opuntia ficus-indicus for lunch, a long job by hand to de-spine first, but delicious! Does the old variety developed by […]
Tubers
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Long circular Yam
Two years after receiving bulbils of Chinese yam or cinnamon vine (Dioscorea polystachya) from my friend Søren Holt, I was able to harvest this curious tuber! I grew […]
Garden tour / Permaculture
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Carraig Dulra permaculture farm
Finally, a post from my 3 days non-stop tour of Wicklow gardens, thanks to Orlaith Murphy. The first stop was Suzie Cahn’s Carraig Dulra Permaculture Farm. The abundance […]
Birds
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Blackcap on yew berries
The male blackcap (munk) was this morning feeding on yew berries (a garden variety “Hicksii”). This yew is right next to the kitchen window and has attracted several […]
Birds / Fruit
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Blackcap on apples
At least one, maybe two blackcaps (munk in Norwegian) were foraging on my apple trees most of today. Post Views: 171
Allotment / Talks / Walk and talk
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Visit to Pro Specie Rara
On 4th April 2018, I took advantage of my trip to Switzerland to attend the The Potential of Perennials for Food Resilience symposium to visit KVANN’s (Norwegian Seed […]
Edible flowers / Perennials
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Mid-October flowers in the Edible Garden
No frost thus far in October and it looks like it could be a frost free month! That and record high temperatures and there are a lot of […]
Tubers / water plants
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Chinese arrowhead: chestnut and artichoke in one vegetable!
Nothing like the promised “giant” 5-10 cm tubers, I was nevertheless surprised to get maybe 3 times the yield of what I planted of chinese arrowhead tubers – […]
Nettles
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New nettles
Two new nettles in the garden this year but neither have shown any signs of flowering.. Post Views: 120
Fungi
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Fungi at Gevingåsen
After finding large quantities of winter chantarelles (traktkantarell) the day before within a few hundred metres of our start point, it was very surprising to find only a […]
Potato / Tubers
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Potato harvest at Væres Venner
The first small potato harvest in KVANN’s (Norwegian Seed Savers) vegetable sanctuary at Væres Venner Community garden. I planted 10 varieties of potatoes in the spring…these were virus-free […]
Fungi
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Winter chantarelle picking
The most reliable edible fungi here is winter chantarelle (traktkantarell). Only once in my over 30 years of picking this has it failed. The second part of October […]
Birds
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Redwing on yew
Redwing (rødvingetrost) on yew (barlind) berries strategically placed outside the kitchen window! Post Views: 124
Fasciation / Onions
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Fasciated Allium nutans “Lena”
I noticed a fasciated scape on my Allium nutans “Lena”…a plant that featured in my book, found in a vegetable garden in Russia by Swedish author Lena Israelsson… Post Views: […]
Food / Salad
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October salad
Today’s salad was decorated by the grandchildren! Didn’t they do a good job ….and they dug into it, picking out the good bits which included sour Begonia flowers, tomatoes […]