Nettle burgers for dinner: Working in the garden all day…didn’t want to spend much time in the kitchen…needed some fast slow food. My helper Daina Binde had left an organic egg mix in the fridge when she left – not totally sure what was in it….on the balcony was a special potato growing in a large pot which had become “infested” with annual nettle (Urtica urens) (well, not really infested as I’d sown the seed :) )
I cooked the nettles quick, mixed with the egg mix, chili, siberian nodding onion, rolled oats and buckwheat flour and fried in sunflower oil….urtigers I reckon we can call them ;)
During summer 1998 I found this poplar hawk-moth / ospesvermer (Laothoe populi) on a ragged jack kale plant in my garden…this is the one and only time I’ve seen this species. I was reminded of this as a FB friend reported that there have been several sightings this year!
Apart from being a well known singer / songwriter over the last 40 years, Neil Young is also an environmental activist and through his 2015 album “The Monsanto Years” with its obvious anti-GMO, pro organics theme, he reached out to many. From 2015, he has invited the permaculture movement to man a stand in a tent called ‘News You Can Trust’ in his Global Ecovillage which follows his tours! Permaculture magazine in the UK had been entrusted to organise local people to take part and I was offered two free tickets to take part. Having never seen Young live and seeing the opportunity to promote both permaculture and my book to a new audience, I jumped at the chance. Helene Bøhler joined me on behalf of the Norwegian Permaculture Association for a memorable day in Stavern!
Here is a selection of pictures from my visit to the Stavern Festival and Stavern :)
Luan Van Le from GMO Free USA has been travelling around Europe and the US with the Neil Young tour and was the coordinator of our News You Can Trust stand :)
Luan Van Le with Helene C. Bohler of the Norwegian Permaculture Association!
Freebies on our stand including Permaculture Magazine special number with Neil Young, Norsk Permakultur Forening, Nordic Tidlskrift on Permakultur, Ren Mat (Oikos) and the LAND project and Planteklubben for Grønnsaker !
The neighbour stand was run by the Center for Biological Diversity
We tried different techniques to attract attention…the issue of Permaculture Magazine with Neil Young on the cover was being used here as bait to haul in the punters… Maddy Harland and Tim Harland: Mission accomplished…all the PMs went to good homes :)
Neil Young’s global ecovillage
Neil Young’s global ecovillage
Helene C. Bohler talking to one of the visitors interested in Permaculture!
Helene C. Bohler fell for this chap from the Center for Biological Diversity stand!!
Threatened species… During the visit I spotted only one :(
Neil Young intro
Breakfast in the BnB…it’s always nice that AirBnBers plant for the guests :)
Alliums follow me around on tour it seems! The BnB had both Allium senescens (Siberian chives / sibirsk kantløk) and Egyptian onions (luftløk)
Bunias orientalis (Turkish Rocket / russekål) en masse at Stavern…nam nam
Bunias orientalis (Turkish Rocket / russekål) en masse at Stavern…nam nam
Memorial for the fallen at sea during the two world wars!
Memorial for the fallen at sea during the two world wars!
