To see an underground Udo (Aralia cordata) farm has long been a dream. My dream was finally fulfilled this spring and below you can see a short video I took in the Udo cavern! I’ve also added 3 videos above the ground where you can see piles of spent Udo roots…the roots themselves have been used medicinally, but at the moment are going to waste :(
Below the videos is a gallery of photos taken by my friend Tei Kobayashi who acted as interpreter!
More pictures from the visit can be seen here: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=7499
Thanks to my friend Tei Kobayashi for the following pictures taken during our visit to the underground udo farm in Tokyo.
Aiah Noack of Denmark’s permaveggie nursery Naturplanteskolen!
The special earth is seen in this picture
Joan Bailey
Me and Aiah Noack from Naturplanteskolen in Denmark!
Negative height is an important characteristic for the underground Udo farmer :)
The last 3 days, I’ve been harvesting as quickly as I can as it’s very cold for the time of year (max. about -6C today) and the earth is now frozen to 5-6 cm deep….at this rate it won’t be possible to break up the surface layer with hand tools…but a few things like leeks will have to wait until the weekend….hoping I can get them up…
This is my largest Nero di Toscana (Laciniato) cross with Daubenton (from Chris Homanics’ OP perennial grex selection in 2013) at the end of year two. I’ve taken cuttings and will overwinter this and a couple of other plants in the cellar as I don’t want to lose it!
Portuguese Couve Galega (thanks Maria Silva), not perennial but I love the leaves and it would be interesting to cross it with one of the perennial kales…overwintering it inside hoping it will flower…
Couve Galega
I harvested parnips, carrots, turnips and chicory root for forcing (Witloof types) and a variety for eating the root
Experimenting with burying the roots of perennial kales deep down outside, hoping this might help overwintering. This is inspired by long cuttings I took a couple of years ago in October. I buried them at a similar depth (20-30 cm) and the amazingly made it through the winter!
The edibles cellar store rooms are now completely full and I can hardly move down there now :) Perennial kales at the front in buckets
The traditional veg store with swiss chard planted in boxes in earth…root vegetables are stored in damp leaves
…well with the temperature at -8C this morning, I harvested these Worcesterberries, as hard as marbles, and after thawing they are still good :)
This is the only freezer you will find at my place :)
Two flocks of pink-footed geese (kortnebbgjess) passed over the house today…on the way south from the stopover area just north of here…this morning it was -8C and the same is forecast for the next two nights…
Beautiful morning, cold at about -8C…the sun doesn’t now get very high in the sky and the shadows are long all day long like this Betula pendula (Silver birch) shadow in the field below the houseFlock of pinkfeet arriving from the north…they swung round to the west and passed directly over the house. See the videoThe second and largest flock of around 130 birds also passed directly over flying westwardsThe flight speed is impressive and turning round this was the only shot I managed as they disappeared westwards
As I suggested earlier today, veggie quiche would be tonight’s dinner (as two years ago on this day) now that I’m back here in Malvik :)
With cold weather getting colder and the forecast insulating snow not happening, I spent the day harvesting before it’s impossible to dig the soil!
The quiche turned into an invasive (svartelistet) quiche as it contains giant hogweed (Tromsøpalme) seed spice (golpar) and this year it is topped with dried Himalayan Balsam (kjempespringfrø) seed, two of the “worst” invasive species here in Norway and other parts of Europe :) Other veg includes leek, parsley, garlic and chili.
The pie crust was made of whole grain fine naked barley flour (Hordeum vulgare var. nudum).
Last Monday I arrived in London for a work /family trip and despite a 2-3 hour delayed flight due to fog, I was able to have two hours at Chelsea Physic Garden before closing time at 4 pm.
So, here’s some pictures of mostly unusual edible plants spotted during my visit!
One of my favourite gardens…
The flight was 3 hours delayed due to fog in London, clearing as we arrived
Red sun glare in the background from the fog-free English channel!
Windsor Castle
There’s a garden of Unusual Vegetables at Chelsea, but the real unusual edibles are to be found in other parts of the garden in the systematic beds and other special collections. The following pictures show edible plants I found during my visit!
Hydrophyllums propagated for sale? Great North American forest garden edibles, known originally as Indian salad.
Solanum aviculare, Kangaroo Apple has edible fruits eaten fresh and dried when completely ripe. I saw poroporo growing wild in New Zealand years ago..
Aralia californica…these seemed to have been propagated by cuttings..
The impressive olive tree at Chelsea!
One of several ornamental varieties of Gingko available from specialist nurseries. This is “Majestic Butterflies” for obvious reasons!
Citrus aurantium “Seville Orange”
Spilanthes acmella, toothache plant…has an intense citrous flavour which numbs the tongue as though you’ve been to the dentist!
Young autumn shoots of artichoke / cardoon
This pigeon was eating the peppery berries of Zanthoxylum americanum (prickly ash), a North American relation of Szechuan pepper. It has been noted as an alternative to the latter, but it seems mainly to have been used medicinally by the Native Americans
Zanthoxylum americanum in the foreground
Zanthoxylum americanum seed
Zanthoxylum ailanthoides is from Japan, but Z. piperitum is the main species used to make sanshō, Japanese pepper. Nevertheless, the seed and young leaves (ki no mé) of Z. ailanthoides can be used in a similar way. A regional nickname is tara,and in fact, its young shoots are often mistaken for the true tara (Aralia elata) by gatherers of wild plants.
Zanthoxylum ailanthoides in the foreground
Carduus nutans: the stems, once dethorned, are delicious!
Giant Dahlia imperialis, not one of the best edible Dahlias, but the flowers are presumably edible
Ripe fruits of Solanum aviculare, known as kangaroo apple or poroporo in Australia and NZ respectively
Urospermum dalechampii and other relatives are important wild foraged plants in the Mediterranean countries
Peltaria turkmena: an edible woodlander in the cabbage family from west Asia…the young leaves and flowers are eaten.
Crambe cordifolia or ornamental sea kale should be grown more as the taste of the spring blanched leaves is similar to sea kale and it is much more hardy!
Abutilon grandiflora is from tropical East Africa, most if not all members of the mallow family are edible
Lavatera arborea “Variegata”, also in the Mallow family
Althaea cannabina in the Mallow family
Oxalis articulata var. alba
Impatiens tinctoria is best known as a dye plant
The young shoots of Asparagus acutifolius are reckoned to be gourmet food in the Mediterranean countries
Fuggles Hops
Oca, Oxalis tuberosa
Tea plants ;)
Allium tuberosum in seed
…with Solanum sisymbriifolium…
Chenopodium berlandieri (huauzontle)
Perilla
Crimson-flowered broad bean
Crimson-flowered broad bean
Angelica archangelica
Nasturtium roses :)
Cardoon
Tetrapanax papyrifer in flower, rice paper plant in the collection of fibre plants
Flowering Boehmeria nivea or ramie in the collection of fibre plants
Broussonettia papyrifera (paper mulberry) in the collection of fibre plants – it also has edible fruits!
Araucaria angustifolia (Brazilian Monkey Puzzle)
Persicaria virginiana “Compton’s Form”
Tricyrtis (toad lilies) – edible spring shoots. It would be nice to know if the flowers are also edible?
Arctium lappa (burdock)
Hablitzia tamnoides in the systematic beds…no mention of it as an edible plant :(
Hablitzia
Hablitzia
Flowering perennial buckwheat
Rumex scutatus
Gingko
Smelly Gingko fruit
Gingko
Smelly Gingko fruit
Fedia cornucopiae, African valerian is a great edimental and salad crop
Lilium lancifolium “Splendens” – this is cultivated for its edible bulbs in the Far East…the flowers are also edible!
Rhus triloba, lemonade bush
Aster macrophyllus is one of the edible woodland Asters from North America…young shoots
The last flowers on Big-leaf Aster, Aster macrophyllus
Oplopanax horridus from Western North America is found in the understory of old growth forest and has edible spring shoots
Tulbaghia violacea, Society Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea, Society Garlic
As usual there were several wrongly identified Alliums
At the end of April I will be talking at the Curtis museum in Alton….I did my homework here! At least 3 of the plants in the Curtis border are in my book
Hemerocallis fulva from Japan in the Curtis border
Tradescantia virginiana in the Curtis border
Trachystemon orinetalis; see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269
Hosta
There’s a great exhibit currently showing off the diversity of chilis
Macropiper excelsa from New Zealand…has various uses in the kitchen from tea to a beer flavouring, the fruit are tasty and the seeds can be used as a pepper substitute. The leaves have also been used..
Fuchsia excorticata yields an important pre-European edible berry in New Zealand.
A November cowslip, Primula veris
New Zealand spinach growing as you might find it in New Zealand in the shade of coastal woods
Houttuynia cordata
Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licquorice)
Tulbaghia violacea var. robustior
Toothpick plant, Ammi visnaga…showing its product and according to pfaf.org the leaves are also edible
The impressive bay tree at Chelsea
The impressive bay tree at Chelsea
The impressive bay tree at Chelsea
Rumex lunaria from the Canary Islands
Stevia in flower
Fuchsia paniculata fruit
Begonia soli-mutata, Sun Tan Begonia! The common name comes from the fact that the color of the leaf will change depending on it’s exposure to bright light. Edible flowers.
Impatiens auricoma x bicaudata is probably edible
Impatiens auricoma x bicaudata is probably edible
Dodonaea viscosa, hopbush, at one time used as hops in beer..
Plantago major “Atropurpurea” or “Rubrifolia”
Umbilicis luteus, a southern European navelwort has edible leaves
On the second day of my stay with Kirsty Reid and Chris Johnstone at Teeny Weeny Farm (Dyke, Moray) I cycled over to visit Findhorn! There had been several from Findhorn at my talk the night before (see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=6786 ) and I was invited by Ariane Burgess to visit the Findhorn Forest Garden (more of that later) and Craig Gibsone, one of the elders who has lived there for 40 years! The pictures are mostly of edibles I found on the bike ride and most are also invasive plants unwanted by most, but foragers look at these plants differently!
On the way to Findhorn!!
Giant hogweed
Sonchus asper, spiny sow thistle is best eaten young
Giant hogweed with dandelion
On National Cycle Route 1! If I’d kept going for a couple of weeks I might have reached Norway: http://www.northsea-cycle.com
Himalayan Balsam, one of the best edible introductions to the UK ;)
No, I didn’t go in…
Giant Hogweed…a source of the persian spice Golpar
Golpar seed maturing
Watercress
Giant Hogweed…lots of food here!
Common sow thistle, Sonchus oleraceus
Scurvy grass, Cochlearia with meadosweet on the salt marsh
Sonchus arvensis on the salt marshes
Japanese knotweed, another great invasive edible
Heracleum sphondylium, hogweed
Silene vulgaris, bladder campion
The seed of Heracleum sphondylium (hogweed) can also be used as a spice
A pink flowered form of Silene vulgaris, bladder campion
Aster…possibly edible young leaves
Sonchus arvensis enjoys the salty environment of the road verge!
Plantago maritima (sea plantain) also colonises road side verges due to the salt
Auricularia auricula-judae, wood ear fungus
Arriving at Findhorn
Findhorn
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
