Balcony view

Looking down from the bedroom balcony on to a bed I know as “SSHB” (south side house bed, of course!). Here we see Akebia quinata attempting it’s world take over….but my Kiwi (sowed from a shop bought fruit some 15 years ago) refuses to be beaten and just manages to thrust a few leaves above the Akebia. You can also see flowering runner bean…really too late this year after last summer’s bumper crop…and perennial buckwheat…and flowering skirret…and my Amphicarpaea (hog peanut) is under that lot (need to help it a bit more next year…P1480715

Himalayan Nettle

Girardinia diversifolia (Himalayan Nettle; Allo) is a potentially useful plant for the forest garden. The young leaves, inflorescenses and seeds (roasted) are eaten). It’s a large clump-formimg perennial reaching 3m in damp woodlands. It’s also an important fibre plant, like stinging nettle.
I have a feeling it won’t prove hardy here, we’ll see….P1480606 P1480609

Drying Worcesterberries and Saskatoons

There’s been an almost complete failure of apples and plums this year (this has never happened before in my 35 years here). I can’t possibly start buying fruit after many years totally self-sufficient in my own fruit :), so I’m drying some berries I don’t normally use dried for the winter, cutting them up as these are slow driers. I believe, but aren’t totally sure, that these are Worcesterberries (they are thorny bushes, otherwise I would have said that they are Jostaberries).  I’m also drying a few late saskatoons (Amelanchier spp. – these I normally dry). Luckily I also still have quite a few dried apples from last year’s bumber crop.

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Earthnut Pea / Lathyrus tuberosus

This is a new variety of Earthnut pea (Lathyrus tuberosus) which germinated from Danish seed I was given by NO Crossland of Danish Seed Savers (frøsamlerne). I seem to remember he had found it in an old garden. They germinated in spring 2014 but have been in a small pot ever since waiting for a place in the garden, which they got today. The tubers were already a good size!

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Perennial vegetable tempura

April 2014 and Yngvil (aka Ms. Saladdy) was helping out in my garden, her practical experience for her education to become a gardener!  I’ll let her tell her own story of the wonderful diverse tempura we made together on that day using perennial veggies!

See also https://saladdy.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/tempura-day 

..includes ostrich fern, blanched lovage, Udo, perennial kale, moss-leaved dandelion, Allium victorialis, nettles, Aster scaber, scorzonera shoots, Campanula latifolia, Oca, Myrrhis, Allium scorodoprasum, garlic, Allium ursinum, Ligularia fischeri (first time), sea kale, Primula veris “Red Strain”, Rumex acetosa, Alliaria petiolata and a few others…

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Watermelon berry

Streptopus amplexifolius has been used for its spring shoots that supposedly taste of cucumber and the ripe berries that give the plant one of its names, watermelon berry….A bit seedy (which I’m saving) but tasty! Can be laxative in large amounts! I saw a lot of this plant on the west coast of the US, but this plant originates from Europe (the plant is found in the wild both in North America, Europe and East Asia). A good forest garden plant.
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