I arrived at Findhorn by bike – http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=8060 – from Dyke on 14th September 2016, where I had been staying at Teeny Weeny Farm! Ariane Burgess had attended my talk there the night before and kindly invited me to visit Findhorn’s Edible Woodland Garden….
Ariane has for over twenty years worked on reconnecting people to nature in different ways and in different countries. For example, as a healing response in the aftermath of 9/11 she was commissioned to design and install The Labyrinth for Contemplation, Battery Park in New York (I feel that as I flew back from the US to Europe on that day…). From Findhorn, she inspires, teaches and consults about the transition to our future integrative, regenerative culture, including ecovillage design (see more on her web site here: http://arianeburgess.com
However, it was the new Edible Woodland Garden I’d been invited to see. Nestled next to the Findhorn community, the garden has been designed as a demonstration of how very poor land with a severe water shortage can be turned into a productive edible garden! The project was initiated by the Findhorn Hinterland Trust and more can be found on the trust and the garden at: http://www.findhornhinterland.org/ecology/edible-woodland-garden
See more in the picture gallery below!!
I look forward to visiting again, Ariane Burgess…thanks for showing me round and good luck with your important work :)
Arriving at Findhorn
Ariane met me at the Edible Woodland Garden
The garden is still very young!
You can read these beautifully made interpretive boards at higher resolutuion here: http://www.findhornhinterland.org/ecology/edible-woodland-garden/
.and now a few plants! I must admit that my heart missed a beat and I felt a wee bit of pride at seeing that Hablitzia (the Caucasian Spinach) had arrived before me at Findhorn :)
Ariane (beside a large mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) explained how this garden had been designed to cope and improve what was at the outset a challenging site with low rainfall, built on low organic matter sand dunes! See the next picture for more details….
…including how grey water from the community laundry is pumped on to site to improve the water situation! It will be interesting to return in a few years (if not before) to see how this develops :)
A nice garlic mustard mound
Elecampane
Thornless evergreen blackberry
Fennel and rhubarb in the foreground!
Cardoon or artichoke
Scot’s Lovage!!
Hosta too… :)
Marsh mallow!! Try the unripened seed cheeses of other Malvas for making marshmallow!
A few pictures of seed I cleaned and packed for trading, offering to Norwegian Seed Savers and using in the kitchen today!
131116: Added a few more that I was sorting today!
151116:…and a few more today
161216:…and a few more today
Udo, Aralia cordata
Iranian golpar (Heracleum) to be used as a spice in the kitchen
Iranian golpar (Heracleum)
Iranian golpar (Heracleum)
Iranian golpar (Heracleum)
This is a vigorous Angelica that I received as Angelica atropurpurea, but I’m not sure that is the right ID. Whatever, I sometimes use it ground as a spice in cooking!
Angelica atropurpurea
Angelica atropurpurea
The seed pods of some forms of Allium wallichii (Sherpa onion) are inky, like this one, from Nepal, harvested today
I pulled these clusters of Aralia elata seeds down from my oldest tree today! (Devil’s Walking Stick, Norw: Fandens spaserst\okk; Jap: tara-no-ki; Kor: dureup namu
Rumex acetosa “Russian Giant” (sorrel / engsyre)
Rumex acetosa “Russian Giant” (sorrel / engsyre)
Coriander “Confetti” / koriander
Tradescantia ohiensis
Caucalis (small bur parsley / klengekjeks)
Sonchus oleraceus “Giant from Oregon” (thanks, Pamela Melcher :)
Buckwheat / bokhvete
Ligularia fischeri – I have PLENTY of seed of this one!!
Aralia elata
Elsholtzia ciliata, Vietnamese Balm…love the smell of these!
Elsholtzia ciliata, Vietnamese Balm…love the smell of these!
Rubus occidentalis “Black Hawk”, Black raspberry…plenty of seed this year…will clean better if anyone is interested in them..
Tigridia pavoniana….could have the tastiest bulbs in the world!
Tigridia pavoniana…..for more, see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=5470
Seed from an accession of Hablitzia tamnoides from Tampere in Finland!
The first time I’ve managed to grow Perilla to seed (pot grown and brought inside to mature). I hadn’t noticed before but they have a fine netting around them..
Lovely bunch of people on the two tours of my garden today! Forgot to take any pictures during the first tour, so just a couple from the second during the only shower…it had threatened to be a very wet afternoon this morning!!
050916: Added some pictures taken during the first tour by Elin Anita Mosbakk. Thank you!
Tour two in my rain forest garden!
In my rain forest garden…I’m sheltering under my giant Udo!
Quinoa “Stephe” will soon be ripe!
Alexander garlic grown as a wild plant!
Runner beans / stangbønner are now appearing after a long time in flower
Grape climbing into my yew / barlind
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour).
Fotograf: Elin Anita Mosbakk (from the first tour). Broad beans intertwined with Hablitzia!
I gave myself a little treat this week and made Indian pakora! Pakora are basically fried vegetable fritters, often sold as a starter in Indian restaurants. The vegetables were dipped in a batter made of gram (chick pea) flour, a little chili and garam masala spice. It would be interesting to use broad bean (fava) flour instead of chick peas!
I used: Day lily buds (Hemerocallis), common sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), radish, red mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica atropurpurea), musk mallow (Malva moschata), Korean aster (Aster scaber), sorrel (Rumex acetosa), garden orach (Atriplex hortensis), Parsley pea (tops), Allium nutans x senescens (leaves and flower stems/buds) and Hablitzia tamnoides (tops)…..
DELICIOUS!!
An interview with yours truly at Holma Forest Garden in Southern Sweden during my visit in early May. Filmed and produced by Jim Nilsson who did an excellent job I think :) The interviewer is Eric Karlsson!
If Hablitzia, the Caucasian Spinach, had been discovered in Italy these unopen flower clusters would no doubt be known as Hablizzoli…Hablitzia broccolis or Broccoli di Hablizzias….Although small, they are the tastiest part of the plant so far…simply delicious :)
