It’s starting to look summer, the 1st June has brought ripe strawberries to start the bounty from the garden. Only two so far, but hoping for little bits here and there, the wild strawberries should be soon as well 🍓
(c) K Wicks
It’s strawberry time
gardening
Edible garden
I have found in the last couple of years there are many things you can eat that grow in the garden as ‘weeds’ and are seen as a pest. Turns out not, as with much these days. So thought it might be nice to list a few things you can grow, and throw in a few things that will work their own way in, i’ll share the link to a further posts about the item, if I have one.
Hairy Bittercress – leaves can be used for salads
Dandelions – edible, and useful in many ways and one of the main offenders for being called a pest. Apart from the flower stem, the rest of the plant can be used. The leaves and petals can be used in salads, and the roots for tea and herbal remedies.
Rosemary – this is known to be edible, but i didn’t realise the flowers were edible too. A super sweet rosemary taste that is again lovely on salads.
Sheep sorrel – discovered today as its surrounded my blueberry plant. Before I tidied it as a weed, I checked and of course its edible too! The leaves have a slightly sour taste but nice, again one for salads.
Strawberries – these are super easy to grow. A domesticated variety in a pot now looking plentiful and I have wild ones taking over a planter, with potatoes as well in there so the competition for space is on.
Wood Avens / St benedicts Herb – the root of this plant is the useful bit, once washed and dried, it smells like cloves and can be used as a milder tasting spice when ground, or for toothaches as well they say.
Creeping Wood Sorrel – I didn’t realise this was edible (the whole plant is), when I did my previous post, but the little seed pods I mention, apparently they have a slight lemony flavour and can be added to, you guessed it, salads.
I also have lots of herbs growing and other fruits, and have now started some salad and vegetables, it’s amazing what you can get to grow in a restricted space, and once it’s there, other things will find their way in…
(c) K Wicks
Peppers flowering
The peppers have started flowering 😍 things are coming along nicely.
(c) K Wicks
Mutant calendula
I didn’t snip a few heads so they go to seed. But one appears to have mutated, and sprouted multiple new heads 😁😬 the plant that just keeps on giving.
(c) K Wicks
Wood avens / St Benedicts Herb
While learning about what is edible and useful in the garden, I decided to try out the hidden and most important bit of this plant. The root. Its the pale stringy roots that have the oils, and flavour apparently. They say its like cloves, and after you dig up, wash and prepare them, you’ll know why. The clove like aroma started as soon as I had patted them dry. Quite nice actually. The process now is to dry and store for use, another for the herb cupboard.
(c) K Wicks
April growing
Despite the cold and overcast days, the berries are coming along. Sprouting and budding a plenty now.
There is lots going on and I’m getting better at the whole process of it all. Hopefully there will be tasty things at the end of it 😁
(c) K Wicks
April in the garden 2022
It’s super warm today and lots of things are out and about. It’s lovely. Star spot of the day was the angleshade moth, haven’t seen one of those for ages. Plenty of the caterpillars, but not the next stage.
(c) K Wicks
Pond and snails
I realise I forgot to do a proper post about my new little pond. A spur of the moment idea which is now about a month in, everything has settled and I’m making around the edge look OK with a few bits here and there.
Today I decided to move two of my five pond snails over as they have been doing well since I got them about a month ago now too. Not that easy to photograph, but I have tried. They are awesome to watch.
And today while checking the numbers, I lifted the small solar powered pump in the first tub pond, and what do I find? Small batches of eggs! There may be more snails very soon 😬
Also not so easy to photograph. But these have also been moved to the new pond. They are incredible at cleaning up, and have made the water crystal clear, and have helped clear all the algae that was forming round the growing plants.
These are the relocated two, as you can see, they have their work cut out for them here. Lots of algae there already, that may have come with the plant I moved to start it off though. Hoping for more wildlife, so far the birds have been using it as a bird bath too, so it has their approval, even using the little steps to hop down to the lawn on one occasion!
(c) K Wicks
Hairy bittercress
This is a new find for me, although not new to my eyes or garden. It’s other name is Cardamine hirsuta, and is edible it turns out. It’s appeared as it does in spring but this year before clearing it all away as a weed, I thought I’d leave it as it has very pretty little white flowers and isn’t doing any harm. Then I thought maybe I should find out what it is.
The leaves are the tasty bit, a bit peppery but not too much like rocket. Just had a salad with some and it was nice. But the star of the show was the little rosemary flowers I picked to go with it. Having only looked them up the other day (as it’s flowering), and turns out they are edible too! Super sweet little bursts of rosemary, just super 👌
(c) K Wicks
Sprouting #2
It’s getting busy now. Many I haven’t tried growing before so we’ll see how it goes.
Not sure I have enough room for it all, but I’ll make do and there maybe a few losses along the way.
(c) K Wicks
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