Hedgerow Medicine

I thought I’d pick some meadowsweet too.

I was having a walk in the park this week with the dogs and a friend when all of a sudden they all ended up in the grass and shrubbery. The dogs were chasing a resident pigeon as usual but my friend was in there for a different reason. She had spotted a clump of Meadowsweet flowers “These make a great tea and has natural aspirin in it” she tells me coming out of the undergrowth.   “You can just dip the flowers into a cup of hot water or make a glycerine mixture from it to take on a teaspoon”.

My friend went on a nature walk with a group of ‘Feed Yourself from the Hedgerow’ people and it looks as though things have stuck.  

Of course the first thing I did when getting home was to boil the kettle and pour it over the flowers. It tasted a bit like it smelled, sweet and sickly, but with a hint of insects. One recommendation if you try this at home is to keep the flowers in the sun for a bit to let the little critters escape before you dip the flowers into the cup. 

My friend went on to tell me a few more fascinating facts about some of our common plants. One of them being St John’s wort, the plant the pharmaceutical companies love.  My friend explains “St John’s wort has become well known as a herb for treating depression and SAD, but it is far more than that. An old antiseptic wound herb and was the main plant of St John, the sun herb of midsummer and a protector against evil and unseen influences. In modern terms, it strengthens the nervous system and the digestion, protects the liver, is antiviral and reduces pain; it is a plant for support through life-cycle changes. It’s no wonder the pharmaceutical companies want to keep it for themselves.

What about leaves? I hear raspberry leaves are good ?  

“Both raspberry and strawberry teas are good”. She continues. “Raspberry leaf tea is well known for strengthening the uterus prior to childbirth, and for relieving painful periods. It is also an effective and soothing remedy for ‘flu and fevers, helping reduce the aches and pains that go with them.

This tea is a good source of calcium and other minerals, making it a health-enhancing alternative to regular tea. Raspberries, especially wild ones, are very high in salvestrols, a class of cancer-fighting chemicals.” 

How about strawberry leaves?

“Strawberry leaf has a mild, fruity flavour and is one of the highest sources of naturally occurring Vitamin C available. As with raspberry leaf it makes a very pleasant spring tonic and is especially beneficial to pregnant and nursing mothers and to young children. It is very soothing to the stomach. Harvest young leaves in good condition, throughout the spring and summer, but particularly during blossoming for the finest flavour. Again, use either fresh or completely dried leaves, as strawberry leaf suffers from the same toxic change as raspberry leaf during the drying process. Its safety as a tea is not in question when the leaf is entirely dry or fresh, but not between the two. Only use about 1 teaspoon of leaf per cup.

Often wild strawberry grow poor soil conditions, such as sunny, dry, gravelly, or sandy slopes, where many other plants would not cope well at all. Try to avoid harvest altogether in these areas, and instead harvest in areas with more abundant growth. Domestic strawberry leaf makes a tea with all of the same properties, though perhaps not as strong. Be sure if harvesting the domestic sort that the patch is free of chemicals.”

Rosebay Willow Herb

One of my favourite summer hedgerow plants is the Rosebay willow herb. I think it stems from my early youth when I used to play on the railway embankments where these plants flourished. They can be invasive but I love the tall slender stems with the reddish pink flowers. Can these be used medicinally I ask?

“This beautiful native plant is stunning enough to be grown in any garden and yet is considered a weed. It has not been used much in medicine in recent years but was a favourite of the American Eclectic physicians in treating diarrhoea and typhoid. Its soothing, astringent and tonic action is wonderful for all sorts of intestinal irritation, and it makes a good mouthwash.”

I might just try that. As a mouthwash, thankfully I don’t think I have typhoid.

The usual disclaimers apply here I must add, these tonics should be taken cautiously at first and medical advice sought before!

So Much To Do.....

Reusing an old bag as a planter

I have so much I want to tell you this week. I wrote a list and by the time I finished the page looked like a cartoon scroll rolling to the ground and bouncing across the room. I’ve never had such a productive week in my long history of gardening. I think it must have been the couple of weeks of dry weather followed by the rainy spell… everything just seemed to wake up, me included. 

 

Where to Start?

Let me start by talking about nasturtiums. We got a two packet of seeds last year of both the variegated and non-variegated types. There weren’t many of them and like most things that are in short supply, I tended to value them quite highly, I even saved some of the seeds before the mice got them. I needn’t have bothered; the whole garden is full of these bright invasive plants. They are growing in the tunnel, in the vegetable patch, along the path and in most of the pots. I don’t think we have many mice around here. I like them there’s no mistake, but they are being classed very closely as weeds at the moment as they twine themselves around the kale and peas. I do have some very well behaved perennial nasturtiums from Klaus. They are far better behaved and have lovely compact leaves. I might be growing those in favour of the annuals in future. 

The rain also brought on the weeds. Thankfully most of them are annuals and as I am keeping on top of them I can put these into the compost bin. Any long tap rooted perennials or weeds in flower or gone to seed will go straight into a bag to be recycled. It has proved by this year’s infestation of tomatoes that seeds aren’t killed off in the bins as the temperature doesn’t get hot enough. I don’t want to take any chances.

Old Sports Bag Planter

I have quite a few plants struggling in small pots and decided to relocate them into larger containers so their roots can spread. I have put one of the aforementioned perennial nasturtiums into an old vintage fire bucket and a coleus and geranium into an old sports bag. I was going to throw the bag out as the zip doesn’t work, so I am reusing it for at least a year before it gets put into the bin. I need to watch them both though because the fire bucket doesn’t have drainage holes and the bag dries out quickly in the sun, although it’s amazing how much compost fits into it, I shouldn’t have to water it more than a couple of times a week.

I’ve also put the mother in laws tongue outside, it lives quite happily indoors throughout the winter but definitely loves the fresh air and sunshine, and again, I have to watch the watering as there is no drainage.

Ferns seem to be thriving in the humid weather and I have found that they respond well to having their older leaves cut off. This action seems to promote new fresh growth as opposed to spores as well as keeping them from taking over the pathways. 

The fabulous Deutzia X hybrida 'Mont Rose’ shrub benefits by being cut back and that’s what I have done to mine, next year we should see another great show to attract the bees.

Into the vegetable patch

The courgettes have now burst into life after a slow start. I thought we weren’t going to get a crop but the first one was fried up today, delicious it was too. The broad beans are ready to eat as well, in the past I’ve held on until the pods discolour a bit but we’re eating them younger and fresher this year.

It won’t be long before the sugar snap peas are ready; they are similar to mange tout but have more succulent small peas inside and are guaranteed string free. The beans too are stringless varieties and they have now reached the top of the nine foot bamboo poles so I have nipped out the growing tips so they can concentrate on giving us a good harvest.

Successive sowing seems to be working for me this year. Usually it’s just something I read about that other people do, but this year I have been attentive and planted out more spinach, mange tout, peas, basil, coriander and beetroot. 

To finish off this week I will be putting the cacti outside to get some rainwater and as per Klaus’s instructions have held back until the last minute to plant out the purple sprouting broccoli seeds. It was hard; I have been looking at the packet for a long time. Hopefully by doing it this late will ensure that they don’t get eaten or go to seed before the spring.

Does it Belong in the Fridge or Not?

 Should they be stored separately in or out of the fridge?

I’m have just about recovered from one of my lads infamous parties this week. He’s turning 16 so it was a full blown teenage affair with all of the associated angst and high jinks. I did the usual caring thing and headed off to the cinema for the evening leaving Julie to deal with the spills and thrills. It’s not through choice, I’m told to go. I would spend the evening shouting and pointing at the partygoers and be “a real downer” on the evening. So armed with a big bag of toffees and a two litre bottle of water I set myself up for a double bill. 

My fears materialised of course, when I got back I was greeted with the usual signs of a party, sticky everything, broken lampshades cans in the neighbours garden and dustbin liner bags full of party plastic and pizza boxes. It looked like fun was had in my absence indoors but what about the garden? I couldn’t really see until the following morning but it wasn’t looking promising as I did notice that a few of the sunflowers had been pulled out of the front garden and hurled down the road. They do fly well though, especially if you leave some soil on the roots. I was in my mid-twenties when I found that out. Young ones today find these things out much earlier.

In the morning I went outside to assess the damage. The marquee we set up was still standing albeit a bit lopsided. The grass inside the large tent was scorched; I think it was acid drinks that were spilled. There were a few broken ceramic pots and garden chairs, but apart from those and the sunflowers the garden came off unscathed. The partygoers didn’t even go anywhere near the polytunnel, which as usual I found a bit disappointing as they could have witnessed the lovely displays of salad vegetables growing in there. The garden will pick up in no time and the brown patches on the grass will grow over, nature will see to that. Indoors is a different matter, three days after the event and I still have my head behind the toilet bowl mopping up and the fridge looks like a plague of locusts got in… Teenagers can be voracious eaters!

Chill or Not

Now the summer heat is with us it’s tempting to put anything perishable into the fridge. I have found that some things don’t like being stored in the cold though and in some cases it can ruin the taste and even speed up the decay, salad leaves dry up overnight if they are not in a container or bag.  I never bother with bread for example  ( I freeze mine) as I think that there is a chemical reaction that makes bread go stale and it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference where you store it. The bread will just dry out quicker in the fridge along with any salad vegetables we put in there that doesn’t go into the vegetable section or go into a sealed bag. Tomatoes don’t taste of anything when they are cold, you have to get them to room temperature although if you put them into the fridge in a paper bag they will ripen faster. 

There are other things that don’t do well chilled. 

Onions – Onions need air circulation. Onions rot when they are stored near potatoes too.

Potatoes – Refrigeration is a sure-fire way to kill the flavour of potatoes. Instead store potatoes in a dry paper bag, but not a plastic bag as this promotes moisture and mould.

Avocado – Avocados need to be ripe before they are refrigerated. Once ripe, they will last for up to about a week in the fridge.

Coffee – Refrigerating or freezing coffee drastically changes its flavour. This is due to condensation. This is true for both coffee beans and coffee grounds. Store coffee is in an air tight container in the cupboard.

Winter Squashes – Whether it is an acorn squash, a butternut, or a spaghetti squash you will get far more flavour and enjoyment if you leave it in the pantry. On top of that the squash will last about a month or longer out of the fridge.

Oils – Olive oil or vegetable oil, in the fridge goes thick and begins to look murky and cloudy, the same goes for honey. Nut based oils do better.

Garlic – Putting in the fridge causes mould and the bulb loses flavour

Melons – Taste far better at room temperature.

Fruits – Many fruits such as berries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and apples ripen better out of the chilled air