CORDIALS AND WINES FROM THE COUNTRY

There was a time when most people knew about the plants in the hedgerows. Not necessarily their botanical names as a lot of these plants would have had different local names depending on which part of the country you were from. People would look upon the plants as a natural outdoor chemist where they could get a cure for most ailments and a pick me up tonic for any time of the year.

Depending on the time of year these wild plants emit a unique fragrance that is as powerful as any photographic image for recalling times walking and playing in the country. They can induce a clean, protective feeling that stays with you forever. Some of these beautiful plants that bring the feeling of the country to your nose can be made into drinks, which are perfect for helping you keep cool in the summer and give a warming effect in the winter. Even now, most of these fabulous drinks are not available in the shops, so the pleasure is also on the picking.

Plants from the wild can be cultivated in the garden by replicating their environment but it’s very hard to improve on the plants own choice of soil. Therefore I would suggest that if you are picking the flowers, roots or leaves, to get them from places where they have self- set away from pollution and roads. Only take from areas with permission though, you don’t want to get chased off by an angry landowner.

Gathering

Choose a dry, sunny day. Not too early or too late. The leaves and flowers will dry better and be less susceptible to damage if the dew has gone from them. Roots on the other hand can be pulled up better after a drop of rain as this make the soil looser.

Pick for the Future

Remember that if a plant is stripped of it’s leaves, seeds, flowers or roots, it will not survive to give you more goodies the following year. Only take small amounts from the plants, leaving them to flourish for future generations.

Drying

If you are not using the plant parts straight away, they can be stored in airtight containers after drying. Spread out your picked leaves or flowers onto newspapers then place in a well ventilated area and turned regularly. When the leaves or flowers are dry they can be easily stripped from their stalks and put straight into glass jars for storage.

Wines

Some flowers are perfect for making into wines. Agrimony, which grows on wasteland makes a very good wine, so does wild barley, clover, dandelion, gooseberry, honeysuckle, lime flower, meadowsweet, nettle, raspberry, rose hip and tansy. Wine can be made from anything really, but the difference is with these wild plant wines is that they are delicious and don’t tend to blow up in the wardrobe like the ones I made from Trebor Mints when I was a teenager.

Nettles

One of my personal favourites, the nettle, is perfect for making a hearty soup in spring and gives us loads of goodness. Tasting similar to spinach when cooked, it gives up vitamin A,C, D, iron, potassium, manganese and calcium. Stinging nettle tea, on the other hand also helps to break down arthritis crystals and gout, has anti allergy properties against hay fever and asthma, helps to reduce eczema, shrinks enlarged prostrates and haemorrhoids, increases breast milk production and helps reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, which isn’t bad for a plant you see growing at the bottom of the garden.


Gorse

Gorse is lovely, and abundant here. There’s a saying about the plant too “When gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season.” You’ll be pleased to know that gorse around here seems to flower all year. You will need to be very patient when picking the flowers though as gorse is very prickly. Gorse is seen as the poor relation to broom, which is said to have greater medicinal properties, but it does still have a multitude of uses. It has been used as fuel (you will know it burns well when the hills catch fire). The ashes can be mixed with clay and used as a substitute for soap. The crushed shrub has been used to feed cattle and makes for good milk. The shrub can also make an extremely effective hedge when closely cut. Back to the wine. With the price of alcohol rising in the shops, you could save money by making your own booze…

Here’s an old recipe for gorse wine.
1 Gallon of gorse flowers
2.5 lb sugar
2 oranges
2 lemons
1 gallon of water
Yeast. (Fresh yeast from the bakers if you can get it) or from a packet.

Boil the flowers in the water for 15 minutes. Strain through a flannel bag and add water to make up to the 1 gallon. Dissolve the sugar in the liquid and add the lemon and orange peel (removing the pith) and the juice. When this is lukewarm add the yeast, (fresh yeast can be spread over a slice of bread then placed in the bucket). Leave for three days in a warm place, stirring occasionally. Strain into a fermenting jar -fit an air lock to stop it blowing up (you live and learn) and leave until fermentation has stopped and the wine is clear. Siphon off into sterile bottles and cork. The wine will be ready for drinking after a few weeks, but like a lot of things, they can mature for the better with age.

QUIZ

Quiz Time

This week I’ve put together the Gardening Matters quiz, the perfect antidote to a cold and wet day. So, have a look out of the window and if it’s too rough to venture out to the veggie patch, grab yourself a drink, a sticky bun and see how many of these questions you can answer correctly. There are no prizes but it may just take your mind off the weather for a few minutes.

1) What would a gardener do with a dibber?
a) Scrape mud off spades and trowels
b) Make holes in compost from transplanting seedlings
c) Make flailing hand gestures to neighbours

2) What general term is given to the trees and shrubs whose leaves fall in autumn?

a) Deciduous
b) Evergreen
c) Ambidextrous

3) Why do gardeners practice crop rotation?

a) To grow bigger vegetables and impress their friends
b) To make the garden look pretty
c) To help prevent a build up of pests and diseases in the soil

4) Which part of a tree can be used to make cork?

a) The bark
b) Root tissue
c) Pulped seeds
5) The love apple is the original name for what?

a) Potato
b) Tomato
c) Quince

6) Name the evergreen hedging conifer that has created many a neighbourly dispute?

a) Leylandi
b) Escallonia
c) Oleria

7) Why would you cover carrots with horticultural fleece?

a) To keep them warm in winter
b) To stop them being attacked by carrot root fly
c) To hide them from the dogs


8) What is the name given to the female reproductive organ of a flower?
a) Pistol
b) Pistil
c) Pissedup

9) Which cereal must be grown in water?

a) corn
b) rice
c) wheat
10) How can you tell the age of a tree?

a) Measure the height and divide by two
b) Count the rings
c) Ask the garden centre staff

11) What is a sweet drink for bees?
a) Nectar
b) Honey
c) Morning dew

12) This hairy plant has a sting
a) Nettle
b) Ceonothus
c) Mint 13) What age is the oldest plant fossil found?

a) 20 million years
b) 120 million years
c) 150 million years
14) What are peanuts?

a) Fruit
b) Root
c) Beans
15) Name the popular type of goldfish found in ornamental garden ponds.

a) Kevin
b) Cod
c) Koi

16) A beer trap can help control what type of pest?

a) Slugs
b) Greenfly
c) An errant teenager

17) What special attribute makes lavender ideal for dry conditions?

a) Nice smell
b) Small leaves
c) Pretty colour

18) What is the name for sculpting hedges?

a) Tapestry
b) Tomfoolery
c) Topiary
19) Kale, Cauliflowers, Brussel Sprouts are all what type of vegetable?

a) Brassicas
b) Ornamental
c) Carniverous

20) What is a Shepherds Purse?

a) A sheep farmer’s wallet
b) A weed
c) A pretty annual flower

21) What type of plants can be found in a rock garden?

a) Oxygenating plants
b) Alpines
c) Herbs


Answers :

1b, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5b, 6a, 7b, 8b, 9b, 10b, 11a, 12a, 13b, 14c, 15c, 16a, 17b, 18c, 19a, 20b, 21b.

How did you do?

1-10. Looks like you need to spend a bit more time in the garden. Get those boots on now!
11-15. You are a real all rounder with knowledge to spare. You know your rhizomes from your corms.
16-20. Like soil, you have hidden depths, use your knowledge wisely and spread the word about the wonders of the garden
21. Congratulations! We will soon be seeing you on Gardener’s World

FIRE

NEW GROWTH FROM THE ASHES

I’d like to begin this week for thanking the Buncrana Fire Brigade, without whom I would be sitting in a pile of ashes where the house once sat.

Allow me to elaborate. March to June is the prime time for fires in the country and as last week was an exceptionally dry spell made it a very busy time for the fire crew. Dead vegetation sitting on the ground from winter and the fresh breezes coming down the Swilly gave rise to loads of hillside fires, one of which came perilously close to our house.

MY HEROS
It was Saturday morning and we were heading out in the car. At the top of the driveway were three fire engines with fire fighters walking up and down the narrow country lane that takes us to the main road. Noticing a huge plume of smoke on the horizon, I stopped to ask one of the lads what was happening. There was a fire near Stragill on the other side of the hill from us and if the current wind direction stayed the same it posed no real threat to us. We carried on our way in the car not thinking much about it. The wind did change direction though, very quickly.

It was the vigilance and professionalism of the Buncrana Fire Brigade who waited patiently and assessed the situation perfectly. The lads were in the right place to stop the fire from heading down the hill where it would have enveloped our house and also a group of houses further down from us.

We got back from our jaunt in the car to see the hillside had been turned to charcoal and white foam was hanging off the trees in the hedgerow. It took the full crew of the three engines to use their beaters to control the blaze, which came within five yards of our garden. Left to its own devices the fire could have spread to the town. The lads were calm and friendly, taking all of the action in their stride. It must be the fact that they save lives that makes them so collected.

I want to be a fireman when I grow up.


ASSESSING THE SITUATION
I took a walk along the hillside to see the effects of the fire. The ground above us is quite wet and there is a lot of heather growing. Heather is quite a dry wood so that has been hit hard, although the roots are unaffected. The dead bracken and grass has all gone up in smoke leaving a fine black dust on the ground. Grassland fires like the one we had here tend to burn more readily than forest and shrub ecosystems. The fire moves through the stems and leaves of herbaceous plants only lightly heating the underlying soil even in cases of high intensity. In most grassland ecosystems, fire is the primary mode of decomposition as the resulting ash adds nutrition to the soil.




MAKING THE MOST OF IT
There have always been fires, even before us humans came along, and there can be beneficial effects rising from this. Fire reduces the build up of dead and decaying leaves, wood and needles that accumulate on a forest floor or grassland. It reduces or eliminates the overhead forest canopy, increasing the sunlight that stimulates new growth from seeds and roots. Some plants and trees such as the eucalyptus we have growing ten feet from where the fire stopped, have leaves coated in flammable oils that help to create an intense fire. The heat will cause their fire-activated seeds to germinate and capitalise on the lack of competition in the burnt landscape.

Other plants have smoke-activated seeds as well. Serotinous cones of Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) are sealed with resin until fire melts it away and releases the seeds onto the ground. Many plant species, including shade-intolerant giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), require fire to make light gaps in the vegetation canopy. This allows their new seedlings to compete with more shade-tolerant seedlings of other species and establish themselves in a process known as “recruitment”.

WILDLIFE
Like plants, animals can cope, but they must avoid the actual fire to survive. Though birds are vulnerable when nesting, they are generally able to escape the fire and can often profit off prey items fleeing from the fire. They also can recolonise burned areas quickly because of their high mobility. Mammals are also often capable of either fleeing the fire or seeking cover while it passes and then recolonising quickly. Amphibians and reptiles may avoid flames by burrowing into the ground or using the burrows of other animals. Amphibians in particular are able to take refuge in water or very wet mud.

PREVENTION
Fires on the land become increasingly dangerous as they head for homes. Because of our built environment where houses are placed randomly in the countryside there is always a possibility of a fire heading towards people. The Forestry Protection Guidelines from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has some sound advice on how to prevent fires from starting and also suggests developing a Fire Plan if you have vulnerable land. The Fire Plan consists of access points to the land, water pipes and the introduction of fire break areas to control a blaze. Good neighbourly relations and vigilance is also a key factor to keep the fires at bay once they have started.




RAISED AWARENESS
According to the guidelines, the likelihood of a fire starting spontaneously in Ireland is pretty rare. Raising the awareness of just how easily a fire can start is a key issue with the Department. Fire risk increases with the presence of people who are likely to be careless with fire and who do not appreciate the flammability of vegetation. The fire that came to our house was reportedly started by a farmer clearing reeds from a field. Thinking before lighting any fires or throwing cigarette butts on the floor will spare the fire crews from risking their lives to save our homes.

Ponds

A floating raft on top of a pond. No quite as exciting as my old quarry, but it looks good.

LURKING IN THE DEEP

When I was a youngster I was lucky enough to have a disused sand quarry at the bottom of my garden. Just a hop over the garden fence took me into a 50-acre wonderland of gold coloured sandstone cliffs left over from the glory days of the extraction. There were large dunes where we could hide and loads of really dangerous plant equipment had been left behind after the quarry closed, which gave us an enviable play park full of sharp rusty metal and old lorries to play on. We rolled down old conveyor belts, got trapped in large storage tanks and clambered up rickety 100-foot platforms that wobbled as we ascended the vertical steps to get a good vantage point to spot the rival gang members approaching. Oh, the days before health and safety. There were also six very large and very deep lakes with small islands in the middle of them that were made from where the sand had been removed. Home made rafts were scattered along their shores and with the aid of an old plank we would paddle out to our own sanctuary islands out of the way of the world.

The Big Freeze

In winter the quarry ponds took on a completely different use. I’m not sure if it’s the changing climate or the fact that these ponds were inland, but they seemed to freeze over for weeks at a time. Ice formed to the depth of about two feet in some places and the resulting platform was safe enough to drive a lorry over (not that we could ever get them going of course).

This year was about the first time in Inishowen I have experienced anything like those big freezes we used to get. My exploits sliding across the frozen water back then went unnoticed, unlike this year where the celebrities that went out on Inch Lake for a bit of fun ended up on the front pages of the local papers.

If these winters persist then we might have to rethink how we build small ponds in the garden, especially ones built from concrete or have fish in them.

Frozen ponds
Expanding water from freezing could damage the rigid structure of a small pond; especially concrete ones as this material is quite inflexible. Butyl rubber on the other hand can expand so this makes it more reliable and less susceptible to leaking. These are prone to leaking though through heron or stone damage or by any other sharp object poked into the side of the pond.

If you have sprung a leak in your butyl pond though I have a great tip for finding the hole.

Fixing a hole
Wait for a spell of dry weather or just allow the pond to keep losing water by protecting it from rain with a cover. At some point the water will stop disappearing, indicating the lowest point of the leak. Keep an eye on the water level if you have fish, the hole could be right at the bottom of the pond. The next step is to find the hole. Check around the perimeter of the pond at the level that the water has stopped dropping for any visible holes or tears. If none are visible, top up the pond with an inch or two of water and gently pour a cup of milk as close to the centre of your pond as you can get. It should be sucked toward the leak and you will be able to see the white milky trail. If you see no trail from the centre, wait for a calm day and add milk to areas around the perimeter. If and when you find the hole, you can patch it with a liner patch kit available at most garden centres or online. If the pond is concrete it will be a bit more difficult as cracks can be very persistent. Try making friends with a plasterer.

Fish
The quarry ponds were very deep and because of this all the giant fish and monsters that lived in the murky depths managed to survive the winter.

Fish swim deeper into ponds as the water freezes. If the pond is about four feet deep it will always have an area for them to swim about in and keep safe. After saying that, most fish can survive for short periods in shallower ponds as long as it isn’t totally frozen. Freezing isn’t always the full problem though. An ice-capped pond stops the normal gas exchanges between the water and atmosphere. Even when water temperatures are low, fish still continue to metabolise, requiring oxygen and releasing CO2. Other gasses accumulate under the surface and they can reach levels that can affect water quality, making it turn ‘sour’.

Releasing the gasses

To release the gasses thaw a small hole by pouring some boiling water on to the ice. Ice needs to be thawed quietly, without banging or breaking the ice with physical force as the pressure waves and noise can shock the fish. If the frost isn’t that severe but looks like it will last a long time, try putting a football on the water. When the ball is taken out of the water it will leave a small hole where the gasses can escape. If you have the resources there are heaters especially designed to rest on the water to stop it freezing. Sold with a float, the pond heater (usually 100W) gives off sufficient heat to provide a hole in the ice, with the same running cost of a standard light bulb.