Tag Archives: foraging

REVISIT – sweet violets – the most beautiful edible flower for Spring?

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Despite the snow, there are a few plants which are beginning to come to life and remind us that spring is surely on its way.

One such plant is the stunning Sweet Violet, which we wrote about last year and is just starting to get going…

March 2012…

A few weeks ago we posted about the earliest edible flowers available to pretty up your plates and this weekend we spotted our favourites – sweet violets, or to give them their proper name, Viola odorata.

There is a large bank near our studio which sits right on the edge of a road, by a bus stop, which is completely smothered by a blanket of sweet violets which fills the air with the most amazing scent each March.

Given their demure size, the scent they produce is actually quite incredible, with a little bunch happily scenting a whole room.

The blooms are also wonderful added to spring salads to give a bit of colour, but our favourite way to use them is to place a single bloom on a chocolate violet flavoured cupcake – the dark brown icing really making the blue purple of the violet sing out. Or, as pictured to the left here, they can be crystallised and added as decorations (these cakes were vanilla with violet extract flavoured icing)

Sweet violets are a great addition to a garden and as they are happy in both full sun or semi shade there will almost certainly be a place that they would love.

Plus, as well as the standard violet coloured sweet violet, you can get white varieties too, which, if colour is not your thing, would be a brilliant alternative.

Get them here or here.

(top image from crocus)

the edible city – the future of our workplaces?

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This week we have been preparing for a talk we are giving at the University of Brighton for the Brighton Interior Architecture and Architecture Society, about the work of the studio and stuff that inspires us. One such element is the integration and development of the edible city and how this can inform public landscaping and workplace design.

When putting together the lecture, we were aware of just how many concepts there are for the integration of food growing, particularly beautifully rendered, high technology concepts, but just how little are actually built.

Is it that we are just thinking about the edible city but have just not got around to building it yet?

Also, the vast majority of the concepts are new build projects, usually in the vertical format. Towers, Sky Farms, layered buildings with horticulture and agriculture combined.

There is, of course a certain amount of building efficiency which can be planned into a new structure, but it does not necessarily mean that our existing buildings cannot be adapted to integrate localised growing into their footprints.

Dalston 1

We wrote about one such project here – the FARM: shop project by Something and Son in Dalston, London, which uses a standard retail location to produce fish through aquaponics, salads and even eggs from rooftop chickens – all of which is used in the on site cafe. They also run educational programs to encourage other people to grow.

But thinking of the larger, city workplace format, there is one project which is a very interesting example of what the future of our offices could be – and not in a new structure.

The Pasona HQ in Tokyo is based in a retrofitted 50 year old building, which has been adapted to be not only a working environment, but an urban farm.

Pasana hq1

Designed by Kono Designs, the building grows most of the food required to feed its employees, from broccoli, squash, tomatoes and even rice, through a variety of interior and exterior growing methods.

There are growing areas included throughout the building, from the main lobby to private offices and meeting rooms, with both soil based and hydroponic systems being employed.

Pasana hq2

Outside, the exterior of the building has a living facade which includes orange trees, which provides valuable seasonal solar shading and improves the air quality as well as being productive.

What is also great about the Pasona HQ is that the employees actually tend to the crops themselves  and are encouraged to spread the word about growing to other city goers through education – leading by example. The sight of someone cutting the rice paddy in the office reception is a welcome change to the usual piece of sculpture.

Pasana hq3

Overall, this existing building has been redesigned to include 43,000 square feet of ‘farmland’ with over 200 species being grown.

Could this become a model for the development of our edible city and workplaces?

(images via Inhabitat fron Kono Designs)

REVISIT – early edible flowers

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When planning all of our landscape (or internal planting schemes) we try and make sure they are working as hard as possible for our clients. Multi functioning spaces and companion planting is right up there on our lists, as is edible planting.

For some schemes this is the planning of a vegetable bed, or orchard, or nuttery, or even greenhouse schemes. For others a smaller focus is required, with edible planting being planned into vertical green walls, green roof areas and in the simplest forms, planters and window boxes.

There is something very comforting about being able to wander into your garden or lean out of your window and pluck something to add to your meal, make into a tea or even just garnish a sunday chocolate cake.

And even though it is still pretty chilly outside there are a few plants which are producing the most stunning, and edible little flowers, right now, and are available very readily from all garden centres.

Primroses usually flower in the very earliest parts of Spring, and here in Brighton we already have ours out now. The palest of yellows, the primrose flowers are brilliant candied (coated with egg white and dusted with sugar and left to dry) or added to salads and onto cakes just as they are. They are great as edible additions to anything where a touch of Spring is required.

Violas have to be one of my favourite of the edible flowers and we make sure we always have a good selection of these beautiful little plants around. With the huge wealth of colours available there is always going to be something to suit your own scheme, and they are just wonderful atop the darkest of chocolate cakes as a naturally coloured decoration. I particularly like the bi-coloured flowers, but everything from white to darkest purple black are available so really, take your pick.

Pansies are the bigger and brasher cousin of the delicate viola, but the flowers can be eaten in exactly the same way. Try adding a single bloom to top a cupcake, or to float on drink. Petals can also be torn into salads to add a great bit of colour and interest as well.

Using edible flowers is not rocket science, just make sure you correctly identify ANYTHING you are planning on eating before you shovel it in. But take the time to experiment and these little additions really can bring a dish alive – plus from a horticultural point of view, the plant will produce more flowers for you, so a double bonus.

REVISIT – snow shows your garden structure

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So, some of us have had some snow, with a bit more on the way for a lot of us. But instead of cursing the white stuff, get outside and start to replan your landscape. Trust us – this works – as we highlighted last year…

Feb 2012.

We have all been shivering a bit in the cold over the past week, with the ravages of ice and snow blasting their way across the UK.

For some things in the garden, this is a really bad thing, with the early risers being caught out by the cold. Other things such as garlic will be really pleased about the drop in temperature. Most other things will not be that bothered. Life is of course a matter of balance.

But there is a very important function that snow (or even a hard frost) can bring to the garden in winter.

Structure.

If your garden does not have structure then it is really evident in the winter, when landscapes are blanketed in one singular colour. If there are not great bones in your garden you will be able to see the flatness easier now than ever before.

Do you have a good balance of evergreen shrubs, skeletal trees and shrubs with good form, arches, urns, statues, buildings or hard landscaping?

Take a step back. Take some photos. Pick out the ‘flat’ areas with a view to moving stuff in early spring, or positioning a new feature.

Now, some flatness can be great. Think of a beautiful, crisp section of lawn or a meadow. But the flat has to be balanced with the bones.

Get your structural bones right and your garden will literally stand up to all weathers and look beautiful come rain or shine, or even frost or snow.

 

(images by claire potter design)

November foraging – hawthorn ketchup

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Those of you who are familiar with this blog know that as well as being a passionate eco design and green fanatic, we are also foraging freaks.

The past few years has seen our interest in all things tasty and free escalate, and with a few good guide books and a few good and tweaked recipes, the larder has expanded considerably.

There are a series of books which we simply would now not be without, and it is the River Cottage Handbook series – most notably by Pam Cobin (Preserves) and John Wright (Hedgerow, Mushrooms and Edible Seashore) which have been the most carried around and used this summer and autumn.

But there is always one berry that we are asked about by fellow walkers when they see us picking – the Hawthorn. Many do not realise that you can eat the berry, or what to do with it.

So, in all it’s glory, here is the recipe for the Saucy Haw Ketchup – based on the recipe as found in the River Cottage Preserves book, by Pam Cobin

makes 1 x 300ml bottle

500g hawthorn berries (which you can still find clinging on for dear life on the bare branches)                                                                                                                        300ml cider vinegar                                                                                                               170g sugar                                                                                                                               1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper to taste

First, strip the hawthorn berries from their stalks – we have found that running them through the tines of a table fork is the best way, or hold them between your thumb and forefinger and ‘roll’ them backwards – they should snap from their stalks easily, but make sure they don’t ping everywhere. Rinse them in cold water, then put them into a large pan with the vinegar and 300ml water.

Simmer the hawthorn berries for around 30 mins until the flesh is soft and the berries a muted brown. We give the berries and occasional squish with a potato masher during cooking to get them nice and soft. When done, remove from the heat and rub the mixture through a sieve, or put through a food mill, removing the stones and skins. Really work at this until you have a relatively dry mush left with each batch.

Return the hawthorn puree to the cleaned out pan and add the sugar. Heat very gently to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins. Season, then pour into a sterilised bottle with a vinegar proof lid (we use the cider vinegar bottles or the swing top small beer bottles)

Use within 12 months.

We have added a few variations to this recipe, including adding a bit of cinnamon, or other warming spice to give a bit of a twist.

This hawthorn ketchup is just beautiful – fruity with a slightly dry aftertaste – and it goes amazingly with parsnip chips. Or just chips. Actually, everything you usually put tomato ketchup on. Plus, in a nice bottle, this would make a GREAT addition to a Christmas Hamper – and something you would not be able to buy, so a double bonus (if you can bear to give any of it away…)

Ash dieback disease in the UK

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We usually try and find something nice and exciting to write about – great design, fantastic interiors and landscapes, seasonality and craftspeople, but every so often we find ourselves writing about a pressing issue which is not as nice, like Ash dieback disease.

This disease appears to only affect the Ash tree and is caused by an infectious fungus, Hymenoscyphus Pseudoalbidus, which attacks the trees causing leaves to drop and the crowns to literally ‘die back’.

It is thought that the fungus has arrived in the UK through the imports of infected trees, probably from Denmark, where it was observed in nurseries as early as 2009. Since last week there has been a Government ban on the sale, importation and general movement of Ash trees in the UK, but there are around 52 sites where infection has been confirmed (correct at time of writing, but expected to rise).

So what does this mean for the Ash tree in the UK?

On an optimistic note, the spores which spread the fungus are more prevalent in the summer months and it is thought that the increase of sites is due to the fungus being recognised rather than the disease spreading. But, the infected trees have to be destroyed to prevent any future spread, so we face the destruction of many trees – both young and established.

There is also the possibility that the spores have blown into the UK, so even with the destruction of the current infected trees, the spread of ash dieback may be incredibly difficult, maybe impossible to halt completely. Some areas of Denmark have seen 90% of their ash trees destroyed by the virus, which is a very sobering statistic when we recognise that we have in the region of 130,000 hectares of predominantly ash tree woodland in the UK.

But as well as the potential loss of the trees, there are the species which directly rely on the ash tree and the ash woodlands as their habitat. Due to the dappled light the leaves provide, woodland flowers flourish in ash habitats and the loss due to ash dieback could have dire consequences for these locations and supported species.

So, what are the symptoms of ash dieback and what should we do?

The symptoms of ash dieback disease are varied, and range from lesions to blackened stems and the browning of leaves from the ends of stems. This pictoral guide from the Forestry Commission is an excellent identification tool. http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/visit-woods/for-nature/Documents/symptoms-chalara-dieback-ash.pdf

If you do find a tree which could be infected, contact one of the bodies listed on the Woodland Trust website. Alternatively, contact your local authority who should be able to log the location and advise you accordingly.

We can also help to reduce the spread of the ash dieback fungus by washing boots, pets and even children when returning from an autumnal stroll in the woods.

Take a look at this video from the Telegraph and ensure that you check your local trees.

(images via the Woodland Trust and BBC)

A Pantone inspired spring planting scheme

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Day two of our week looking at how the Pantone Spring Colour Report can be translated from fashion into interiors and landscapes and we are looking at a planting scheme combination for Spring using a few of the key colours.

The colour report itself has a few colours which would merge beautifully in a planting scheme, but we are going to put one combination together which would look stunning en masse in one large bed with a very modern aesthetic.

 

All of our planting schemes incorporate some edible elements, so to link with the colour report we would choose a mass of the lovely, fluffy, limey green fennel. The young foliage is a truly beautiful colour and would be a great match with the ‘Tender Shoots’ Pantone colour in the scheme.

 

Due to the fluffy nature of fennel, it is a great plant to be mixed with other forms, contrasting textures and colours and the leaves will disguise any growth dying off from other plants within the bed.

With this in mind, we would interplant the fennel with an early flowering tulip in the Poppy Red Pantone colour tone, such as these Ile de France tulips from Bloms.

The height of the tulips will stand up well to the surrounding fluffy fennel and the growing fennel will help to disguise the foliage of the tulip as it dies back, which is always an untidy part of the May garden.

This thinking can be applied to other bulbs too, like alliums, which can also have tatty leaves.

A lovely colour combination and a great mix of textures which would make a planting scheme for a bed with impact.

(images via Bloms and Lavender World)

100 wild huts – truly natural architecture

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It is the start of Architecture month, so to celebrate we will be finding lots on architecturally inspired posts to bring you – from eco materials to great projects and wonderful interiors.

Today we are starting with a great, ongoing story from UK blogger Kevin Langan who is aiming to build 100 natural structures, or wild huts, from natural materials and traditional techniques – using only a £10 hatchet.

But as well as building them, Kevin will sleep in each of them for a night, then blog about the experience at ‘100 Wild Huts‘.

So far, Kevin is up to hut number 5, which was based on a garden swing and had a raised platform to lift him off the boggy ground. Previous structures have included a reed roofed structure and a stone walled hut based on a roundhouse.

We think this is a very interesting project as Kevin is not only showing how old construction techniques can be used for survival but he is reminding us all that architecture basically came from the earth. We now have super efficient and readily available materials in the UK for any new build, but with a bit of thought, traditional materials and techniques can be incorporated into any structure to connect it with its local environment and create a new ‘eco vernacular’.

A building which sits comfortably within its place is a far more endearing piece of architecture than any super slick metal clad beast in our books – we need to recognise the balance between the two camps and create a connected architecture.

(image via 100 Wild Huts)

5 great edible plants for a coastal garden

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We are quite lucky here on the South Coast, as we tend to have pretty warm weather in the summer and milder winters than many other places in the UK. Brighton itself has a bit of a micro climate as it is protected by the South Downs, so often you will find settled weather in the city whilst it is raging just a few miles north. But that all said, if you live near any coast you will have far better success if you use salt and wind tolerant plants in your garden or on your balcony.

So, today we are looking at 5 great plants which are useful, tasty and coast resistant.

copyright Stephen Shirley

First up is our absolute favourite edible coastal plant – the truly delicious Marsh Samphire. Go to any restaurant nowadays and you will see this tasty little plant on the menu as a garnish or side vegetable to fish dishes. We love it on its own, lightly cooked with a bit of butter. But it is actually an incredibly easy plant to grow yourself – especially in a coastal garden or in a pot on a seafront balcony. Get a pot grown plant from Victoriana Nurseries.

 

Second is the magnificent Sea Buckthorn. A great plant for creating an almost impenetrable hedge, Sea Buckthorn is often used on new coastal developments. It is heralded as being a bit of a ‘super food’ and made more than a few appearances on recent episodes of MasterChef as the odd ingredient to use. The bright orange berries contain lip tightening amounts of malic acid (like sour sweets) but they can be used to make all sorts of interesting  things, like this Sea Buckthorn fizz by John Wright.

Third – Sea Kale. A member of the cabbage family, the Sea Kale is more than home in salty exposed conditions and thrives with little care. It is also an excellent bee plant and masses will be attracted to the small clusters of white flowers. Young stems can be blanched and eaten and are delicious. Get plants from Crocus.

 

Our fourth plant is perhaps our favourite plant of all. We use it in almost all of our garden and landscape designs as it is very reasonable, bulks up nicely, is evergreen, smells wonderful and the bees love it. A winner all around – rosemary takes a great deal of beating and it will be more than happy on the coast. Try Jekka’s Herb Farm who grow a whole range of varieties.

 

Lastly, the good old fuschia. Yep – you can eat the berries of fuschias and there are rafts of recipes online to give you great ideas on how to use them. We think that used in the right place, fuschias can work well and this year we were privileged to be able to name one for Thompson and Morgan. Get the all new Fuschia Pink Elephant (as named by us!) from T&M next Spring.

So, if you live near the sea and are looking for a great edible edition to your garden, why not add a few of the above plants? They will be happy and you will get something interesting for your kitchen

(images via associated links)

Cherry Plums – free food ahoy.

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July and August in the South of England herald the start of a glut of free wild fruit – with cherry plums taking centre stage.

Although strictly not a wild edible (cherry plums were cultivated many moons ago), they are very often seen in hedgerows and are used in large landscaping schemes due to their fast growing, hedge creating habit and their attractive flowers. We know a particularly large stretch near a supermarket which yields stacks of cherry plums each year.

And after the flowers, come the fruit – the size of a large cherry with the flavour of a plum in pinks, reds and golds – which for some strange reason the birds tend to leave alone. A walk along a hedgerow at this time of year can reward you with a basketfull of fruit for very little effort – check a couple of fruits for flavour before you fill your boots though as the sugar content and sweetness does vary from tree to tree.

But if you are looking for a very readily available hedgerow fruit for jams, pies, wine and even fruit vinegars you cannot go wrong – please take a good guide book to double check before you eat anything though and if you are not sure – leave it alone.

(image from claire potter design)