Dear reader,

We're into November and I'm so enjoying the lushness of spring growth all over the farm.  I marvel at the transformation every spring and forget just how much growth there is!  A few roses out, but most have fresh new leaves and buds ready to burst forth with beautiful flowers. Scented azaleas fill the air with vibrant color and scent as the wisteria has done. In the vege garden the kale, silver beet, beetroot and even the leeks are going up to seed.  I like to keep one kale plant for seed as they produce a huge amount which are good for micro greens.

We need the ground for new vegetables even though the bees are loving the flowers, and I couldn't bare to 'waste' the flowers or leaves so have made pesto, kale chips, a quiche (photo below) as well as putting the leaves in smoothies along with some flowers. I found the chooks also like the flowers to eat. Mentioning chooks we have some baby chicks which are very photogenic and cute, see photo below.

On the weed front the onion weed has done its flowering and is dying away, others that I ate all winter are going to flower like the oxeye daisy,oxtongue, plantain, chickweed, dandelions and their cousins including nipplewort - the featured weed this month. It is a plant I hadn't known or even seen and now I see it everywhere, funny how that works. In my book I listed it along with wall lettuce but now it is time it had it's own story.

I held an enjoyable workshop here at Farleigh on Saturday 31st Oct and was able to take the participants around the farm where I forage and show them all the wild weeds and natives that are in the bush and edible. It was really fun to share the beauty of the farm and what my parents have created here in 26 years. 

Coming up are more workshops. Next week I'm holding one at Rob's place in Rotoura, 7th November 10-1pm, for more information and to book www.juliasedibleweeds.com/workshops

Following that is a new workshop called the Wisdom of Weeds where we'll be exploring how to tune into plants and how to work out what plant is good for you. We'll enjoy a shared lunch followed by some practical hands on making weed vinegars, oils and a weed balm.  This is being hosted by Plenty Permaculture in Whakamarama 21st November 9.30-3pm
For more information and to book  www.juliasedibleweeds.com/workshops

At the end of November I'm going down to Hawkes Bay for the first time and working in collaboration with Pauline of the Farmhouse Kitchen who is kindly hosting the workshop and providing a scrumptious lunch, and Setha who is offering a seed workshop in the afternoon. A full days program that promises to be full of nourishment for body, mind and soul!
For more information and to book  www.juliasedibleweeds.com/workshops

The final workshop for the year is being held in Raglan by the sea as a friend of mine who lives there calls it. www.juliasedibleweeds.com/workshops

See the flyers below.

I wish you all a wonderful spring, lots of health and enjoyment foraging for your wild edibles!

Julia

Above you'll see the Farleigh workshop group in the new orchard where the grass has romped ahead and the trees are in blossom. The walnut in the middle front of the photo getting its new leaves. Also the kale quiche I made decorated with native edible kiokio fern just above.

I've grown Hippeastrum amaryllis bulbs for decades and you can see why - they are so stunning and give such delight with their bright boldness and their size. There's all different colors but I like these ones the best of all! Not edible to my knowledge, and I couldn't eat them anyway. :)

This plant is what we in New Zealand call Gunnera tinctoria. Also known as Chilean rhubarb. I recently learnt that the Chileans regularly eat the stems, stripped of the prickly skin. It can be bought in markets and is a staple food.  I wonder if anyone here has eaten it and knows how to prepare it?  I'd love to know.  I don't have easy access to any plants but want to try it.  It likes wet cliffs, swampy areas and roadside banks.  It is increasingly spreading all over NZ.  Its huge sized leaves distinguish it. Another very interesting thing about it - it has blue-green algae in the root nodes that fix nitrogen!  A wonderful feature but it is on the National Pest Plant Accord
To visit this site to see other plants on the Accord http://www.biosecurity.nz/nppa

Finally it is bamboo shoot time and one way to help control this invasive variety is to knock over the shoots and eat them!  I peel off the cases and cut up only the softer parts of the stem and then boil them. They are quite tasty and become soft, see below. You can cut up the cooked stems and cut them up further adding to stir fry or soup.

Cooked bamboo shoots