Tag Archives: broccoli
A New Way of Living
Food production can be a problem for many people who have little or no access to land.
There are many who live in conditions where even a balcony is a precious space.
I have spoken before about the ways in which access to growing space can be achieved, through allotments, community gardens and the like, but here is something which may prove to be an inspiration, a new way of looking at food, both growing it and eating!
As an aspiring Vegan, (sometimes I miss the mark!) and dedicated grower and lover of all life, I have recently been converted to “Micro Greens.”
The concept is extraordinarily simple!
Seeds such as lettuce, peas, beets, etc., are sown and grown for about two weeks or less, before being harvested and added to dishes.
These Micro-Greens, it is said, contain up to 40% more nutrients than older, traditionally grown and harvested vegetables.
I can believe it!
Yesterday evening, I had a dish of cooked brown rice, mixed with Micro Greens, seasoned and drenched with the juice of half a fresh lime and this morning I feel a surge of energy!
Micro Greens can be grown on a window ledge, balcony, hanging basket…anywhere they can get a decent dose of light!
Growing Organic is easy to manage in small areas too!
Little or no problem with slugs and availability all the year around!
For me, the days of packaged salad of any kind are over and the tiresome task of cooking greens are almost over…adding raw makes more sense in every aspect of preparing and eating food!
All you need is a tray, or pot of compost, seeds and water!
So, there you have it…a new way of living…simple, easy and kind to Mother Earth!
And the fun part? Now you can enjoy seeing some of your vegetables run to seed, like this Mizuna in the Potager Bed!
Here are just some of the seeds you can grow Micro Salads from…Arugula
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Kale
Mustard greens
Radish
Red cabbage
Turnips
Watercress
Basil
Chervil
Chives
Coriander
Fennel
Lemon Balm
Mizuna
Rocket
Sage
Chard
and many more…
(Both the Light Catcher and the Bird Box were gifts, made by Nick O’Neill…aren’t they lovely?)Happy growing!
Blessings from Bealtaine Cottage XXX
Growing Food in Cottage Gardens
It’s a perfect day for being in the garden, with just the right amount of sun and shade as the voluminous clouds drift overhead, sun shines full in between and there’s just a promise of rain!
The roses on the veranda are hanging so low that one has to limbo-dance under them to get in and out of the cottage.
In doing this manoeuvre, one gets smothered in the most heavenly scent.
My friend, Terri brought lots of cardboard and seaweed from Connemara and I laid the cardboard down in the new orchard yesterday.
The seaweed is being spread on the Potager beds much to the disdain of the slugs…but they will move out, deeper into the gardens, where their voracious appetites will be welcomed!
Peas are podding…these are an Irish heritage variety and seeds will be saved!
The bees work hard here at Bealtaine Cottage to make sure I have harvests of abundance every year!
Kale and Broccoli are thriving in between herbs and flowers.
Garlic stands ready to be harvested.
Onions are thriving and Pumpkins are finally rooting in and beginning to grow.
Cara, who now has Gloria, is delighted to report that the aforementioned hen adores slugs and eats 20-30 daily.
Raspberries are coming into fruit.
Sweet Joe Pye…food for the eye…soon to be in flower!
Salads are continually harvested from the tunnel…mixed with much herbs and very tasty!
Blackcurrants ripen towards a promise of Cordial, Wine, Jam and Chutney.
Mother Earth knows no austerity!
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Sustainable Food: Easy Grow Vegetables and Fruit
Some vegetables and fruit are so very easy to grow it seems ridiculous not to do so!
1. Chard. Simple to start from seed. Full of vitamins and minerals. Cut and come again…it just keeps giving!
This Ruby Chard has grown in the tunnel and given successive crops since last summer!
2. Parsley. In this case, curly parsley, but in fact any variety is great to grow, providing endless supplies of vitamin C and Iron for a healthy diet, as well as being simple to grow.
Parsley will grow for 2 years easily before it dies back!
Another great Chard is this beautiful yellow variety, bringing colour and taste to the table!
3. Purple-sprouting Broccoli.
These pics were snapped today in the tunnel, so you can see how far advanced this great vegetable is…ready to harvest in January.
The joy of these vegetables and herbs I have here is that they have all self-seeded, in true permaculture fashion!
Again, one of the benefits of cold-composting, allowing seeds to survive and continue on their merry way!
4. Mizuna. The great little winter salad crop…cut and come again!
These are just some of the crops in the tunnel today.
Apple, if you have space for a tree, are very easy to grow…what would life be like without the Apple Pie?
Pumpkins in a sunny spot will provide you with easy to store and save fruit.
Rhubarb is another plant that just keeps giving and all one has to do is to manure it well once a year!
I grow masses of Blackcurrants here at Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture gardens and they are incredibly easy.
Part of the Bealtaine Cottage ethos is to harvest and save seed.
All seed at Bealtaine Cottage is open-pollinated, mostly by Bees.
This is offered for sale at a minimal cost…2 Euro per pack which includes P&P to ANYWHERE in the world!
This is a link to the site.
https://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-for-sale/
