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Mari Korhonen 's Profile
Mari Korhonen
Details
Joined:
12/02/2011
Last Updated:
13/02/2011
Location:
Finland
Climate Zone:
Cold Temperate
Gender:
Female
Web site:
pohjoinenpermakulttuuri.wordpress.com





My Projects

(projects i'm involved in)

Quinta do Vale da Lama

Quinta do Vale da Lama

Odiáxere, PT


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(projects i'm following)

The Transformation of Our Urban Home Milkwood The GrowHaus Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute Katlaaed Transition Town Tervuren Eats, Shoots & Roots Centro de Convergência (NO LONGER ACTIVE) Quinta Regadinha Semilla Besada
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My beloved weeds

Posted by Mari Korhonen over 12 years ago

I've been exploring the world of edible weeds, and so found a new layer of bounty in the garden!

Things in the garden even up here in the north are well on their way now, including many plants that most gardeners would condemn as weeds, things to get rid of. For me a bed full of weeds has become a salad bar, and weeding has gotten a new fresh perspective to it!

Many weeds grow early and fast especially on tilled soil - pioneers as they are.  They're vigorous and don't require any additional care. Their seed bank in the ground is often full, so the resource quickly replaces itself. With guidance from a skilled wild forager I've begun exploring the world of edible weeds and thus multiplying harvests from the garden and surroundings.

For example, where the broad beans were growing, there were tons of hemp-nettle (Galeopsis spp), chickweed (Stellaria media), lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album) and corn spurry (Spergula arvensis) covering the bed. In the greenhouse there were some beetroot seedlings ready to go into the ground. Weeding created a niche for the beetroots to go in, and the plants that got removed provided plentiful amount of wild greens for a salad. Chopped fine, and topped up with salad dressing and some grated cucumber, lettuce or something more "conventional" makes a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal.

(see the first picture below)

Another new friend of mine are the local thistles (Cirsium arvense) we have. Their young shoots have a nice tender stem that after peeling can be used like asparagus either raw or cooked. Also makes yummy filling for cabbage rolls type meal made from coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves. Harvesting thistles from the vegie patch can also help the soil moisture conditions, since the big taproot of the thistle is able to collect water from deep down in the soil. When the thistle is harvested, the water in the root is released in the ground, providing a nice drink for surrounding plants. On a dry summer a friend made an experiment in his potato field, weeding one half completely, and letting the thistle be on the other half, harvesting the shoots along the summer for food. The side that was completely weeded was suffering from drought, whereas the side with an ongoing thistle harvesting was doing great with the extra water provided by the tap roots.

The journey to the land of weeds and wild edible plants continues throughout the summer. Interestingly the lessons on weeds have lead me to wish for more of them, and making neat and clean beds (and lawns) look somehow deserted, especially this time of the season when there aren't really many "proper" vegetables to harvest yet.

Second picture below: sample of edible weeds from left to right

Fireweed shoots, young galeopsis, lamb's quarters, chickweed, thistle shoots peeled, and corn spurry.

Img 2920 Img 2921

Comments (4)

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Aaron Jerad
Aaron Jerad : Yeah! Great article. I tried our thistle and the tender ones were quite tasty, though mostly they had passed their tender stage. Next year:)
Posted over 12 years ago

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jordan lowery
jordan lowery : i have been eating a lot of purslane and lambs quarters lately.
Posted over 12 years ago

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Eden Gal
Eden Gal : Does anyone know if BINDWEED is edible/medicinal?
Posted over 12 years ago

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Rebekah Copas
Rebekah Copas : The best place to begin any garden is among the weeds, are any edible, what other edible weeds will compete with non-edible weeds, and what functions are the non-edible weeds already fulfilling, which might need replacing? Why do we name one plant a weed and another by its name? What is the relationship between plants called weeds, and other plants, which are perhaps easier to harvest, but less hardy? When we understand the cycles in nature and why some plants are hardier than others, we hardly need the word "weed".
Posted over 12 years ago

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My Permaculture Qualifications
Pri verified
Permaculture Design Course
Type: Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course
Teacher: Geoff Lawton
Location: The Channon, Australia
Date: Mar 2009
Other course verified
Permaculture Internship 3 months
Type: Internship
Teacher: Geoff Lawton
Location: PRI Australia
Date: Apr 2009
Other course verified
Permaculture earthworks course
Type: Earthworks
Teacher: Geoff Lawton
Location: Mulloon Creek Natural Farms, Bungendore, NSW, Australia
Date: Jun 2009
Other course verified
Solar greenhouse design workshop
Type: Gardening
Teacher: Jerome Osentowski
Location: Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, Basalt, CO, USA
Date: May 2010
Other course verified
Permaculture, solar greenhouse design and forest garden workshop
Type: Gardening
Teacher: Jerome Osentowski
Location: Koroinen, Turku, Finland
Date: Oct 2010
Other course verified
Permaculture Trainer Course
Type: Teacher Training
Teacher: Rowe Morrow
Location: Austria
Date: Jul 2011
Other course verified
RegenAG and keyline design
Type: Other
Teacher: Darren J. Doherty
Location: Vale da Lama, Portugal
Date: Nov 2011
Other course verified
Holistic Management and Grazing Planning
Type: Other
Verifying teacher: Kirk Gadzia
Other Teachers: Tamara Gadzia
Location: La Donaira, Spain
Date: Apr 2012
Other course unverified
Mushroom Cultivation
Type: Other
Teacher: Will Borowski
Location: Sydney
Date: Sep 2012

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