June 2016 – Page 3 – Gallifrey Forest Farm

June 20: chestnuts – sweet potato on a tree

2016/06/20 Danielle 0

The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) is, like the oak tree, typical of parks and woodlands in the UK – although they’re much more widespread than just that. They are still grown commercially in manmy places, with the top producers being China, Turkey, southern Europe, Korea, Bolivia; Australia is a small player in the global market, but we do grow chestnuts here too, mainly for domestic use. Chestnuts are a significant food crop in southern Europe and east Asia, and were widely eaten in the past by the indigenous peoples of North America. The relationship between humans and chestnuts dates back […]

June 19: contentment

2016/06/19 Danielle 0

Today’s tasks are the lazy-Sunday-after-a-party sort of tasks. Cleaning up, tidying up, putting away the air mattresses and extra blankets (several people stayed over rather than driving home late last night). I made pancakes for breakfast for all of us, and was rewarded with gratitude and affection and endless cups of tea being made for me. Now I’m sitting in the afternoon sun, eating toasted cheese for lunch and watching the clouds blow in with (hopefully) some rain. Life’s pretty good. I’ve always thought that being happy is something you do, not something that happens to you. It’s […]

June 18: midwinter gathering

2016/06/18 Danielle 0

It’s not quite midwinter yet – the solstice is officially a few days off – but we’re very close to the longest night of the year. It’s dark in the morning when I get up, and the sun sets remarkably early. But winter isn’t quite the same here as it is in Europe; in WA, winter is the season of growth and fertility. Summer is when things die and hibernate to survive through the heat. So in spite of the cold nights, and the periodic rain (more than average so far this winter!), I like winter. I like the […]

June 17: carob is not chocolate

2016/06/17 Danielle 0

Many people know carob only as a chocolate substitute, but the truth is that carob does not taste like chocolate. The raw, dry pods have a rich, caramel flavour a little like a date; roasting the carob pods gives them a darker, nuttier character. Both raw and roasted, carob pods have been used as a sweetener and basic foodstuff for thousands of years. The cultivation of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is mentioned in ancient texts, dating back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. It was grown in the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. Carob thrives in these […]

June 16: alternative staple crops – pine nuts

2016/06/16 Danielle 0

Pine nuts are the edible seeds of several species of pine tree. The main species of pines used for pine nut production are the stone pine (Pinus pinea), Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), chilgoza pine (Pinus gerardiana), and the North American pinyon pines, including the Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis), single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), and Mexican pinyon (Pinus cembroides). We have 5 seeds (Pinus pinea) in pots, having stratified them in the fridge for the requisite 5 weeks (until they began to germinate) then planted them out into tree tubes; No sign yet of green shoots, but I’m still hopeful that spring […]