pH describes how acid or alkali a soil is. Certain plants will thrive in a more alkali soil and others will do well in acid soil. Most vegetable plants like a soil which is neutral to acidic. The exception to this rule is plants in the cabbage family which prefer things to be slightly alkali.
Alkali
If you have ever been to the Dorset coast you may recall wild cabbage growing on the cliff tops, this is an easy way to remember cabbages like alkali soil. The white cliffs of Dover, the Oxford Ridgeway or the Chalk downs of Salisbury and Wiltshire are also good examples of alkali soils. Alkali and calcium are strongly linked as it is the presence of calcium in large amounts which makes these areas alkali.
Too much calcium will inhibit the intake of other nutrients in both plants and humans. In humans high calcium diets can be linked to anaemia and we can appear pale and listless, plants suffer in a similar way as they are unable to produce chlorophyll and they develop ‘interveinal chlorosis’ or a pale colour between the veins of the leaves.
Alkali soils can be described as limey or chalky soils. It is a myth that pine needles will alter the soil pH to make it more acidic. If soil is too alkali it can be improved over time using compost and or manure both of which are slightly acidic. If you require a more alkali soil then it can be improved by liming.
Acid
Moorland and peat bogs are both good examples of acid soils. At its extreme little survives as roots can be literally burnt away. Thankfully, you are very unlikely to have a strongly acid soil away from the moors and the mildly acidic soils you may find in a back garden or allotment will actually help a lot of fruit and vegetable plants.
Acid describes a pH of 1 to 7, the pH of Dartmoor lies somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5. On the moors you will see bilberries, a close cousin of the blueberry growing quite happily but other crops don’t seem to do so well. In the garden some fruit such as raspberries and strawberries will do well in an acid soil but you may struggle with other crops. Potatoes prefer it to be slightly acid as they can be more prone to certain pests and diseases in an alkali soil.
Acid soils can be described as peaty or an ericaceous soil. Wood ash contains calcium carbonate and can be used in moderation to higher the pH in order to achieve a more Alkali soil. Garden lime, calcified seaweed and dolomite can all also be added but only when needed, over use of lime will damage soils. Lime is also helpful in breaking up a heavy clay soil.
The chart below shows examples of crops which will grow well in different soil pH’s.
Acid lower than 6.2 |
Neutral 6.2 – 7 |
Alkali higher than 7 |
| Blueberry | Artichoke | Broccoli |
| Cranberry | Beans | Cabbage |
| Endive | Carrot (also slightly acid) | Turnip |
| Fennel | Celery | Radishes |
| Potatoes | Corn | Asparagus |
| Rhubarb | Courgettes, Marrow (also slightly acid) | Beetroot |
| Nasturtium | Squash | Lettuce |
| Parsley | Leek, Onion | Spinach |
| Raspberry | Peas | Echinacea |
A healthy soil
An old teacher of mine used to say ‘It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the answer is always Add bulky organic matter’. Not only does this encourage soil life, key to a healthy soil, it also helps balance a soil’s pH.
If the soil is too high or too low either way or if you want to grow a range of crops then raised beds may be the answer. With raised beds you only improve the soil where it is needed.
As mentioned earlier most vegetable plants will survive in a neutral to slightly acid soil. Many plants will do okay in a soil which veers towards the acid or alkali but it is best to aim for something closers to the centre over time.
A soil pH test is the best way to find out the soil’s pH. Don’t be tempted to buy an electronic test as they cannot be calibrated and are therefore very inaccurate. In the absence of a soil pH testing kit you can tell a certain amount from what weeds are growing on your vegetable plot before you start. The chart below gives you a general idea of some common weeds you may find.
Acid lower than 6.2 |
Neutral, healthy soil 6.2-7 |
Alkali higher than 7 |
|
Buttercups (Ranunculus spp.), , |
Burdock (Arctium minus), |
Bellflower (Campanula sp.), and |
|
Docks (Rumex spp) |
Chickweed (Stellaria media), |
Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), |
|
Mosses (Musci class) |
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) (Also slightly acid) |
white Mustard (Brassica hirta), |
|
Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsis) |
Chicory (Cichorium intybus), |
Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), |
|
Nettles (Urtica dioica) |
Fat Hen/Goosefoot ( Atriplex hastate and Chenopodiums) |
Scarlet pimpernel Anagallis arvensis |
|
Plantain (Plantago major) – Can also indicate compacted soil |
Groundsel ( Senecio vulgaris), |
Salad Burnett (Poterium sanguisorba), |
|
Cinquefoil (Potentilla monspeliensis), Silvery Cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea), |
Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota), |
Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans), |
|
Wild Strawberries (Fragaria species |
Spear plantain (Plantago lanceolata) |
True Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) |
As they lose their striking orange autumn leaves the clusters of fuzzy purple berries or drupes of the Stag Horn Sumac, Rhus typhina stand in contrast to the brilliant blue of the winter skyline. A relative of the cashew nut these tree like shrubs can act as a local alternative to imported lemons both in cooking and when making a ‘lemonade’ drink.
When picking the drupes, especially those outside the UK be sure not to confuse with the poisonous white drupes of the Rhus vernix, an internet image search is a good place to look. Also steer clear of any drupes growing close to a busy road, I had a real shock making this drink in Battersea as rather than a brilliant pink it made a grey/black drink.
The Recipe
The recipe for pink lemonade is as simple as it is delicious.
The lemonade will store for a reasonable amount of time but if you want to extend its life then bottle in plastic bottles, allowing some room at the top and place the bottles in the freezer.
The following recipe is taken from our book The Self Sufficient-ish Bible. Looking back at it there may be a couple of thing I would do now, which I didn’t in the original recipe. Now I may use rice vinegar and smoked paprika in the dressing and I perhaps some toasted seeds along with it. Vegans could use egg free noodles and rather than hard boiled eggs, use tofu.
Chinese Winter Salad Serves 2
Ingredients
140g Noodles (2 blocks)
2 Eggs
150g (this is roughly about eight large leaves) Green Leaves such as cabbage, spinach or Chinese cabbage
100g of Broccoli
Dressing
2 Tablespoons (40ml) of Olive oil
Pinch of Nutmeg
Black Pepper
Method
In the midst of winter you’d be fooled into think there isn’t much wild food around. It’s true that there is a lot less than at other times of the year but even on the coldest days something can be found, you just might have to look that little bit harder.
Unlike other times of year I’ve found it best to keep an open mind about what I might want to pick that day. So, rather than go out with the idea to pick just mushrooms, just berries or just leaves I will see what’s about, especially if it is in unfamiliar surroundings.
Below is a little guide to some of the things you may find from December-March
Mushrooms
Once the main mushroom season is over there really isn’t much around that you would pick for flavour alone. A way round this would be to pick more autumn mushrooms than you need and dry them. Then come winter you can re-hydrate them and mix with the less abundant winter foraged mushrooms. A Couple of small ceps, some blewits or chanterelle mushrooms will be enough to impart a little flavour into the slightly bland oyster or velvet shank mushroom. If you are reading this in the depths of winter and didn’t pick in the autumn don’t despair, spices, herbs and dairy products (especially cream) all have their place in flavouring fungi and any good recipe book should give you plenty of ideas (including our book the selfsufficienish bible)
There are three main winter mushrooms Oyster, Wood Ear (or Jelly/Jew’s Ear) and Velvet shank.
Oyster mushrooms are perhaps the easiest to identify as they sell them many greengrocers and supermarkets. It might be worth buying a small amount of them just so you can familiarize yourself with the mushroom and identify it correctly whilst out foraging.
Wood Ear is another easy one to identify as it looks like a misshapen brown ear! It grows mainly on Elder trees and can grow in quite abundance. Pick only the larger pieces as the very small (size of a fingernail) when left will grow in a matter of weeks (or even days) ensuring a constant supply from the same tree. Some find the texture of this fungus a little off-putting and as a result it can be somewhat of an acquired taste. Try it in a Thai mixed vegetable stir-fry, flavoured with chilli, coriander and lime as this might get you used to the gelatinous texture. I sometimes mix a small amount into a mushroom pate but unless it is pureed properly it can be a little like chewing on gristle. It is a very poplar mushroom in Chinese cookery where it might be called wood ear or jelly ear. I’ve had it served up to me in a back street Chinese in Paris with broccoli and noodles and it was delicious.
Velvet shank is quite easy to identify but it can look like Galerina marginata, a particularly nasty mushroom. The toxins in Galerina margina (or Galerina autumnalis) are known as amatoxins give you bloody diarrhea and make you vomit about a day after ingestion. Then after a little bit of time you start to feel better so most hospitals will discharge you. During this brief respite your organs collapse causing a certain and very painful death. Needless to say I made darn sure I had he right mushroom before I ate them. A spore print is essential; look at the mushroom expert for more details.
Leaves
Often you will find it is the more fiery salad leaves that survive into the winter. These fiery tasting compounds ward off predators that may be tempted to have a little nibble. For example Winter-Cress or American Land Cress can have an extremely powerful kick to it and can be found growing all year round even in the depths of winter. Winter-cress generally grows in clumps and looks a lot like watercress. If you are unsure check on google images, a good foraging book or look up American Landcress in a gardening book. I grow American Landcress on my allotment and can identify it at ever stage of its lifespan as a result.
Sorrel is another all year round favourite. It is at it’s best in spring and summer but little clumps of it can be found all year round. It looks a little like dock but has leaves are shaped more like an arrowhead, it is also lighter green and has a very distinctive lemony flavour. Try not to over pick as it is an important winter food for rabbits and other small mammals. Note in early spring or late winter the first leaves of Lords and Ladies can be found, these can be mistaken for sorrel by the first time forager and are highly toxic, so try to familiarize yourself with this plant before picking.
Jack-by-the-hedge (Garlic Mustard) is a bi-annual it first pokes its head up in the early spring and once it sets seed it can have a second growth that lasts through the winter. Unfortunately this winter growth can be a little on the bitter side compared with the lighter spring leaf so it is best used in moderation in salads or in a cooked dish.
Coast - If you are lucky enough to live by the coast, Sea beet and Wild Cabbage both continue to grow in the depths of winter. I’ve picked both in the middle of January cooking them like spinach and Savoy cabbage respectively. Sea cabbage is a little on the bitter side so it is really best to not have it as a focus of a dish (if at all!). If you have grown beet spinach in the past then you shouldn’t have a problem identifying Sea Beet but again a good field guide should set you straight.
Note: Try not to over pick any wild food as they are important winter food for small mammals, birds and insects.
Recently this website, my book ‘Grow your food for free …well almost‘ and Andy’s book ‘Booze for free‘ were all nominated for the Horticultural Channel awards.
It turned out to be a great result! The website forum came third in best gardening/allotment forum, not bad hen you consider the other two are the most visited forums on their subject in the UK.
However the most surprising, and satisfying results for me were both our books winning their respective categories of best practical and best non-practical gardening book. I was most shocked as I didn’t think I really stood a chance with fellow Green Books author Charles Dowding in the same category with his brilliant ‘How to grow winter salads’
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us! My book is available from the website book store (click here) . Buying direct from me means you get a personalised message from the author, I get a fair wage for all my hard work and if you buy the book before Christmas you get a £5 discount off a wild food walk of your choice.
Red Cabbages often appear in a veg-box this time of year or they may be coming thick and fast from the vegetable plot. They are packed full of anti-oxidants and make for a colourful and healthy side dish to have with your Christmas meal.
If you are used to this reaction when you try serving up cabbage then try the recipe below – it might just work!
½ Large Red Cabbage or 1 small
Large Pinch of Nutmeg
Black Pepper
½ Glass of Red Wine or ½ Glass of Apple Juice
Tablespoon of olive oil, low fat margarine (one which is suitable for frying) or butter
My chest-freezer has been full to bursting since the summer with all the fare we have procured at the various festivals we’ve attended this year. It seems these days it’s hard to go anywhere in world of books without finding a plump, organic fed celebrity chef touting his or her latest ware.
So having bagged five of them throughout the year, this Christmas I intended to make a meat extravaganza of a chef within a chef within a chef…. Etc.
The recipe is based on a delightful British culinary tradition of a bird within a bird, in which a small bird such as a pigeon, quail or even blackbird is stuffed inside a larger bird such as a chicken or duck. These two birds are then stuffed inside a much larger bird such as a goose or a turkey. The combination of textures and flavours results in a luxurious dish where the diner can consume a week’s food in a single meal!
The chef within a chef recipe is even more indulgent as the diner attempts to eat a months worth of meat in a single sitting.
Ingredients
Five celebrity chefs of increasing sizes boned and gutted
One bottle of nettle beer (preferably Stinger)
A ‘flavour shaker’ full of home-grown herbs and spices (preferably grown by a professional gardener in your five acre Hampshire garden)
A churn of Butter
Chestnuts
Some Fat Hen leaves
300 Cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
1. The night before your feast, marinate your Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (or second smallest chef) in the nettle beer. I’ve used Stinger beer rather than waste my home-brew.
2.Stuff your Anthony Worral-Thompson with the chestnuts and hemlock, sorry, fat-hen leaves and baste in butter.
3. Remove the tongue of your Jamie Oliver and set aside
4.Lovingly insert the Anthony Worral-Thompson into your Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall using extra butter if any lubrication is needed.
5.Mop up any drool from the side of your Valentine Warner’s mouth before basting in butter and inserting the first two chefs.
6.You may feel you’re running out of room to put the three chefs inside your Jamie Oliver but having removed the tongue there will be ample space in the oral cavity.
7.Place the 300 cloves of garlic in your ‘flavour shaker’ along with the homegrown herbs and spices and coat the skin of the Jamie. The Oliver’s skin can be a little on the tough side so this is an essential part of the preparation.
8.For the last step it is important to have a team of runners on hand as the combined weight of the chefs is quite considerable. Place your Gordon Ramsey on an extremely large baking tray with its head facing away from you. Take your four stuffed chefs and shove them all in the nearest orifice.
9.Roast in a moderate oven for a week.
10. Serve with roast potatoes and a side of seasonal vegetables.
(this is a repost from 2008, Daves blog http://dave.selfsufficientish.com/blogs/2008/12/chef-within-a-chef/ )
(this is a repost from 2009 from theecologist.org )
This year I won’t be fighting my way through busy shops looking for that perfect gift, nor will I be keeping hold of my receipts just in case I have bought the wrong thing. No, I will be sitting at home, with my feet up, slurping a glass of sloe gin.
It’s not that I am some kind of super-thoughtful man who buys all of my gifts a month in advance. Nor am I so tight as to not give anyone a present. I shall be giving away plenty of gifts this year and I hope they are all very personal and thoughtful gifts. Every gift will be ethical and every gift will have a very low environmental impact, as will my decorations, cards and wrapping paper.
So how will I do it? Well, it will be by beingSelfsufficientish of Course!
Thoughtful gifts
Presents for loved ones really should have that ‘wow’ factor, and this need not cost much other than your time. In previous years when I have felt a little more flush I have simply sent out hampers that I ordered online. This really is a lazy approach and with most of the ingredients coming from different countries it is hardly a sustainable gift. So I am not doing that this year; besides, most people will agree that hand made gifts are much more thoughtful and they can be very sustainable too.
The presents I am giving out this year are all well thought out. I have grown a thyme plant from seed and I am giving this to my friend who is overworked by the BBC. A slight play on words: the gift of thyme!
My partner’s family is Scottish, so I am making a selection of Scottish biscuits including shortbread – my favourite, Perkins! I have made sloe gin from sloes harvested in the local area: it might be too late to do that this year but how about next?
I can’t tell you many more of this year’s presents as I know the recipients will be reading this. But I can tell you about presents I have made in previous years to hopefully give you some more ideas.
These have included a small book of pressed herbs with a recipe and a herb next to each, and a paragraph of folklore. One of the most gratefully received gifts was a cheque book full of favours to be used at any time by my partner.
The cheques cover things such as washing up everything for a day, a cup of tea first thing in the morning and hanging the washing out. I will offer a word of advice: if you do make this gift, try not to go get too generous with the favours. My cheques were still being redeemed in March!
As for thoughtful gifts that I have personally received, these have included a jar of pickled garlic from my brother Dave. The home made label read, ‘Andy’s pickled brains’ on account that I like garlic and the odd tipple.
I also received a jar of haw jelly and at that point I had never tried it (and wanted to). By far the most thoughtful and perhaps fairly simple gift was a bottle of Elderflower champagne with a label on it saying, ‘Summer in a Bottle’ and indeed it was!
Cards
Okay, I am in danger of sounding a little bah humbug but, I have never really seen the point in sending cards. Yes, they are nice to receive for the second that you look inside and then what? You also tend to get them from a friend with whom you have done nothing but exchange cards for the last 10 years so really, what’s the point?
Perhaps picking up the phone and telling them you are going to talk instead of sending a card would be a much more personal and thoughtful contact. I think I would even prefer a text message than a card that does not even have my name written on the inside.
For those obligatory cards, why not calculate the amount you normally spend and donate that to a green charity or the charity that your Christmas cards normally support. Then send out an email to everyone, telling them that’s what you have done. Of course some of these people will think you are just being sanctimonious, but let’s hope most of them will think it’s a good idea and follow suit. That way you might not have the extra problem of finding somewhere to recycle the cards after Christmas.
Wrapping paper
I tend to use newspaper or old magazines to wrap up presents. This need not look cheap as you can cut out appropriate pictures for each recipient. A celebrity gossip-obsessed friend can have their presents wrapped with photos of celebrities; start saving suduko’s for that puzzle obsessed friend; and how about the literary section for all the presents you are sending my way (via the Ecologist’s office)?!
You could even go slightly further and make your own paper – then wrapping presents takes on a whole new dimension! It’s not as difficult as you first think and might be something to occupy young minds in the exciting run up to the big day.
Decorations
Decorations can be a tricky one to source as it seems there is little choice other than resorting to newspaper rings adorning the hallway or those awful silver foil decorations that have been freshly shipped from a factory on the other side of the world.
Over the last few years we have taken the third option and gone for 100 per cent natural and fully bio-degradable decorations. It is all because I was swotting up my folklore knowledge for my wild plant walks and I decided that I wanted to talk about holly. I discovered the obvious; that we used to deck our halls with bows of holly! In fact, in some parts of the England, holly was referred to simply as ‘Christmas’.
The traditional time of year for pruning holly is during December so if you are lucky enough to have a tree then why not cut some back for the basis of your decorations. In fact I am using a branch of holly that I found in my local graveyard as my tree this year! Of course if you have children then you need to be aware that holly berries are poisonous.
Ivy is a great plant to source for decorations; I try to get great swathes of it so that I can hang it around my rooms. I then tie the holly and other bits of evergreens to it so it looks like a massive Christmas wreath hugging the room.
Ivy is very difficult to get rid of and can eat into brickwork or destroy trees. If a tree is totally covered in ivy, light may be unable to reach the trunk which can increase the amount of decay on already damaged trees. So you may well be doing the tree a favour by harvesting the ivy that is choking it.
Will I have time to do all this?
If you are wondering whether or not you will have time to do all of these things before Christmas Day, then I suggest you try to work them into your everyday life.
Instead of nipping out on your lunch break to get gifts, use this time to call a friend. Whilst the dinner is cooking make a batch of biscuits, and when walking the dog keep your eyes peeled for pruned holly. Make the wrapping paper during the time in which you would normally be doing something else with your kids, or even use it as an excuse to spend time with your kids.
I hope that, like mine, your Christmas will not only be low stress, but you will have made a lot of people a little happier!
Join Andy (left) or Dave (right) for a fun day out in 2012
Due to popular demand Self Sufficientish’s wild food walks are back for 2012. Join us on a forage and discover a new world of wild edible plants on your doorstep.
We promise to give you an insight into the edible as we cater for all levels of skill from beginner to the more experienced forager (and everything in between).
The walks are led by either Dave or Andy Hamilton described as two of the most well know and experienced foragers in the UK. The pair have been featured in and on (amongst other things) Autumn Watch on the BBC, Radio 4,in the Guardian. They were some of the first to champion Urban Wild Food and offer wild food courses in both urban and country settings.
To book simply click on the Add to cart BELOW your required course.
If you wish to buy for a Christmas or birthday present then book in the normal way but also email dave (at) selfsufficientish.com with the name or address of your friend or relative and he will post a specially designed card containing the a voucher for the wild food walk.
If paying online troubles you please email Dave (at) selfsufficientish.com and he’ll arrange alternative ways to pay.
————————————————————————————-Foraging in other places
Dave and Andy are both available for corporate and private bookings for costs and more details please get in touch with Dave
If there isn’t a course in your area then email us then we offer a service where if enough people want a course in any area we will travel. So, if you are a member of a club or society or you just know lots of people then why not get in touch? Email Dave @ selfsufficientish.com
Dave Hamilton a trained nutritionist, food scientist and sustainable horticulturist. He has taught horticulture at the world famous Schumacher College and foraging to National Trust staff and at the Eden Project. He writes for countless magazines, has appeared on national and international TV. His passion for plants and food is infectious and it is well worth booking on one of his courses.
Andy Hamilton is a wild food foraging expert as seen on BBC Autumnwatch he writes about wild food for BBC Countryfile and Home farmer magazines. He also writes a regular wild drinks blog for the Guardian and has written wild food recipes for BBC Food.
Booking Conditions
We tried to be as relaxed as possible about bookings but unfortunately this didn’t really work. We found ourselves unsure who was going to turn up and we never knew if anyone had paid or not! We lost money, over booked courses and went a little prematurely grey . So, we’re afraid, we have to have a few booking conditions. That way everyone is happy and you can just turn up and enjoy yourselves!
Securing a place – Your place or places on a course will be secured only upon advanced payment of the full cost. Payment is by cheque or by us pay pal using the drop down menu
* for address to send it to please email andy at selfsufficientish dot com.
Cancellation policy Should you need to cancel please do so well in advance and we will try and arrange an alternative date for you if possible. Alternatively you may cancel up to 3 weeks before the course date and receive a 75% refund.
Late Cancellations – Any cancellations made up until 4 days before the course may result in 50% of the payment being lost and cancellations within 4 days of the course date (when no alternative day is available or required) may result in a complete loss of all deposits – ideally we prefer it if you can fill your place if you have to drop out.
If Dave, Andy or anyone at Selfsufficientish cancel a course at any point a full refund or a place on another course will be offered.
Thank you to all those who nominated us for The Horticultural Channel awards . It is nice to know that since our small beginings in 2004 we have built up such a following and we are starting to get some recognition.
However we do need your help!
Voting has now started and will close on 29th November. Please vote for us for best blog, best forum and vote for Dave and Andy’s books “Grow your food for free” and “Booze for free”for best practical and non-practical gardening books.
We can’t offer you anything in return except for the thought you would have made two blokes very happy indeed!
