Growing early ( as in Iron Age/ Saxon ) food plants?
- Thread starter tombear
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The seed merchants I put up the link for do a wild culinary herb pack with 4 types of seed I wanted, wild marjoram, basil ,garlic and tyme so herself has ordered me that and the wild carrot and parsnip they do as well. So there's a start.
The lads did a hour in the garden humping stones about, weeding and raking the damnable ivy up while I worked in the kitchen and did a batch of 18 big havercakes we ate for tea. I'm doing quite well today what with the porridge for dinner that was two mainly oat meals and the flour I mixed in for the havercakes was spelt. I'm really trying to cut down on the wheat I eat.
ATB
Tom
Ps you get rather a lot of seeds in each packet so if anyone wants some let us know.
The lads did a hour in the garden humping stones about, weeding and raking the damnable ivy up while I worked in the kitchen and did a batch of 18 big havercakes we ate for tea. I'm doing quite well today what with the porridge for dinner that was two mainly oat meals and the flour I mixed in for the havercakes was spelt. I'm really trying to cut down on the wheat I eat.
ATB
Tom
Ps you get rather a lot of seeds in each packet so if anyone wants some let us know.
Found a decent list of A/S vegetables here
http://darkagessociety.co.uk/food-and-drink/
whilst looking for a book on Anglo Saxon farming and outage gardening. Which I've not found yet.
ATB
Tom
http://darkagessociety.co.uk/food-and-drink/
whilst looking for a book on Anglo Saxon farming and outage gardening. Which I've not found yet.
ATB
Tom
Ok, this is one for you to chew over. I have a lot of wood to burn out back. The scouts came and took about a half of it as that's all they could store. My question is can I use the wood via burning in a series of relatively small controlled fires, or perhaps one fire fed in the direction I want to move it, to (a) add nutrients to the soil and (b) kill the weeds before we dig? Naturally I wouldn't do it near the fences or trees.
Tell me if I'm just being silly.
ATB
Tom
Tell me if I'm just being silly.
ATB
Tom
Wood ash adds some trace nutrients and heat will kill plants and sterilise the soil of seeds (for as deep as the heat penetrates). Quicker just to spray off the lot with weedkiller...but less period authentic!
A smother is a useful fire for weeds. Make a fire and then build turves and other weedy bits of earth up round it so as to enclose the fire. The fire should then burn slowly for days sometimes with the odd escape of smoke as the turves are cooked which can be resealed and more material added. It is easy to create other smothers across the plot which will kill the weeds beneath each fire as well and provide a supply of sterile soil. How affected the humus layer will be in the soils lumps I don't know but suspect they will likely to be destroyed as well.
Posted the seeds with planting and harvesting instructions today. They went second class as I didn't think you would be planting before the week end 
Thanks for the info folks and especially the seeds and instructions Red.
The weathers turned nastier and although its not raining now it will restart any minute. Thankfully it's supposed to improve for the weekend, I'm definitely going to try burning in sections, see how far the scrap wood will go. Then dig it in. There will be plenty left that's acidic for the plants that need that.
ATB
tom
The weathers turned nastier and although its not raining now it will restart any minute. Thankfully it's supposed to improve for the weekend, I'm definitely going to try burning in sections, see how far the scrap wood will go. Then dig it in. There will be plenty left that's acidic for the plants that need that.
ATB
tom
Some great seeds available from this bunch LINK (courtesy of British Red that link I think!) and some good ideas from this site LINK & LINK - Have a pile of links on old recipes and the likes if you'd like them! Though BR seems to be the chap when it comes to planting info - would love to see his retreat some day, sounds like a hard won ideal!
ATB,
GB.
ATB,
GB.
Cheers! Excellent links. I'll have a good read later and send them to the lad.
Something else I'm looking for is info on Saxon agricultural tools, ideally from excavated examples and manuscript illustrations. Mainly for display I fancy making him a period spade, there's some excellent repro buckets and sickles out there. Believe it or not I'm actually trying to avoid mission creep and getting bogged down in details! It's all so interesting!
ATB
Tom
Something else I'm looking for is info on Saxon agricultural tools, ideally from excavated examples and manuscript illustrations. Mainly for display I fancy making him a period spade, there's some excellent repro buckets and sickles out there. Believe it or not I'm actually trying to avoid mission creep and getting bogged down in details! It's all so interesting!
ATB
Tom
Just heard back from the nice chap at Daegrad Tools over in Sheffield with info about making my own wooden spade ( rather than trying to sell me one) which I consider highly civilised, He also made some other useful suggestions like making s wooden maul for breaking up the lumps of soil. It's actually more for show and tell we fancy some period tools as I've perfectly good modern, well 1950s, tools but its always good to learn stuff.
http://daegrad.co.uk/page1.php
ATB
Tom
http://daegrad.co.uk/page1.php
ATB
Tom
Thanks Red! The box of seeds with the instructions arrived just now. There's plenty for our purposes , ill put up picks when there's something to see! You're a star! Ted sends his thanks as well.
atb
Tom
atb
Tom
After a morning gawping at the Silverdale Hoard over in Preston at the Museum of Lancashire (and my coveting of their Soyer Stove) the family got on with planting the Hawthorn and Ted cleared more of his plot for the Saxon stuff. If the weather holds we should finish getting the hawthorn in tomorrow and from then on we can concentrate on the fun stuff.
ATB
Tom
ATB
Tom
Ok folk,
we've been ordering some seeds and with what Red kindly sent us we have enough to get started.
However if any one can direct us to where we can buy or beg some wild leek seed in the UK I'd be grateful. Also I'm having trouble finding a medeivil style cabage, colewort. The nearest survivor seems to be American Collard greens
http://blog.metmuseum.org/cloistersgardens/2010/10/22/colewort-and-kale/
but I've not found a source of them over here. This is probably as I'm pretty useless searching on the interweb rather than it not being there.
Atb
Tom
we've been ordering some seeds and with what Red kindly sent us we have enough to get started.
However if any one can direct us to where we can buy or beg some wild leek seed in the UK I'd be grateful. Also I'm having trouble finding a medeivil style cabage, colewort. The nearest survivor seems to be American Collard greens
http://blog.metmuseum.org/cloistersgardens/2010/10/22/colewort-and-kale/
but I've not found a source of them over here. This is probably as I'm pretty useless searching on the interweb rather than it not being there.
Atb
Tom
Unfortunately not, I can find them, it's this sucker
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/things_to_do/grow_wild/?ent=273
Originally from Southern Europe but brought to the UK way back when.
ATB
Tom
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/things_to_do/grow_wild/?ent=273
Originally from Southern Europe but brought to the UK way back when.
ATB
Tom
If his doesn't work for youo, I have a small patch of true English Babbingtons Leeks (assuming they have survived the wet), I'll save some seed for you
