Showing posts with label plant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plant. Show all posts

Wednesday 30 September 2015

Hawthorn and medlar

(scroll down for Dutch/ scroll naar beneden voor dit artikel in het Nederlands)


Hello everyone!

This afternoon, I had a wonderful walk in the park nearby. I consider this park to be my 'home', because it's the nearest patch of green for me. When I feel blue or just when I feel I need some air, I go to 'my park' and everything is in perfect harmony, again!

Today, I went on a mission: I had to bring something home I had never brought before. Nature would tell me what it was. And it did!

First, I came by a single-seeded hawthorn. Hawthorn berries are edible and known for their healing and supportive properties in favor of the heart. I recognized the tree immediatly: its dark green, deeply lobbed leaves and -in this time of the year- its small, dark red berries (which are botanically speaking pomes, like apples!) (read more)

The tree was packed with ripe fruit, so I decided to pick some to make whatever would come to me. I picked about 80 grams; enough for a bottle of hawthorn-infused wine.

Single-seeded hawthorn / Eenstijlige meidoorn
(Crataegus mongyna)

Hawthorn in my field guide / Meidoorn in mijn veldgids

At home, I rinsed them and put them in the freezer. After a few days, they will have a sweeter taste and will be easier to work with.

My harvest / Mijn oogst

Medlar

A few minutes later, I discovered another peculiar tree on the side of the path. I noticed long, felty leaves on a large shrub. As I touched the leaves; they were soft as baby skin. My curiosity grew and I scanned the tree with my eyes, looking for flowers -or even better- fruit.

After a couple of moments, I saw a small, globular formed... thing. Astonished and enthusiastic as I was, I gently plucked the 'thing' from the tree... It was medlar fruit! I never expected to find medlar in the park so near to my home, but I did!

Common medlar / Mispel
(Mespilus germanica)

Medlar is a very special kind of fruit; you can't eat it fresh from the tree. They become edible after being 'bletted' by frost or given enough time to soften. Bletted medlar is ready when de skin is browned and wrinkled. (read more) 

So let's be patient (or shall I put them in the fridge for a few days? I'm dying to try these little 'soft apples'!)

Medlar at short range / Mispel van dichtbij

(Nederlands)


Hallo allemaal!

Afgelopen middag had ik een heerlijke wandeling in het park. Ik beschouw het park als mijn 'thuis', omdat het het enige stuk groen is in mijn buurt. Als ik even niet zo lekker in mijn vel zit, of gewoon als ik zin heb in frisse lucht, ga ik naar 'mijn park' en dan is alles weer goed!

Vandaag ging ik op pad met een missie: ik nam me voor om iets mee naar huis te nemen wat ik nog nooit eerder had meegenomen. Moeder Natuur zou me wel vertellen wat het zou zijn. En dat deed ze!

Eerst kwam ik langs een eenstijlige meidoorn. Meidoornbessen zijn eetbaar en bekend om hun hartversterkende eigenschappen. Ik herkende de boom meteen: de donkergroene, diep ingesneden blaadjes en -in deze tijd van het jaar- de kleine, rode besjes (wat botanisch gezien een pitvrucht is, net zoals appels dat zijn!) (lees meer)

De boom zat vol met rijpe besjes, dus ik besloot wat mee te nemen om thuis het eerste mee te maken wat in me op zou komen. Uiteindelijk plukte ik ongeveer 80 gram; genoeg voor een fles geïnfuseerde meidoornwijn.

Eenmaal thuis waste ik de meidoornbessen en stopte ik ze in de vriezer. Daar blijven ze een paar dagen. De vrieskou zorgt ervoor dat ze zoeter van smaak worden en makkelijker te verwerken.

Mispel

Een paar minuten later ontdekte ik aan de zijkant van het pad een andere bijzondere boom. De lange, viltige bladeren die aan de hoge struik zaten, vielen me meteen op. Toen ik de bladeren aanraakte, voelde ze als babybillen zo zacht! Mijn nieuwsgierigheid nam toe en ik speurde de boom af op zoek naar bloemen -of nog beter- vruchten.

Een moment later zag ik een klein, kogelrond... dingetje. Verwonderd en enthousiast als ik was, plukte ik voorzichtig het 'ding' uit de boom. Het was een mispel! Ik had nooit verwacht dat ik mispel zo dicht bij huis zou tegenkomen... En dat in 'mijn eigen' park!

Mispel is een bijzonder soort fruit; je kunt ze niet vers van de boom eten. Ze worden eetbaar na het 'bletten' door vorst of door ze een tijd te laten liggen. Geblette (gefermenteerde) mispel is eetbaar wanneer de buitenkant bruin en rimpelig is. (lees meer)

Nog even geduld hebben, dus! (Of zal ik ze gewoon een paar dagen in de vriezer stoppen? Ik ben zo benieuwd naar deze 'zachte appeltjes'!)

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Thursday 12 September 2013

The Plant Project: DIY

A week or so ago, I posted a blog about The Plant Project. I promised to tell how you can make one yourself, so here is the tutorial. First, I would like to explain how this whole thing works, i.e., how this plant can keep itself alive in such a small, isolated environment.

You may know a plant are autotrophic; they use photosynthesis to provide energy. All they need to do that, is water, carbon dioxide and sunlight. In this way, the plant makes oxygen and it's own nutrients, as well.
The plant in the jar also loses its leaves, just like any other plant does. Bacteria in the soil break this leaves down, using oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. The plant also excretes water through it's stomata, which you can see on the inside of the jar. This 'rains' back down on the plant and the soil, creating a humidity of 100%. For the water can't go out of the jar, you never have to water the plant inside.

Enough talking! To work!

Things you need:
  • an empty jar (one you can close tightly)
  • gravel, marbles or potsherds
  • moist soil (potting soil/compost)
  • a small plant (already watered)
  • moist moss
Eventual:
  • twigs (I got mine from our apple tree)
  • dead leaves
  • earthworms

Start with the gravel. Put some gravel in the jar, just a small layer. It will prevent the plant from root rot, because redundant water can flow down and stay between the small stones (or marbles, or potsherds).


After that, add soil/compost. Make sure the layer is thick enough for the rootball of your plant. Do not push the soil, just throw it in the jar.


Make a hole in the soil and put the plant in it. Add some more soil when needed. Make sure the plant isn't too close to the glass, because the glass will get very moist when you close the jar.

Pick a piece of moss and put it on the soil. Close your jar and there is your very own ecosystem! But...


...there is more. I decided to experiment. I put some earthworms on top of the remaining surface, and put some dead leaves on it. Note: worms eat (dead) organic material and turn it into compost. I wonder if this little creatures will survive in my small, artificial world. They have oxygen, moist soil and food, so it may theoretically work... We shall see!

In the end, I decorated my jar with a twig from our apple tree (yes, I watched the worms, off course!) You can also use alder catkins, small stones or pine cones for decoration



Any questions about this tutorial or one of my other posts? Do not hesitate and leave a comment or use the contact form on the right.

Monday 26 August 2013

The Plant Project



About seven months ago, I read about the 'ecosystem in a jar'. Curious as I am, I went to investigate the whole phenomenon and decided to try to make one myself.

The intention is that you create a balanced ecosystem in an enclosed environment (like earth, actually). That may sound easy, but it is quite a challenge. When you put too much water in the jar, the plant will rot and die, but when you put too little water in it, the plant will die, too. When the soil you use is in a poorly state, your plant will die of nutrient shortage, and so on.

Until now, two jars survived. The smallest one was the 'test jar'. After I made the plan, I took a small jar to find out if it worked. 

I put a plant cutting of a Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) in the jar, together with some moss, and added a small amount of water. After a few weeks, the small plant had grown and the moss was greener then when I put it in the jar. It worked!


This is the jar I created after the 'test jar'. I put a small Sword Fern (Nephrolepsis) in it, together with a mossy branch, moss and alder catkins. As you can see on the label, I closed it in february this year, so that is six months ago. In the meantime, I only opened the jar to smell the musty scent of wet soil. From now on, I will try to never open the jar again, and see what happens.

On the left, the jar just after I arranged it. On the right, the jar it is now.


This is the jar I made today. The previous jar with moss in the lead, flourished about four months. Because one of the pieces started to rot, I removed some water out of the jar and removed the rotten piece of moss. One week later, I added another piece of moss,. Within a week, all the moss was covered with a thick layer of mold. Big lesson: never change something in a balanced ecosystem.

I digress. This jar contains two types of moss, a stone (for decoration), three small twigs (from our apple tree) and a few dried apple leaves. I am very curious about what will happen to the leaves; will they compost, because of the soil and moist? Or isn't it moist enough to rot, and will they just stay there?




 This was my blogpost for today. In the next one, I will explain how the plants survive in the secluded environment. 

Do you have an idea for a blog post, something you would like to know about plants, animals, the things I do? Feel free to leave a comment or use the contact form on the right to send me a message.

Sunday 25 August 2013

Nature in your room

For I collect naturalistic things, I also own a windowsill full of houseplants. Some are in sealed, air-tight jars, which I will tell you more about in a subsequent post.

Today, I would like to tell about the Schefflera arboricola. As you may know, most of the houseplants we know are tropical plants. That's why they flourish so well in our warm room climate. The Schefflera, also known as Dwarf Umbrella Tree, is native to Hainan and Taiwan.

This plant I got from mijn boyfriend's mother. She didn't know how long it is already standing in her room, but it's quit a long time. The plant is a little bit neglected, but after a dust turn, a pot with fresh soil and a bit of plant food, it will certainly grow again.
 
The Schefflera arboricola is a small tree. The roots are growing out of it's pot, so it will quickly get a new, bigger one.
 

 
Look how beautiful those leaves are!