7 Underrated Crops Perfect for Self-Sufficiency!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2024
- It's so important to not overlook certain crops when looking to grow as much as possible, and in this video I put the case forward for 7 crops that have specific and unique benefits that will greatly contribute to self-sufficiency🌱 I'd also love to hear in the commenta what crops you feel are underrated for self-sufficiency and why, so we can all help one another in our journeys😊
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I’m having trouble figuring out how to get the links to put on the entry form. I’m on my
Phone so maybe it’s easier to do it on my home computer instead?
Is this only for US and UK? From Denmark
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I'm sorry it's just we aren't yet setup for other countries it's highly complex and expensive. All in good time fingers crossed!😊
I’m in the UK (Northern Ireland) but when I went to order from your website you don’t deliver here😕
In spring I always forage for nettles. I (wearing rubber gloves) clean them, rinse them and put them in boiling water for just a minute. Then I freeze them and use in omelettes with cheese, pasta dishes, soups...
I also use Chenopodium album the same way.
Every autumn I forage autumn chanterelles that I dehydrate. Even though I have several buckets full of dehydrated mushrooms from last year I can't stop getting more. A jar of dehydrated mushrooms is a great gift.
Also my grown up sons love that I have a lot of mushrooms that they can get in my pantry whenever they run out of them. 😂
Jerusalem artichokes have become a real favourite. I ferment them in a cabbage/carrot/ginger/beetroot slaw and find them very digestible that way. If you slice them very thinly and then dry and grind them up into flour their flavour becomes really addictive when added to a flatbread mix.
Sliced, blanched and dried you can then store them and later deep fry into very moreish crispy chips. Its hard to stop eating them 😆 just fry the dried chips and they will go from hard to crisp with caramelised edges.
Turnips are really underrated. And in my cold Swedish climate nothing beats cabbages of different sorts.
Another benefit of the pumpkin/squash is that the leaves and stems are edible. Steamed, the hairs all soften and they hold their texture really well and add a new dimension to the leafy green taste. Full of nutrients as well, so an extra bonus harvest.
Wish i'd known this a few years ago!
but does a plant being edible make it healthy? not necessarily
I came to the comments to say the same thing! 👌
Thank you! We plan on drying greens and blending them into a powder to sneak greens into dinners.
I had no idea about this, thank you!
My mom used to cook the young leaves with coconut milk. Added with some shallots n anchovies . Delicious to eat with rice.
Honestly, as a parent, it's so encouraging to have watched you follow your passions like this, it is what any person would want for their children. Wishing you every success, and thank you for the inspiration.
I love that you mentioned foraging. In the drought we experienced this year, my garden struggled but the wild plants were beautiful. It is nice to know there is food beyond my garden.
Exactly this Judi! I've been very surprised with how well the wild foods are doing this year after the drought!
This past Spring, I harvested a couple of buckets of dandelions and dehydrated the leaves, and roasted the roots (for « coffee »). Also, plantain and nettles. Dehydrating is so much easier than canning, preserves more nutrients, and is shelf stable for a long time. Now that I have discovered it, I am a much more enthusiastic forager!
@@bronwenhook6088 I also had a lot of wild asparagus come up this year. I carelessly scattered seeds of perennials throughout my orchards. Untamed food is the best! Lol.
If you quick blanch pak choi and sundry them, it will lasts for several years as a dry vegetable to use in stews, soups etc. Or once it dries completely, steam it, dry it again, and preserved it in dark jars with salt or sugar it will last more than ten years. Same applies to mooli and some specific citrus (Kumquats, lemon etc).
Yes to foraging! This year I made friends with an older lady down the road and we've had lots of great foraging adventures- lobster mushrooms, morels, boletes, chanterelles, blueberries, wild plums, bee balm and anise hyssop so far. Looking forward to next year's adventures!
So nice to find new friends and wise knowledgeable ones at that!!!
i love nasturtiums: they provide flowers to pick, and leaves for salad and are very easy to grow.
also pickle the seeds and use as capers - fabulous
And you can pickle or lacto ferment (my preference) the seeds to make the most delicious capers.
Also add the leaves &/or flowers to ferments, too. Add a nice flavor and "kick" . I'm still newer to doing them, but last year I did a cut up peppers and celery ferment, & a peppers and cherry tomatoes one ( I only had a few extra tomatoes) to which I added that. Was great !
I appreciate your willingness to make us aware of other people's good ideas and products, even if there is no financial incentive to you. You seem like a very good person.
Agreed. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Giving people this knowledge changes the world...
Huw Richards, you are a great soul
For me my most valued crops are garlic & greens. Home grown garlic is a staple & I mostly grow varieties that store 12 months, so I have it all year round. But some other garlic tips: when your bulbs just start to shoot, don’t compost them! Garlic is especially nutritious at this stage (think sprouting micro greens), and you can preserve the rest of your garlic by splitting out the bulb into cloves, store them in zip lock bags in the freezer. Take out a few cloves as needed, leave to thaw on the bench for a few mins and use as normal. Cooks up perfectly!
Greens like silverbeet, spinach, chard.. a little chopped finely in every dish every day. So much goodness, esp over the winter months.
Don't forget about the garlic scapes also delicious and freezable.
Chard, easy to grow, pest resistant, cold hardy, space to yeild ratio will outperform every other crop over the entire season!
Fantastic suggestion! Thank you!
Ooo, chard is a great idea! That's grown phenomenally well for us the last few years. So we'll that I end up giving lots of it to the chickens.
Sugar beet greens are amazing, so delicious and they do not wilt down as much as chard. Flavour is very similar to chard.
Chards are amazing
Ahh, another chard super-fan, at last !! Turns out that Spinach is way higher in some nutrients, which happen to be ones I most need, so I guess I'll have to buckle down on growing that in spring and fall more now, but chard tastes the best !!!!
On foraging, we have a a ton of wild grapes on the property which are great for jams but we also use the vines to make seasonal wreathes. This generates a bit of income for the things we absolutely could not grow. A bit of weaving and most woody trimmings make for fun center pieces.
Storing sugar snap peas has never occurred to me. I have trouble enough saving them long enough to get to the kitchen because I snack as I pick. They are so good! As a friend said to me, "People who don't like vegetables haven't eaten garden fresh ones."
While I can understand disliking specific vegetables, disliking vegetables in general is probably caused by never having had the opportunity to taste good, fresh ones. There’s just so much variety that there’s bound to be something for every taste!
You mentioned that the golden beet is less ‘earthy’ than the typical red. I just grew the white ones this year and had one tonight. It’s even less earthy than the golden. I want to a do red/gold/white roasted medley next.
I'd like to add gemsquash. Grows like a pumpkin, but in half the time. Produces loads on a single plant.
And for places with sunshine, okra.
I abandoned my first garden and learned that without tending or watering at all that Basil, Mint, Cilantro, and Marigolds do fine. Anything that is categorized with "grows like a weed" is also an excellent grower. I've found that set and forget is the best way to deal with high stress situations. Dinner included.
I live on a rented property, therefore can't implement all my gardening desires and grow as much as I would like to.
I let some plants to go in seed, then collect the seeds and grow microgreens - red cabbage, sunflower, kale, raddichio, raddish, even dandelion.
I grow dandelion and nettles intentionally and add the young leaves in salads.
Never bought tomatoe seeds, all sprouted from store bought, and this way I can have so many different varieties, especially with cherry tomatoes. And also size changes if grown in a raised bed or container. Definitely preparing to continue most varieties indoors over winter. Nasturtium leaves are rich in vitamin c, I air dry them and make powder, the flowers infused in vinegar or oil are good antibiotics and great for hair.
I forage blackberries, rosehips and hazelnuts. And also regrow store bought lettuce, green onions, cabbage, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
My garden looks like a jungle, veggies and herbs interplanted with begonias, roses, nasturtiums and other flowers. It looks aesthetically pleasing and is so useful.
When I come from work, I let my 2 dogs in the garden and spend some time tidying up the plants, it is such a healing activity.
Winecap mushrooms (Stropharia rugosoannulata) have been an amazing crop for me. Bought mushrooms are quite costly to eat as frequently as I like. Winecaps are ridiculously easy to grow, super productive and they make amazing soil! I also love that they're nearly impossible to mistake for other mushrooms. If you already have woodchips in your garden, it's as easy as finding a good spot, burying some winecap spawn, keeping it watered and waiting! I've heard blewits are also fairly easy to cultivate in piles of mixed leaves, woodchip, etc. There are some dangerous look alikes with them though.
I love fresh mint tea. Another easy to grow is melissa, it's an easy plant to grow (not that easy to get rid of 😅), but tea made from fresh leaves is delishous, it has a slightly lemon taste in it. Another great tea is a mix of dry apple, fresh mint and a bit of dry elder flower (flower, not fruit), it's absolutely amazing!
Beetroot greens can also be cooked. Also, there are recipes for tender pumpkin leaves and stem if you like Indian style vegeterian cooking. Try the male pumpkin flowers too, you can make fritters!
There is an Indian style of beetroot dish as well. It's called beetroot pachadi and that's the only way I have ever been able to eat beetroot. The addition of yogurt makes the sweetness as bit more balanced
Yes I was going to say that beet greens were completely omitted from your video and they are a great resource for salads and tasty when cooked. Never toss beet greens into the compost!
Pumpkin leaves. are delicious and nutritious. There are heaps of delicious recipes from Papua New Guinea, Mauritius, Ghania etc to try and enjoy.
One of my favorite crops for self-sufficiency is winter squash. They store all winter long, and are great meal staples. In addition to baked squash, the make great pies. This year we harvested 7 Cushaw, 9 Red Kuri, and 13 Butternut squash from 4 plants.
What is your secret? That is less than what we got off 20 plants...
@@quantafitness6088 Probably the rich soil. They are growing on wood chips in a Back to Eden area, where the soil under the chips has not only been enriched by the decomposing chips, but also kept moist.
Don't know if links are allowed or not, but I made a short video of the winter squash harvest you might like: th-cam.com/video/bZ81P1ozNXI/w-d-xo.html
Yum. Cushaw soup. I halve and bake the winter squash, and any other root veggie in recipe, before peeling and cubing. A little chicken broth and cream stirred in.
fully agree but changed my seed supplier this year and was very disappointed
Foraging has become such a huge part of our diet this year. The humble hogweed has the most amazing flavor seeds. Its taste is exquisite. I have added them into the Christmas chutney and pudding. A cross between citrus and cardamom, really surprising.
And pineapple weed, mugwort and mullien have been picked and dried for teas to aid various things. Our hedgerows have been laden with treasure theseast few weeks. Walnuts, acorns for flour, dock for flour (gluten free), rosehip and elderberry for syrup and cordial. And slow berries, Quince and plums, all there just free to take.
There are plants, certainly here in the UK, that resemble hogweed, so if anyone tries foraging please make sure you do your homework first. As with funghi, you need to really know what's what to avoid accidentally killing yourself - it's vital to be able to tell your hogweed from your hemlock.
Could you give us the latin name of the plant you call hogweed ? I searched for hogweed and found Heracleum mantegazzianum ("giant hogweed") it is part of the carrot family BUT an invasive species - and worse: it is phototoxic. And there are closely related plants that are also phototoxic. The recommendation is to stay away from them and to protect eyes and skin (long sleeves) if you move in an area where they are.
do I understand that right - you only used the seeds.
But maybe the folksy name "hogweed" is also used for another herb / weed.
@@franziskani there's giant hogweed, which as you said is not edible and actively dangerous to handle, and there's common hogweed, which is perfectly edible! It's also known as cow parsnip. You can eat the young leaves, new shoots, unopened flower buds, and the seeds both young and old.
silent reader and watcher on your channel here. i learn a lot about gardening and inspired me to start my own gardening which i started 2 years go. I have to make raise beds because of bad soil with lots of stone. :) It is relaxing in mind doing gardening specially during harvesting time specially when my kid enjoying eating them so fresh and organic. Thank you!
It has been a fabulous year for foraging Huw, and I wish more people would follow the correct code, however on the other hand I have seen people look questioningly at what I'm up to 🤣. Just recently I've had guelder rose berries, rosehips, Hawthorn and rowan. Today I had a marvellous haul of crab apples, and most of them were windfalls. I left a tidy pile in the hedge too for blackbirds, mice and voles etc. Anything left are great for insects too. After I have processed them there is another great self-sufficiency thing to do - my hens absolutely love the leftovers. Especially because it is such a natural thing for them to eat this time of year. Thank you for bringing up foraging Huw - it is my favourite subject and has been ever since I found a copy of Food For Free when I was about 13. Little did I know then how iconic it would become 🙂 Take care, thank you for the video!
I love that you included mint and herbs for tea (tisanes). I grow lots of herbs and dry them for use throughout the year. A mesh bag hung on the washing line usually does the job without a dehydrator in the warmer months (unless it's raining).
I have had great going doing it indoors, too. Unlike fleshy fruits and veg, most leafy things seem to dry ok even if slower without heat & wind, without molding issues. I haven't done it a lot, but I've used the paper bag method, tie a string around the stems of a handful of herbs, poke a hole in a paper bag to run string through, and then hang upsidedown from something in the house, away from humid kitchens and baths of course. The bag protects them from dust etc. . I saw a multi-tiered, zippered-door mesh bag thing at a friend's home, foe drying things, and as that's where she got hers, found mine on Amazon ( I don't shop there much, would rather support more local, smaller or direct ). Doesn't have a dust-protection feature, but one could drape a sheet or towel around it if needed that.
Beetroot: try sugar beets! Looks like a parsnip but it's sweet!
Pumpkin (I think any winter squash) is soo versatile!
Sunchokes dont plant them in a spot you want to move eventually. Even if you dig them all out they find a way to regrow from there.
In your experience it sounds like you didn’t take al the rhizomes out I have a fern problem on my property and I’ve dug so much of it out that the old folks say I’ve tried it all won’t work bla bla bla no it’s called don’t be lazy dig that sh*t out😂🤙🏽
Thank you!
The deer ate all of mine😢
I like leaving some in the ground to multiply and dig most out
@@2A_supporter have you actually grown Jerusalem artichokes? I have, and I have many, many times dug them out till I’ll looking at a pile of clean dirt, only to have them somehow come back the next spring! You don’t understand.. they are sneaky!! 🤣
Once they’re in, you will NEVER get rid of them!
Weed eat it when its like 5in tall
So Nice!
I have 5 square meter lot to grow only. But I am thankful.❤
Cultivating is meditation, healing.
Huw, I had to laugh out loud, hearing you speak about the beauty of Jerusalem artichoke while the beautiful blossoms were actually attacking you 😂. Did grow them the first year myself and the variety I choose is getting huge apparently! I am looking very much forward to the harvest in winter.
Thanks for the lovely video!
I found a new way to use the melons (both cantaloupe and honeydew) that didn't fully ripen last year. I pickled them in a sweet brine and added mint and dried chili flakes. They tasted amazing on New Year's Day. So happy to see that you and Gaz have become friends. Sending much love to you and your family from Washington state, USA ♡♡♡
Super interesting, as I may be about to have a few not yet ripe, to deal with. I don't like Cantaloupe anyways, but my husband and other relatives do, so, I'd like to try this ! If you read this, could u plz give me your recipe for the sweet brine ? ( I'm not a very experienced pickle-maker, only grew up on Dill cucumber pickles, and some refrigerator versions of same). My name is Angela too :) .
I also found a new way. Put the watermelon meat and seeds in blender. Use it for liquid part in cookies, pancakes. I read the watermelon seeds has rich nutrition.
I absolutely love your channel because you get right to the information and the layout is super with great camera work. It's prefect!
My underrated crop that even shows up in your video (but isn't mentioned) is nasturtiums - if you live in a milder climate, nasturtiums are self-seeding, incredibly prolific. You can eat the flowers and leaves (I use them as a substitute for arugula when they're in season) and if you pickle the seeds they make great capers you can add to rice, noodles and many other dishes.
I did so well with tomatoes, that I have had 14kg today, but 61kg on only 1 week. Still got around 2 weeks to finish them.
I like to grow mint and lemon balm and mix them to make a lovely tea. Put some honey and lime juice in it and it'll warm your bones AND clear your throat!
The comments from this kind of community are a wonderful resource, too. So much knowledge, freely offered. Gratitude.
Beets are very good steamed. You can also make picked beets as a way to have bright flavors in the winter.
In some environments parsnips are a good option. They are sweet when roasted.
Winter squash make more food per unit area than most pumpkins. Pie pumpkins are the best pumpkins.
Purple (royal) beans can be good because they produce a lot very early and die leaving room for the squash plants.
The only two things money can't buy are true love and home grown tomatoes.
In some places peach trees are good. Peaches are easy to freeze.
My husband and I have been watching you since you were very young. Like your parents, we too, are SOW very “ proud” of you!! Blessing and Grace to you!!
Aw wow! Thank you so much for your support over the years ! Really appreciate it :)
I can recommend Black Peppermint for a good tea. It grows well in pots and I think it's a beautiful herb. I'm potting some on for the kitchen over winter. Thanks for the tips, Huw.
th-cam.com/video/E9qWwfEj-90/w-d-xo.html
Personally I grow and store 11 different varieties of Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) and they give a harvest of 10kg tubers per plant, very good storage in my basement. They don't regrow like sunchokes but need to survive protected from freezing and they are very healthy.
Yes, we discovered yacon a few months ago and I got some rhizomes and potted them. Now they are ready to be planted out. Can’t wait. I posted a comment on one of Huw’s videos.
Thank you! My first time hearing about this. "Pear of the Earth" this sounds cool.
pumpkin cream soup with mascarpone cheese, bacon, and croutons also try fresh lemon balm tea. Yummy.
I’m a big lambs quarters fan. I agree with the mint and beets being underrated for sure! …love sugar beets❤ I will definitely do Sun chokes next year🥰
I've got to say my no 1 is the nobal onion. You can make so many different delisous dishes and especially the simple cheese and onion sandwich 🥪😋😊
black salsify is a nice thing to try for self sufficiency especially because you can keep it in the ground in the winter and do not need to dig them in autumn. its very hardy and doesn'zt require much care
I tend to like winter squash better than the big orange pumpkins, especially as many varieties seem to keep longer.
I love roast beets & borscht, but I’ve found my absolute favourite way to eat beetroot is Alys Fowlers beetroot marmalade preserve recipe! OMG it’s incredible & goes great with cheese, in salads, on top of meals. I actually can’t get enough of it! I also make a batch with fresh chilli in as I love spicy things & this year I’m trying it with golden beets, tarragon, ginger & cider vinegar; it’s become a staple of ours!
That really does sound good! My go-to recipe is to roast them in the oven until a knife goes in cleanly, then peel and slice them. Then I melt some butter in a pan and pan-fry the slices until the butter is browned, and season them with salt and pepper, then sprinkle some parsley on to serve.
That sounds amazing, going to check out that recipe!
@@sweetfernhome you should, it’s from her book Abundance, I have the kindle version too ☺️
1. Pak Choi - plant in autumn in a cold fame, grows the same speed as radish.
2. Jeruselum artichokes - harvest from the ground as and when
3. Beetroot, can also eat leaves.
4. Pumpkin, good space filler, seeds can be roasted, Flowers are edible on courgettes & squash family.
5. Sugar snap peas, & mange tout peas.
6. Mint ideal for teas :) & lavender, (all herbs & medicinals)
7. foraging, eg blackberries, crab apples, rosehips, nettles, wild garlic
Omg did this ep EVER resonate with me! I actually came to permaculture via foraging, which I’d done all my life, rather than gardening - just planted my first garden this year at age 60. I planted a LOT of native wild edible plants - including rugosa roses and nettles, hawthorn and serviceberry. Yep, my mint - and my lemon balm for tea too - grow in big raised beds of their own. As do my Jerusalem artichokes!
I never tire of your videos. Thank you for your integrity, respect for nature and genuine enthusiasm... so happy you mentioned nettles! 💚🌱💚🍃
I'd like to add the humble parsley to be grown all year round.Easy to grow, winter hardy and about £1 a pop in the shops so, convenient to have in the garden. My chickens love it too.
I grow it in hanging baskets in the shade - fills out like a green ball. The flat leaf type grows taller but looks better on garlic bread.
New subscriber here, just watched some of your videos as we recently returned to the UK after 8 years in New Zealand and we are on our own sustainability/ growing journey which we vlog. All fun in the learning, so thank-you for sharing.
Thanks so much for subscribing :)
When I was a kid, we had a mint patch in the garden. My mother would often ask me to get a sprig to put in the water when she boiled potatoes, especially new potatoes.
th-cam.com/video/E9qWwfEj-90/w-d-xo.html
Wow that's so amazing having a Farm..... well done my friend 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
When it comes to pumpkins, I am surprised that the Hokkaido variant is not a huge hit in the UK and Ireland. It has a lovely taste and - most important - you don't have to peel it. It's definitely the most easy pumpkin to prepare.
Thank you again for another interesting and informative video! I grow beets, mint, ramp and other items mentioned and will use them in recipes suggested.... I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mine was yesterday and I understand Mr. Richards has one in a few days. Looking good! Again thx for the info! 😊
Two large patches of wild purslane gave us gobs and gobs of foraged harvest from our meadow out back. The plants were so large and healthy. We harvested BUSHELS and froze, ate, dehydrated, ate some more, and made into powder until I finally gave up and told my husband, "don't bring in anymore!". It will all be great additions to our soups, smoothies, breads and whatever stands still for winter cooking and baking. Thank you for another outstanding teaching.
Blue and Hubbard pumpkins are having a really fine texture and you can store them till springtime. There are so delicious recipes with peppermint, fried, Börek , Piroggi, or cakes, dips. Mmmhhh. And Sunchokes pickled with other vegetables as Tursi...
Recommendation:
put markers/split up the timeline of the video on youtube and put names on them.
This increases your re-watched stats i would imagine.
But for me as a viewer who want to re-watch specific parts its very easy to see what part i need and i find it straight away.
Very good video and much appreciated. keep em coming.
For the mint - great for mojitos:)
Some interesting crops mixed in there. I love lima beans but rarely see anyone growing them on the podcasts out there. They are relatively easy to grow bush or pole varieties as long as your soil is not to rich in nitrogen. They are high in calories so are a good thing to incorporate into your garden to help in being self sufficient.
I love my Sunchokes. I grow Pok Choy indoors. I love your pumpkins. I always had luck with them. My winter greens are growing very fast. I always enjoy your videos. Thank you
Such a brilliant video Huw! I will incorporate some of these tried and true vegetables but also take a stab at some newer ones mentioned! I like the idea of venturing beyond the garden gates.😎
Congrats on the launch of your online shop! So exciting to see you grow over the past few years.
One more thing about pumpkin/squash: I love the immature seeds. I boil/sautee them and just munch them whole. They have a very nice flavor and texture. You want the seeds formed but not yet hardened, though obviously younger seeds are even more tender.
Love this segment!! I grew up with a dad who gardened, then married into a family of biologists! I just harvested a fall flush of nettles from my yard, and brought a small batch of Jerusalem artichokes to my new garden, along with perennial kale, good king Henry and a bunch of perennial herbs! (Between 75 & 100 plants in pots!!)
Thank you for creating such wonderful videos! They have been so helpful to me as I expand my garden and learn to grow, harvest, and cook things I never have before! What amazing variety!
Huw, thank you so much for your inspiring videos. I love the fact that you're gardening in Wales where the climate must be the same as here. Sadly I never had success with Pak Choi.
Herbs are the best, mint is so understated, love the after eight mint variety, it really does smell like after eight chocolates. Being self sufficient with herbs can be done so easily, one plant turns into two, in such a small all be it a bed or a plant pot. Medicine from the earth doesn't get any better than that. Thank You Huw, for the variety of videos, and tips and just bought your first book, love It's month on month guide, with new tips am trying.
I'm thrilled with our fresh herbs. Just a bit of money, space, and time can go very far to make a larder otherwise limited to cheap and dull stuff interesting enough to be happy.
If you know, is that "after eight" mint the same thing known in the USA as "chocolate mint" , or is it a different chocolate mint variety ? I have the chocolate mint, and am just very curious if there's another one, how it compares. This one definitely smells like it's name ! It can taste differently depending on drought and soil, etc., isn't always very flavorful.
What a great way to promote your store and get a feel for what people like. I had not seen the store b4 so glad i have
As a child my dad took us foraging, we would get up while it was dark to go mushroom picking. We loved it. Also blackberry, rasberry picking then we would quickly pour hot water over to clean. Ate lots of rhubarb & veg from local allotments & we grew what we could in our garden. We need to pass our knowledge on to younger generations!!
Huw you are awesome!
I'm so excited about this contest, your products are beautiful! 😃👍
Cooking apples! Not just for pie and crumbles. You can use them to bulk out curry, soups, stews, even serve it like you would swede or in mashed potato. Just helps bulk things out. Make homemade apple sauce or jam and add to porridge in the morning.
Also growing brassicas purple sprouting broccoli- you can harvest the leaves and eat them throughout the year too
Thank you for offering the contest. It inspired me to take time to look at your store. I put your books on my Christmas list. So this year, when the kids ask, I am ready with ideas.
Thank you so much Hugh. Sharing this sort of information is so helpful. You are a credit to the gardening community 🙏🏼
Thank you so much! :)
And a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite online gardener Mr Richards today! HSTL
Hi I'm really sorry but it's not my birthday, not until next year:)
Mint, Chamomile and Stevia. Recently combined those that we grew and was blown away at the amazing flavor. Kids love it as well.
Thanks for sharing! :)
It’s much warmer where I am. I lean on the plants that can stand the heat. Cow peas, okra, peppers, seminole pumpkins, corn, rattlesnake beans and tomatoes before it heats up too much…
Me too...chaya, katuk and Moringa! Plus several tropical spinaches
This video is brilliant, I agree with all your choices as the underrated crops and for mentioning foraging, thank you for all your help, much appreciated.
Great ideas! My biggest challenge is affording land to grow all the stuff I want.
U may want to look into renting, bartering or borrowing yard space, then. Not without it's social risks of course, but some have had really good times with borrowing a yard of someone who's like to see it used for what you want to use it for, but isn't able or whatever to do it themselves. There's even an online website to connect these people, along with related things such as garden tools, those who have them to lend with those in need. Problem is, I can't recall the name of it ! So sorry ! Hopefully someone knows or can find it by searching online !
So glad you mentioned that when foraging it is important to leave enough for others especially wildlife!
For bountiful and nutritious harvest I have to mention broad beans (fava beans in the US I believe). What also makes them so great is that they grow super early, even over winter, enabling a follow-on summer crop like pole beans or winter squash. In my experience the best vegetable to maximize year round production if you have a limited area to grow in. Fantastic taste too in my opinion, and freeze well for later consumption.
Yes! I always sow mine in October/November (UK) and love them, so bountiful.
I wish we had more land to have a proper pumpkin patch. Switching gears, I don't care for beets, but we may have to give those goldens a try next year.
While most of them are probably too big ( the fruit) to do this with, try growing some on a trellis if you have a little extra space (?). I grew cantaloupe on a (short, happened to be) trellis this year, two different varieties, one of which didn't have as small of fruits as the Minnesota midget which was the other. But, they all hung there ok, even without any added support by me, such as using knee-high or other women's hosiery ( aka panty-hose, nylon stockings) to tie them to the fence. The ones on ground ( mulch) btw, I put bricks beneath after awhile, and that really helped keep them from starting to rot before ripe. Anyways, I bet some smaller-ish types of pumpkins may do ok on a trellis ! With the tougher metal posts, not those wimpy cheap ones, or wood posts, as supports.
It is very generous of you to have this drawing. It was fun looking through the items and deciding which ones to choose (even though there is a strong likelihood someone else will be chosen). I hope the items are drop shipped from somewhere in the USA for American recipients because customs can take FOREVER and a day.
Foraging is something I have done for years. elderberry can make good wine. this year I have spent time forgeing sweet chestnuts both greatly expands my diet with little cost. it also adds to my quality of live
Big fan of foraging, and thank you for including the wildlife sharings. Love the bitters, especially the shaded, leggy dandelion leaves to add to salads, and the wild grape leaves and oak leaves for the crunch in sour pickles. Top keepers and super foods are sweet potatoes and beets( including the beet leaves, and anything in the cabbage family. I found that almost all root veggies and fruits are best roasted or grilled, bringing out the sweetness. Pickled beets, ferments for gut health, sugar pumpkins (not the jack'o lanterns)are all favorites. Dillweed for sours and ferments, (fresh will make the brine cloudy but still taste wonderful) and the monarch butterfly catapillars love it. And my too pollinators, catnip, and your feline friends will love you!
Great information! Thank you. Glad I found you channel.
Thank you Hugh. I enjoy foraging locally, where I live in NZ for things like chestnuts when in season, watercress and versatile wild (medicinal) herbs like dandelion (also, the roots can be made into a substitute coffee). I find your videos super inspirational, very helpful and down to earth. All the very best to you and yours. Namaste 🙏🏼
Brilliant! Thank you so much!
I have some mint growing. Maybe I’ll make a hot drink later!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I love the scene where you're speaking about mint and the sun chokes are dancing in the wind behind you! How beautiful! Thank you Huw! Nettles, mint, garlic! Delicious! Your video quality and content is awesome!!!
You're most welcome! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it😊😊
Also grow white sugar beets (Bucklunch variety), juice them and boil it down. Spice some batches with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. Makes great syrup for pancakes, buttered toast, or kefir.
Love this, Hew! But just a little warning; tea from mint leaf is medicinal and very strong; not recommended to be used daily. But its great for temporary menstrual pain and such, it loosens up cramps in the stomach area. I recommend using lemon balm instead of mint, fresh or dried, for a calming tea. It's usually grown in abundance! :)
SO true, Pak Choi or also Tat Soi, a variation, grow SO quickly, they are must-have´s at the beginning and end of a year! The fresh leaves can also be added to a salad. If you grow it shady, the leaves become more tender (good for salad) I found out this autumn.
100% agree about foraging! So many of the plants we consider weeds are actually edible!
Excellent! Sincerest Thanks for these suggestions. Some of us have done just occasional gardening, when our circumstances allowed us BOTH some time and land to cultivate. It has been my joy to garden with just a few hundred square feet of soil. But trying to garden with just a few planters seemed to require Much Greater attention to the selection of items growing together. Your information is helpful, if a person is able to take the time to view your posts. (Subscriber)
Not a particular plant, but a group of plants. Herbs, they can help to change and augment the flavour of your crops. If all you have is beets after a while you may get bored with them. This is where adding herbs can help.
Korean mint makes a wonderful tea.
I LOVE sunchokes! I enjoy watching them grow, as well as digging them up. They're even more plentiful than potatoes
I also love mint, which I planted on Huw's recommendation a few years ago. My brother calls the tea "Encouragement in a cup."
Interesting selection, I love foraging, really good year for hedgerow apples