RESOURCES
OUR VIDEOS
HEMP - THE PLANET FRIENDLY PLANT
Download hemp recipes
http://www.greencuisinetrust.org/hemp-resources/
Discover Hempen
https://www.hempen.co.uk/about-us/
Support policy change
WHEAT - THE STAFF OF LIFE??
End photo credits - Miles Willis
Hands on my bread - Andrew Whitley here
Carbs in a nutshell - Daphne Lambert here
Find real bread near you - here
AUTUMN FOODS & HERBS FOR WELLBEING
With a focus on immunity
BOKASHI COMPOSTING
All you'll ever need to know
Bokashi resources here
SUPPORT YOUR GUT HEALTH
Every day foods that support beneficial bacteria
Recipes that support your gut bacteria here
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MILK?
THE CULINARY ART OF FERMENTATION
Transforming food
Fermentation Recipes & Preparations.
SUMMER HERBS FOR WELLBEING
Easy to grow summer herbs to support your health
Oxymel & Shrub recipes here
OUR ARTICLES
Rosemary
Rosemary is a culinary and medicinal herb and a symbol of friendship, loyalty and remembrance
Winter
As the landscape changes from trees of fiery reds, bronze and gold to dark silhouettes against an ice blue sky – we leave the last days of autumn behind, winter arrives and nature rests.
Learning to Love Weeds
In 1847, a vigorous bamboo-like plant with bracts of pretty white flowers won the gold medal for best ornamental plant at the Society of Agriculture and Horticulture in Utrecht.
This sample of Japanese knotweed (Raynoutria japonica) had been brought from Asia by the Bavarian plant collector Philipp von Siebold and, by 1850, he had sent a cutting to Kew Gardens.
Rainbow Health
Regularly eating a colourful rainbow of plants is hugely beneficial to health. Vegetables & fruits are full of compounds known as phytonutrients which are produced by plants to protect themselves against strong sunlight, oxidation, viruses, bacteria, insects, disease and background radiation.
Hands on my Bread
Bread is on the rise. In one sense this is always true, but it hardly applies to industrial loaves, sales of which – in the UK at least – have been in steady decline since World War 2. It is real bread that is making a comeback, defined as being made without additives, fermented for several hours and always touched by human hands.
Borage Borago officinali
Borage, also known as starflower & beebush is an annual herb that is easy to grow from seed, tolerates most soils and readily self seeds so will keep coming up year after year.
Allergies - how & why they happen
There are many kinds of allergy, from food allergies like peanuts, soya or shellfish to perennial allergies like dust, mold or feathers. However, as we head through spring into the summer, it’s the seasonal allergies from tree, grass and weed pollen also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis that are upon us.
Plant Milks - non dairy milk alternatives
Plant milks from nuts, seeds, grains and legumes have become increasingly popular. For those who can't tolerate, or choose not to consume cow's milk, they are a welcome alternative.
20 Nourishing Foods
Packed full of nutrients these winter foods will nourish you and help protect against colds & flu!
Comfrey
Comfrey has been cultivated as a healing herb since at least 400BC.
It is one of the best herbs for reducing swellings and if applied to the area around broken bones will soothe and reduce the inflammation and help mend the bones hence the nicknames ‘boneset’ & ‘knitbone’
Chicory
Chicory is a perennial herbaceous plant of the dandelion family. It has bright blue flower heads that flower for just one day, die and are replaced by more bright blue flowers the next day.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Raw apple cider vinegar has many benefits from weight loss to heart health find out more here.
vitamin D
The best source of vitamin D is the sun. Subcutaneous glands in the skin use sunlight to form pre-vitamin D which is converted to Vitamin D by the liver and kidneys.
Jerusalem Artichokes
There are few plants less fussy than Jerusalem artichokes. The tubers grow well in tubs (the crop in the image above was grown in a tub with 1/3rd bokashi compost) or in an open situation in rich soil. The plants grow tall so can be used to make an effective wind break.
Stevia
Whilst there are over 200 species of stevia, Stevia rebaudiana is the most important variety, it is a herbal plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. The Guarani Indians of Paraguay have used stevia for centuries for both its sweet taste and medicinal properties
Buckwheat - good for the soil, good for wildlife and good for you!
Buckwheat is not a cereal grain as it is not part of the grass family it belongs instead to the Polygonaceae family & is a relative of rhubarb & sorrel.
It is an easy plant to grow and relatively tolerant of most conditions.
Buckwheat is a very versatile plant and can be used in the following ways;
Urban garden medicine chest
Medicinal plants and simple extracts are particularly well-suited to supporting self-healing processes, promoting effective digestion, absorption, metabolism and elimination, and mitigating the effects of acute or chronic stress.
Gut bacteria & brain function
A dynamic ecosystem of microbes lives in your gut and this complex microbiota is individual to you, a reflection of your journey through life, from what you eat to what you do and where you’ve been.
Soil
'A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself' Franklin Roosevelt Fertile soil is an exquisite interplay of billions of organisms and it is this microbial bio-diversity that gives rise to the myriad forms of life that feed us.
RECIPES
Mushroom Ketchup
Chocolate Recipes for Easter
Asparagus Recipes
Smoothie to Support a Healthy Brain
January Soups
Picnic Food
Shrubs & Oxymels
Nettle & Wild Garlic Recipes
Cauliflower Recipes
Thrifty Comfort Food
Nourishing Soups
Pumpkins
Breakfast Recipes
Pea Soup
Easter Recipes
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
Today, we are witnessing a growing and urgent debate over the future of food and farming.
There is real momentum behind the desire to transform the food system, to recognise its environmental and social costs and transform it into a system that is just, healthy and resilient.
This booklet provides an overview of the core principles of food sovereignty and how this approach offers a viable option to address the challenges of environmental breakdown, social injustice and climate change.
Read more - click on image to download
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Antibiotics are one of medicine’s real success stories. Since their appearance nearly 100 years ago their ability to quickly kill or stop the growth of harmful bacteria has undoubtedly saved many people from chronic disease and even death.
In recent decades, however, antibiotic use has become a problem.
It’s estimated that up to half of all the antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary or are not prescribed appropriately.
Read more - click on image to download
GMOs
CROP RESEARCH
A series of research papers on crops that can potentially bring health benefits to people and the environment
1. Linseed
2. Cobnuts
3. Hemp
4. Sweet Chestnut
5. Walnuts
6. Buckwheat
Complete document
BOOKS
LIVING FOOD
A feast for soil & soul
by Daphne Lambert
A book about the central role food plays in our lives. The book shows how vibrant living food creates health and vitality and how the food we choose to eat is of the utmost importance if we are to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of this planet.
Special offer
£17.50 + £2.50 p/p
FERMENTING
Recipes & Preparations
by Daphne Lambert
Discover the ancient wisdom of fermented foods that will delight your tastebuds and help to support a healthy gut microbiome. The book covers basic recipes, salads, soups, main dishes, condiments, breads and lots more!
Special offer
£12.50 + £2.50 p/p
PRESERVING & RECYCLING FOOD
A card series of practical ideas & recipes
Food ‘Waste' · 'Fermenting' · 'Drying' · 'Herbal Tinctures'
Buy the complete set or more information here
BOOKS WE RECOMMEND
Mycellium Running - Paul Stamets ISBN 1-58008-579
Mushrooms - Roger Phillips ISBN 0-330-26441-9
Forest Gardening in Practice - Tomas Remiarz ISBN 978-1-85623-293-7
Radical, Self Reliant Gardening - Will Bonsall ISBN 978-1-60358-442-5
Six Steps Back to the Land - Colin Tudge ISBN 978-0-85-784123-0
Secrets of the Soil - Peter Tompkins & Christopher Bird ISBN 1-890693-24-3
Water in Plain Sight - Judith D Schwartz ISBN 978-1-250-06991
Waking the Giant - Bill McGuire ISBN 978-0-19-967875-4
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Some great people, places and websites we feel you need to know about.
Box schemes
There are brilliant box schemes throughout the country check them out on the Soil Association web site
soilassociation.co.uk
Practitioners
barcomebodyworks.co.uk
food-for-life.co.uk
Shops
Better Food Company – Bristol betterfood.co.uk
Infinity Foods – Brighton infinityfoodsretail.co.uk
Fruits of the Earth – Bridport fruitsoftheearth.co.uk
Planet Organic – London planetorganic.com
Trinity whole-foods - Hastings trinitywholefoods.co.uk