Flora Eerschay

Laura Rutherford wrote:I wouldn't worry about being seen as "competition," whatever your ability, which looks quite promising. I'm not a pro and may never get there, but have spent plenty of time with "real" artists. It's not a competetive sport and most, who are also real, live human beings, are encouraging of each other and especially of beginners. At least ones who don't already "know" everything...

That's how it should be, but the art world can get deadly competitive and/or abusive too. People get in there for all the wrong reasons sometimes. Just watch for the red flags!

I "discovered" nasturtium last summer. They grew like crazy everywhere, looked lovely and taste great.

I'm glad people are interested in this kind of things. A friend of mine used to make a living as a life model for a while.
You'd have to learn to work in a group, people being able to see your work in progress (even if they're not interested, the thought is stressful for some people).
It's nice if people are able to discuss their works together with the teacher after the lesson.
Respect the model and their boundaries. The model should have some private space especially if they're undressing/changing, but even if they're not.
Teacher should have some time for each participant to talk about their work.

P.S. Just noticed Judson's very scientific topic about Rubus, which probably answers my questions... but, as this will be my first season of actually using the plants (both the volunteer and the cultivars) I'll tell you how it goes here!

There is a number of topics that mention these plants and their fruits, and even two badges: foraging and natural medicine, but I thought we could discuss the uses and health benefits of these leaves.
My personal reason is that I finished a round of antibiotics just last week, and I have some nasty rash since two days; looks like allergy or sun burn or I don't know what. It's a stressful time at my work which might be the reason for all that mess.
Anyway, I thought of growing more of these plants already last year, hoping they will survive the dogs, snails and other misfortunes. Wild blackberries volunteered into my garden (they got some badass thorns!) and I bought a few varieties of raspberries. Two of them grow like crazy in my "forest garden" area and three are struggling in a too dry/too sunny spot... so I have some replanting to do.

There is a great diversity of Rubus L. varieties, which includes raspberries, blackberries and many microspecies of them.
The most popular use seems to be a tea made of dry leaves.
Can they also be used fresh for a tea?
For example, my mulberry leaves are very different when brewed fresh, dried taste much better.
Are there other uses, like fresh leaf compresses for example?

Attached a picture of one of the happier raspberries, which is growing very fast despite the frostbite that killed its first flowers this spring.

This is the new bed made with this cage. I covered it with elderberry leaves and there is a confused male actinidia in the middle (the female is outside, to the right). In this one I'll grow cucumbers, nasturtiums, columbine, evening stock, peas, pyrethrum, leafy goosefoot, beetroot, onion (which is chaos gardening of whatever seeds I still have left). And corn around for a future fence!

John Kava wrote:Just wondering why is it colored is there any reason for it or just likes to ?

I just had these coloured strings which were useless for anything else.
Also, I thought if I had quail I could put them there to clean up the patch, like a quail tractor. Not this year but maybe next - an idea for small gardens too.

I put this idea in "tips for awkward spots", because every spot is an awkward spot if you have dogs.
There is one that likes to dig up things, especially things that I just planted. Apparently he can't be contained, so my plants had to go into a cage instead :)
So I bought one of these critter runs and I made the mesh on top (took me way too long but it looks pretty!), and now I think it's a great idea not just because of dogs.
First I put wet cardboard underneath, and covered it with soil. The garden hose went under accidentally, but it was useful to have it buried there.



I sowed sweet peas, lettuce, kale and marigolds, and I put a thorny blackberry around just in case...



And they grew beautifully! The mesh was giving some more shade and it was protected not just from dogs.



Today I removed the cage to make a new bed elsewhere. They spread!



I'm making a garden bed in a shower cabin next...

I think, if there is a high quality meat (and organs) involved, the rest can be quite simple. Growing it also may be simpler than growing veggies, most of which are high maintenance crops.

Gray Henon wrote:While studying indigenous cultures, I’ve noticed several that survive on very simple diets, perhaps 3-4 staple foods.

I find this hard to believe. Maybe in very harsh environments, but considering the indigenous knowledge of various plants and animals, which surpasses the knowledge of average "civilized" people, I think they would eat more diverse foods than "us". When a friend of mine moved to the countryside years ago, she said that if she wants to know the name of any roadside plant, she just needs to ask a local child.

My simplification is more in the way I cook it. Often I don't have the time to serve something fancy so it's just broth, in which I throw whatever grew in my garden ;) plus ingredients I buy from local farmers.

Burra Maluca wrote:You want picturesque, how about this sight awaiting you when you arrive?

Haha I'm in! There's no way back :D
I love these stone houses too.
She's @PortugalfromScratch on Youtube. Her project is quite permaculture so she might know Permies too?
I don't know how far you are from her place but Portugal isn't huge anyway... so, I must go land hunting asap ;)

She inspired me to work more with stones, which I'm now putting around my garden pond, glueing them with mud. Next step will be something waterproof so I can raise the pond walls that way.

I heard goats are evil, will eat everything and no fence can contain them :D but friends have goats and they say that it's actually hard to convince them to go out of their enclosure, they barely need any fencing. "It's the how", I guess...