Category Regulars

Striking in their appearance, Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) mushrooms have been a favourite among foragers all around the world for many years due to their immunity- boosting properties.

Found in damp forests growing on dead or decaying hardwood trees, logs and stumps, turkey tail mushrooms are saprotrophic, which means they get their nutrients from dead organic matter which is breaking down.

As a result, they play an important ecological role in decomposing dead trees and recycling nutrients back into the forest ecosystem.

Silverbeet is native to the sea coast of Spain, Portugal and islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Wild sea beets are still found in the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands and Sicily. Beetroot, sugar beet and forage beet are also classified as Beta vulgaris.

Silverbeet, also called Swiss chard, has been used for human consumption and animal fodder for centuries. Rainbow silverbeet has has purple, orange, yellow, pink, red or yellow stems.

Not a conifer or an oak as the name would suggest, the coastal she-oak is native to southeast Australia. A member of the Casuarinaceae family, she-oaks are drought hardy and fire resistant.

Aboriginal use of native plants is often threefold. The plant may provide a valuable resource in the manufacture of tools, weapons and/or utensils. It may also provide an ingredient that either has medicinal value or be a source of nutrition.

My mum thinks my vegie garden is Pip worthy, so I thought I’d send you a photo. We’re looking at newly planted lettuce, baby spinach, newly seeded lettuce and carrots. Then, in the next bed; beans, bunching onions, lettuce, all sorts of herbs, tomatoes and chillies. There are sunflowers for the chickens – their house is just visible, far left – and weeds, all mixed in together. What you can’t see, hidden behind this bounty, is a patch of potatoes, shallots and pumpkins.

Tristy Sheridan
via email

Your garden sounds beautifully abundant, Tristy. What I love seeing is all those plants flowering and going to seed, creating biodiversity for the birds and bees. Robyn

While winter can conjure cozy thoughts of being snuggled around fires, it also brings with it a host of sniffles, colds and flu which get us down. That doesn’t have to be the end of the story though, not if you know how to care for yourself naturally at home with simple herbal remedies. People have been using herbal medicine for thousands of years – chamomile and yarrow has been found in the teeth of Neanderthals! All the herbs featured here have a long history of use for the immune and/or respiratory systems. All five are readily available and are delicious when incorporated into everyday life, either preventatively or when illness strikes. There’s a lot of information written about herbal medicine these days, but you honestly don’t need to know it all or do it all, you can start with just a few tried and true herbs to support you and your family. If you’re keen to learn to use herbs for winter wellness, explore these five this winter.

You can prune your deciduous fruit trees up to three or more times throughout the year, but the major cutback should be done in the cold winter months, before the sap rises. Start the pruning season with the early fruiters, such as apricot, nectarine, plum and peach, then come apples and pears. The really late fruiters such as quince and pomegranate can be done last.

Stone fruit trees should be pruned after fruiting but while still in active growth as these varieties are susceptible to a bacterial disease called gummosis. Pruning in warmer weather will allow the pruning wound to heal more quickly and reduce the risk of the bacteria entering.

For citrus you prune after fruiting and before the first frosts. Citrus tend to have a growth spurt after a prune and new shoots will be susceptible. You can open up the tree and take out damaged or diseased branches during the warmer months, just remember this is when the tree is setting fruit, so cut back carefully.

Local permaculture farms help change the global food system by connecting with each other. Evidence shows that creating, protecting and restoring local small-scale agro-ecological food systems around the world is key to feeding the world in a just and sustainable way, while restoring biodiversity and addressing climate change at the same time.

In the UK, there is a nationwide collective advocating for this called the Landworkers’ Alliance, a movement of small-scale farmers, growers, foresters and land-based workers. It works with La Via Campesina, the global peasant network with 200 million members, and recognises how hard it is for young people to move into farming so has catalysed a network of local on-farm food traineeships and mentoring programs.

As well as developing small-scale farming, the alliance focuses on icreasing awareness that the global food system is broken and unjust. This example of acting locally and connecting shows that while we each might be only doing a small action, together we can make a difference, whether in our neighbourhood, our nation or internationally.

Handmade from extra-virgin olive oil, botanicals and other natural ingredients, this ball of soap comes in a double-layered cotton mesh bag that’s designed to hang on your garden tap. After a day in the garden, just rub the bag between your hands for a moisturising cleanse. Made using small-batch cold-process methods, the soaps are allowed to cure for eight weeks for optimal longevity. Soaps are also available as naked refills.

$25.00 (with bag) www.pollysfarm.com.au

TREK FOR CHANGE

Pip subscriber and environmental educator Lizz Hills is trekking 6000 km from Brisbane to Perth in a bid to inspire youths to reconnect with the planet and give it the love and care needs. The six-month ‘Trek2Reconnect’ journey has so far taken her south west to Port Augusta in South Australia, before she headed north to Alice Springs where she celebrated her 40th birthday. Now well over halfway, as Pip went to print Lizz was still $30,000 shy of her $80,000 fundraising goal. To donate, head to chuffed.org/project/trek2reconnect.