Author: Laura P
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Is Ginkgo your Go-to for memory?
In this season of remembrance, we’re taking a look at a herb that has become renowned with enhancing memory and cognitive ability: Ginkgo biloba, which you may also know as the Maidenhair tree. Ginkgo autumn colour Ginkgo is especially beautiful at this time of the year as its fan-shaped leaves turn yellow and scatter gracefully…
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Foray into Fungi
The Tree Team from Tree Maintenance Ltd guide us through the wonderful world of fungi: what they are, how they help, how we can help them, and what to look out for when foraging. Mycorrhizal Fungi: The Unsung Heroes of Trees, Gardens, and Ecosystems You might not see it, but beneath your feet, in gardens,…
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Apple recipes
Baked Spiced Apple Pudding Inspired by a traditional recipe from Mrs Charles Darwin’s Cookbook By peeling the apples they will collapse as they cook allowing their juices and flavour to spread into the surrounding batter. 6 apples (dessert apples are best)2 tablespoons sugar (plus more for sprinkling)1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg1/4 teaspoon finely grated…
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Rosehips
Nature’s Vitamin C A summer hedgerow covered with rambling rose is a delightful sight in June, but come back a couple of months later and find its equally delightful hips ready for gathering, prepping and storing for use like bottled sunshine to keep us going through the winter. As well as the vitamin C they’re…
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Herbs against moths
words by Angela Jones I have a friend who believes in quality over quantity when it comes to fashionable clothes so she was mortified to find that her only cashmere sweater had been got at by the moths. The Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella) is only 7mm in size and is a boring grey beige…
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September Herb Walk
With a very wet start to September here in our corner of Gloucestershire, we were glad to have clear skies for our first-Saturday-of-the-month herb walk. The meeting point was the post box at Cam Tesco, familiar enough to most locally, unlike our actual destination: Rackleaze Nature Reserve. Unsurprisingly there was a ‘I don’t know Rackleaze’…
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Let’s get Comfrey!
words by Angela Jones Comfrey has been used for medicinal purposes since the middle ages. It was known as the knit-bone herb, and an ointment made from the leaves is still used today for bruises and skin ulcers. A tea brewed from the freshly picked leaves makes a mixture to ease coughs. It can be…
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Mint Tea Challenge
Visitors to this year’s Cam & Dursley Flower and Produce Show were invited to take part in the Mint Tea Challenge. They were offered two different mint teas and asked to decide which they favoured. Their choice was sealed by dropping a bead into their chosen tube, for Tea A, or Tea B. Blind tasting…
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Elder: medicine cabinet of the hedgerows
Elder (Sambucus nigra) is treasure in the hedgerow. It’s said that you are lucky indeed if an elder choses to grow in your garden, especially if it is self-sown. An elder tree would often be included in the herb garden as it was believed to put the herbs under the protection of the ‘Elder Mother’ or…
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Thyme to Read
We’ve heard of book clubs before, but Thyme to Read is a little bit different. We caught up with Laura from Cotswold Herb Centre to find out more. What is Thyme to Read? Thyme to Read is very simple, just turn up and read your book while enjoying a cup of herbal tea. Ambient music…