Sharing in birds' preferred diet
The Untamed Gardener
Aisling Blackburn
Did you know squirrels barked? I saw one earlier, overhead in a walnut tree, outraged that I had dared to cross her path. I stood by while this fiery red squirrel gave me a fine ticking off, leaped from branch to branch as I strolled, yapping all the time: “Get off my patch!”
I think this kind of thing goes on a lot, but most people don’t heed the signs. Wild things are constantly on the lookout for predators, that is unless they are a primary predator themselves, or maybe a seagull.
Hungry seagulls have found a new prey. We have robbed them of their source of nutrition at sea, so they turn to the lowest-lying fruit – fast food. I would also be disgruntled at my lunch being stolen by a sea bird, but it's not the fault of the bird.
The squirrel in the walnut tree will not hibernate, no she will gather and store her food in many hidey holes for the winter. It might be due to the 20 years or so required before full production, but we rarely see walnut trees though they have many beneficial properties. The nut is encased in a green fleshy outer hull which must first be removed, then it is left to dry for a period in its shell before it is cracked open and consumed. The hull was and is still used to make a type of ink and commonly used in herbal medicine to combat parasites.
Another stone fruit that we might not think of is the common haw. Though classified as a bush, its seeds are encased by an edible fleshy outer coat. This year’s haws are very fleshy and almost twice as large as usual. A known heart medicine, it’s very tempting to nibble them right off the bush. The seed can be sown to produce more trees if that is what you desire.
Elderberries make a super cough syrup and should never be eaten raw. Use a fork to strip the berries off the stems. As there are no berries on my tree, and it has never been abundant in berries I won’t be using any from here, and the birds will eat any they find gladly. Local hedgerows here are tightly trimmed, so along with hazel, their stems sprout each spring to produce flowers but sadly never berries.
Powerhouse
So, it’s a very seedy time of year. Time for all the wild things to fatten up before overwintering, flight or hibernation. Seeds are a powerhouse, a compact survival kit, and much more besides. I think we forget the connection between that of our beloved take-aways, tasty street food and plants. When fresh, seeds and nuts in their most unadulterated form have huge benefits for mental and heart health; but become harmful when their oils are repeatedly heated, producing trans fats. If they are not fresh, they might contain aflatoxin - as if we didn’t have enough to worry about.
Superfood
We collect a lot of seeds from healthy plants in the garden, which will be used to start a crop in the following season. We save garlic for re-sowing, potatoes for the same purpose and while there are some crops that we could grow for edible seed, it isn’t very practical.
Except perhaps for one plant – Amaranth. Also known as ‘love lies bleeding’, it has long deep red tassels that are wonderful in flower arrangements. This year we are growing the green form and the upright red form. The leaves are a superfood, and eaten like spinach, and most other parts are edible, but I have only tried the leaves and flowers myself. It is a grain crop and produce so much seed, it’s hard to stop it from popping up all over the garden. The seed can be collected, dried and stored to cook (like rice) or re-sown as microgreens. This is a space saving type of gardening and a way of getting supplementary nutrition. Some vegetables produce lots of seed - broccoli, and beetroot are two examples that can be harvested for sprouting.
I like to sample the seeds of the introduced invasive species Impatiens glandulifera, or Himalayan balsam which has escaped down the lane, not from my place I assure you! It has pods that explode at the slightest touch; perhaps eating it may be one way of eradicating it. Remember when foraging for wild seed such as nettle and plantain, or nibbling on haws, only eat these in moderation as they are potent superfoods.
Aisling Blackburn is a visual artist and horticulturalist who nurtures the community garden at Jampa Ling in Bawnboy.