by David Gearing, April 2023 Maes Gwyn is a 3.5 acre smallholding in North Wales owned by Dan and Cherise Hunt. It is situated just outside the Snowdonia National Park at an elevation of around 600ft, on the edge of…
Progress Report by David Gearing, November 2022 Chris Marsh (PFAF Managing Trustee) and I first met Ana from Bridge Farm in May 2022 when Chris gave a talk on PFAF, including an introduction to our recently launched Food Forest Fund,…
Couch Grass or Quackgrass Elymus repens ( Elytrigia repens). A brave or foolish person would encourage this perennial grass into their garden. Couch grass is one of the most pernicious weeds that gardeners must contend with. Couch Grass grows to 60cm tall, and the roots spread…
A delicious fruit for the autumn. Sorbus domestica is a deciduous tree growing to 15m (50ft) at a medium rate with a trunk up to 1m (3′ 4″) in diameter. On exposed sites it may only grow to be a…
A favourite nut growing on large evergreen trees, Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), grows up to 10-12m tall with a short and usually irregularly-shaped trunk. The dwarf version growing to 6m is preferred for commercial crops. It has spreading branches and a…
Stinging Nettle is a fantastic underused weed with excellent edible, medicinal and other uses. The Young leaves are cooked as a potherb and added to soups etc. They can also be dried for winter use. Nettles are a very valuable…
Serviceberry is a small deciduous tree or large shrub growing to 6 m (19ft) by 4 m (13ft). It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen from Jun to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and…
Sheepberry is a small to medium sized deciduous tree with edible and medicinal uses. It grows to 9m (30ft) by 5m (16ft) with a short trunk up to 25cm (10″) in diameter. It is one of the largest of the…
A hardy herbaceous flowering perennial with excellent edible and medicinal uses. Young leaves and flower buds are eaten raw or cooked. Usually available all through the winter. The leaves have a very mild flavour, though they soon become quite tough…
