We are all familiar with the swede turnip, more often than not calling it a swede or just a turnip. In Scotland, the swede is called neeps and in France and the US, rutabaga. It is a regular part of winter fare in Ireland, and along with carrots, parsnips, and […]
Herbal Healing
Even though we associate November with Halloween and the many fun and games associated with this festival of the dead, I felt the humble potato deserved a mention this month. As we have had such fine weather, there are very few potatoes still in the ground and most, if not […]
Among the different types of plantain growing in Ireland the most well-known are Plantago major or broad-leaved plantain, and Plantago lanceolata or narrow leaved plantain, also known as ribwort. Broadleaf plantain (BP; Plantago major, Plantaginaceae), also known as great plantain, is a flowering perennial, which often grows in disturbed soils, in fields […]
Yarrow is a herb, found in the temperate regions of Europe, North America and Asia. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years by many cultures. In North America the Navajo people considered yarrow one of the ‘sacred life’ medicine herbs. In Greek myth, the god Achilles used yarrow […]
We are all familiar with nettles and I doubt if any of us have evaded their power to sting. However they have other attributes, and we should not be so quick to remove them from our gardens, as they give many benefits. Firstly, nettles improve soils that are over-fertilised with […]
Dandelion is one of the first herbs to flower in southwest Ireland. Blooming from February onwards, the flowers are a very valuable source of nectar for bees. Belonging to the Asteraceae family and in Irish is called ‘caisearbhán’, the dandelion derives its English name from the French, ‘dents de lion’ […]
