Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts

Thursday 14 February 2019

The Ecological Park Varzea in Quinta Do Conde in Portugal

A lot more to the town of Quinta Do Conde
Map of the Ecological Park (Photo: Steve Andrews)
If you were driving through on the main road through the town of Quinta do Conde in Portugal you might not think there was much to see there. You might think it was merely a typical Portuguese town with plenty of houses, apartment blocks, local businesses, a share of restaurants and bars, as well as shops, roads, and all the usual urban ingredients.  A pleasant enough place if you lived or worked there perhaps, but not a lot else there, and not much to see. However, you would be very wrong. If you are interested in nature, ecology and gardening, Quinta Do Conde has an amazing Ecological Park known as the Parque Ecológico da Várzea da Quinta do Conde. This park is actually right next to the main road, and just minutes from the busy local Continente and Pingo Doce supermarkets, but it is a real haven for wildlife, a wonderful place for relaxing, and it even has an allotment area where local people can grow fruit and vegetables.
Turtle Lake and White Storks
Lagoa Cagados (Photo: Steve Andrews)
The Ecological Park has a lake known as Lagoa Cagados, which means Turtle Lake in Portuguese and presumably refers to freshwater terrapins that can be found there. I didn’t see any any when I visited but I did see a number of frogs jumping into the water. They were Iberian Water Frogs, a species that is common here. There is a large area of swampy meadow where I have seen flocks of White Storks gather. They are easy to see from the main road and I have noticed them on my way to the shops. I expect these large birds are hunting frogs that are plentiful in the park. I saw more of these amphibians in a reedy pool but the creatures were too quick for me to get any photos.

According to an information plaque, Grey Herons also frequent the wetlands provided here. I am not surprised because there are many ponds, water canals and reed-beds. In one part there is a lookout point for birdwatchers.

Swampy Meadow Where Storks Gather (Photo: Steve Andrews)
Walking Areas
There is a system of paths and walking routes around the park, as well as areas with tables and benches where you could relax or enjoy a picnic. I was impressed with the number of small birds I saw and heard in the park, and also there were plenty of honeybees collecting nectar from the catkins of the Sallows, or “Pussy Willows” as I also know them.

Pussy Willow (Photo: Steve Andrews)
I noticed a lot of Fennel sprouting amongst the greenery, and this plant is eaten by the caterpillars of the Swallowtail Butterfly, which breeds in the park. I found a clump of Salad Burnet too, which is another edible herb.
Salad Burnet (Photo: Steve Andrews)
Woodlands
There are plenty of trees and woodland areas in the Ecological Park and many of the trees are labelled. I saw an Alder covered in catkins, and there are also Cork Oaks, Pines, and at least one Strawberry Tree. In one part of woodland I noticed a large pile of rocks. It had been fenced off and I wondered if this was intended as a place for reptiles and amphibians to shelter and hibernate in winter. It would make a great place for this. According to an information board I saw, the Viperine and Ladder Snake can be found there, as can Fire Salamanders and the Common Toad. I would not be at all surprised. It is simply a wonderful location for wildlife of most types.
Fish and amphibians (Photo: Steve Andrews)
The Allotments
Allotment (Photo: Steve Andrews)
Continuing my walk around the grounds of the Varzea Ecological Park of Quinta Do Conde, I had a look at the area given over to allotments. This area is very much for wildlife as well as people, and I noticed nest-boxes were in use to encourage nesting birds.
Nest-box (Photo: Steve Andrews)
Here in the allotment section, local gardeners grow cabbages, kale, onions, leeks and many other vegetables.
Vegetable Plot (Photo: Steve Andrews)
The plants all looked very green and healthy, and the plots of ground are watered with water from the ponds and water channels. These pools and areas of freshwater provide further areas for aquatic life, amphibians and water birds, and I could see thousands of the Mosquito Fish (Gambusia holbrooki) in one of the larger ponds. This is a fish I was used to seeing in Tenerife when I lived there some years ago. Mosquito Fish have become naturalised in many subtropical parts of the world where they were originally brought, as their name suggests, in an effort to control mosquitoes. These little fish are very adaptable and can tolerate high and low temperatures, polluted and brackish water.
Pond with water used in the allotments (Photo: Steve Andrews)
I saw a few dragonflies too and would think the park would have loads of these insects later in the year. I am lucky to have this park near to where I live so will be making many more visits and seeing what goes on there in spring and summer. I imagine the ponds will have a loud chorus of frogs and plenty of tadpoles will be swimming in the water. I love the sound of frogs croaking!
Iberian Water Frog (Photo: Steve Andrews)

Sunday 10 June 2018

Home Grown Exotics

Grow exotic houseplants from fruit and vegetables bought from the greengrocer

There are many fruit and vegetables we can easily buy at the greengrocer’s or the fruit and veg section of the local supermarket, that can be grown as unusual and exotic houseplants.

Pineapple flower

Homegrown Pineapples

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is one of the best tropical fruits to try growing at home and with a bit of care it will even produce fruit.

I speak from experience, because many years ago when I was still living in Cardiff, I made the HTV News at Christmas with my homegrown pineapple. I was filmed watering my pineapple plant and talking about how I had cultivated it. I said I used soil from the back garden and water from the tap, and that I repotted it when the plant got too big for the pot it was in, but that was all I did. An expert from the Welsh National Botanical Centre praised my achievement, and I was proclaimed as the first Welsh pineapple grower.



All you need to do to follow my example, is to twist the spiky rosette part off from the top of a pineapple, and then remove the leaves at the base to leave a stump. Leave this to dry for a few days before planting by pushing gently into a pot of damp compost. If you are in luck, there may already be tiny roots sprouting from this stump before you plant it.

Once well-rooted the pineapple will grow into a large rosette of spiky leaves and after a few years, all going well, it will produce a flowering stalk right in the centre. Mine took five years to flower but that was in a house with no central heating in Wales! The tiny flowers are a pretty lavender shade and surrounded by reddish spiky bracts.

After the pineapple has ripened and been removed side shoots will form on the main stem. These can be removed for further pineapple propagation or if left on the original plant long enough, they can flower and produce a second crop. I managed to grow another pineapple like this.



Taro or Inhame

The taro (Colocasia esculenta)  is a root vegetable that is sold as “inhame” in Portugal, and ñame” in Spain and the Canary Islands. The corms are cooked by baking, roasting or boiling, but what many people do not realise is that if planted these corms will produce a most attractive houseplant if given the chance. In fact, the taro is often grown as an ornamental plant known as “elephant’s ears.” It gets this name because it has large heart-shaped leaves.

Elephant's Ears

The taro likes a very damp compost and will grow submerged. You can often see these plants growing in fountains and water gardens. I have grown taro in a pot of compost I stood in a bucket of water.

Kiwifruit

Steve Andrews in the South Wales Echo

You can grow kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) vines from seeds from kiwis you have bought. It takes a long time for the plants to grow big enough to produce flowers and fruit but it can be done. I managed this when I was living in Wales still and followed up my pineapple story in the local media with my success at harvesting kiwifruit in my back garden. I admit it took five years before I had any fruit on my vines but I felt a real sense of achievement when I had my first crop of seven kiwifruit and my picture in the South Wales Echo. If I can grow kiwis in Cardiff, think how much better they would do here in Iberia!

Avocado

Avocado Tree

The avocado (Persea americana) is another fruit that can be easily grown. Just plant the large pits in a pot of compost and wait for them to sprout. Many people think you need special techniques for getting them to germinate but I have never found this to be the case. Simply burying a pit in a pot of damp soil has worked for me.  Your homegrown avocado will make an interesting houseplant when it is young and can be moved outside in Iberia when it gets bigger. Eventually it will form a large tree.

Ginger

Ginger

Another easy plant to grow is ginger (Zingiber officinale). This root vegetable is commonly used as a spice for curries and other hot dishes, and in herbal teas. Fresh ginger roots or rhizomes are easy to find in supermarkets. They will often start sprouting green shoots when in storage, almost as if they are inviting you to plant them!

All you need to do is to break off sections and plant them in a pot of compost. The shoots will take a few weeks to really sprout but will then keep growing into a plant with long narrow leaves. You can harvest your first crop of ginger later the same year, and fresh ginger you have grown yourself is so much fresher than the ginger you can buy.

There are many more fruits and vegetables that will grow from seeds, pips or roots of shop-bought produce.  Why not see what you can get to sprout? It can be a lot of fun finding out what can be grown and what the plants actually look like!

NB: The text for this article was originally published in Mediterranean Gardening & Outdoor Living Magazine, Issue 22, February 2016.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Arthritis worsened by Oxalic Acid in edible plants


Many people today suffer from arthritis and gout but what a lot of them don’t realise is that their painful condition is made worse by many commonly eaten foods and their acidic content. There are plenty of greens, vegetables and some fruits that contain oxalic acid and this is where the problem lies. Purines in foods become uric acid in the body. Even black tea is one such source of the problem. Cranberries can be good for you but they are a fruit with a high acid content. Moderation is the key with many such foods.

Margaret Hills
The late Margaret Hills, who had been a nurse, became famous for her book Curing Arthritis the Drug-Free Way, and a main part of her theory and the remedy she prescribed, is the avoidance of the foods and drinks that cause arthritic conditions. Hills had once suffered the painful ailment herself but had found a cure for it. 

Cider Vinegar
She claimed that apple cider vinegar counter-acted the problem by helping to break up the crystals in the joints. It contains malic acid, and this has an alkaline effect in the bloodstream. So, apple cider vinegar is a very important way of treating osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, according to Hills.

Hills helped many people cure their arthritis and soon had thousands of followers. She set up a clinic and also went on to write other books, all dealing with the subject of how to treat yourself if you suffer from arthritis and how to live a lifestyle that prevents the condition starting or returning if you once had it. She recommended eating a healthy diet that is low in purines and avoiding commonly eaten food such as citrus fruit and drinking black tea.

You see, the inflammation in the joints is caused by uric acid crystals that have accumulated over time. Oxalic acid and oxalates not only add to this problem but cut down the absorption of calcium, which is needed for the strength, repair and growth of bones. It is believed that oxalates, and calcium oxalate in particular, cause kidney stones.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Honeygar
Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes healed himself of terrible arthritis with cider vinegar in a product known as Honeygar, which also contains honey as its name suggests. He takes Honeygar daily and swears by its efficacy. His story was published in the Daily Mail in 2008 in a story by Matthew Dennison entitled: “Sir Ranulph Fiennes: I beat my arthritis with a vinegar cure passed down from my mother”.


Parsley Salad


Parsley
Amongst the plants that contain oxalic acid, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) has large amounts of this substance in its leaves. Many people think of this herb as being healthy to eat, and whilst this is mainly true, because of the oxalic acid it should be eaten with caution by anyone with a tendency to suffer from arthritis.


Spinach leaves


Spinach
Many of us were brought up watching the Popeye the Sailor-man cartoons in which the hero of these animations derives all his strength from eating Spinach. Again, this plant is very good for us in moderation because os the vitamins and minerals it contains. However, Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) too has a lot of oxalic acid in it, as does its very close relative the Beetroot.  Beetroot and the Beets are all in the Beta genus of plants. Sea Beet or Wild Spinach, which is regarded an ancestor of the cultivated varieties, is Beta vulgaris. Chard too contains oxalic acid in its leaves and is actually a descendant of the wild plant just mentioned because it is known to botanists as B. vulgaris subsp. cicla.



Rhubarb on sale


Rhubarb
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) may make delicious pies but the leaves of this vegetable are actually poisonous due to the acids in them. The pinkish-red stalks which we use in our cooking admittedly do not contain anywhere near as much oxalic acid but it is present. This has been known for a long time and many old books will include a caution that this food should be avoided or eaten in moderation by those who suffer from gout and arthritis.


Bermuda Buttercup


Sorrel
There are two sorts of plant known as Sorrel. First there are those in the Rumex genus including the Common Sorrel (R. acetosa) and the Sheep’s Sorrel (R. acetosella). They are known for having a sharp and tangy taste and make good additions to salads and can be cooked as greens. However the acidity of these Sorrels is caused by oxalic acid.
The second type of Sorrel that also contains high levels of this harmful acid are those in the Oxalis genus. Even their generic name tells you this is the case. Wood Sorrel (O. acetosella) and the Bermuda Buttercup (O. pes-caprae) are two of the many species. They all have pretty foliage like four-leaved clovers and many have dainty flowers too. The Oxalis species have a tangy taste and are eaten in salads but again the caution needs to be applied because of the oxalic acid they contain.

Purslane
The Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a common weed in many places in the world. This little plant with its semi-succulent leaves makes a popular and tangy addition to salads but again it has oxalic acid present in its leaves in the form of oxalates.  It can be cooked as well as eaten raw and has many other health-giving nutrients but care should be taken because of the oxalic acid present.

A useful list of edible plants and how much oxalic acid they contain is published here by the USDA:

Monday 2 July 2012

Pineapples and Kiwi Fruit from Ely, Cardiff


My pineapple

Years ago when I lived in the Ely council estate in Cardiff, I made the news a few times because of the exotic fruit I had managed to cultivate in my house and garden. The most memorable occasion was when I grew a pineapple in my living room and the story got reported on HTV News at Christmas.

Home-grown Pineapples
It had taken me a few years to get the plant big enough to produce a flower and then a fruit, but I proved it was possible. Amazingly my house had no central heating at the time too so it was growing in a room that was unheated a lot of the time.

I started the pineapple off by taking the green spiky rosette off a pineapple I bought in a local shop, and after tearing off the bottom leaves, planting it in a pot full of garden soil. It soon took root and started to get bigger and I re-potted it into larger pots as it continued to grow larger.  I remember how exciting it was seeing the flower developing in the centre.


Pineapple flower

I let it develop into a small pineapple fruit before I sent my proposal in to the local television station.  I wrote a script too saying that in the cold and dark days on winter a Cardiff man was dreaming of a much warmer climate and holidays abroad. To help him get that tropical touch to his home in Ely he had grown his own pineapple.

They obviously liked my idea and soon got back to me and arranged to send a reporter called Victoria Pearce and a cameraman around to see me.  I was shown pouring some water into the pineapple’s pot out of a milk bottle and I explained that I just used earth from the garden and water that came out of the tap. There were no secrets to my success but the report said that I had "green fingers". The news story ended with me saying that I hoped the pineapple would be big enough and ripe enough to eat for Christmas.

HTV added some footage of a tropical beach with palm trees and appropriate music for the introduction to the report. An expert from the Welsh National Botanical Centre explained that it was most unusual for anyone to grow a pineapple at home like this. A caption read: “Welsh pineapple grower Steve Andrews”.


Welsh Pineapple Grower Steve Andrews

South Wales Echo
I also sent the story into the South Wales Echo and grew a second pineapple a couple of years later.
My next horticultural success at growing exotic fruit was when I succeeded in growing several kiwi fruit on vines in my back garden. I had grown the plants from seed and had them twining up and around my washing-line pole.

I had a great story for the media about this too. My friend Ayla the Witch had been visiting and we had been sitting on the grass out the back garden on an early summer’s day. I had told my friend about how although I was really pleased with my kiwi fruit vines and the lovely flowers they produced each year, for some reason they never produced any fruit. She said she thought that this summer my luck would change and I would get a crop on my vines. I told Ayla that I hoped she was right and didn’t think any more about it.

But then just a few weeks later, after it had been flowering I noticed a fruit forming, and then another and another. What was really magical about this was that the kiwi fruit were growing on the part of the vines above where Ayla had been sitting. 


Kiwi fruit

I sent the story into the South Wales Echo and the newspaper sent out a cameraman and a reporter. The story got published with a photo of me with kiwi fruit on each side of my face. So that was how I got known in the Cardiff news media as being the gardener who managed to grow pineapples and kiwi fruit at his home.


Passion for fruit

That was all back before I moved to Tenerife in 2004. Some years later I went back on a holiday visit to Cardiff and went back to Ely to see some friends. I was amazed to see large banana plants growing in a garden in Wroughton Place in the estate. Someone there was following in my footsteps I thought, and with yet another exotic fruit.


Bananas in Ely

If Climate Change continues perhaps it will become normal for fruit normally grown in subtropical and tropical countries to being grown in Wales.

Copyright © 2012 Steve Andrews. All Rights Reserved.