Evening, Primrose

Posted by Andy Hamilton - 07/09/08 at 08:09:28 pm

Another full day today, got up at 7am ish as I could not sleep, never can the day before giving a talk (see last blog – Organic food Festival). Gave a talk with Dave at 11am, it went ok and sold a book would have sold more I think but only had one on me.

Met Jekka from Jekka’s herbs, not sure what to make of her really. I was going to stay and listen to her talk about herb teas but by the time I had nipped off and got a real tea she was gone.

Talked wild food with another bloke called Kirk who I have seen around the Free Economy events. He was telling me that he loved to snack on evening primrose flowers, I had not thought of that one. Rushed off to my allotment and got munching, quite a subtle taste I thought not unpleasant, certainly something to munch on whilst weeding my allotment and a flower that does not knock your socks off like Nasturtiums do. Evening Primrose grows like a weed all over my plot. It tends to grow on disturbed soil and so I keep weeding it out and creating the perfect environment for it so it keeps coming back. I do like the taste of the roots of evening primrose they are a little peppery. As with most roots the best ones are the first years growth just before winter sets in, it is this time of year that they start to store the nutrients for winter and so will start to swell. Dig them up, wash them and eat! You can boil them if you are not a big fan of the taste.

The Bristol Organic Food Festival

Posted by Andy Hamilton - 06/09/08 at 04:09:44 pm

I would say this is my first ever blog but that would not be entirely true I have shared a blog with Dave on myspace in the past and kept up a blog for all of two entries here on selfsufficienish. Well that is about to change, this one I shall endeavor to keep up. So as I like to say, “watch this space”. Well this is if you are interested, if not then the net is big enough to entertain you elsewhere. Try typing something you like into here and you will see what I mean.

It’s about 5pm and I have just got back from the Bristol Organic food festival where Dave and I had to give a talk. We have been giving the same talk all summer; but still we wind ourselves up each time by changing it just ever so slightly and so having to rehurse it again and again. Neither of us come from a public speaking background, in fact when we were at school we were both so shy that we would both give our mate Adharanand Finn the anwsers to the teachers questions. Still he must have known a few answers as he is now a journalist and an Author too. Neither us have any public speaking training but I think we do ok. We tend to argue a little during the talks and even perhaps mumble a bit, but people do still buy our book (The selfsufficienitsh Bible) which can’t be a bad thing.

Well same again tomorrow – another talk at the Bristol Organic Food Festival. Then on Monday an interview with BBC radio Essex DJ Dave Monk. I think I am on about 10.40 am, should be interesting never done a live radio telephone interview before. The trouble is I am waiting on a delivery of some of our books and I bet they will come during the interview.

It is a strange truth that if you do you best to promote any kind of lifestyle you can be in danger of not having enough time to actually live it. Well I try to be different and am off to the allotment in a moment that is after I have checked on my pear wine (will have a recipe under home brew up on the site within the next couple-4  days).  Dave and I collected the pears from the back garden of a TV production company in Bristol, they had a huge tree and the pears were only going to waste. Might have to bring the people of that company a bottle when it is all brewed!

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