Jerusalem artichokes (and some ladybirds too!)

About a month ago, I ordered some Jerusalem artichokes off Ebay and stuck them in the ground in an empty patch in my garden. In total, I planted around 1 kilo of tubers. They shot up insanely fast and are now over two feet tall! Which isn't surprising when you consider they are one of the crops with the highest calorie yield per square foot.

My thriving Jerusalem artichoke patch

Despite all my efforts, my young plants are being somewhat attacked by aphids.

Pesky aphid

Fortunately for me, I've noticed some ladybirds visiting the garden. Ladybirds are always warmly welcomed to my garden- in return for their pest control services, of course.

A ladybird taking a break in the shade

And another

Getting back to work

It's always nice to see a friendly creature for a change, who doesn't want to devour you plants but instead protect them and work alongside you. Now I just need to figure out how to stop them from leaving.

I'll post updates on how the plants turn out and what the harvest ends up being like, so make sure you stay around for that!

How to Make the Most of Foraging This Year

As the summer fades away and winter is creeping up closer, the days are getting shorter, but there is still plenty of time (and plenty of good reasons too) to be out foraging. Plenty of tasty and unique plants are in their prime season right now, and there is no excuse for missing out on this year's harvest of wild edibles. Whether you live in the countryside, or in the heart of a city, there is always healthy, free food near you. I'm going to share with you my top five tips to make the most of this plentiful season.

1. Make a list 
It may seem obvious at first, but this is a crucial step towards gathering the plants that you will eat. Simply jot down all of the ones you don't want to miss before they go out of season. Also make a note of when their season begins and ends, and any locations where you can find them. An expert forager will always go out with a plan on what to pick and where; never leave the house without a plan.

Your should look something like this:

• Hazelnuts: late August- late September, opposite Sam's house
• Horseradish: August- December, Along the footpath next to the allotments
• Etc.

By writing a list you are able to plan routes to walk and when to look for different things.

2. Be proactive
The only real way you're going to be able to make the most of foraging is if you get out there and forage. Make it part of your weekly or even daily routine. This will help keep you motivated to get out the house and see what's around to be harvested. Even if it means picking some blackberries on the walk home from work or collecting some plums when you take the kids to the park, you should try to make foraging part of your everyday life.

3. Be observant
Try to look around yourself whenever you're out of the house. You never know what treasures you might find in your neighbourhood just waiting to be picked. And when you do find a new foraging spot be sure to make a note of it if it's somewhere you can come back to again.

4. Ask friends and neighbours
If you're struggling to find good foraging spots, it may be best to ask your neighbours. If you spot a festooned apple tree in someone's garden, why not just ask if you can pick some? More likely than not, they'll say yes, as most people have no use for the fruit in their trees. In fact, some people find it a nuisance as fruit can fall and rot, which isn't the most pleasant thing to clean up.

5. Preserve food
Autumn is the time of year when wild food is most abundant. There's literally tonnes of fruit to be picked and bucket-loads of nuts to be eaten. But the only issue is that the food you forage can only last a certain amount of time before spoiling. So in order to make the most of your harvest, you should aim to preserve the majority of it. The possibilities are endless. You can make jams and chutneys out of fruit. You can also dry or freeze fruit for longer keeping. Or if you're really ambitious you could brew cider or wine from your fall-time harvest.

Hopefully with these five tips and a little bit of motivation, you'll be able to get out there and start foraging before the time is up!