Market Success!

Hello, and thank you to everyone who attended the Thought Exchange at the second Stirchley Community Market. Was lovely to share the exchange with you! As well as swapping thoughts for plants from the local area (only a few left now - no one seems keen on the poor lonely privet...), I am pleased to report that there was take up of the hollow stem bug houses, and I had one taker for the very interesting bricks taken from vacant land at the bottom of Hazelwell Lane.

I have included some visuals for your perusal (spot the bricks!)...

Japanese Knotweed: usually very bad, but sometimes good?

Check this out! This easy to make Knotweed soup could be on the cards for a rainy day!

Other knotweed recipes include:

Steamed Oriental Japanese Knotweed
Orange and Japanese Knotweed Cobbler
Japanese Knotweed and Sweet Cicely Pudding
Japanese Knotweed Oatmeal Crumble
Japanese Knotweed Drumlanrig Pudding
Endive and Japanese Knotweed Gratin
Lentil Curry with Japanese Knotweed and Sweet Potatoes
Stewed Japanese Knotweed and Angelica
Carrot Cake with Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Knotweed Eve's Pudding
Strawberry Knotweed Pie

Amazing. Let me know if you make any of these, I'd like to try some! Especially the oatmeal crumble, and lentil curry...

Bug Houses and Breathing Places

Thought I would bring these lovely little booklets to your attention (I will have some to give away at the market)... packed full of information and ideas for supporting wildlife in your local area... and beautifully designed. For more info see BBC Breathing Places web pages...

The bug homes on this website look much more professional than mine! And check out these ones on RSPB's site... It says on there "Retain natural features for beneficial insects. Dead stems are good for over wintering adults or larvae. The hollow stems of herbaceous plants, or shrubs such as elder or buddleia are particularly useful." I did look at using buddleia, but their stems are full of pith, which would take ages to push out. Maybe I should have a go...

The bug house pictured above is my attempt, made from last year's dead Japanese Knotweed stems, taken from the car park of the former Kwik Save in Stirchley.

Stirchley Thought Exchange at August 24th's Community Market!

Me again!

Short notice I know, for which I apologise for, but Stirchley Thought Exchange will be making its second public appearance in the area at the next Stirchley Community Market, this Tuesday 24th August, 4pm - 8pm on the car park of Stirchley United Working Men's Club (Pershore Road).

Previous participant's views on life in our area will be exhibited, as well as my mini wild-flower box garden, and the Stirchley Seedlings map capturing where everyone who's been involved in the project so far has travelled from, and their favourite plant.

You will be invited to exchange your thoughts with either a plant taken from a derelict area in Stirchley; an insect house (made from Stirchley plant stems), and possibly other locally sourced items that reflect the potential regeneration of the area...

In addition there will be commemorative badges available to mark the Thought Exchange's presence at the market (see the designs above!)

Hope to see you there on Tuesday. Fingers crossed for good weather!

Hello!! Its been over a month since my last post... so much has happened in Stirchley during this time! The first community market attracted national as well as local media coverage; the houses in Hazelwell Lane have had additional high security metal panels added (making it ultra difficult to access their gardens to check out any more interesting garden plants...), and the Thought Exchange has evolved, ever so slightly... opening up the scope of the project to supporting sustainable natural habitats and local wildlife. Still plant related, but encompassing all those bugs and creatures that thrive on these plants and urban environments, as well as taking an interest in the plants themselves.

Still working on finalising how this will work... I'm thinking something along the lines of exchanging your thoughts about Stirchley for a bundle of hollow stems (locally sourced) that ladybirds, solitary bees, earwigs and other 'creepys' will be most thankful for. The menu of stems so far includes, controversially, Japanese Knotweed (very dead... last year's stems...), Himalayan Balsam, and Cow Parsnip/ common hogweed (dried stems that have gone to seed). If you know of any other locally growing hollow stemmed plants that could be used for insect homes let me know!

The pic is me fashioning some cow parsnip seed heads. They are such an impressive structure! For those conservationists among you, I took them from an area along the River Rea that had many, many cow parsley/common hogweed seed heads, thus not impacting greatly on their reproduction cycle...

Over and out for now anyway!

ENCOUNTERS: A Little Patch Of Ground

This is an interesting art project - just missed it at The Point in Doncaster - it finished 18th July... for more information click here...

Since April, Encounters have been working with fifteen participants aged 12 - 60 from across Doncaster to grow a unique vegetable garden and create a multi-media performance. The group has met every week to share time, food, reflections, ideas, fears and hopes. The Little Patch of Ground performance will reflect their personal stories and relationships with the wider natural world through a cross-fertilisation of soil, images, edible produce, objects, words and songs.

A Little Patch Of Ground is free and suitable for all ages. Please reserve a seat from The Point on 01302 341662.

A Little Patch of Ground has been devised by Encounters’ Creative Director Ruth Ben-Tovim and Project Associate Anne-Marie Culhane. It was first seen in Liverpool at the Bluecoat in 2009. Each year the project will take root in a different part of the country, heading for London in 2011.

A Little Patch of Ground is funded by Arts Council England, Yorkshire and produced in association with darts (Doncaster Community Arts).

Stirchley Community Market!

Hello!!

Whilst pondering on the next steps of the Stirchley Thought Exchange, I would like to take the opportunity to promote the first community market in Stirchley... interestingly from the feedback received through the Thought Exchange, many of you said you wanted to support local businesses and see more community activities in the area, so this community market is spot on in taking the first steps to turing this vision into reality... read on for more information about the market...

Stirchley Happenings has joined forces with Loaf, South Birmingham Food Co-op and Birmingham Town Centre Partnership to organise Birmingham’s first ever community market in Stirchley later this month.

Stirchley Community Market will open for the first time on Tuesday 27th July outside Stirchley United Working Mens Club on the Pershore Road from 4-8pm, and will return for August and September. It will feature stalls selling wholefoods, bread, hot curry, wood-fired pizza, artisan preserves, cupcakes, local fruit and vegetables, and local arts and crafts. The market will give the local community, as well as commuters on their way home from work, an opportunity to find out what Stirchley has to offer, meet some excellent food producers and craft makers from within Birmingham, and pick up some tasty groceries for their weekly shop.

Stirchley Happenings will be running the arts and crafts stall, with items from local artists.

For updates, news and more information on the market, visit stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com

I will be supporting my colleagues at Stirchley Happenings on the day, so I hope to see you there.