He collects them, and I pick him, or better, his stories! 🙂

Today we speak of Silene and Hops. Pronti your!

A few days ago I saw the photographs of the harvest Splendor made for turning fields into her beautiful Austria. Being both passionate about herbs every opportunity we can to talk and to eat them ...! 😉 Con la bella stagione poi, walk through the woods is good and useful. Besides do well to physical, walking is good for the heart, the mind, and the wallet ...!

Cynthia: Splendor, hello! I saw that you went to passeggiar for fields Lobau, but where there is?

Splendor: Ah ah ah, hello Cinzia! The area of ​​Lobau is a Nature Park linked to the Danube, beautiful area with unspoilt nature.

Cynthia: How beautiful! And tell me, what you have collected?

Splendor: Aow I'm telling you. Today I picked up a little’ campion and a little’ Hop. In Italy the Silene is also known by yourmine of stridoli, Sgrigiui or in our dialect of Mantua. (For those who do not know me and we both Fausto land of Mantua). The Hops instead is known by many with the term bruscandolo.

Cynthia: I is watering just looking at them! With Maand prepari?

Splendor: In addition to eating them as such as it does with spinach, both the silene that hops are great ingredients for risotto and frittatas.

Cynthia: Splendor, can you give me some advice on where to go to pick them up…

Splendor: Cynthia, I would say that you can go to any place of the country clean and healthy. The Silene find it even in the mountains. The Hops it is present in all ripe to ditch in northern Italy. But be careful, when the silene goes to flower the leaves of the leg become leathery and are no longer good.

Cynthia: Interesting! Sai, Now that I think about it, I remember that not long ago my aunt Nadia has collected just bruscandoli of my Lorenzaga of Motta di Livenza in Treviso. Knowing how much I like the herbs of the field, that night has seen fit to cook a delicious omelet making!

Add lastly, but not least, that both the Silene that Hops are herbs from calming and relaxing properties. A tea made from these herbs promotes sleep, e tranquility. 😉

You will say: “Nettle on the roof? Cynthia, but you say?!"I say that you got it! A vegetable garden on the roof for the reduction of air pollution, to promote the thermal insulation of the building, to regulate the flow of rainwater, and especially, to grow fruit and vegetables! 😉

In many countries, such as Norway, Japan, gli USA è tendenza ormai diffusa. Bene, I I saw one just a few days ago, a “I Giardine”, a beautiful reality organic Misson (LC),  in Montevecchia Park.  Ornaghi Albertina and her husband Giancarlo are a concrete example of the Earth who loves and respects the above, cultivating fruits and vegetables in a natural way and without chemical fertilizers.

From them I found Forgotten Fruits such as'Azzeruolo, herbs like Salvia Ananas, the Wild Celery, l’Erba di San Pietro, Perilla frutescens theDo not forget ... weeds such as purslane, the Silene and Pimpinella. Do you remember the saying: “the salad is not good and it is nice if there is no burnet!” 😉

Earth, from the Latin Earth.  The third planet in order of distance from the Sun and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the solar system. The planet they live on all living species known. The only planetary body in the solar system suitable to sustain life. The future of the planet is linked to that of the Sun, but it also depends on us.

Our mistakes, le nostre esigenze insaziabili l’hanno intossicata. Ognuno di noi nel suo piccolo può fare qualcosa per curarla, just as they do to the Albertina and Giancarlo Giardine.

Pass the word to their…

• The Giardine, un’avventura nata un anno fa. I told your project?

Our adventure was born from a passion for wild herbs has been going on 27 age. In our free time we wander through meadows and woods; from the Brianza to the Trentino region ... Let us study and flowers, wild grasses and herbs.
We began to dream of a piece of heaven on earth in which to grow from vegetables to flowers, the herbs fruits ...

We always banished from our minds chemicals. With the help of various documents and books, prepare our pesticide plants grown by us, e con la raccolta spontanea lavorando il suolo con attrezzi non invasivi. Dopo alcuni errori di percorso abbiamo notato che in natura molti problemi si risolvono da soli, without human intervention. We have thus given a greater attention to the observation of the environment and the time required for natural cycles of life. Thus was born the VERICOLTURA: “Vera,  because there is truth in the Natural”.

• A "clean earth" I think it is fundamental to start with each crop and to get a healthy product. How do I restore land that no longer have this feature for the adoption of improper chemical fertilizers?

The earth loses its natural fertility mainly for 2 reasons:

–  First, for processing that does not respect the layers below the surface; For example, turning and twisting the life of micro-organisms. The mechanical working of the soil is essential equipment with a low impact, reaching a compromise and maintaining a relationship with the land of balance and common sense, and especially forgetting the deep-rooted principle of continuous and progressive gain.

–  Secondly, the products also natural (not mature manure) poison poisoning the life below the earth, interrompono la catena rigenerativa indebolendo la naturale resistenza delle piante agli agenti patogeni.

• I explain your concept of naturalness?

The natural for every living being is the absence in their habitat, artificial man-made alterations (the earth is a living container). L’uomo è un anello della catena della vita. Ogni fiore ha il suo colore, each herb has its own scent and its secret virtue.

• How have you lived this year's drought?

This year's drought it can be interpreted in various ways. Extraordinary event or gradual change in future climate?  In all cases, about two and a half months of total absence of rain has given us the opportunity to observe the reactions of horticultural plants and insects. With different modes of the various types of vegetables run natural (without the addition of water), have gradually decreased the production until the total block, and the apparent desiccation. With the first rains in a short time, everything is returned to life with excellent products.

• Work with Mother Earth ... you tell me your experience?

I discovered MOTHER EARTH in Turin in the last edition. Listening Carlo Petrini,  Andrea Recollection, Shiva Vandana and the daily life experiences of farmers from various parts of the world, I understand that the principles of Mother Earth were the mirror of our thinking and modus operandi.  Protection of biodiversity (many years to propagate seeds and sometimes recover endangered species) against waste, food for health ... I do not feel up to working with the experts at Terra Madre light years away from me, but in my small way I would bring my positive and negative experiences, to those who dream of a future for the world and CLEAN RIGHT.

• Practiced beekeeping.  I recently read some attacks in which they accuse of exploiting beekeepers bees. What do you think?

Beekeeping in my opinion, is not different from the problem of land. The bee produces honey for its survival, and we derive from this product advantages and benefits.
Their presence in the territory stable even in times of low production, is an indispensable factor for the proper natural balance .
Bees are our allies for survival, and should not be regarded only as a means of income.

• Your "tetto verde"Is an example that I hope we can multiply the benefits it brings to the environment. What are the tips that you can give to people who want to pursue this option?

At the completion of tetto verde we came up with many difficulties.  Although popular for a long time, today and even encouraged in some states of northern Europe for its advantages, Here we met a lot of disinterest. Il nostro primo obiettivo era ambientale perché non sopportavamo l’idea di deturpare il paesaggio agreste con la visione di un tetto. Pensando poi alla velocita dell’acqua con i temporali su un tetto convenzionale, and the subsequent slide violent, There has set a goal to contain even a small part of any environmental damage. Without forgetting the other benefits, such as climate benefits to housing.

A word of advice: there demoralized if the idea of ​​improving the environment in which you live you will find people skeptical. Certainly you will find those who endorse; the important thing is to entrust the implementation competent people both for the preparation of the bed, both for the type of soil base.

The Earth does not belong to man, is the man who belongs to the Earth.

Roe Lame (Native Americans)