by Anne Stobart | Jan 22, 2020 | agroforestry, cultivation, Devon, education, events, forest garden, harvest, herbal medicine, permaculture, trees
New Medicinal Forest Garden Weekend course New for 2020 is our two-day Medicinal Forest Garden Weekend course which combines elements from all of our day courses. The weekend provides an indepth overview of sustainable cultivation and use of medicinal...
by Anne Stobart | Jan 5, 2020 | agroforestry, cultivation, Devon, education, forest garden, harvest, herbal medicine, management, medicinal, permaculture, plants, propagation, trees
At last I can begin to relax as my book all about medicinal trees and shrubs is finally on its way. Permanent Publications will be issuing The Medicinal Forest Garden Handbook in April this year. Looking back, I have been collecting information about trees...
by Anne Stobart | Apr 22, 2019 | forest garden, harvest, herbal medicine, medicinal, skincare, wilderness
Here is an example of how to make a soothing poultice using yarrow (Achillea millefolium), an antiseptic and antiinflammatory herb. You can find out more about making herbal remedies on courses offered at Holt Wood in Devon, including ‘Harvesting from the...
by Anne Stobart | Sep 4, 2018 | education, forest garden, harvest, herbal medicine, history, management, medicinal, permaculture, products, trees
Holt Wood Courses 2019 We are delighted with our new leaflet about medicinal forest garden courses at Holt Wood in 2019, giving dates and brief outlines, available at Holt Wood Courses 2019. Further details are available on all three courses below, and dates are also...
by Anne Stobart | Jul 26, 2018 | forest garden, harvest, herbal medicine, magic, medicinal
Why a ‘Stobi’ for stripping medicinal bark? We have never found just the right tool for stripping medicinal bark from slender branches. Young tree branches are full of medicinal secondary metabolites, designed to protect the young and fresh growth. These...
by Anne Stobart | Jan 6, 2018 | agroforestry, cultivation, education, events, farm, foods, harvest, herbal medicine, herbalists, Medicinal Forest Garden Trust, permaculture
A fantastic opportunity to meet with dozens of farmers and growers and talk about promoting herbal cultivation. The Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) 2018 was held in Oxford Town Hall, an amazing building full of gilded rooms and decorative ceilings. There were a...
by Anne Stobart | Nov 25, 2017 | foods, forest garden, harvest
Our apple trees are still establishing, just a few of our own – but we have also been given apples that just needed to be used, a mix of sharp eating and cooking ones. So here are some suggestions for excess apples based on what we did this autumn. Dried Apple...
by Anne Stobart | Mar 5, 2017 | art, education, events, harvest, herbal medicine, Medicinal Forest Garden Trust, permaculture, website, wilderness
Come and see us at the RHS Wilderness Weekend Sat 18 to Sun 19 March 2017, 10-4 pm, entrance free to RHS members The Medicinal Forest Garden Trust will have a stall at this event at RHS Rosemoor Gardens, near Great Torrington, North Devon, EX38 8PH. This event at the...
by Anne Stobart | Jan 19, 2017 | agroforestry, cultivation, education, foods, harvest, herbal medicine, permaculture
Hear the podcast about Holt Wood You can listen to a podcast about herbal medicine and forest gardening, featuring Holt Wood. In the podcast, Anne talks about the general approach of Western herbal medicine and growing medicinal trees and shrubs in a permaculture...
by Anne Stobart | Jan 9, 2017 | cultivation, ethnobotany, harvest, herbal medicine, products, trees
I have fallen love with a tree – it is Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) – the branches and needles have such a spicy sweet resinous scent somewhere between grapefruit and Christmas pudding. And it is our great fortune to have several self-sown young...
by Anne Stobart | Aug 4, 2016 | harvest, herbal medicine
Recently, talking with visitors to Holt Wood about harvesting herbs, I found myself once again extolling the wonders of pillowcases. You might think this odd. Actually, there is no limit to the usefulness of pillowcases and I think they are an essential piece of...
by Anne Stobart | Mar 16, 2016 | harvest
We have been trying out ways to collect Birch (Betula alba) sap. We used a carved oak peg in birch-tapping kits available for £10 including postage from Touch-Wood. You can see the whole process in a YouTube clip link from the Touch-Wood website. As the sap is rising...
by Anne Stobart | Jun 8, 2015 | harvest, herbal medicine
At last, some space in the diary to get the blog going again. Last year, 2014, the blog was left behind for a while due to lots of other things, hope to catch up during 2015. Harvest of witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) The witch hazel shrubs are doing well, both on...
by Anne Stobart | Sep 12, 2014 | harvest
There is a lot of fruit this year in Holt Wood. I have been harvesting apples, blackberries and elderberries (pictured) . And I already had blackcurrants and chokecherries from the allotment in the freezer. Making fruit leathers is a really great discovery for using...
by Anne Stobart | Feb 7, 2014 | education, harvest
Time is flying again, my efforts to keep up to date are just not good enough so this year I have a resolution to do better! At least we have details of our Holt Wood Programme in 2014 arranged. Our first visit to Holt Wood in 2014 coincided with brilliant blue skies...
by Anne Stobart | Aug 9, 2013 | art, education, harvest, Medicinal Forest Garden Trust
Holt Wood view, August 2013 Visitors to Holt WoodVisitors are benefiting from the picnic tables which were donated last year which provide a good focus for a group. We welcomed a group of people from Morchard Bishop Garden Club who came to visit in June....
