THE MODERN MINT BLOG
If you want to waste time online… it is far too easy to do!
So we have chosen for you a number of posts worth reading online that will mean that, when you’ve finished, you won’t feel guilty about time lost. Because these are fabulous blogs. Not all are about gardening, but what they do have in common is a way of teaching you something, of taking you through an idea or a story that is worth hearing.
By spending time online with these ideas, you will give yourself something rich and deep to think about while you are head down weeding this spring.
Enjoy our five recommendations for online reading!
1) Whispering Giants by Sara Maitland
About wind farms an how to judge what is beautiful and what is not. So interesting as always from Sara Maitland, and the magazine it is published in – Aeon – is worth making a regular visit to.
2) The Farming Ladder by Michael Blanche
Brilliant thoughts into how to become a first generation farmer. Not easy, but exciting to see such creative thinking.
3) Farm Series photographs in Indie Farmer
Indie Farmer is another wonderful magazine, and this post talks about the work of photographer Rob MacInnis and how he managed to capture such funny and ridiculous images.
4) Career Advice by George Monbiot
Not one to hold back, here George Monbiot tells you to take the road less travelled – you might not earn much to begin with, but what a fun time you will have doing it. And what you learn along this odd road will pay for itself later on…
5) Outdoor Philosophy by Kate Rawles
Kate Rawles teaches about the environment. She wrote a book called the Carbon Cycle, where she cycled across the USA interviewing people she met along the way how they felt about climate change. You can imagine the responses there, yes?
Is that enough for now?
If you want more to read online we can offer you a few selections from our website… we loved making these interviews with interesting garden folk:
The Cycling Gardener of Liverpool.
And of course, you can always check out this years garden design trends:
Has that inspired you?
We do hope so. Now go get outside into the spring sunshine… rain… snow… whatever the weather holds, and get stuck into your garden jobs. The great stuff you can find online will always be there, but spring only comes once a year.
Happy gardening!
Wasting Water
Well worth a read in the BBC today – a note on how wasting water in the UK “as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in the face of a baby.” Read the report here. I have written a talk about how we use water in the garden. It was written when I moved from Hampshire to Essex and found out for myself just how dry this area of the UK is. It completely changed the way I garden. The lack of such a precious resource as water made me question what we can do to save it, store it and …
The Foie Gras That Tastes Like Nature
Ethical Foie Gras? Is That A Real Thing? Foie gras – can it be ‘grown’ ethically? The video showing how this farmer works suggests it can… We first read about this in a book called The Third Plate by Dan Barber. I loved it and I love how Eduardo the farmer, who farms on the Dehesa in Spain, has a ‘take half leave half rule’. When talking about how the geese eat his olives… “They’re always quite fair. If you make sure the geese are relaxed and happy, you’ll be rewarded with the gift of fatty livers. That is God’s …
Hardy Orchids Via James Wong
Hardy orchids – here is a subject I would love to know more about – so lo and behold, James Wong has written about it in the Guardian! Read the article about hardy orchids here. I love having orchids in the house, just your usual run of the mill buy them in any shop orchids, but it is a pleasure to read about the plants that will grow outside and cope with this weather. (This insane weather! From the hottest days of February on record to Storm Freya, all within a week. Weather is always such a factor in gardening, but …