Photos from Hagal: The Labyrinth

Took this picture of the living labyrinth the other day, just after it got a winter haircut.
This is a seven circuit classical hedge labyrinth with enlarged centre, designed and constructed by Fred Wieler a number of years ago.
Here is a link to the blog post about the living labyrinth at Hagal Farm if you are interested to know more about it. http://hagalfarm.blogspot.com/2010/05/labyrinth.html

Elderflower

Early summer is when the Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) comes into it own. This is when this it is full of it beautiful and fragrant flowers. Elderflower, and in particular Elderflower cordial has historically been popular in North Western Europe where it has a strong Victorian heritage, however versions of an elderflower cordial recipe can be traced back to Roman times and nowadays it can be found in almost all of the former Roman Empire territory, predominant in Central Europe, especially in Germany, Austria and Romania where people have acquired a special taste for it and still make it in the traditional way.



Janny in the gardens at Hagal Farm
on the hunt for Elderflowers



Elderflowers are in season from the end of May to late June. The flowers form in large clusters 10–25 cm in diameter, where the individual flowers are creamy white with five petals, 5–6 mm in diameter. Elderberry flowers should never be eaten raw as, like the trees' berries, they contain a mildly poisonous alkaloid, which is destroyed during the cooking process.

Here on Hagal Farm we do not just admire these lovely flowers, we also put them to good use. Here are a few recipes and ideas for you to try out for yourself.

First Janny will demonstrate how to make Elderflower Champagne.

Elderflower Champagne

For every 2 litres of water:

4 large flower heads

200 gr sugar or honey or Xylo Brit

50ml good quality wine or cider vinegar

Juice of ½ lemon

Optional some lemon peel of half the lemon

First cut the flowers off of the stalks into a large container

Add the water,

Poor COLD water of the flowers (hot water will kill the natural yeast which is needed to make your ‘bubbles’!!)

Add the sugar ( you can also use honey or Xylo Brit if you prefer)

Add the lemon

Add the vinegar

Stir till sugar is dissolved  then cover and leave 24 hrs
Stir occasionally, then after 24 hrs strain liquid and put in clean bottles which can withstand the pressure (old fizzy drink bottles are fine)

Leave the sealed bottles stand for 2-3 weeks (if using plastic bottles you can check pressure by squeezing it!)

When it is ready cool it it the fridge, then pop it open and enjoy.

Some other recipes to try out.

Elder Flower Cordial

1 ltr measure of elderflowers

1 kg Sugar

10 mg citric acid

Poor boiling water over the flowers

Soak flowers in water for 24 hours.

Strain.

Boil the liquid.

Add the sugar and boil for 5 minutes.

Add citric acid.

Boil for another 5 minutes.

Pour in sterilized bottles.

Seal with cork or cap.

Elderflower Wine

Fill ½ ltr measure with elderflower

150gr (1.5 kg) sugar

250gr raisins

3 lemons

Teaspoon Thannine acid (or a cup of very strong tea)

1 gallon (4.5 ltr) water

Wine yeast

Cut flowers from stalks and press slightly to the ½ ltr measure of a measuring jug.

Boil water and pour over the flowers.

Add the sugar, ground raisins and juice of lemons (don’t add the yeast yet!)

Make the wine yeastMake the starter of the wine yeast by using a bit of lukewarm water, sugar and the wine yeast mixed together, when the yeast is active, add it to the wine (make sure the the wine is sufficiently cooled, as too warm will kill the yeast).

Cover with cloth (be sure to cover properly as fruit flies will turn your wine into vinegar!)

Stir at least once a day.

After 5 days strain out the solids and put the liquid into a gallon bottle with an airlock.

Leave sit for about two months (when air lock stops bubbling.)

Your wine is now ready to drink. You may want to transfer the wine into smaller bottles. 

Elderflower Pancakes

6oz flour (3oz maize flour, 3oz spelt flour)

Good pinch of salt (1/2 teaspoon)

2 eggs + 1 egg  yolk

¾ pints milk/soya milk

Bit of oil

Elderflowers

Mix the flour with the salt then mix in the eggs milk and oil.

Holding the elderflowers by the stalk, dip the flowers in the batter and place (stalk sticking up) in a medium hot frying pan (too hot and the flowers will burn and batter will be raw in the middle)

Serve with a drizzle of elderflower cordial.

That it easy peasy!

So get out there and start picking those Elderflowers before it’s too late, and try out some of these recipes. Enjoy!!

Photos from Hagal. The Big Swing

Loved by adults and children alike, its the big swing that swings from a beam high up in the tree canopy in one of the many unique little gardens at Hagal Farm.

The Labyrinth and its healing powers for Alzheimer's sufferers

 Last week I had a mini digger in the garden at Hagal farm. As it was so close by, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get a good shot of the labyrinth from high up. So with the arm of the digger high in the air, I propped a ladder up against it, climbed up and got this great shot.

 The seven circuit classical hedge labyrinth at Hagal Farm

I recently wrote a post over on my Stone Art Blog about the healing effects labyrinths have on Alzheimer's sufferers and thought I might post some of that story here.

More and more hospitals and wellness centres are using labyrinths in the treatment and care of Alzheimer's sufferers. The beauty of a labyrinth (often confused with a maze, which has many paths and dead ends) is that a labyrinth is a single winding path that leads from the entrance to the centre and back out again. All labyrinths are unicursal, meaning they only have one path, which makes them a perfect place for an Alzheimer sufferer to ‘get lost in’. (for more information about labyrinths, check out my previous post about them http://tinyurl.com/gardenlabyrinth)



Labyrinth at Marianjoy Rehabilitation
 Hospital in Wheaton, Illinois

With Alzheimer’s, the mind begins to short circuit. Performing tasks that once were as natural as breathing becomes a source of frustration. Confusion begins to crush hope. The caregivers for early- to mid-stage Alzheimer's residents know that these misfires aren't going to go away. Back at home in West Cork a dear friend of our family has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a number of years now, so I can begin to understand the heart wrenching, problems and difficulties of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and the family and carers who lovingly look after them. It also gives me huge respect for those who live with Alzheimer's, as well as for their family and carers.

While reading up about this subject I came across a very interesting blog by a man called Chuck Donofrio. Chuck’s blog is called ‘Early onset Alzheimer’s Adventure’

Chuck suffers from Alzheimer’s but as he states on his blog ‘Early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis doesn't stop this "sufferer" from blogging about his day to day observations and feelings.

In one of his posts he writes the following about wanting a labyrinth “One of the most profound meditative experiences available to the lay person, or any other soul desiring a respite from the banality and meaninglessness of our daily round, can be found as near as the closest Labyrinth. The ancient practice of walking the "maze" has captured many a soul, most probably because the physical action of its twists and turns, coinciding with the step and breath of the human in motion, excites, even as it calms.”

Photo sent to me by Deb Donofrio of the Labyrinth she made for Chuck

Above is a photo Chuck's wife Deb sent me of a labyrinth she made for Chuck last Spring on Sanibel Island. She said 'Every morning we would enjoy the sunrise, then I would meditate on the beach while he walked the labyrinth.'

The spiritual discipline of the labyrinth involves a "walking meditation" and is a metaphor for the soul's spiritual journey. It quiets the mind and opens the soul to a sense of wholeness and wellness. The tradition of labyrinth walks was recovered in the United States in the early '90s at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and, in recent years, the labyrinth has come to be recognized as an instrument of holistic healing. The Rev. Canon Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral has used labyrinth walks with groups of children with ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactive disorder) and has discovered that it helps focus and quiet them in a way that cognitive therapies fail to do.

Since many of the labyrinth projects are still new, they haven't completed any long-term studies. But many places have noticed that this ritual provides benefits such as short-term calming, relaxation, and relief from agitation and anxiety in otherwise fragmented lives. The restorative and calming value of the walk can last from two to three hours, or longer.

I also read of another touching story of a couple that walked, hand in hand, through the labyrinth almost daily.  He was suffering from Alzheimer’s, and she was struggling with the confinement, stress, and isolation of being a caregiver.  She noticed that after a few weeks of their routine, he began to regain small skills. 

Scorces   

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3830/is_10_50/ai_79355490/pg_2/

http://www.thecabinpath.com/labrynth.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/galantamine/article.htm

Photos from Hagal

Entrance to the Vegetable Garden

So Fred and Janny are off traveling for a little while, and have left the farm in the capable hands of  care-takers John & Merel. I have added them as contributors to the blog so you will hopefully see some posts from them soon.

Flowering Arch

So I am adding a new feature to the blog called 'Photos from Hagal' This will simply be some random photos of Hagal Farm & Gardens throughout the year as the sessions change. Don't know yet how successful it will be as I am not down at Hagal very much these days as I am living in Dublin, but Fred is great for taking photos in the gardens at a regular basis, so I will encourage him to post some of them from time to time.

Clearing in one of the wilderness gardens

Fred's wheelbarrow I got him for Christmas. He has been using it fully warped, letting it slowly unwrap itself over time :)  

Magnolias in full flower

Flowering Rhubarb

Garden Swing

Stone Feature

Nice little story about us in the Irish Times

There was a nice little story about us in the Irish Times the other day. The article was written by ethical Travel writer Catherine Mack, who like many others, fell in love with Hagal Farm.

click on the picture to enlarge

 Here is a link to the online version Irish Times Online Artical

Garden Piano

Last spring when down visiting my parents down at Hagal farm I went for a wander in the gardens as I like to do when I go down there, so many interesting paths and corners to be explored. During my wander I stopped off to have a look to see how the garden piano was doing.

By now it has all but disintegrated, but it still holds a magical charm about it, in fact it was all part of the plan! Perhaps I should explain.

Besides being a passionate gardener, my dad (Fred) is also a passionate piano player, so a few years back we got him a new piano for his birthday. So the old piano spent a wile in the shed before he had the great idea to put it out in the garden. I can almost see one of Bruno Torfs sculptures sitting there playing it when no one is around (The first picture is my photoshopped impression of this)  

Tucked away in a inconspicuous corner, the piano creates a entire atmosphere of its own. Slowly over time it began housing plants and wildlife alike, becoming part of the landscape. Although it quickly lost its ability to play any notes, my dad was hoping to wake up one morning to a loud clang, when the piano would finally fall apart, making its final encore.

Unfortunately it never did produce the theatrical clang he was hoping for, it did on day just fall apart, creating a new and in some way far more enchanting garden feature.

Unfortunately as I was not there when the piano was moved, I don’t have any photos of this, So the first few photos were taken in 2008 by a guest staying at Hagal farm. 

This post has been adapted from Stone Art's Blog post 'Garden Piano'