Differing Perspectives

The metal fence is the border of our property. After that comes a 50cm wide drainage ditch and then it's the Bavarian State Forestry Commissions land and there you will see the tall pink plants of the Himalayan Balsam plant or as it is commonly known in Germany, the Himalayan Exploding Weed.
 
Introduced by the British to "Europe" around 1839 as an exotic, this member of the Impatiens family (Impatiens glandulifera) has now spread over much of  continental Europe and is held by all nature conservation societies as being a dangerous invasive unwelcome immigrant that must be exterminated if we are to preserve our domestic native waterways, fauna and flora. (Nice to see the Brits are even today proud of exporting their unwanted things but not prepared to take on any).
 
When we moved here 17 years ago there were a few single ones about 200 metres away up at the top of the forest. Since then the forestry commission regularly harvests the trees in September when the seed capsules are ripe and move down from the top,  coming right up to our border with their machines. Added to this we regularly walk through this same path with our horses and dogs. And so in the course of time, the plants have moved ever closer and now they have absolutely ideal conditions along the ditch (the forest here is also on very moist ground and has been stripped of much of the trees and is thus very light). The seed capsules explode on contact and fly up to 7 metres and love waterways to transport the seeds further.
 
There probably isn't a waterways authority in the UK that hasn't declared war against the plant. Here, back in the Nazi era (which Brit doesn't like a good Nazi story?), it was bedevilled as a Bolshevik Invader and the Nazi Youth ordered to destroy it. Seemingly they failed at this too.
 
HOWEVER, there is another side to the story as the British born homoeopathic Dr Edward Bach of the famous "Bach Remedies" would have testified. (Probably like the British Royal family, he had German ancestors, his name appropriately being "Stream" in German).
 
Apart from the roots about which I have heard nothing, almost the entire plant is packed with fantastic features for man and animal. My honeybees love the profuse sweet nectar. Although the sugar content is average at around 48%,  the flowers produce about 40 times the amount of nectar/hour that a "standard" flower produces and are thus the most prolific nectar source of all flowers in Europe. There is also lots of sweet pollen vital for the bees and the production of Royal Jelly. And the bonus is that the flowers bloom over a long period, generally in late summer when few flowers are available for honeybees. Even the stems produce copious amounts of liquid much loved by the larvae of the elephant hawk moth which we often see in the garden.
 
And as if that isn’t enough, the seeds can be used in the kitchen either raw where even the young unripe seeds taste of nuts and become more walnut like if totally ripe. Roasted (without oil) in a pan for a minute they spring around like popcorn and take on a fried chips flavour! While the leaves can be eaten raw in very small quantities, they are slightly poisonous and can cause problems. It is possible to get rid of the poisonous effect by cooking them but the effort of several water changes does not warrant the effort for the less than special taste.
 
However, it stars in the medicine area again. Great for all sorts of allergy, skin and goodness knows what else but does include lindering nettle stings and helping with the haemorrhoids!. Just ask your local Bach Remedies supplier. It’s even in the sensational “Rescue Drops”. You can easily make your own if you have a spare thimble full of vodka or brandy leftover from the weekend's summer party.
 
“ENOUGH” you cry but no, it is a star in the beauty industry too. L’Oreal patented in 1995 a mix using it for hair colouring as it has a Henna like content at a fraction of the cost and without the controversial chemical disadvantages of Henna. Perhaps a tip here for our Bliper RedFlash although I understand one needs to do some experimenting to get a strong colour effect.


But yes, we ought to do something to restrict the immigrants but instead of the standard UK full head-on collision course approach of aggressive destruction what about a moderate course whereby the plants are stopped in their tracks by simpling harvesting them for use in the kitchen, medicine and beauty areas. It’s a bit like those other immigrants that aren’t all fully trained terrorists, spongers but often skilled workers in the very varied international gastronomic businesses as well as supplying the doctors and nurses vital for the health and care services, never mind the hairdressing world. And the odd escapee along the river courses does add a touch of late summer colour and gives our insects the food to let them grow and stock up on winter stores – don’t forget, the Beast from the East will be visiting again soon.
 
Oh and today Farmer Franz came by to deposit a “small” load of slurry on my newly cut field. I heard about the action from Angie after it had been agreed. I am generally against using slurry for our fields as a) the horses don’t need power food b) the slurry kills off any chance of natural herbs and flowers growing, the stuff that horses in the wild live off,  c) the composition further imbalances the pH of our soil and increases the growth of plants we don’t need. And d), we are now set for a longish hot dry period and the muck will probably stick to the leaves for ages. I just hope the morning dew is very strong in the days to come. My wish to quickly high top mow one of the other, now knee-high in weeds, fields and use that area, fell on deaf ears. Oh well, everyone looks at things differently.
 
Evening walk with dogs and saw one of Franz’s own fields covered in slurry. I didn’t see him when he did our field this afternoon (see extra photo) but just caught a slight glimpse of the slurry tank disappearing down the drive. It appeared to have a new type of “spray nozzle”, no doubt as a result of some interfering EU rule that is trying to reduce the very high nitrate content in our drinking water. The German government is currently being taken to the EU courts for its poor record on the issue. Why does the EU have to interfere in such matters as the health of their citizens? They should concentrate on important matters such as letting the Brits have their cake and eat it. Just hope the UK cherry farmers will once again be spraying DDT when they are “free” again to do what they want. Wonderful stuff killed all manner of unwanted things and people. And it will allow the UK to take on the Krauts at their own game now that they have bought Monsanto and that wonder chemical Round Up which was set to dominate the UK’s pleasant pastures green brown.  I suspect the special relationship friend will agree on a free trade pact - UK DDT sprayed foods for USA chlorinated chickens.
 
BREXIT MEANS BREXIT. LET’S DO IT.


PS If anyone has the impression that I have something against Mrs May or her crazy utterings, they are fully misinformed. I have "everything against her and her mob of self-interested maniacs. I had the misfortune to see her doing a publicity stunt Q&A in the North-East today. Farmer Franz's slurry is 100% times better than that worthless drivel. I nearly choked on my late lunch.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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