Hairy horses

[piskieinboots]

So here we are on WK 3 of college and cos I couldn't sleep last night I was saying (and spelling) over and over to myself:
Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) and Cardamine Hirsuta (hairy bitter cress*)

they merged in my mind as hairy horses around about 0400hrs

*whilst this is a common weed, did you know you can eat it in salads, it has a hot cress-like flavour - as you'd expect I guess

[Headfry]

poor piskie - are you enjoying it though?
Who is your tutor?

[Flummery]

Hairy bitter cress actually smells like a food plant when you weed it up. As you can guess, I've weeded up loads in my time!

[piskieinboots]

....are you enjoying it though? Who is your tutor?

oh yes indeed - it is really good, although scarey at times! Tutor is Annette Pursey, lovely lass, so sooo slim and munches on big cream cakes all the time

We have to use the latin names all the time in class, hence my ramblings last night

[HeyWayne]

If I found a bit a hairy cress in my salad I'd send it back!

[lynda66]

i can supply you with some hairy bittercress ........ it's appeared all over my garden this year ........ i'd prefer the hairy horses

[Headfry]

Piskie I love the latin names, and get miffed if they dont give them on television programs!
Helps you to track the plants.
I have had three of the tutors over there, Steve someone, a lovely older gentleman and a Mary spilane?
Get days spent there!
You are so lucky

[SlugLobber]

I can supply hairy horses, or hair from horses, but no hairy cress! I think it's good policy to make you use the Latin names. Many plants have more than one common name and it also means you can still be understood in foreign climes!

[HayleyB]

Mine are hairy too

Sounds like gobbledegook to me, I'd never in a million years remember any of them you have my admiration gal

[Flummery]

The Latin's good because the common names can vary so much and you never know if you're looking for the same plant.

[SarzWix]

You can eat Fat Hen (Chenopodium album - Amaranthaceae) too, supposed to be a bit like spinach. Tried it, it was nasty. This is why people bred nicer plants to eat

[piskieinboots]

we have fat hen here in garden, I liked it mesel but then I like clotted cream and pasties so I'm no judge

[SarzWix]

we have fat hen here in garden, I liked it mesel but then I like clotted cream and pasties so I'm no judge

Clotted cream & pasties are both food of the gods (although not in the same mouthful ), but Fat Hen? It just tasted green. And a bit, um, bitter? I din't enjoy it. Or 'Fresh young Hawthorn leaves'. "Food for Free" doesn't necassarily mean it's nice!
And if you're Anthony Worrall-Thompson, it can be downright dangerous - he had to apologise to the readers of some magazine or other for telling them to eat Henbane!!! (He meant Fat Hen... this is where the latin names come in handy )