Big Data eCourse

Together with Laudius and another teacher I made a Big Data eCourse in Dutch about what Big Data is, how to analyze Big Data and Privacy & Ethics in Big Data research. With the code: GUISELAINE 10 percent discount (Affiliate).

Index

Edible Plants

My next home will have a garden or a balcony on which I can cultivate edible plants. Besides that it is hard to move in Holland my knowledge of edible plants besides fruits and veggies is nonexciting. So to do something about this I joined two workshops this spring.

Wild Picking

On a grey Saturday I went to the Genneper Park in Eindhoven where 'Natuurlijke verbinding' gave a workshop about wild picking. I walked through the park, and she pointed to edible plants/flowers in the wild (park). I tasted them and some of them were very good. She also gave some warnings about wild picking, like be aware of ticks, worms, and pollution of cars.

Edible Flowers

The first workshop made me want to know more. So I booked the workshop edible flowers with 'Wandeloogst'. And again on a grey Saturday (it is Holland so don't expect sun) I went to 'Graafse Akkers' in Den Bosch for the workshop. It is a really big garden in the middle of town, a beauty. I started with some flower tea and then walked with the instructor around the grounds with her pointing to flowers and telling how I could use the flowers. And of course I tasted all of them. Each flower has its own specific taste.

Flower Lunch

After a while the group was divided, and everybody went about to make lunch of the flower harvest. I had two types of herb butter one with savory flowers and one with sweet flowers. Kind of an omelet pancakes with flowers, some more flower tea and flower lemonade. It was great to see what can be made of flowers and how to combine them in tea.

More Edible Flowers Please

These two experiences were great and tasted like more. I can't wait to move and experiment with flowers, but until then maybe an autumn workshop edible flower. After moving in 2019 I started a vertical garden in my apartment. Nothing eatable grows in my home and on the balcony because of car pollution in this neighborhood and/or my impatience. But there was another reason my vertical garden project didn't work out.

Vertical Garden

After moving to Nieuwegein I started a vertical garden in my home. It was a way to grow herbs, flowers, and veggies in my home without needing lots of room. I loved the idea and bought a three-layer vertical garden. At first I put herbs in the vertical garden and they were growing ok. After a while I thought about the seeds, I had from the Edible Garden workshop and started planting them in my vertical garden. They didn’t need to much light so these veggies could grow inside, but before they could even rise from the earth, I heard the vertical garden moving at night by its own. It was a good way to know I had rats in my home and there where holes somewhere that they kept coming in at night. After a while I had a good solution, I put the vertical garden on my balcony with everything in it. I was lucky because the rats where in it. I also closed I think all the holes, each small one. I am now living four years in this house and 2 year free of all those rodents who were entering the house through small holes, but without my vertical garden I wanted. I presume this because I don't hear them anymore and don't find droppings anymore. 

No Vertical Garden, But Some Plants & Flowers Growing

This house was therapy to get it to my living standards. I can even have plants now without the roots being eaten and finding earth next to the plant pots. These plants are alive and kicking and by keeping the balcony door close they don't die of car pollution. Yes, car pollution! I had a balcony set on the balcony to enjoy my balcony, but it was always full of dust, each day!