May 2024

Our team of 12 students had the opportunity to visit the Frantsila Herb Farm in Hämeenkyrö as part of the Erasmus+ project Growing Green Communities. At the farm, we attended a lecture about wild herbs, learning about their nutritional and health qualities, as well as how to use, cook and conserve them. We were served a salty pie and salad made with wild edibles. The salad was accompanied by a Wild Herb Powder, a blend of different dried wild herbs. For dessert, we had a berry pie with vanilla sauce and coffee. After the meal, we took a tour of the garden. Some herbs, like thyme and mint, had already started growing, and we saw some flowers in bloom.The weather favored us with sunshine.Some students skipped stones into the river, while others found a playground spinner, enjoying a moment of fun and relaxation. Recipe for Wild Herb Powder Drying the following herbs allows you to create Wild Herb Powder, a versatile seasoning to enhance dishes, especially useful during winter when fresh produce is scarce: Nettle, cow parsley, plantain, dandelion, currant leaves, kale, chicory, fenugreek, young ground elder leaves, marigold, wheatgrass. Consider possible allergies when selecting herbs suitable for green powder. Source: GGC Discovering Wild Edibles at Frantsila Herb Farm (wordpress.com)

I am participating in the Erasmus+ Growing Green Communities -project, which is about identifying wild herbs, gardening and learning about a more sustainable lifestyle. Therefore on a warm and sunny Saturday me and 8 other students went to our teacher’s cottage in Suinula to do some gardening. When we arrived in Suinula we separated into three groups. One group would take care of the cooking, one would collect the needed wild herbs and the last one would make the garden bed and plant new seeds. For the first half of the day I was part of the herbs collecting group. I learned to identify some edible herbs that are very common and easy to find. We gathered wild herbs, things like strawberry leaves, rasberrry leaves, birch leaves, wood sorrel and goatweed. We also discussed the different ways wild herbs can be used in foods, drinks and spices.  In the afternoon we took a break to eat the food a few students had made with the help of our home economics teacher. We ate almost completely vegetarian lasagna with goatweed inside. We ate salad with birch leaves, strawberry leaves and other plants, and to drink we had lemonade with herbs. All in all a very healthy and delicious meal! After lunch we continued working, though this time more tired than before. A few others and I made the dessert, which was ice cream! We helped the others, talked a lot and finally took another break to eat. For dinner we had homemade bread and pesto, and nettle soup made with freshly picked nettles, of course. And for dessert we had the ice cream, which was almost solid. I really enjoyed our trip to Suinula! I learned a lot about wild herbs and I discovered how easy it actually is to use them. There are so many different ways of taking advantage of common herbs that are easy to find and cost nothing. Now I can also safely say I can identify a few wild herbs 🙂 -Hannah Never have I ever started a garden from scratch. Yet this was exactly what I got up to on a sunny Saturday. We visites Sofia’s summerhouse and spent a wonderful day learning about gardening and wild plants. We had Jyrki Santala with us, who taught us about gardening and plants. We will get to enjoy our planted food in the Fall but with the wild plants had then and there we made some delicious food. We made lasagna with added wild plants, herbal ice tea and nettlesoup among other things.  I realized that wild plants are really versatile and useful. There really is so much “free food” available if you just take the time to get to know your surroundings. Wild plants can make your diet more versatile and add alot of important nutrients. In the evening we enjoyed some fresh baked rye bread, ice cream and rhubarb compote. The whole day it was incredibly hot and sunny so the ice cream really hit the spot even though it hardly set because of the heat.  Huge thanks to our guests Jyrki, Sorina and Anniina that helped us with the gathering and gardening, to Elina for planing such a good menu and especially to Sofia for allowing us to visit her summerhouse. -Kaari Source: Growing Green Communities: Sew, pick & taste! (wordpress.com)

On May 16, 2024, Crossing Borders held its annual assembly, gathering a diverse group of attendees including organization members, board members, team members, external participants, and online attendees. This event served as a comprehensive overview of Crossing Borders’ key focus areas and ongoing projects, providing valuable insights and updates to all participants. One of the highlighted projects during the assembly was the Growing Green Communities project. This project, which aims to foster sustainable and eco-friendly food consumption, youth empowerment, urban gardening, and the EU’s green transition, was thoroughly presented by Furkan Akay, the EU Program Coordinator at Crossing Borders and the project manager for Growing Green Communities. Akay provided an in-depth overview of the project’s primary objectives, significant outcomes, and notable achievements from previous years. His presentation offered a clear understanding of the project’s purpose, emphasizing its impact and future goals. Throughout the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to engage with the content, reflect on the project’s purpose, and discuss its broader importance afterwards. This annual assembly not only highlighted the importance of Growing Green Communities but also reinforced Crossing Borders’ commitment to promoting sustainable development and environmental stewardship through its various projects.