Extensive list of balsam recipes

laguna · Feb 23, 2015

I think we need an environment section on FM?

Background
On 6 August 2014 research organization, CABI released a rust fungus at locations in Berkshire, Cornwall and Middlesex as part of field trials to control the non-native, invasive weed Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) using natural means. Himalayan balsam has rapidly become one of the UK’s most widespread invasive weeds, colonizing river banks, waste land, damp woodlands, roadways and railways. The Environment Agency estimates that the weed occupies over 13% of river banks in England and Wales. It can reach over three metres in height and competes with native plants, reducing biodiversity. Large scale chemical and manual control is often not feasible and not economically viable.

Using existing measures, the Environment Agency estimates it would cost up to £300 million to eradicate Himalayan balsam from the UK.
The release of the rust fungus comes after an eight-year research programme funded primarily by Defra and the Environment Agency, with contributions from Network Rail, the Scottish Government and Westcountry Rivers Trust. During the course of the research, testing in quarantine laboratories has established that the rust fungus causes significant damage to Himalayan balsam and does not impact on native species.
Source: CABI.org

Invasive HB also has also contributed to the significant decline of our fauna too

In the meantime keep on uprooting and eating a few, here's a shed full of recipes to inspire you Wild Food Guide: Himalayan Balsam, (Impatiens glandulifera), Including Recipes

geoffmaynard · Feb 23, 2015

Excellent. Come and get it, I've got a few acres

seth49 · Feb 23, 2015

Was reading this and I rembered a few years ago was strimming some Himalayan balsam on the river bank, It was a hot sunny day and I got splashed on my arms with sap .
Didn't hurt or anything but I noticed after I had a brown stain on my arms were I had been splashed it lasted for weeks , Might be a fake tan recipe there.
??

geoffmaynard · Feb 24, 2015

It was probably a hidden hogweed did that Seth

The bad one · Feb 24, 2015

Agree Geoff most likely cause. I'd have thought that (checking for HW) would have featured in any risk assessment, be that written or in a persons head before the work was undertaken. It's certainly on my RA before I unleash the Dogs of Strimming War on any Balsam Bashing trashing work party.

---------- Post added at 16:16 ---------- Previous post was at 16:04 ----------

Here’s a weird moment that just happened whilst writing the above. I sniffed in deeply as I wrote it and I could smell that earthy smell of cut of balsam …. How strange

seth49 · Feb 24, 2015

Never saw any hogweed and I always check for that, I can't say I've seen any on the hodder.
Plenty on ribble and Calder.
Besides it just left a stain, No blisters or pain.
No one else noticed this then .

geoffmaynard · Feb 24, 2015

Here's a thought for Laguna:
With so much balsam on the riverbanks, spewing seed into the water - and discovering that seed/pods are edible, how about using this stuff for a baitmix?

It could be a ripper

And if it takes off could make me a millionaire!

The bad one · Feb 24, 2015

Whilst I'd agree these's little (HW) on the Hodder Seth other than around Hodderfoot, it might well be that the plant had taken up Iron oxide and the sap contained it, which does stain skin for sometime. Never heard of it lasting that long though.

laguna · Feb 24, 2015

geoffmaynard said:
Here's a thought for Laguna:
With so much balsam on the riverbanks, spewing seed into the water - and discovering that seed/pods are edible, how about using this stuff for a baitmix?

It could be a ripper And if it takes off could make me a millionaire!

Haha yeah but too late now Geoff its out in the public domain use the pm godamit!

seth49 · Feb 24, 2015

The bad one said:
Whilst I'd agree these's little (HW) on the Hodder Seth other than around Hodderfoot, it might well be that the plant had taken up Iron oxide and the sap contained it, which does stain skin for sometime. Never heard of it lasting that long though.

Could be that there's a lot of the dykes up there that run red ,More usually at low flows.
There's quite a lot of minerals on the hodder sulphur springs and manganese etc

The bad one · Feb 25, 2015

If it's orange/red Seth then its most likely to be iron oxide seepage from underground sources, which tends to show up at low flow with orange/red coloured rocks where the input source enters the brook, stream etc.

I don't know too much about about historic mining (lead, coal) on the Hodder Valley, but do about the mining on the Calder catchment, which still today leaches iron oxide into the watercourses.

seth49 · Feb 25, 2015

Just googled hodder valley, Seems there was quite a bit of lead mining went on.
Plus there are a lot of lime kilns scattered about.

The bad one · Feb 25, 2015

Ta for that Seth make sense about the Lime kilns given that Castle Cement dominates Clitheroe and the Calcareous nature of the upper Hodder Catchment.

The worst case of iron oxide staining I've ever seen is on the upper River Medlock Park Bridge Oldham. I have some photos somewhere of it. The source is the historic coal mining late 1700 from the Fairbottom owned mines on the hillside of the valley
Here's a link for anyone interested Fairbottom Bobs - near Ashton under Lyne
Sadly there's little can be done about the seepage into the river from the workings from discussions I've had with the EA. I guess it's the same situation on the Hodder as well.

tigger · Feb 25, 2015

There's loads of streams, springs and even ditches full of the rusty coloured iron deposites round here...most of 'em flowing into the rivers. I don't know if the iron is harmfull but i've been told by a couple of people who do eco studies for a living that it isn't unless it kills you of course, but then you wouldn't give a to$$ anyhow...you'd be dead lol.

The bad one · Feb 25, 2015

Sorry Ian you've been somewhat mislead it can and is toxic to fish and particularly invertebrates, which by suppressing the available food supply to fish has a knock on effect throughout the food chain that supports them.

tigger · Feb 25, 2015

The bad one said:
Sorry Ian you've been somewhat mislead it can and is toxic to fish and particularly invertebrates, which by suppressing the available food supply to fish has a knock on effect throughout the food chain that supports them.

Yeah, all the little streams i've seen like this have been void of any visible life, except one ditch which looks like it's coverd in red moss that has a tribe of resident sticklebacks.
What those eco studies people said was once the trickles went into larger waterways the iron is diluted so they shouldn't cause a problem.

laguna · Feb 25, 2015

For those unfamiliar with the area, Bradford was once known as 'The Dirtiest Town In The World'! Our canals and waterways were literally a floating seething sewer in the height of the industrial revolution.... not something to be proud of that title, many people died and our canal was actually closed and filled in!!!

Imagine my delight when it was reported last year that Bradford beck was host to a few resident brownies, the first I've ever heard of to be honest, that is until this happened last month....

The Clean Rivers Trust, which has been involved in river improvements across the UK since 1991, says on its website that the natural colour of water coming from the old abandoned mines is a shade of ochre, the basic constituent being the most common mineral; iron.

It said: "The iron in the minewater is not poisonous in itself but will cause streams and rivers to become biologically dead very quickly. "The accumulation of the metal on the bed of a watercourse will deprive the aquatic insect larva and microbial life of oxygen and light so depriving the creatures: fish and the like to move away or starve.

The bad one · Feb 26, 2015

Heaven forbid Chris that one takes the biscuits!

laguna · Feb 26, 2015

Too right Phil, I wonder how brown those brownies are now???

Extensive list of balsam recipes

laguna

Well-known member

geoffmaynard

Content Editor

seth49

Well-known member

geoffmaynard

Content Editor

The bad one

Well-known member

seth49

Well-known member

geoffmaynard

Content Editor

The bad one

Well-known member

laguna

Well-known member

seth49

Well-known member

The bad one

Well-known member

seth49

Well-known member

The bad one

Well-known member

tigger

Banned

The bad one

Well-known member

tigger

Banned

laguna

Well-known member

The bad one

Well-known member

laguna

Well-known member