Nature.is

The Countryside - Cultivation

There are about 10,000 types of grasses worldwide. Among them are the types of graine.g., oats, barley, wheat, rice and corn. Around 10,000 years ago as the value of seed was discovered, mankind started using those plants as food. From then on they have been the mainstay of the human diet. Since the settlement of Iceland, dry hay has been used as winter feed for sheep and cattle. The grasses in the summer and the hay in the winter are converted into meat and milk that has been so important for keeping us alive.

Gardening does not have a long history in Iceland. It was only late in the 18th century that experiments were made in growing potatoes and other vegetables in this country. However in England, in the old days, farmers wouldn‘t dream of buying any vegetables, or eggs or ham for that matter farmers did gardening for themselves, also raising poultry and pigs.

The mechanization of agriculture has, however, changed the way it is carried out since it has became, by enlarge, an industry.

For a period private gardening was not “in fashion”. It was done mostly out of sight, but now gardening, even in the private household garden or on the farm, is becoming very popular again, so popular that people are even competing for feasible plots where they can grow vegetables for the household.

In Iceland, greenhouses are used for growing tasty tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. Icelandic vegetables are usually especially tasty because of the purity of our Icelandic spring water which is amongst the best water in the world.

Information about how to plan and cultivate the kitchen garden can be found here in the section about The Kitchen Garden. Furthermore, how to use the various herbs and vegetables can be learned from Nature´s Nature-Nanny feature.

Einkunn