Press Release 1 June 2022
After more than three years of work, this is it, the long-awaited "Cattle Farmer's Handbook" by Philipp Weiss. The book describes in more detail 50 various species of nut-bearing trees and shrubs that can be grown in northern climates.
– Many people are surprised that it is possible to grow nuts at all in Sweden, but the fact is that there are nuts for all growing zones where trees can grow.
Philipp Weiss himself has planted several hundred nut trees in his plantations around Stjärnsund in southern Dalarna.. In "The Cattle Farmer's Handbook", he weaves together his own cultivation experiences with observations from many study visits around northern Europe, interviews with other cattle growers and extensive literature studies. The result is 304 fact-packed pages with plant portraits, cultivation- and harvest advice, propagation techniques and not least an exciting collection of recipes with inspiration from around the world.
– My interest in flavors was an important driving force in writing. How have the different nuts been used traditionally and how could we let the nuts take a bigger place in our food culture?? The answer was that nuts can be much more than snacks and ingredients in various sweets.
While writing, Philipp Weiss discovered that nuts have been staple food for many cultures throughout history and that it would have great positive effects on the environment if we were inspired by it for our own diet.. He believes that today's food production is largely unsustainable and needs to be significantly restructured to meet the climate crisis and the increasingly rapid loss of biodiversity..
– Today we are breaking down ecosystems to provide us with calories, when we instead need to create food-producing ecosystems that both bind carbon dioxide and create conditions for biological diversity. There, the nuts can play a key role.
Hazel and oak are the crops that could become perennial staple crops almost overnight, because they are already in the landscape in large numbers.
– Actually, it's just starting to harvest. Then of course we need to learn how to harvest in the best way and how to take care of the nuts, not least acorns, which need to be processed to get rid of the bitter substances. But none of it is particularly difficult and clearly easier than growing grain.
As climate change becomes more pronounced, the landscape will change radically and research shows, for example, that the Christmas tree will almost die out south of the Dalälven river in the coming decades..
– We will need to build a completely new landscape that can withstand the new climate and that can be agriculturally productive despite increasingly extreme weather. Above all, we must not repeat the old mistakes that led us to this situation from the beginning. Small scale, multifunctionality and variety are important keywords in that context.
In Philipp Weiss' vision for the future, we grow fruit, berries and vegetables near homes and fills the rest of the landscape with perennial edible plants where nut trees form the backbone. According to him, there is also great potential for nut cultivation in the cities.
– Many nut trees are perfect city trees. They are durable, handles heavy metals and other contaminants well, benefits from all the heat available in the cities and at the same time provides food of the highest quality. We are also seeing an increasing interest in increasing the proportion of edible plants in public plantations and have been involved in creating several edible parks around Sweden in recent years..
Over time, he believes that a new cattle culture can emerge, with nut games and holidays that reflect the year of the nut farm, similar to the culture that existed well into the 19th century in southern Scandinavia.
– For many of North America's indigenous peoples, planting new nut trees for future generations was also part of the culture.. Imagine if it could become a folk sport with us as well!
Philipp Weiss is a graduate and diploma permakulturdesigner. He has previously written “Perennial vegetables: discover, grow, enjoy" (Nominated for Garden Book of the Year 2016, with Annevi Sjöberg and Daniel Larsson) and “Skogsträdgården: cultivate edible everywhere " (year garden book 2018, with Annevi Sjöberg). He lives with his family in Stjärnsund in southern Dalarna where he started planting the first nut trees in 2007. Today, the plantations cover just over 2 ha and include over 300 species of tree, shrubs and herbs. The major source of inspiration for his crops are childhood edible landscape in southern Germany. He documents his cultivation experiences on Skogsträdgårdsbloggen and he holds regular courses and lectures on cultivation of perennial crops.. Together with his family, he runs Puttmyra forest garden with associated nursery for perennial edible plants.
Hälsingbo Forest Garden HB
Pipe and Foundry Hälsingbo 424
77674 Stjärnsund
Philip Weiss, 072 923 9153, skogstradgard@gmail.com
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For more information contact us at skogstradgard@gmail.com.
