New this year - Sea buckthorn - a Pioneer species

I was so happy to see that we received the seeds we ordered in the mail a couple of days ago 😊🌱

I'm especially excited about these guys, the sea buckthorn . Growing up in Sweden we used go out to the coast and pick these berries where they grow naturally in a few places. My stepdad made lemonade that we drank whenever we had a cold coming on or to boost our immune system so that we didn´t catch the cold at all. The bright orange berries are packed with vitamin c (15 times that of an orange), omega 3, 6 and 9 as well as antioxidants.

I hadn´t thought about these berries in a bunch of years when I re-discovered them while reading up on permaculture. I learned that the plant/bush itself has a lot of excellent properties. They are a good establisment/pioneer species for a food forest since they are nitrogen fixers and they have water and soil conserving properties.

The definition for Pioneer species on wikipedia
"Pioneer species are hardy species which are the first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse steady-state ecosystem."

The soil here is not great, its a heavy clay soil, so Im hoping that by adding the sea buckthorn we will start to change that. We are renting our land so I cant go all out and do all the changes I´d like to - but we will add sea buckthorn to the row of trees they already have as a start for a windbarrier, this will create a hedge/living fence in the front of the house.

So, not only will the plants themselves help us improve the soil quality, I will be able to harvest the leaves to make tea that has a anti-inflammatory properties and other health benefits and to add in lotions -
Just take a look at the nutrient content:

Alpha-tocopherol
Amino acids
Astralagin
Beta carotene
Boron
Calcium
Catechins
Copper
Ellagic acid
Ferulic acid
Gallic acid
Iron
Manganese
Magnesium
Niacin
Omega-3
Omega-6
Pantothenic acid
Potassium
Quercetins
Riboflavin
Salicylic acid
Tannins
Vitamin C
(source: https://www.alive.com/health/the-other-side-of-seabuckthorn/)

The berries contain about the same and can be used for lemonade, jams etc but also in soaps and lotions, they can also be used as a natural dye .

However, if you suffer from a bleeding disorder, buckthorn berry can be dangerous, as it slows down blood clotting. Also, if you already are taking blood pressure medication or suffer from hypotension, this superberry might not be a great choice.

(1st picture - source https://foodal.com/knowledge/paleo/sea-buckthorn/)