Part of the Workshops at Dempsey Village Farmers Market
Weird & Wonderful Edibles by Joanna Chuah
This workshop seeks to introduce the history and relevance of common wild flowers and weeds in Singapore.
In the two hour session, participants will be guided through history, from the 1800’s and how Singapore’s position as a strategic port town led to the spread and naturalisation of weeds, to the significance of today’s weeds for farmers and gardeners. Learn how to identify and classify wild plants into families through field samples and the story they tell in terms of their environment.
You will also receive a packet of “Wild Flower & Weeds” seeds. This seed series was created in collaboration with local farms and has been an ongoing project for the past year.
The first segment of the workshop will bring participants through National Archive documents to track the introduction of weeds into Singapore from the period of 1800 onwards. Singapore’s position as a strategic port town and former crown colony will then be discussed in relation to the spread and naturalisation of weeds.
In the second segment, participants will receive guidance on how to identify and classify wild plants (into Families such as Legumes, Convolvulaceae etc and Morphology such as broad leaf or sedge weeds etc) for easy identification. Field samples (plants) will be provided for a visual illustration of identification methods.
In the final segment, the workshop will explain the significance of weeds to farmers/gardeners: eg. how weeds tell a story of the land in terms of the soil’s nutritional composition, its role in feeding local wildlife and their medicinal properties (where applicable).
This workshop is recommended for butterfly/moth keepers, soil-based gardeners and budding herbologists.
Tickets : $75 SGD
https://www.facebook.com/events/2625653684129364/
