When I contact the team at 42 Acres about writing this article, I receive an email to say they may take a while to reply as they work at ‘Earth’s pace’. I immediately decide it sounds like my kind of place. They do things differently at 42 Acres.
Set up in 2015 by siblings and environmentalists Lara and Seth Tabatznik, it was conceived as a place where people could reconnect with nature (and themselves) via retreats. Lara purchased the original 42 acres and Seth bought the neighbouring land, bringing the total area to 173 acres.
The site has since evolved to offer wellbeing and nature-based experiences and self-catering accommodation. Guests are free to roam around the market garden and ‘edimental’ walled garden plus the wider regenerative farm, ancient woodlands and nature reserve.
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The site has a noticeably wilder feel than the surrounding gentle Somerset countryside, thanks to its ethos of ‘agriwilding’, which aims to balance food production with the needs of wildlife, which here includes beavers, otters, wild boar, hares and pine martens. White storks have been recently introduced – and soon, wild cats.
Food growing is driven by a ‘soil to gut’ philosophy. A plantation of sea buckthorn thrives here nearly 30 miles from the coast (its berries are rich in vitamin C). Hundreds of nut trees and almost 1km of edible hedges, plus orchards, have been planted and a woodland mushroom farm grows strains of edible and medicinal mushrooms.
The two-acre market garden that supplies the innovative kitchen is run on no-dig and permaculture principles and features unusual crops such as agretti, quinoa and carlin peas. Only heirloom seeds are used, so that seeds can be saved. Locals can get involved in growing via monthly ‘energy exchanges’.
The walled garden is at the heart of the ornamental gardens. The brief from Seth to horticulturist Russell Rigler was to transform the space into an ornamental garden containing only edible – but beautiful – plants. Working with landscape architect Dominic Cole, Russell came up with a design that has a simple gazebo off- centre, a herb garden, two central growing beds, themed beds and fruit trees against the walls.
He then extensively researched edible plants, consulting Mandy Barber of Incredible Vegetables and books by permaculture guru Martin Crawford and horticulturist Alys Fowler, as well as Plants for a Future by Ken Fern. “Ken’s charitable trust in Cornwall offers a huge database of edible plants, with an ‘edible’ rating from one to five. It’s a treasure trove,” says Russell.
Every plant in the space has at least one part that is edible. Some are familiar as ‘edimentals’, such as Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’, which has edible flowers and also young shoots. Others may be less well known: mountain sorrel (Oxyria digyna), which gives a great zing to salads and remains compact; field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), a self-seeding annual that has an interesting, sweet, garlic- mustard flavour to the young leaves; and Korean aster (Aster scabra), a perennial with a harvest of fresh, fragrant leaves for cooking in spring.
There is a ‘sweet’ bed of liquorice, skirret, sweet cicely, Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis), stevia and yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius) – the tubers of which are used to make 42 Acres’ legendary yacón syrup.
The ‘lemon’ bed contains oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and sorrel for a tart, lemony flavour, and lemon verbena, lemon balm and lemongrass for use in place of zest.
The ‘spice’ bed is home to coriander, Sichuan pepper, black cumin (Nigella sativa), wood avens and fenugreek and there are two beds of edible flowers, one savoury and one sweet.
A shady bed includes shuttlecock fern, Solomon’s seal (the new shoots are edible) and Hosta ‘Devon Green’. “A few unfurled leaves can be sliced off from each plant and eaten like asparagus, pan-fried with a sprinkle of salt,” says Russell.
Growing more unusual plants sparks visitors’ curiosity, as well as providing something new for the kitchen and a way for everyone to boost their gut microbiome
Last year, the two main beds were planted with no-dig annual veg, with attractive plants such as society garlic, garlic chives and bladder campion around the edges. This year, the beds will be given over to perennial vegetables that will be trialled for yields, usage and taste.
Russell admits that this is a different way of growing. “It’s not so much successional planting as responsive planting, as unfamiliar plants flop or leave unexpected gaps during the season,” he says. “I have plugs of annuals such as African marigold and sweet alyssum waiting in the wings, to fill in any gaps.”
The site’s ethos of agriwilding aims to balance food production with the needs of wildlife, which here includes beavers, otters, wild boar, hares and pine martens
He has also learned that harvesting time can make a crucial difference. “I dismissed Turkish rocket (Bunias orientalis) initially as I didn’t like the taste of the leaves. But I found you can eat the flowering stems like tenderstem broccoli.” Usefully, perennial veg tends to be ready to harvest earlier in the year, during the ‘hungry gap’ in spring.
Russell runs garden ‘grazing’ tours to encourage visitors to diversify their eating habits. Some crops, such as the mature berries of Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa), divide opinion: “Some people like the molasses taste, while others screw their faces up. But by growing more unusual plants, I’m sparking visitors’ curiosity, as well as providing something new for the kitchen and a way for everyone to boost their gut microbiome.”
This is not so much successional planting as responsive planting, as unfamiliar plants flop or leave unexpected gaps during the season
In the adjoining cut-flower garden, Russell grows flowers for cutting and drying. These are used to decorate the beautiful accommodation and retreat spaces. Whether you attend a retreat, book a weekend adventure or rent some self- catering accommodation (the Tiny Boat is especially sought after), 42 Acres is sure to provide plenty of food for thought.
In brief
- Name 42 Acres.
- What Regenerative farm, including an edimental walled garden, with adjacent woodland and nature reserve.
- Where Somerset.
- Size 173 acres.
- Soil Heavy clay.
- Climate Temperate.
- Hardiness zone USDA 9.
Useful information
Retreats, workshops and self-catered stays can be booked at 42acres.com