Try this mole recipe,  and let us know how it tastes!

Borlotti bean mole with roasted winter vegetables

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 25ml olive oil
• 175g canned borlotti beans
• 1 medium-sized butternut squash
• 175g winter vegetables (carrots, leeks, celeriac, swede)
• 100g kale, roughly chopped
• 50g butter
• 100g onion, chopped
• 2–4 red jalapeno chillies, halved, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 500g tomatoes, chopped
• 25g paprika
• 25g almonds, dark roasted and finely ground
• 50g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 10g salt

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
• Cut the squash flesh into good-sized chunks (about 2cm square), place them in a roasting pan and toss with olive oil.
• Roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes until caramelised on the outside but still firm.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 130C/250F/gas mark ½.
• Without removing the central stem, cut the kale across the leaf into 2cm slices.
• Melt the butter into an oven-proof casserole dish (pot) and fry the onion and chillies gently over a low to medium heat for 20–30 minutes, until caramelised.
• Add the garlic and fry for three minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and paprika, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Add the ground almonds, chocolate, carrots, leeks, celeriac, swede, borlotti beans, kale, and a teaspoon of salt.
• Stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Cover the casserole and put it in the oven to cook gently for two hours.

This recipe and the image above comes courtesy of Blue Egg Kitchen.

Plants have influenced art, superstition, traditions and culture for centuries. Victorians particularly used flower meanings (floriography) to communicate messages between lovers that might be difficult to say aloud. They would give each other ‘tussie mussies’ – a bouquet made up with carefully selected aromatic flowers, each with their own crypric meaning. These would be wrapped in a lace doily and tied with satin.

It became highly fashionable to exchange tussie mussies on Valentine’s day, as only very refined people understood floriography. Educated, romantic gentleman would choose flowers with a cryptic meaning. Likewise, it was considered extremely cultured for a lady to study all aspects of flowers, which included growing, pressing, arranging, drawing and painting.

This Valentine’s Day, our retail team have hand picked beautiful plants that traditionally hold a romantic message.

Red roses

Roses are associated with passion and romance in Greek mythology. Apparently, the gods worked together to create the very first divine rose. Chloris, the goddess of flowers, gave life to a nymph. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, gave beauty, and Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy, presented his nectar to give the sweetest scent. The Three Graces then gave their charm, beauty and joy.

Poppy

This beautiful red flower has long been used as a symbol of love and eternity. It influenced the Russian composer Gliere to write a ballet called ‘The Red Poppy,’ in which a red poppy passed between lovers as a sign of affection and freedom.

Jasmine

Jasmine is highly regarded for its distinctive floral aroma. It’s known as ‘queen of flowers’ in India, where it symbolises love and temptation. According to Indian mythology, Kama, the god of love and lust, attached jasmine flowers to his arrows to make his victims fall in love.

Camellias

The symmetrical perfection and enduring qualities of camellia flowers have been used for centuries to represent devotion between lovers. According to ancient Chinese mythology, the petals symbolise a lady’s spirit, whereas the bud is seen as the trustworthy male protector in her life.

Myrtle

The ancient Greeks say that when the goddess of love, Aphrodite, was born, she hid behind a myrtle bush to cover her nudity. Since then, myrtle has been the symbol of purity and love, protection and beauty. Greek brides still bathe in water perfumed with myrtle leaves, and may opt to wear a myrtle wreath.

Sunflowers

A very happy looking flower, sunflowers represent loyalty and adoration as they faithfully turn their large heads to follow the sun. The bright yellow petals stretch out like rays of sunshine and evoke feelings of warmth and longevity.

Expect a huge canopy walkway, aerial rope bridges, an expedition base camp, giant sculptures, as well as microscopes, periscopes and telescopes… It’ll be a real living classroom high in the treetops.

The good news is that we’re over halfway to raising the funds we need to build what will be the leading rainforest education resource in Europe.

The even better news is that, for one week only – next week – the Big Give initiative has promised to match any donations that you make to this project.

So make a date in your diary to donate online via the Big Give between Monday 5 and Friday 9 December 2011, to double your money! Find out how to donate.

If you’d like to know more about our Rainforest Encounter plans, take a look at this slideshow of how we imagine it to look.

The World Harmony Run is described as ‘one of the world’s largest and most enduring grassroots efforts for peace’ and has visited more than 140 nations over the last three decades.

Earlier this month international runners started a torch relay from John O’Groats, which will culminate at Land’s End on Saturday 2 July. Yesterday at Eden the World Harmony Run passed the torch and presented the Torch Bearer Award to:

• Tim Smit, our chief executive and co-founder, ‘for his major contribution to changing the world into one where, in his own words, “plants provide a canvas on which we can paint an optimistic future.”’
• Gaynor Coley, our managing director, ‘for her invaluable contributions in steering the Eden Project to be such a success and making dreams become a reality and for leading the strategy to extend Eden’s influential environmental brand and programmes across the world. In her words: “Finding a better balance with nature is a big issue and it is urgent. Eden wants to be part of the solution, not just for the UK but across the globe.”
• Ken Radford, founder of People and Gardens, ‘for running the People and Gardens project where he has made a real difference to people’s lives and assisted people with learning disabilities and mental health issues to develop work and social skills to enable them to take control of their own lives. The thought of the project is one where “it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.”’

The World Harmony Run torch has been held by many prominent people including Lord Sebastian Coe and the Olympic runner Paula Radcliffe. Her Majesty the Queen held the torch at the VE Day celebrations in 1995 and used it to light the Beacon in Hyde Park. For more information, visit the World Harmony Run website.

Best moment
The intense feeling of connecting with people across the world at Eden’s Africa Calling Live 8 concert in 2005. I stood next to my great friend and mentor Richard Sandbrook watching Nelson Mandela beamed live by satellite, with all the artists and the crowd singing Nkosi Sikelei l’Afrika. For me, that concert symbolises what a small determined group of people can achieve in the space of three weeks if they go for it.

Hairiest moment
Learning that many of our neighbours did not share Eden’s enthusiasm for large-scale wind power. When our new Energy Manager arrived in 2008 with fresh determination to reduce our carbon footprint, we got terribly enthusiastic about installing a statement-making 2MW large wind turbine that would have stood 125 metres high above the pit. So we set off to our local village hall armed with tea and cake and comment forms that could be turned into paper windmills – and it soon became clear that we shouldn’t proceed with the plans.

Despite feeling dejected at the time, I know we did the right thing by pulling out; there is no point advocating community consultation if all you really want is to rubber-stamp your ideas.

I’m glad we went back to the drawing board, because we’re now even more excited – as are our neighbours – about the prospect of our planned deep geothermal plant on site.

Most proud of
All the little things that our staff do, that don’t make the headlines but reflect the spirit of the Eden team. Like last summer when a couple of stewards saw a big family group head up stairs across the roof of the Biome to the Rainforest Lookout, leaving behind one of their gang in a wheelchair. Quick as a flash they mobilised to get the disabled guy harnessed up to the canopy balloon to be able to wave to his mates on the platform – an unforgettable experience that made their visit truly special.

Hopes for the next decade
That we can translate our success in engaging visitors here at our ‘wow’ destination into mobilising all sorts of organisations, businesses and schools to make the transition to a greener way of living in the next 10 years.

We’ve started doing this through Green Foundation, our 10-day sustainability course for small Cornish businesses. We’re already seeing positive results from the networking opportunity it provides, with participants from different businesses working together to solve operational problems, save money and support each other on their low-carbon journey.

Photos, top to bottom: Nelson Mandela beamed live to Africa Calling; Eden’s wind turbine consultation; our planned geothermal plant; a member of staff engaging with visitors from a homeless shelter; helping a disabled visitor; the rainforest canopy balloon; participants on the Green Foundation programme.

Find out about Eden’s Green Foundation programme and our exciting plans for a geothermal plant.

The Eden Project is all about human survival; about what we can do to stop the perils like the hole in the ozone. We need projects like this worldwide to interest us enough in our own survival so that we can start coming together to take meaningful action.

Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

1. There is a time and a place to go for it. Never waste a moment. Pause for nothing and trust your own eye for the best route forward.

2. Life is too short to waste time on second-class ambitions. Go for the big ones, even if that means a higher failure rate.

3. It is easier to avoid fear than to overcome it.

4. When packing your backpack in hot sunshine, always include gear for a storm.

5. Don’t be put off by all the apparent obstacles. The very act of starting the ball rolling will shift quite a few of them.

Only by making up our minds as a world, brought on by sparks at centres like the Eden Project, can we get together and save ourselves in time.

Check out what Eden is doing about climate change. Learn more about survival in one of Eden’s school workshops, which use our fantastic site as a living classroom.

I was always told that if I looked after my pennies, the pounds would look after themselves. Recently I decided to explore this idea properly, so I came up with Project 1p, a one-year bartering experiment.

On 1 January I set out with a one pence piece and an ambition to trade this ‘worthless’ item for something greater – as many times as I could within the next 365 days.

So far I’ve managed to do the following trades:

• My 1p…
• for some goldfish my friend didn’t have a bowl for…
• for a guitar from a man desperate for a pet he could keep in his rented flat…
• for a bike…
• for 10 square metres of land in Bulgaria…
• for the skilled labour of a metal fabricator…
• for a 1 week eco holiday in a yurt in France…
• for a portrait, made with thousands of pennies, of former HBOS CEO Andy Hornby, a man who himself lost trillions of pennies

I love the idea that something seemingly worthless actually has some value or at least the potential to become something valuable.

But it’s not just about getting the maximum value out of the trades. Bartering creates a sense of mutual benefit for everyone involved. It allows you to see beyond the price tag and consider what an item is truly worth. Not to mention the fact that it can be a great way to recycled your unwanted belongings.

If you fancy giving it a go, there’s a whole host of online swapping and sharing websites out there. Someone could be looking for just what you can offer. The phrase ‘one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure’ has never made so much sense.

p.s. When I visited the Eden Project…
…it inspired me to think about what is really possible instead of making assumptions about what is impossible. It also made me want to live inside a giant greenhouse.

Luke Seall is a gardener from Brighton and founder of Project 1p, which runs from 1 January, 2011 – 31 December 2011.

Try your hand at swapping at Eden’s Cafe in St Austell, where we’ve set up a fantastic book exchange.

As a surfer and coastal dweller I’ve become ever closer to the beach near my house in recent years. In the summer it provides us with a few handfuls of fresh prawns, the occasional lobster, a lucky catch of mackerel and perhaps, if we’re feeling brave, a crab or two. Maybe even some seaweed to nibble on.

The beach has inspired me to find out more about the environment, the edible seashore and the great outdoors and has actually helped to shape my thoughts on food, sustainability and eating fresh. It was my research station when I was writing The Camper Van Cookbook and has provided the backdrop for many photo shoots. It is a quiet and unassuming star.

It has even helped my girls, Maggie and Charlie, understand where their food comes from. They learn about it, they catch it, they eat it. It is the very best classroom, if you ask me.

The beach has also given me colds and flu. There was the day I tested a waterproof coat for a surf magazine in the waterfall, in January. I got another bout on the sunny, crowdless day in May when we stripped off our worldly clobber and dashed into the sea with abandon. After the sharp intake of breath and the goose bumps, there was no freedom like it.

We’ve had parties and get-togethers, when our friends and neighbours have gathered for burgers, driftwood fires and an afternoon under a big blue summer sky. At the other end of the year the beach has given us exercise when we needed it most. Bob, our dog, runs and runs and runs, happy to be free, happy to be a dog on a huge beach. After winter storms big swells bring waves for us to ride. I am, and always will be, happy to be a surfer on a deserted beach. It doesn’t happen often, but enough to keep us on the lookout for perfect conditions.

There’s a lot to be thankful for, for this little Eden we have at the end of our road. The beach treats us well. It, like all the beaches that have helped to make us who we are, gives us so much and asks for nothing in return.

But of course there is a lot we can do for our beaches. It might be beautiful but we still get plastics washing up. In a clean up in spring 2009 the children of our local primary school picked up almost 1500 pieces of rubbish from a 100 yard stretch. They did the same the following year.

I’ve been doing it too. It’s nothing difficult or time consuming or painful, just a little thank you for the happy memories that the beach has given me: a plastic bottle for every good wave or fun time that I’ve had. The bottle goes in the recycling, no questions asked. I’m not apportioning blame or getting annoyed because there are no litter bins. I’m just demonstrating my thanks.

When I visited The Eden Project recently I sat in a recycled plastic chair in Jo’s Cafe and wondered if any of the bottles I had picked up over the years had made the grade. Could they be a part of the chair I was now sitting on? I really hoped so.

It’s a wild thought isn’t it? Like the water that gets drunk seven times before it comes to us. It’s amazing to think that the cast aside and the used up could have more left in it for another day.

How about it? Have you had a great day out at the beach recently? Caught any nice waves? I’m sure there’s room in your bag for just one more happy memory.

p.s. It took me 10 years to get to see the Eden Project…
…but it was worth the wait. As someone who loves the natural environment, getting out and about, and making the most of every moment, I can’t see how anyone can fail to be moved by Eden. It is just so huge – in every way. To have so much love, knowledge and beauty in one place is astounding.

Martin Dorey is a surfer and a writer from North Devon. His BBC TV programme, One Man and his Campervan, which saw him cook, fish, forage and camp all around the UK in his beloved VW, was transmitted in February.

See how Eden has created amazing things with waste at our visitor attraction in Cornwall.

After doing a degree in economics and learning about Gandhi’s efforts to live modestly and as self-sufficiently as possible, Mark decided to ‘be the change you want to see in the world’ and vowed to live without money for a year.

More than two and a half years later, he’s still thriving in this foraging, scavenging, bartering lifestyle.

He runs his laptop and shower off solar power; grows and forages food; cooks on a stove made of giant olive tins, and makes toothpaste from cuttlefish and fennel seeds.

Explore the things that Mark does to get by – a fascinating mix of the old and the new.

‘A moneyless life is not a new idea,’ reminds Mark. ‘Indeed it is the system of money itself that is the new development, having existed for only a small fraction of human history.’

He adds: ‘Happy 10th Anniversary, it’s incredible what you all have achieved in that time, very well done.’

Mark continues to live without money and his written a book about his experience, The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living. He also runs the Freeconomy Community,  a website aiming to help reconnect people in their local communities through the simple act of sharing. Watch a video about how Mark survives.

Learn more about the weird, wonderful - and free - things the natural world does to help us survive. Take part in one of Eden’s schools workshops.

One of the things worth celebrating as Eden marks its 10th birthday is that it is the rare embodiment of what we know as a ‘grand vision’, the sort that we usually associate with the Victorians.

The first time I heard about the Eden Project was sometime in 1995 when word began to spread locally about a plan to build some ‘giant greenhouses’ at the soon-to-close Bodelva china clay works.

I had grown up on a lane that’s just a few hundred yards from the lip of what was then a still active mine. (As a child, I used to walk the family dog and pick blackberries on the bridle path that now runs down from one of car parks. The view down the slope was a little different back then!)

I lived in London at the time, but my parents told me that Tim Smit had presented his vision to a doubting public in the local village hall. There, the general feeling was that an alternative proposal to turn the pit into a landfill site might suit the area better, producing more jobs locally and creating far less traffic than a big new tourist attraction.

It generated just such a debate within my own family: we had concerns about the fledgling plans to build a cable car through our valley to deliver visitors from St Austell station, but we could see how Tim’s vision was certainly a vast improvement on a rubbish dump. And as for the creation of jobs, well, from a personal perspective, my father ended up working for Eden and, by complete coincidence (given my geographical connections), Eden has co-published three of my books.

Throw in the fact that I live close by once more, and that my children endlessly nag me to take them for a visit, you could say that Eden’s been something of a permanent fixture in my life over this period of time.

Fifteen years on and it’s hard to imagine Tim’s vision ever getting off the ground today – let alone becoming an internationally respected icon of Britain. It’s easy to become complacent about the impact Eden has had – or forget that it was once just an idea in someone’s head.

But, as someone who regularly writes about the environmental problems we now face as a species, I still find that my visits to Eden – even though I’ve been dozens of times – fill me with that all-important human emotion: hope.

Happy Birthday, Eden.

Leo Hickman is a journalist with the Guardian, writing regularly on ethical issues. He has also authored three books on the theme, co-published by Eden Project Books.

See how Eden has grown from a clay pit to a renowned tourist attraction: browse the slideshow of our first 10 years.