They were divine. R.I.P my sweet friends.....
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Taters...whats taters preciousssssss
So Mr H dug where the potato plants were. There he found a few small potatoes, so we had no choice but to cook them and eat them as a Sunday afternoon snack. To give them the send off they deserved we smothered them in butter, black pepper and fresh mint.
They were divine. R.I.P my sweet friends.....
They were divine. R.I.P my sweet friends.....
Nasturtian & Rocket Salad
Two other survivors of Foxstrike, the rocket and the nasturtians. When I as little my Auntie Pat used to put Nastutians in salads, so I thought I would do the same. We tried them and both decided they tasted a lot like Rocket. We have grown our nasturtians from seed so we know there are no pesticides on them.
The salad looked amazing and tasted really good.
The salad looked amazing and tasted really good.
Drying Chillies
Following the success of herb drying, I thought I would do the same with the chillies. The crop is doing really well. I will let you know how they go, and if the same method for herbs works with them.....
Growing Tomatoes
So as I said before, the Foxes have left the tomatoes alone. The plants which we grew from seed back in March are now taller than me and full of green tomatoes. It looks like we should have a good crop so I will be busy making lots of chutney and ketchup :) Our tomatoes in pictures....
Ridiculously green.... Mr H found some pallets, and when enquiring if he could have them they said "of course, we are only going to throw them away", so with them he made these.... cheap & green... literally!
The baby plants
Transplanted into their new home
Growing strong and fast
And today....
The fruit
Ridiculously green.... Mr H found some pallets, and when enquiring if he could have them they said "of course, we are only going to throw them away", so with them he made these.... cheap & green... literally!
The baby plants
Transplanted into their new home
Growing strong and fast
And today....
The fruit
Elderflower Champagne
Despite Foxstrike we have had a fewgood things going for us. The crops of tomatoes and chilli's are doing well. The melons are Strong, but I will still be surprised if we get any fruit. And we made elderflower champagne. We tried it last night, and it was, if I do say so myself delicious.
We picked the Elderflowers 2 weeks ago. We researched the best way of brewing and as we are quite new to making our own booze (although no strangers to consuming too much) we decided the alcoholic Elderflower champagne was best. It was also cheap as only lemons, sugar and water were required as oppose to brewers yeast and those sort of things.
They recommend leaving it for 2 weeks to 2 years, so last night we cracked open the first bottle. It was fairly fizzy, though not as fizzy as champagne, we are hoping the longer we leave it the more bubbly it will become. But is was really lovely, and a morale boost following recent disasters. We have a party next week, so we are going to mix it with Vodka to increase the alcohol level and serve it as the guests arrive.
Brewing Elderflowers
The Finished article
We picked the Elderflowers 2 weeks ago. We researched the best way of brewing and as we are quite new to making our own booze (although no strangers to consuming too much) we decided the alcoholic Elderflower champagne was best. It was also cheap as only lemons, sugar and water were required as oppose to brewers yeast and those sort of things.
They recommend leaving it for 2 weeks to 2 years, so last night we cracked open the first bottle. It was fairly fizzy, though not as fizzy as champagne, we are hoping the longer we leave it the more bubbly it will become. But is was really lovely, and a morale boost following recent disasters. We have a party next week, so we are going to mix it with Vodka to increase the alcohol level and serve it as the guests arrive.
Brewing Elderflowers
The Finished article
The problem with foxes...
is they breathe! I used to think foxes were quite cute, yes they are annoying when they empty your rubbish over the front garden, but even that I could deal with. But that was before they destroyed our crops! After months of hard work we were so close to reaping the rewards, and then the neighbourhood thugs struck!
It started one Sunday morning when Mr H asked me why one of my shoes was in the garden, a favourite shoe I might add! I pointed out that no matter how mad he thinks I am, I wouldn't leave one shoe in the garden. (it wasn't a spell to bring me more pretty shoes either) When I picked it up it had been chewed to death. Broken. Ruined. Dead.
I asked the cat if he knew anything about it, but he just closed his eyes and looked the other way. Its not the sort of thing he would do anyway, so he was off the hook. It had to be the foxes breaking in through the cat flap. We thought it was a random, one off attack. The next day, my all ready chewed shoe was hanging out the cat flap, and so began the foxes reign of vandalism.
Over the past 2 - 3 weeks (despite investing in a fox repeller which clearly doesn't work) they have destroyed crops of potatoes, beetroots, parsnips, cucumbers, green beans, spinach, carrots, artichokes and salad leaves. They have decimated the lavender, pansies, and sunflowers. We are heartbroken.
Finally, to add insult to injury, not content with their destruction, they also pooed in the conservatory!
They have also dug a hole, its massive. According to some information they are trying to make a den. Wonderful, no longer visiting vandals but house mates!
The garden before Foxstrike
And our garden now.... Post Foxstrike
If any of you out there know any good ways of getting rid of foxes, please let me know!
It started one Sunday morning when Mr H asked me why one of my shoes was in the garden, a favourite shoe I might add! I pointed out that no matter how mad he thinks I am, I wouldn't leave one shoe in the garden. (it wasn't a spell to bring me more pretty shoes either) When I picked it up it had been chewed to death. Broken. Ruined. Dead.
I asked the cat if he knew anything about it, but he just closed his eyes and looked the other way. Its not the sort of thing he would do anyway, so he was off the hook. It had to be the foxes breaking in through the cat flap. We thought it was a random, one off attack. The next day, my all ready chewed shoe was hanging out the cat flap, and so began the foxes reign of vandalism.
Over the past 2 - 3 weeks (despite investing in a fox repeller which clearly doesn't work) they have destroyed crops of potatoes, beetroots, parsnips, cucumbers, green beans, spinach, carrots, artichokes and salad leaves. They have decimated the lavender, pansies, and sunflowers. We are heartbroken.
Finally, to add insult to injury, not content with their destruction, they also pooed in the conservatory!
They have also dug a hole, its massive. According to some information they are trying to make a den. Wonderful, no longer visiting vandals but house mates!
The garden before Foxstrike
And our garden now.... Post Foxstrike
If any of you out there know any good ways of getting rid of foxes, please let me know!
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Talking about herbs....
I know I am lucky to live in London and have a garden. We have really made the most of it this year, we are growing everything from herbs, to chillis, to tomatoes, and then artichokes and asparagus, among many others. Before I lived in this house I was in a flat, but we did still grow herbs in window boxes. Having fresh herbs is not just useful, it makes your food tastier and it is also a hell of a lot cheaper than buying them. In the supermarkets you pay approx 70p for a tiny amount of fresh herbs.
Currently all the herbs in the garden have gone mental! So I picked loads today and prepared them for drying. Apparently drying your own herbs is so easy, and growing at home makes it very easy to be organic also. All you need to do is...
Tie up the ends of the stalks of your bunch of herbs with string, then pop them into a brown paper bag, gather up the top of the bag around the tied stalks and tie this up also. Put a few small holes in the bag and then hang upside down in a dark place. It takes about 3 weeks for them to dry, but then you can store in jars - easy as that!
So this is what I have done - I will let you know how it goes.... fingers crossed :)
Currently all the herbs in the garden have gone mental! So I picked loads today and prepared them for drying. Apparently drying your own herbs is so easy, and growing at home makes it very easy to be organic also. All you need to do is...
Tie up the ends of the stalks of your bunch of herbs with string, then pop them into a brown paper bag, gather up the top of the bag around the tied stalks and tie this up also. Put a few small holes in the bag and then hang upside down in a dark place. It takes about 3 weeks for them to dry, but then you can store in jars - easy as that!
So this is what I have done - I will let you know how it goes.... fingers crossed :)
A Spell for Inspiration
Mr H, who is my other half, is working hard, unfair on a sunday I feel, but weekends are just another day to him. He is writing music to a tight deadline, so I thought I would make him a spell bag with items from the garden. I picked all the ingredients, smashed them together and placed them into a muslin bag - it smells Delicious! There are plenty of things in your garden you can use for all different things. This is what I used today and why....
Basil - To improve mental abilities
Bay - Endurance
Dandelion - Intuition and emotional cleanser
Dill - Luck
Mint - Clarity of mind
Rosemary - Improves Concentration
Basil - To improve mental abilities
Bay - Endurance
Dandelion - Intuition and emotional cleanser
Dill - Luck
Mint - Clarity of mind
Rosemary - Improves Concentration
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