It's a beautiful day here 
Sunny, but not glaring, a gentle breeze and the garden is so full of fruit and veg (again) that today is a canning day.
I'm now up to 4kg+ of blackcurrants. I sent some home with Son1 and girlfriend yesterday, I haven't been weighing my strawberries but I'm canning some of them too in light syrup to be used to top cheesecake, yoghurt, kefir, crumble, pancakes and shortcake later in the year. I slice them up, cover them in sugar and leave them to juice out. Then I just can that with a little lemon juice added. Most of them we're just eating fresh.
The blackcurrants I can so that I can add them to all of the above, but also to mix with chopped up apple to make crumble.
The gooseberries and loganberries we're just munching as they come ripe. Pretty much the same with the peas. Very pleased I rescued some from my sproutings this year. Clevedon wonder is the variety I usually buy but I'm very pleased with the sprouts from the box of marrowfats. Surprisingly short and bushy. Worth repeating.
Raspberries have been really big and juicy this year. They usually do well in our woodland edge garden, but they'be been superb this year, and the Autumn ones haven't started fruiting really yet. First flowers are just being set on those now.
The quince looks like bumper harvests too.
My beetroot has grown like topsy, I grew it in trays, I think every blooming seed set, so now I'm up to five of the big deep greenhouse trays, they're 24"/60cms wide and 32"/80cms wide, about 6" deep, of really lovely sweet beetroots. I'm going to use the tops in side dishes, the leaves are so perfect grown like this. Beets I like, but I prefer them lightly pickled. So, I'll do both sorts, and we'll have some in salad sides for the next wee while too.
Rhubarb is mostly passed, and has been so good. It's a seasonal treat I wouldn't be without.
The apples are really filling out fast, and my friend across the street is having a bumper crop of pears, so we'll do something of a swap
The young hazel tree outside our fence is trying hard to lean over through the geans, and even it's got a good looking crop. If I can get them before the squirrels though, I'll be doing well.
Elders and Rowans slowly filling out and colouring up, and so are the big wild rose hips.
The usual range of herbs are doing well, my roses are flushing up again, and the St.John's wort is coming into bloom. The Chicory I've let go to flower, and it's such a very pretty plant with it's blue flowers. Evening primroses are popping up everywhere, the mock orange is competing with the honeysuckle to produce the most glorious scent just now too.
I've already gathered the meadowsweet flourish for today's drying and am near enough done with that so I can think about cutting it back soon.
My figs are filling up, the little olive tree is setting fruits and is looking healthy. My tea plant is looking green and well at itself, but it's staying awfully small. I expected it to be a lot bigger by now.
I rarely grow lettuce and the like, but I leave the wild saladings to grow and I pick from them. Fat hen is brilliant just now, but the bistort has put out a second flush of new leaves too, and with the herbs like the chives flowers added it make a really tasty salad.
Even my waterlillies are blooming.
It's a lovely time to enjoy having a garden as the big room of the house and all the fresh food is a pleasure.
Okay, tea break over, back to work
M
Sunny, but not glaring, a gentle breeze and the garden is so full of fruit and veg (again) that today is a canning day.
I'm now up to 4kg+ of blackcurrants. I sent some home with Son1 and girlfriend yesterday, I haven't been weighing my strawberries but I'm canning some of them too in light syrup to be used to top cheesecake, yoghurt, kefir, crumble, pancakes and shortcake later in the year. I slice them up, cover them in sugar and leave them to juice out. Then I just can that with a little lemon juice added. Most of them we're just eating fresh.
The blackcurrants I can so that I can add them to all of the above, but also to mix with chopped up apple to make crumble.
The gooseberries and loganberries we're just munching as they come ripe. Pretty much the same with the peas. Very pleased I rescued some from my sproutings this year. Clevedon wonder is the variety I usually buy but I'm very pleased with the sprouts from the box of marrowfats. Surprisingly short and bushy. Worth repeating.
Raspberries have been really big and juicy this year. They usually do well in our woodland edge garden, but they'be been superb this year, and the Autumn ones haven't started fruiting really yet. First flowers are just being set on those now.
The quince looks like bumper harvests too.
My beetroot has grown like topsy, I grew it in trays, I think every blooming seed set, so now I'm up to five of the big deep greenhouse trays, they're 24"/60cms wide and 32"/80cms wide, about 6" deep, of really lovely sweet beetroots. I'm going to use the tops in side dishes, the leaves are so perfect grown like this. Beets I like, but I prefer them lightly pickled. So, I'll do both sorts, and we'll have some in salad sides for the next wee while too.
Rhubarb is mostly passed, and has been so good. It's a seasonal treat I wouldn't be without.
The apples are really filling out fast, and my friend across the street is having a bumper crop of pears, so we'll do something of a swap
The young hazel tree outside our fence is trying hard to lean over through the geans, and even it's got a good looking crop. If I can get them before the squirrels though, I'll be doing well.
Elders and Rowans slowly filling out and colouring up, and so are the big wild rose hips.
The usual range of herbs are doing well, my roses are flushing up again, and the St.John's wort is coming into bloom. The Chicory I've let go to flower, and it's such a very pretty plant with it's blue flowers. Evening primroses are popping up everywhere, the mock orange is competing with the honeysuckle to produce the most glorious scent just now too.
I've already gathered the meadowsweet flourish for today's drying and am near enough done with that so I can think about cutting it back soon.
My figs are filling up, the little olive tree is setting fruits and is looking healthy. My tea plant is looking green and well at itself, but it's staying awfully small. I expected it to be a lot bigger by now.
I rarely grow lettuce and the like, but I leave the wild saladings to grow and I pick from them. Fat hen is brilliant just now, but the bistort has put out a second flush of new leaves too, and with the herbs like the chives flowers added it make a really tasty salad.
Even my waterlillies are blooming.
It's a lovely time to enjoy having a garden as the big room of the house
and all the fresh food is a pleasure.Okay, tea break over, back to work
M
