Garden 2012 no 22

Garden 2012 no 21

There’s still stuff to do in the garden before real winter sets in and the ground freezes. Last Sunday I carried out boring routine tasks, I cleared the paved area of weeds and grass and removed the deep rooted weeds from around the fence. I tidied up around the outside of the fence and cut back the over hanging plants. I pulled the last of the spinach and lettuce and threw them in the compost because they were too bitter to eat. 

I’ve collected all the compost and filled up the empty tubs ready for next year, I’ll just have to feed and fertilize before planting. I missed most of the Tay berries and black berries this year because the fruit came when I was recovering from the eye surgery. The branbles were taking over and beginning to wind themselves around the two gooseberry bushes. 

My solution was to replant the gooseberry bushes in pots ready for next year and train the blackberry and Tayberry brambles around the fence where the gooseberries were. I’m hoping for a bumper crop next year because I missed the crop this year. I dug up the carrots; they were the only crop left in the ground. These are the weirdest carrots I’ve ever seen, no idea why they grew like that but the smell when they were dug up and washed was delicious. 

They may look like monster carrots but I think they will taste good.  I’m going to make carrot and coriander soup, that way their poor misshapen bodies will make no difference, as long as they taste good the soup will be good. After digging and bottling the beetroot last week I made beetroot soup using the stock the beetroot were cooked in, some red beetroot stalks, some beetroot leaves, some of my garlic, some of my red onions and some vegetable stock.  It’s a deep red colour and has a satisfying earthy taste. I ate some with home made garlic bread and saved some in the freezer

Next Sunday, weather permitting, I hope to finish off tidying up and tying back the fruit canes, clear the vegetable patch and start digging ready for the winter.

Garden 2012, no 21, Cooking with the Harvest

Garden 2012, no 21

Cooking with the harvest

It’s as if someone flicked a switch, the first two weeks of October were like a real Indian Summer; and now its cold, wet and miserable. The season changed in the blink of an eye, like flicking a switch. The heating is on, the winter woollies are out and the soup is on the stove. No more nipping out across the road to the shop in your indoor clothes, now its coat and shoes just to put the rubbish out. If you need milk or bread, or any thing else from the shop, remember to pick it up on the way home from work. Because once  indoors, it’s into the baggy, warm, indoor clothes, turn up the heating, close the blinds, close the curtains, lock the door and turn up the TV to drown out the sound of the wind.
Fortunately; I found time in my busy schedule to harvest every thing from the garden.  I’ve picked the last of the beetroot, last of the onions and last of the fruit. Actually, there are a couple of lettuce and spinach plants left in the ground, but they are old and taste bitter, so for now, they are staying in the ground until I get out and start digging.
I’ve done lots of cooking with the produce. I’ve been saving the fruit in the freezer, especially the rhubarb, until I had harvested as much as possible and could use it all together in a huge end of season jam making session.  

The Rhubarb was mixed with the fallen apples from my friends’ garden, I had bags and bags of apples, none of them fit to eat raw but perfect for jam making. I used some of the apples, all of the Rhubarb, a couple of lemons  and a generous amount of ginger and made jam, eight large jars of it, and it tastes delicious. I did have a little help with the labels.
And once that was done, I made sweet white jam. This time I used all of the gooseberry, all of the white currant and some more of the apples and another couple of lemons.

 No ginger this time, this white jam has a delicate sweet taste that I wanted to keep. There wasn’t as much white jam but poured into small jars it went a surprisingly long way, I filled 11 small jars in total. 
The fancy white frills around the tops are just paper cup cake cases placed upside down over the top of the jars before the lids are screwed down.
On to the Beetroot;
It was dug from the ground, boiled in the pan and bottled in spiced vinegar. 

This time I made another 5 large bottles of beetroot. Last time it was 3 large bottles and 4 small bottles, not a bad total for such a small garden and difficult year.
The last of this years cooking with produce wasn’t exactly cooking. I made eight bottles of infused olive oil. Which; I hope to use both as a salad dressing, and to cook with. Each bottle was filled with extra virgin olive oil to which I added one sprig of rosemary, one sprig of mint ( chocolate mint), a couple of garlic cloves, a couple of slices of red onion, and a few pieces of chopped red chilli. Every thing except the chilli came from my garden and the chilli came from my daughters greenhouse.
I still have quite a lot of garlic and some red onion drying out in the kitchen. At the moment I’m not sure what to do with them but I’ll probably just store them in the cupboard next to my potatoes that are already stored

So………..grand total for this year is’ bottled beetroot, pickled shallots, two lots of jam, herb oil, stored potatoes, stored garlic, stored onions, a bag of frozen broad beans and a bag of frozen spinach.  What I need now is a fairly dry day at the weekend to start weeding, tidying and digging ready for next year and before the ground freezes.

June 28 2011, Garden no 10

Garden 2011 no10

At last the hot humid and wet weather has gone and we have lovely warm sunshine. It’s not forecasted to last long so guess I better make the most of it while I can. Think I understand why the rainforest is so lush………we have had what seems like mini rainforest conditions here in Scotland and the effect on the garden is incredible. Every thing is fresh and green and blooming. My herbs are really thriving; I planted a lot of new ones earlier this year. Some herbs I started indoors and some I sowed from seed into the containers in the garden. I’ve almost lost track of what I have in the garden but I h've started to harvest them more this year. I try to take a few leaves from all the plants as often as I can. This year I’m freezing my herbs in little tubs. It’s like using fresh herbs and now that I’m used to doing it, I prefer this method to drying them. In my freezer I have rosemary, thyme, coriander, basil, oregano, dill, chives, lemon balm, mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, lovage, parsley and marjoram. I’m also harvesting the lavender as it blooms.
My one potato barrel is doing well, I wish I had planted more potatoes because the little new potatoes taste wonderful, so much better than shop bought ones. I’ve thought about harvesting what I have and then re seeding the potato barrel to get  at least two crops. I have onions and garlic in containers and from what I see, they are all coming on ok.  And at last my new vegetable plot, which is in the middle of what was my lawn, is ready to use. I know it’s very late in the season to plant root veg but this vegetable garden has taken me so long to do. The weather has held things up and the problems with the fence made it difficult to get on with other things in the garden. Anyway, this evening I planted two small rows of carrots, two rows of beetroot and two rows of parsnip. Maybe I’ll get a late harvest from them or maybe I could overwinter them and dig them in the spring. What ever happens, its good practice for next year, I can start planting in spring. Despite the high winds and the chaos building a fence I am getting a little fruit. The white currants are ready for picking and the gooseberries are ripening on the bush.
I think its going to be a very poor harvest, I’ll be lucky to get enough to make one pot of jam, but considering the rain/ wind/ frost  damage I’m surprised the fruit canes survived at all and with luck, they will be bigger and stronger next year and the harvest will be better. Even with out the awful conditions they are all young and not fully mature.When I look at my garden from the pavement I can’t help thinking other people must think it’s a very odd front garden. Most people have flower beds and neat lawns at the front of their house, my garden looks more like an allotment or some sort of urban farm. That’s because the only private garden I have is this little bit at the front, the land at the back is all communal garden, shared with neighbours. The fence still isn’t finished. More cement is needed in the post holes of the panel’s already in situ and there is one final panel to go in at the very end of the garden.

My latest garden purchase

As I have dug up most of my grass I no longer need my big electric hover mower. It’s a hassel getting it out, getting the extension cable sorted and then having to make a mad dash as soon as one little spot of rain comes down. AND it takes up far to much space in my small shed. It’s too big to fit around the tiny bit of grass I have.
So I bought an eco friendly, non electric, hand mower. I thought I could save on electric and get some exercise all at the same time.
Trouble is…… I HATE self assemble……………..but this one was quite easy.

Tags: garden, garden2011, plants, herbs, vegetables

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delete reply forelithe wrote on Jul 3, '11 Your garden is wonderful !

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jun 29, '11 brendainmad said Maybe your neighbours will copy your idea about the vegetable garden. Oh Brenda I wish................but not much chance of that, I get the impression my neighbours think I'm a bit excentric.........can't imagine why :-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jun 29, '11 greenwytch said great blog, my dear. and i love the mower. ; D Oh me too Deb.............I've used it and much prefer it to my bigger electric mower. I know if you have huge area of grass this little mower would not be enough, but for me its just perfect...............AND ..... doesn't it look so cute and pretty sitting in my garden ??

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jun 29, '11 veroniquemariquita said I have found a wonderful (free) container for freezing small bits of stuff. Thanks Vero, I love when its 'FREE'..........not just because you don't have to pay but also because there is far too much waste and its good to recycle things. If you look at the little plastic tubs on my table, they were originally full of ready made 'fillers' for baked potatoes or sandwiches. Using the containers sort of makes me feel better about buying ready made fillers and not making my own . I also have a collection of yogurt pots that I start seedlings off in..............

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on Jun 29, '11, edited on Jun 29, '11 You certainly are making great use of your gardening area. Love the idea of the herbs in pots. So much prettier than just sticking them in the ground. I have found a wonderful (free) container for freezing small bits of stuff. Plastic tubs that Gerber baby food comes in. Our "baby" is five now but she still loves eating the sweet potatoes and carrots so that Grandma can have the containers. lol

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Jun 29, '11 Your garden is looking splendiferous!! THe herbs are really doing well. Yes, all the rain we've had certainly makes a big difference,

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jun 29, '11 great blog, my dear. and i love the mower. ; D

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Jun 29, '11 I always enjoy seeing what's new in your garden. Maybe your neighbours will copy your idea about the vegetable garden. I remember how good the food was from our garden when I was growing up.

delete reply djdx wrote on Jun 29, '11 I think it looks great. Why should there be a standard idea of what a front garden should look like? Go for the vegetables, although I don't know how short your season is, I think there is hope. You could maybe put a fleece on at the end to lengthen things out a bit. We ate some new potatoes last night. :-)

delete reply lrrpslady wrote on Jun 28, '11 Just lovely Loretta.

delete reply starfishred wrote on Jun 28, '11 wonderful :) we had 37C yesterday it was 24C all night today it is suppose to rain a bit hope so it is hot

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jun 28, '11 I love basil, my basil this year hasn't done as well as last year but its Ok and maybe it will pick up a bit now the weather is better. Sage.............thats one I forgot, I should find some seeds and plant it.

delete reply esoterika713 wrote on Jun 28, '11 Very nice. We have a co-op member do our lawns. Luckily, I don't have to worry about it. Although I have to weed around the gardens which means taking grass out here and there. Your plants look wonderful. Gardens provide such happiness. By the way, we planted a lot of herbs this year too. We planted Basil (tons of it), sage,rosemary, thyme, parsley,coriander, zucchini, cucumbers,raspberries and tarragon.