God I love growing our own

[enrico]

These two wood pigeons chicks are well camouflaged

 

[JamezF]

We have a few monster tomatoes in the polytunnel:

Some of the Polish Linguisa are looking fair sizeable too. Not ready to pick yet though. Ripening has been very slow recently.

However, we did pick some damsons and Victoria plums:

When I went to shut in the chickens this evening I noticed a few plums we'd missed so walked over to the tree to grab them. As I pulled the first one off the tree a hornet shot out at straight towards me at eye level and zoomed off over my head.

The plums are actually quite unimpressive this year. Many of them are really rather small. I guess that's down to the lack of rain.

James

 

[Garry R]

As there seems to be a significant part of the forum membership belonging to the "more mature" classification, how many recall gathering bagfuls of rose hips and taking them into school where the assembled contributions were ultimately collected and taken away to be made into rose hip syrup on an industrial scale? It was said to be far better than citrus fruits as a source of vitamin C for children. Delrosa was one brand which I recall being heavily advertised in campaigns aimed at mothers and sold in chemists shops

At 6years old (in 1957) I remember the school (Wamphray Primary in Dumfriesshire) organising the kids at this time of the year and later picking rosehips. We got paid by the pound so there was an incentive but guess the school got a cut! I remember tons of the things in piles of hessian sacks and them being taken away. Think the slogan of the ads was "Daily Delrosa" - really sticky stuff. Supposedly full of Vitamin C. Have loved picking wild fruit ever since - blackherries and sloes - loads of both this year reflecting the superb blossom early in the year.

 

[JamezF]

Our blackberries seem very random this year from what I've tasted. Many are tiny and some really not tasty enough to be worth the effort of picking. The sloes are pretty small too. We might have to pick some of the elderberries that are just about ready to harvest. I've never made elderberry cordial before and I fancy having a go.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Some of the Polish Linguisa are looking fair sizeable too

Yes mine picked up pretty well in the end.
Ive harvested quite a few already and there are ten kilos of mediterranean veg in the freezer
I tried Ananas Noir this year. They tase great but have grown really badly shaped
What variety is your monster tomato?

 

[Erichalfbee]

elderberries that are just about ready to harvest

Sadly lacking here
A syrup of Haws, Elderberries and Rosehips, sweetened with honey, is good for the heart and immune system.
It doesn't keep like a syrup made with sugar so I freeze in batches and use in the winter

 

[JamezF]

What variety is your monster tomato?

They're Amish Paste. Quite fleshy, like the Polish Linguisa, but that's ideal for us because we make so much sauce for pizzas and pasta.

Because the weather has been so gloomy I've pinched the tops out of most of the tomato plants now. Hopefully they'll use their energy for ripening the existing fruit rather than putting on more growth from this point on.

James

 

[The Poot]

Our blackberries seem very random this year from what I've tasted. Many are tiny and some really not tasty enough to be worth the effort of picking. The sloes are pretty small too. We might have to pick some of the elderberries that are just about ready to harvest. I've never made elderberry cordial before and I fancy having a go.

James

I made some elderberry cordial, for the first time, yesterday

 

[JamezF]

I made some elderberry cordial, for the first time, yesterday

Have you taken it for a test drive yet?

James

 

[The Poot]

Have you taken it for a test drive yet?

James

Only as far as licking the spoon and it was very nice indeed. I intend to make another batch as there’s a good crop this year.

 

[JamezF]

Picked what might well turn out to be the last of the french beans today -- slightly less than a bucketful. I'll have to look at the best way to preserve some of them. The runner beans are pretty much over too. Just the borlotti beans left of the climbing beans, but they can stay on the plants until they're dry, assuming the weather doesn't turn damp. Overall I think they've all done pretty well this year.

I also harvested over 120g of seed from the calendula flowers which are again pretty much on their last legs. I don't think we'll have a shortage of them for next year Just as well in fact, as I already have plans... I want to make a new flower bed alongside the barn that borders our garden where it's quite awkward to mow and I've been saving seeds for that (including some from wild poppies and foxgloves). My main expansion plan however is to make four more five metre long beds in the veggie plot next to our existing raspberry plants, two of which will just be for strawberries, one for edible flowers and one for flowers to cut for the house.

James

 

[The Poot]

Picked what might well turn out to be the last of the french beans today -- slightly less than a bucketful. I'll have to look at the best way to preserve some of them. The runner beans are pretty much over too. Just the borlotti beans left of the climbing beans, but they can stay on the plants until they're dry, assuming the weather doesn't turn damp. Overall I think they've all done pretty well this year.

I also harvested over 120g of seed from the calendula flowers which are again pretty much on their last legs. I don't think we'll have a shortage of them for next year Just as well in fact, as I already have plans... I want to make a new flower bed alongside the barn that borders our garden where it's quite awkward to mow and I've been saving seeds for that (including some from wild poppies and foxgloves). My main expansion plan however is to make four more five metre long beds in the veggie plot next to our existing raspberry plants, two of which will just be for strawberries, one for edible flowers and one for flowers to cut for the house.

James

Very nice too - are you still tempted by the 200 hives?

 

[JamezF]

Very nice too - are you still tempted by the 200 hives?

Still tempted. I've said that we should get together and have a chat if he's interested and I'll leave it up to him from there.

James

 

[Goran]

I made some elderberry cordial, for the first time, yesterday

Interesting.. Here I cannot see someone make it.. We only make syrup with its flowers and lemon.. Also we dry its flowers for tea ( allegedly beneficial for lungs).. I like the idea..
Our kiddo yesterday wanted to pick cornel and today he made fruit syrup ( couple liters)..
Rose hip marmelade/jam or whatever is its proper name is in the process, tomorrow finish.. Also left some for tea..
Again I dodged all these.. Whole day was at the apiaries.. I have to reduce beekeeping.. Some fun things are happening without me..

 

[Goran]

This is a bliss..

 

[enrico]

Quite pleased with this year's grapes

 

[JamezF]

Quite pleased with this year's grapes

They do look good.

James

 

[enrico]

Trying to find Sagitta spuds for next year. No one seems to have them. Maybe it's a bit early.

 

[JamezF]

Trying to find Sagitta spuds for next year. No one seems to have them. Maybe it's a bit early.

Could well be, though there have been some oddities of late. My wife loves Jersey Royals, which are available as "International Kidney" when they don't come from Jersey. It's been very difficult to find any for sale for the last couple of years though. I suspect there aren't actually all that many people actually producing the seed potatoes for some varieties and if several of them have a bad year then they just disappear for a while until the stocks have been built back up.

James

 

[enrico]

Could well be, though there have been some oddities of late. My wife loves Jersey Royals, which are available as "International Kidney" when they don't come from Jersey. It's been very difficult to find any for sale for the last couple of years though. I suspect there aren't actually all that many people actually producing the seed potatoes for some varieties and if several of them have a bad year then they just disappear for a while until the stocks have been built back up.

James

Its odd cos we bought them in August last year