Sunday 30 August 2009

Not much occuring

Except for runner beans coming out of our ears at home and at Nanna's. I cannot give them away anymore, we are all beaned out!
I have even started off some elderberry and runner bean wine to try and use some up.
In fact homebrew is what has been happening most here.

On the go I currently have: apple wine, plum wine, cherry plum wine, elderberry & runner bean. I also have 4 lots of cider on the go using various combinations of our apples and those I have pinched from other people. Marc has made a press to get the juice out of the apples but it still needs tweaking to be really efficient. We are hoping to be more professional with the cider this year and do some blending after fermentation has finished, also stopping some fermentations to ensure some of them are not too dry and also add some sugar to some and kick start a second fermention for a smoother cider - Watch This Space. My mother says I will kill myself with all the homebrew (surely not, at the very worse gut-rot I'd have thought!) but at least I will go with a drink in my hand...

I also have plum brandy, plum vodka and blackcurrant vodka 'stewing' hopefully ready for Christmas.

I have aslo been harvesting loads of tomatoes and making passata type sauces and soup. Also harvested chillis, baby sweetcorn, loads of lovely carrots and courgettes from Nanna's. And squahes and mini pumpkins. Will be roasting them later with rosemary couscous... yum.

The florence fennel has bolted (not unusual I am told), and the potaoes (Golden Wonder) are ready for lifting. I have also picked the dried borlottis left on the pants for stews etc over winter.

Stil harvesting cabbage and kale from our garden.

At Nanna's I have lifted the netting from the brassicas as it was a bit ineffective and there is a huge problem with little jumping bugs. I think they are flea beetles. The crop seems to be coping though and I am picking off and squishing regularly. The sprouts see little affected and these are the ones I want most for Christmas! Fingers crossed for them...

We rescued a poorly hedgehog from the garden the other day and took him to the vets who will decide if he can be rehabilitated. They suspect lungworm which I think is not good news for hedgehogs, but at least we gave him/ her a chance.

Other than that... the weeds are definitely winning at the moment.