When Danny mentioned that I might like to sign up for Pinterest, I wasn’t very keen. “Well what is it exactly?” “People pin images on boards.” He didn’t blink, just tilted his head to one side and added, “It’s very popular with, well, women.” I’ve never been a scrapbook fan. Images on boards? Why on earth would I want to do that? I ignored his suggestion. Then I heard that Pinterest is the fastest growing media site of all time. So I went and had a very brief peek. Even though I’m a visual type of person, I couldn’t...
read moreHow to remove glue from jam jar labels
Why is it always the prettiest jam jars that have the most stubborn labels and glue? There’s no chance that they would accidentally peel off and nobody would know what was inside. And when you want to fill them with your own home made preserves they cling to their gluey deposits like stubborn stains. I’m late with my Seville orange marmalade making this year. But I have Sevilles, lemons and sugar at the ready. The real problem has been the jars. In past years I have washed them, dealt with the labels and stored them ready for use....
read moreGrowing the best tomatoes
Growing tomatoes is quite easy but growing tomatoes well requires relentsless enthusiasm. Their growing period can last for six or seven months before the first small and fragrant harvest. They are susceptible to blight. If not watered regularly they can fail due to blossom end rot. If you don't feed weekly when the first flowers appear they will not set much fruit. And of course it’s very hard to remember to nip out every side shoot on cordon tomatoes. And when do you 'stop them' (nip off the tops) to finish flower production when summer...
read moreHow to easily stop a mixer tap from leaking
Mixer taps generally, eventually, share the same problem. They leak from the base of the mixer spout. This has happened to us twice. The first time we foolishly replaced the tap - cost of tap + plumber’s time. The second time I didn’t want to cross the palm of the plumber with cash so I investigated if I could solve the problem myself. I felt a real fool when I discovered that often the leak is caused by worn O rings. The latter are small flexible rubber rings – available from most DIY stores and inexpensive. We rushed down to Homebase...
read moreHow About Snail Farming? Guest spot by Helen Howard – the edible snail farmer
A few weeks ago I got an email from Helen Howard, the Kent snail farmer. I was intrigued – what did the process actually involve? Why had she started snail farming? Do they need a special diet? Where does she keep them? My brain whirled. We don’t have a large snail population here at the cottage. We are lucky that we have many frogs and a large community of birds living in the garden. When they do appear snails are a menace. The thought of nurturing and breeding them albeit to eventually eat was a wonderful reversal of the traditional...
read morePlant trees to invest in the long term future
Years ago my friend Sylvia said to me. “The Fosdykes have their 50th anniversary coming up and we’re planning to give them a Judas tree. What do you think?” My head whirled. I had just been given a weeping tree that I did not want. A tree can be a great present if.. a) The person has space and b) The person actually would like that particular tree. So my response was. “Do they have an established garden?” “Well yes.” “Do they have the space for a Judas tree?” “I don’t really know.” Recently my friend Jo pointed out...
read moreTasty spring frittata with new potatoes, rocambole, cheese and parsley recipe
Well I finally cracked it. My meat loving partner announced with delight. “That was the best frittata that I’ve ever eaten. I’d be happy to eat it twice a week.” “Did you realise that it was entirely vegetarian?” “No. It was just sublime." Thoughtful pause. "I don’t care about the meat and still would guzzle this twice a week.” A result! I’m trying to cut down on our meat intake. Healthier and cheaper meals. Delicious is a bonus. The magic ingredient was rocambole . I had never used this before but after I reckoned that...
read moreDog poo/poop composting the easy way
I’m switching my worm composter from dog poo to food scraps. I was pleased with it at first, but the worms just couldn’t keep up with the amount of poo that the Min Pins generate. Perhaps I needed more worms or a bigger unit? To be quite honest with you the sight of the worms digesting dog poop is not a pretty one. I know that some people toss dog poo onto their compost heap but this is not a great idea as it contains many harmful pathogens. Not quite as bad as cat poo but still bad enough to halt simple healthy composting in its...
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February 14th – Valentine’s DayFebruary 14th. It’s a big day as it celebrates love. Traditionally it was the day when your special partner andor… »
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Miss Barbellion's Garden: a book review of a modern classicHaving read this book I’ve had to update my fantasy dinner party list to include Miss Nancy Barbellion. In fact she… »
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Recent Comments
{ Hi, I have just made this scrumptious marmalade. I am a bit concerned that I have not got the set right. It is almost there,... } – Wed 12 :21 am
{ hey Fiona. Hope you are well. What are your up to? } – Mon 6 :49 pm
{ Fiona, I am dumbfounded. I am just getting uptodate with all my blogs (won't bore you with the reasons for the delay). I had such... } – Sat 8 :05 pm
{ Thank you it's a great idea about growing sweet peas with runner beans its my first time growing runner bean so hopefully ill get a... } – Tue 3 :47 pm
{ Hi Jo, The download can be found on my skydrive here. https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=950831DD56DCEB87!613&authkey=!AN83pYKjaJ4Cx4s } – Mon 9 :35 pm
{ So sorry to hear about you and Danny, havent seen your site since Jan when we lost Dad/Fred xxx Time does heal, thnking of you... } – Mon 12 :05 pm
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