Biodynamic gardening update: the importance of harvesting on the correct day
“It’s amazing. I don’t care if everyone thinks we are mad. By gardening this way we will be growing food with the best flavour.” “Do you think that I should mention our tests on the blog?” “Definitely. These are not laboratory tests but they have convinced me. Surely everyone would be interested in growing food that tastes better.” Danny had just done a blind tasting on some biodynamic flat leaf parsley that I’ve grown this year and some French flat leaf parsley that was already growing in the herb bath. They looked...
read moreQuick gnocchi, broccoli and prawn recipe
“The best way to test whether spaghetti is done is to throw it against the TV screen. If it sticks it’s done.” Oliver was rather wild at that point and not finding a TV close to hand tossed a strand of spaghetti against the kitchen window. It stuck momentarily and then peeled off, worm like, dropping to the sill. I can’t remember what the spaghetti tasted like when it was finally served. All I can remember is that creamy worm hunched on the dark window pane. When it comes to gnocchi there’s no need for similar shenanigans. Just...
read moreOn the Plot with ‘Dirty Nails’ by Joe Hashman: a review
“Stroking seedlings to make them stronger. You’re having me on!” Danny was goggle eyed. I picked up the book and showed him the relevant section. “Apparently seedlings gain strength and build a healthy root system when exposed to air currents. So you need to stroke the leaves of your greenhouse or windowsill seedlings to stop them becoming leggy and weak.” At the moment I’m spending more time reading about gardening than actually weilding a fork. At times this can be very frustrating but the flip side is that I have the time to...
read moreHome bottled tomatoes and passata. Plan in spring for your autumn harvest.
Back in September Danny thought that I was crazy when I started to bottle (can) our tomatoes. “Tinned tomatoes are so cheap to buy from the supermarket.” “But I’m trying to avoid being dependant on the supermarkets. And anyway our tomatoes are organic and will taste much better.” I used the oven method, having invested in some Kilner jars from Lakeland. I also hot water bathed tomatoes and homemade passata in screw top jars. But I was concerned with the expensive energy output of both these methods. This year I’m planning to...
read moreHow to get the best from your lilies
I’m embarrassed to admit that until last week I didn’t know that most lilies prefer acid soil. I knew that most of them thrive in a well drained sunny site but I never investigated the soil aspect. Again I think that acquiring gardening knowledge is a time thing. No pack informs you that you need a slightly acid soil. Clearly, withholding this information will sell more bulbs. For the past 18 years I reckoned I had all the answers and planted my lily bulbs with gay abandon. Always with a decent layer of 5 cm of horticultural grit but...
read moreUse a cheese planer to cut butter and relax
This might seem ridiculous but I struggle to butter toast every morning. We keep our butter in the kitchen rather than in the fridge but even in the summer the kitchen is a chilly place and the butter is rock hard. I’ve tried slicing off slivers with a knife but it takes ages and the pieces tend to stick to each other. I’ve cut blobs and let them melt a bit on piping hot toast. This works sometimes but drives me mad, as the last two slices have cooled enough to hold the butter like icebergs. Danny isn’t keen on spreadable butter. The...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: roast potato, broccoli and stilton frittata recipe
“Are you really up for making a frittata. It’s such a palaver, peeling and boiling all those potatoes.” “I’m not doing potatoes.” Danny was horrified. “But we have to have potatoes. That’s the best bit.” “I’m using the left over roast potatoes from Sunday.” “Oh. I didn’t know there were leftovers.” Ever since Veronica left a comment saying that a frittata is a great way of using up leftovers I’ve been determined to do just that. The problem is that we don’t have many leftovers as they are usually guzzled by...
read moreCheap gardening tools can be an expensive mistake
Our ground is stony but gradually we are removing the stones. In some areas it’s compacted, were dealing with this by adding loads of organic matter. We are digging 3000 litres of good manure and topsoil mix into two thirds of our borders. The other third will get the treat next year. We are taking turns in barrowing Denise’s Delight from the giant bags on the front drive, through the tightly packed barn and into the garden. Dull but satisfying work as I know the plants will welcome this deluxe spar treatment. All was going well. We had...
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