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Thu 24-Sep-09
11:18 am

David B

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Wed 23-Sep-09

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Today's projects.

Collect enough blackberries to make blackberry and apple muffins, using bramleys from my dad's garden.

Collect enough of both hips and haws to make a or so of jelly, and stick in freezer to do later.

Later this year project

Find and sample some wild service tree fruit, to sample after it's bletted. There are some in Pembrokeshire, but they are hard to find.

Next year's project.

Make some fireweed jelly, from a recipe given to me on another board. Fireweed is also known as Rosebay Willowherb.

I meant to do that this year, but the weather was so bad during the flowering season that I never got the chance to pick the blossoms on a nice day. I've picked up from somewhere that elderflower should always be picked on a sunny day, because that is when there is a lot of nectar to attract pollinators, so I figured the same would apply to other flowering plants, but don't know.

Any interesting projects, guys? Anyone tried wild service tree fruit?

David

Fri 25-Sep-09
1:53 pm

KateUK

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Tue 22-Sep-09

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Eat as many scrumped mulberries as possible every autumn. Become brave enough to scrump quinces when I come across them...

Kate

Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/

Sat 26-Sep-09
4:52 pm

haliwerfolc

Nottinghamshire, UK

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Sat 26-Sep-09

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I'd never heard of wild service trees before reading David B's posting, I'm not sure whether I know them as something else but I'm now going to try and find one! Is this the right month to gather the fruit?
Having just 'googled' wild service tree I now know that it's unlikely I will find one! Have you tried the fruit before David?

Sat 26-Sep-09
5:00 pm

Toffeeapple

North Bucks

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Tue 22-Sep-09

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Try this link -

http://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/wild_service_tree

Next month seems to be the time to harvest the berries. Good luck in your hunt!

I'll try that again!

Sat 26-Sep-09
5:10 pm

haliwerfolc

Nottinghamshire, UK

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Sat 26-Sep-09

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Thanks Toffeeapple - it appears from http://www.watsonia.org.uk/Wats19p209.pdf. that the tree likes our local Keuper Marl! I'll give it a couple of weeks and then try and find a Ranger in our local wood (Sherwood Forest) and see if I can get some fruit.

Sat 26-Sep-09
5:30 pm

Toffeeapple

North Bucks

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How wonderful, do let us know how you get on, won't you?

I'll try that again!

Sat 26-Sep-09
7:04 pm

haliwerfolc

Nottinghamshire, UK

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If I find some I'll let you know!

Sat 26-Sep-09
7:58 pm

David B

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Wed 23-Sep-09

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Toffeeapple said:

Try this link -

http://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk.....rvice_tree

Next month seems to be the time to harvest the berries. Good luck in your hunt!

No, I haven't, but I have seen a tree with a few berries on it. Apparently no-one knew that there were any in Pembrokeshire until a couple of decades ago, but there are now know to be some in the old oak forest that borders Milford Haven.

When the leaves turn, I'm hoping to find more because apparently the leaves turn very red.

They are one of those fruits that need bletting (another name for rotting) before they taste good, according to what I've read. Like medlars and dates.

I'm very curious about them.

As an updates, I have enough haws to make jelly, and will get the hips at a later date. Having read around the site a bit, I intend to make rosehip jelly pretty soon, and then rosehip syrup, which looks a really good thing, to use as a sauce for icecream when the hips are a bit older.

David

Mon 28-Sep-09
9:50 am

Danny

Scarborough, England

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Sat 12-Aug-06

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My project for today:

Order replacement debit and credit cards!

Got up at around 7:30 and decided to do a few small chores. First put on a load of laundry, including the pair of trousers that I wore this week.

Should have had my coffee first. Luckily, I did remove the belt before putting them in the machine but I forgot to empty the pockets. All my cards went into the 3-hour cycle. I don't think there was much folding stuff in my pockets - probably none at all, happily Embarassed

Never knowingly underfed

Mon 28-Sep-09
2:25 pm

Toffeeapple

North Bucks

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Tue 22-Sep-09

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A 3 hour cycle?! What kind of washing machine have you? Bad luck with the cards though.

I'll try that again!

Mon 28-Sep-09
8:05 pm

Danny

Scarborough, England

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Update:

I made a panic phone call to my bank this morning at 08:02, 30 minutes into the wash cycle, to ask for replacement cards. But they needed to know the card number.Catch 22.

This evening I tried the cards in an ATM. Amazingly they all worked. Also, the printed details on the back had not faded any more than they already had. I guess the technology foresees goons like me and washing machine incidents (HE or non-HE!).

Our machine is modern, Toffeeapple, but I recently discovered that it has a "soaking" cycle. A quick wash takes only 40 minutes but the soaking cycle seems to allow the stain removal agents (Vanish powder in this case, bought at reduced price) to work far more effectively. Then again, I need to work out whether or not it is cost effective. But it certainly works well on my shirt collars.

PS: I really like the spellcheck feature on the toolbar when you are writing a post. It seems to work very well.

Never knowingly underfed

Tue 29-Sep-09
10:56 am

Toffeeapple

North Bucks

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Tue 22-Sep-09

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What a relief! Thinking about it, we don't need to sign when using cards anymore do we?

I never use the soak cycle on my washer, if there are stains I zap them with 'Shout' leave for a few minutes then wash as normal. I'm on a water meter so take great care in choosing which wash cycle to use, electricity is another of my concerns.

Yes, spellcheck is good!

I'll try that again!

Tue 29-Sep-09
11:46 pm

KateUK

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Rosehip and crab apple jelly today- only two jars from my wild rose in the garden and the last of the crabs, but, standing at the back window with my coffee this morning watching a painted lady on the garlic chive flowers I noticed the profusion of hips and decided there was no way I was going to let the bastard squirrels have the benefit again this year. So, jelly it is.

Now, you are wondering what the hell this has to do with washing machines and methods of stain removal and the length or otherwise of soaking?

Rosehips stain like nothing else- so be prepared if you are rosehipping this autumn. Don't wear your best shirt. Pinnies on.

Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/

Wed 30-Sep-09
9:37 am

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I'm going to dry rosehips in my dehydrator to make rosehip tea this year.

Also I'm going to make cordial.

Wed 30-Sep-09
6:53 pm