Putting everything to bed
This year we are ahead of the curve. Taking advantage of a few dry days, we have managed to remove crops that have finished, weed, mulch and cover the beds in preparation for the spring. The brassicas all had club root this year (NOT good)! So this bed, we are going to make into...
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Colourful Harvest
Freshly plucked from the soil, these carrots and leeks are going into tonight’s sausage and bean casserole! The Veg patch has been quite good this year. Apart from the May frosting of the beans, courgettes & pumpkins. These were resown, then the beans were eaten by rabbits, and resown again! The freezer is packed...
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Christmas Pudding Time!
It’s that time of year again! The apples are coming off the trees and ready for so many recipes, including Christmas pudding! All the ingredients have been gathered. This year I am adding the following homegrown/made ingredients. Apple Brandy, Apple Wine, Sourdough bread, Apple, Oranges, and Lemon. Unfortunately, the seedless grape harvest was poor...
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New Chickens
Our new chickens are settling in well. This year we decided to buy in six from Moonridge Farm in Exeter, www.MoonridgeFarm.co.uk @moonridge_farm, the stock is always looks healthy and well looked after. We have bought ducks and goslings from them in the past who have thrived into adults. I would really recommend. We normally...
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What a Beauty!
We have a number of old apple trees in our walled garden. One is an unknown variety and could not be identified by the RHS. However, this has proven good for juice and cider making and normally ripens September. The other varieties are Cox, Beauty of Bath and Bramley. All varieties that relate to...
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A Place to Brew
I have finally managed to get my Brew/ Wine/ Honey extraction kitchen up and running. Not quite finished. Still need to tile the floor, finish tiling the walls and put the last shelves up, but it is now fully operational. Rather than use the utility room, I have transformed part of the Shippen into...
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Rabbits Eating the Veg!
It’s been a nightmare this year! Frost killing the beans and pumpkins. Crows and magpies eating the eggs. Foxes eating the livestock. What next? We’ve now had an invasion of rabbits eating the crops! So this is where the dog comes into her own. Yes, she is a good mouse, mole and rat catcher,...
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The Strawberry Patch is Giving
This year we have had the chance to net the strawberries properly. I built a fruit cage from some galvanised pipe and blue water pipe. Its proved to be quite affective. The peasants pace up and down outside and this year the crop loss has been low. We have been picking (or rather Barbara)...
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Cheese Gromit!
Just had a lovely delivery of cheese from The Fine Cheese Co @thefinecheeseco. www.FineCheese.co.uk. Saw a promotion on Jamie Oliver’s Instagram @jamieoliver about supporting British Cheese producers during COVID ….. and going forward! A beautifully packaged box of delicious cheese turned up today! Lovely hamper of cheese which included a cool pack, so the...
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Getting Super
The bees are doing so well, that I am struggling to keep up. Over the past month the weather has been fine, warm and dry. As a result, the bees have been out most days pollinating everything in flower. The apple trees are a buzz, the plumb and cherry trees are setting little fruitlets....
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