Rotten Fruit

Rotten fruit has been the metaphor for this summer.

Back in the spring the fruit trees in my garden were smothered in blossom.  I was excited at the prospect of all the potential fruit to be gained from those tiny flowers.

In July the trees were heaving in fruit.  I allowed the plums and apples to swell and as they fought for dominance on the branches many fell to the ground elbowed out of position.

Wet days kept me inside and when the sun came out the fruits ripened.  The fruits ripened whilst my eyes were closed.

In hindsight I should have sacrificed a few fruits off the tree when they were small so that the rest of the fruits didn't have to compete for space.  The rot spread quickly through the branches infecting all it touched.  I think I was glutinous in wanting a huge harvest rather than having one that was more manageable.

Today, few fruits remain on the trees.  Windfalls are not usable as they have mildewed.  I have learnt lessons from this experience:

• Be vigilant
• Do not be greedy
• Do not turn your back to what is going on around you
• Be grateful for small mercies
• Situations can change in the blink of an eye 

Today there is going to be a total eclipse of the sun.  This potent energy is a chance for us to get back on track and live our lives with true authenticity.  I hope this eclipse is a turning point for us to respect the World we inhabit and start to treat the planet, all that is within it and the Universe with the utmost respect.  This is not the time for inflated egos or pettiness or being vengeful but a time to re-adjust, reset and reclaim our humanitarian selves.

Fruit Bowl Ponderings

I have already chopped and changed a few plans that I have had this year.  This morning I had fresh mango for breakfast and decided there and then that I would have a bowl of fresh fruit for breakfast every morning.

This year got off to a rocky start and yesterday I was disappointed to find out that I was unsuccessful in my application to be on a TV show.  I had no desire to be on TV but the premise of the show was to have your house remodelled (at your own cost) by top architects and designers and I wanted to have access to their expertise and experience - oh well back to the drawing board for me and my husband.

Whilst pondering over my bowl of fruit,  I made the decision to stop buying from my 'local' supermarket chain and walk into town to a more affordable supermarket twice a week.   That way I will be saving £'s and losing pounds (if I walk briskly enough)!

So, my things to do this year are listed below.  I will move them to my sidebar at a later date so that I can stay on track.

• Only eat fruit for breakfast every day
• Walk to town to food shop twice a week
• Renew passport
• Have dental check up
• Have eye check up
• Continue to practise my art and crafts to perfection 
• Make a high end range of jewellery
• Make lots of money (one can dream)

I hope that you are embracing the new year with gusto!  I am advancing nicely into 2016 and have set myself goals to work towards.

Sweetheart

Last year, spring 2014 I bought three 'sweetheart' strawberry plants.  I got about 15 strawberries from them.  As the year progressed I pegged down the runners into the surrounding earth to make new plants.

One year later I am looking at a prolific strawberry 'bed'.  I have counted at least a hundred strawberries.  Strawberry jam anyone?

Sun Cherry Premium

Sun Cherry Premium.  That is the name of the tomato plants I bought today.  I wasn't going to grow any tomatoes this year as I didn't get them started off from seed but when I saw the plants at 79p per pot I thought it was worth giving them a try.  They are supposed to be high yielding with up to 30 fruits per truss!

Wanting to be a bit experimental this year (what have I got to lose but a bit of time and a small amount of money?) I decided to grow one of the plants upside down.  I have re- used an old hanging basket that had a hole in the centre.  I gently pushed the plant down though the hole, put some bubble wrap around the inside of the basket that I punctured with scissors, and filled the basket with a mixture of garden soil and multi-purpose compost.  I did break a few leaves as I pushed the plant through as it was a bit too large for the opening  I have sprinkled the top of the soil with some large leaved basil seeds and hopefully they will germinate.

The basket has been hung in front of a south facing wall so it is in the prime place to do well.  The other two tomato plants have been potted up in the greenhouse in containers.  I have used a minimal amount of compost as was demonstrated on Gardener's World this week  As they are cordon varieties I have put bamboo canes into the pots to stake and tie in the plants as they grow.  Now I just have to sit back (apart from, watering, checking and feeding once the first truss has set) and let Mother Nature do her thing.

Flowers and Fruit

The hydrangeas are beginning to dry out naturally on the bush now.  The bracts are becoming papery thin and the colours are beginning to fade.  They still look beautiful though so I am going to use them as cut flowers in the house.

I was despondent after my lavender plant died but then another lavender plant at the front of the house had a new lease of life.  I now have a tray of lavender heads drying out.

The blackberries continue to ripen and I am getting on top of managing them now.  I picked 2lb of berries yesterday and made another jar and a bit of jelly this morning.  I used to think making jams and jelly was really difficult, but it isn't!  After a bit of trial and error I found that this recipe works for me.

 Blackberry Jelly

Put 2lb of blackberries in a preserving pan with 1/4 pint water.  Simmer until the berries are soft.  Strain through a jelly bag overnight.  Next day, to each pint of juice that has come through the jelly bag add 1lb of granulated sugar.  Place the juice and sugar into the preserving pan and heat gently until the sugar has melted.  Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and test for set.  Place jelly into sterilised jam jars and cover immediately with a waxed disc and seal.


Things to note:

Make sure that you have all the things to hand before starting to make the jelly e.g jars, covers, jam funnel, wooden spoon, preserving pan etc. 

I sterilise the jars by washing in a dishwasher just before I need to use them and then I place jars in the oven on the lowest setting to keep them warm.

Do not remove any scum that comes to the surface until the end of cooking otherwise you will have no jelly left!

Have a couple of saucers in the freezer to check for jelly setting.  After 10 minutes remove the pan from the heat and remove a teaspoon of jelly.  Place onto chilled saucer.  Push jelly along with the spoon.  If it wrinkles then the jelly is ready to pot up.  If it is still liquid then boil for a couple more minutes until setting point is reached.

In my experience 2lb's berries make a 1lb jar of jelly ( and a bit left over).

Use a few unripe (red) berries to improve setting and flavour.

Enjoy!

June Magic

June is a magical month in the garden.  Overnight, June's spell ripened up a handful of raspberries for me to pick.

 The Calendulas (Pot Marigold) opened up their petals to face the sun.

 Beautiful purple flowers intertwine with the fern to make a striking display.

 A self seeded poppy looks ready to burst!

 Miniature apples give a taste of what's to come.

I have a long way to go to get my garden full of flowers yet this year, but it is coming and I have many things coming on in the greenhouse.  It looks promising.  This year, I WILL have a garden full of flowers.

A Garden of Delights

 The May garden is looking beautiful.  The strawberries are ripening.

 The Peony is in full bloom.  Look at the size of the flower head to my hand!

 Baby pears adorn the pear tree.

 The compassion rose climbs up to reach the cornflower blue sky.

The most beautiful rose of all.  She hides at the back of the garden in the shade, next to the raspberry canes.  The whitest and purest looking rose.  I love her for her simple beauty and delicate fragrance.

p.s I have put a couple of questions at the top of my blog on the right hand side.  It will be interesting to see the outcome!  Have a lovely weekend. x

Dragon Fruit Part 2

Following on from yesterdays post, here are my painted dragon fruits! They were such fun to paint and I am sure I will paint them again. If you want to see a little bit more then please go over to my 'arty' blog at Mutant Trees.

Dragon Fruit

Whilst walking around the supermarket today I was on the look out for some exotic looking fruit and vegetables. I then saw these delightful looking cerise pink and lime green dragon fruits and immediately put them in the basket.

When I reached the checkout the assistant informed me that she had to hurry up otherwise she might have an accident and end up sitting in a puddle of water! She then noticed the dragon fruit.

'What are they?' She asked.

'They are called dragon fruit' I replied. '

Hey Mary! have you seen these?' She shouted across to a supervisor several aisles away.

'Yes! What is she going to do with them?'

'What are you going to do with them?' the checkout lady asked me.

'I am going to paint them'.

There was stunned silence.

'She's going to paint them Mary'.

'What for?' said Mary.

'That's what I wanted to know' replied the checkout lady.

'What do you want to paint them for?' asked Mary.

'Because I want to. Because I paint.'


I felt such a fool because I couldn't find the words to explain to them or justify why I wanted to paint them.

This conversation went on for quite a while longer with them both interrogating me about how long had I been painting for, was I good at painting at school, how did I display my paintings, did I find painting relaxing etc etc.,

The conversation eventually dried up once I had paid the bill and informed the checkout lady that she had better hurry up in case she didn't make it to the toilet! Mary then came over, shut the aisle off with a chain across it and we went our separate ways.

Donut Peaches and Cats

I bought these donut peaches from the market last friday.

They were sweet and juicy and had a tiny little stone in the centre.

Who is that trying to get in on the act? Can you see the black and white cat in the top right hand corner of the picture?

He's come over to have a nose around. 'Hello Minky'.

'What's that?'

'Oh it's just Minky.'

'Now where was I?'

A Taste of Things to Come.......

All is quiet in the blogging world.

I wait patiently for my peonies to bloom.

I wait for my sweet succulent strawberries...........................

.......................and ripe, juicy plums................

and clusters of purple grapes.

I wait for the ripened tayberries........................

and handfuls of blueberries.

I wait for a picnic blanket to be strewn with picnic food, and whilst I wait for the long, hot, balmy days of summer, of picking and eating fruit and sharing edibles on the lawn, until then.....................

I have a beautiful compassion rose to look at........................

..................and a pretty corner of the garden................

and Gizmo.x

Marvelous Marmalade

This is the first batch of marmalade I have ever made. I have enough to last me until the following year. I didn't even know that I liked marmalade until I tasted the results of my labour.

I had searched the Internet and various books for a good marmalade recipe but I couldn't find one I liked until I found this recipe. The difference between this recipe and the others I had seen was that in this one the fruit is poached before the insides are scooped out and the skin is chopped up.

After poaching and draining the oranges, the skins go all wrinkly and soft. It is then easy to slice the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh and the pips.

The skins are reserved to be cut into strips whilst the pith, flesh and pips are simmered with a little of the poaching liquid for 10 minutes and then strained through a muslin lined sieve.

The chopped orange skins are returned to the poaching water and the liquid from the fruit pulp is added too. The next day, sugar is added to the ingredients and the whole lot bubbles away on the hob for 2-3 hours.

The marmalade was potted up and lids went on whilst hot into sterilised jars. Now although this recipe was easy to follow it does take up time and concentration. It actually took me over 3 days to make as the first day was spent looking for my preserving pan, jam funnel etc etc. Luckily I already had a supply of jam jars, lids and labels stowed away. The second day I poached the fruit (3 hours) and did all the messy part and the third day I actually got around to making the marmalade (2 hours on hob) and potting it up.

The recipe came from 'The Wonderful Weekend Book'. This book is a joy to read and there are plenty of ideas to 'reclaim life's simple pleasures' one of which is making marmalade.

Not Everything in the Garden is Rosy

The rose above is called 'Compassion'. The buds are a vibrant orange and yellow but when the flower is in full bloom it becomes a soft peachy pink. I don't grow too many roses as they seem to get plagued with blackspot. I don't use any chemicals in the garden so I am at a loss at what to do apart from cut off the offending bits!

When the flower is in bloom its beauty is short-lived as the petals fall off within a day.

A few posts back I was proudly showing off a profusion of fruit in my garden.

Not so proud now am I?!!! I still have some plums intact but the recent rainfall has brought out an influx of slugs and snails.

Look at the greedy monsters feasting on my fruit! Now I don't mind sharing but why do they have to take bites out of every plum and not just a select few?

The rain has been good for the fern but it has now peaked for this year. I think it is the most beautiful in the spring when it unfurls its fronds.

This old tree stump adds a bit of interest to the garden and is a hiding place for all the creepy crawlies.

And now for the cheerful part of the post! My Impatiens (Busy Lizzie's) have been doing extremely well and adding a welcome splash of colour to an otherwise dull garden.

I love this pinky purpley one.

This vibrant orange is a favourite too.

I think Mr Potato Head agrees with me too.