It's coming towards the end of August, so we're now into what I like to call "jam and chutney season". Admittedly you can start making jam much earlier in the year if you want to and of course the same is true of chutneys. However, being a little more traditional, I associate this time of year with tomatoes, apples and blackberries. Last year I made a variety of different … [Read more...] about Jam and Chutney Season
gardening
No Mow May
It's a simple idea yet its impact could be quite profound. The idea behind #NoMowMay is super simple Don't mow your lawn for the month of May - let wild flowers and weeds flourish. Why? Because they're the main source of food for bees and the entire chain of pollinators. I will be sowing wild flowers and grasses - the colours they grow are simply outstanding! You … [Read more...] about No Mow May
Planning 2023’s Planting
I'll freely admit it. I've been avoiding my garden since the evening's got darker and the plants died off. Now the time has come to start planting, both inside and out, for the 2023 season. What worked well in 2022? What was a failure in 2022? What do I want to try this year for the first time? I'm sort of excited about some of the options I'll have this year. … [Read more...] about Planning 2023’s Planting
So Much Chutney and Other Preserves
Back in August I made my first attempts at making chutney. At the time I was trying to use up ripe fruit as I knew I'd be away for several days on a business trip. Fast forward to now and I've essentially ended up with shelves and boxes covered in jars of various chutneys and vegetable based jams. So what happened? Well the tomato crop was good. It was way better … [Read more...] about So Much Chutney and Other Preserves
Preserving Fruit as Chutney
I've always liked chutney. When I was a child my mother used to make a "no cook" apple chutney from the apples in the orchard. We always had way more apples than we knew what to do with, so she'd make lots of different things with them during the season. The "no cook" chutney was a big hit, though, as it was just so simple. Unfortunately she's misplaced the recipe. I've … [Read more...] about Preserving Fruit as Chutney