Flower Power

Good evening,

One of my customers asked me other day what fruits and vegetables I grew altogether. After reeling off a rather long list (and witnessing someone falling asleep with their eyes wide open and staring at me), she asked me what flowers I grew. I explained to this lovely lady that unless I could eat it, I didn't grow it. By the time I got home I started thinking, did I grow anything I didn't have any intention of eating? Yes, I did! FYI: my memory can be awful at times. Despite being able to remember the ISBN number of a box of Crayola's from primary school (1050215304348), I cannot remember simple things from the last year. Inconsistent and annoying to say the least.

I digress. 

Last year I grew lots of nasturtiums in order to attract bees and repel horrid bugs that would eat and destroy my plants. Vibrant little flowers they are, sweet smelling (and edible, of course), these little beauties are a vegetable garden essential. Not only do they trap aphids in their flower-heads, but they repel blackfly and whitfly from nearby plants. This method worked particularly well with my runnder beans and broad beans last year.

This little memory has inspired me to do a bit of digging - pardon the pun - and find some other flowers which will help fight bugs and insects. 

Lavender

A brilliant general pest repellant, lavender, if grown in abundance, will even keep mice and ticks away. Lavender smells great, looks great, and if your plants are getting a bit to wild, then the flowers can be picked, dried and sewn into little fabric patches and used to keep those drawers smelling fresh. Chest of drawers I mean.

Borage

Fun to say and great to grow, borage repels hornworm and cabbage worm. It is a particularly strong ally to the tomato plant, and seeing as I will be growing a greenhouse full of tomatoes this year, I will certainly be needing my fair share of borage plants. Borage has pretty blue star-shaped flowers which are edible.

Petunias

These beauties repel aphids which are the Godfather of pests in my garden. They also deter asparagus beetles, leaf hoppers and other predatory insects. Maybe I should plant more petunia's next year...

Sunflowers 

The mighty giants aren't just eye candy, they attract all sort of lovely pollenators, such as bumble bees which are my favourite summertime critter, which will help surrounding pumpkin, courgette and squash plants. These happy critters they attract will eliminate the horrible little aphids and flies. As if sunflowers couldn't get even better, they also come in the colour red. Totally fabulous. 

French and Mexican Marigolds
The roots of the marigold secrete a substance which repels soil nematodes (horrible little things which can cause havoc underneath the soil where our blessed roots and veggies are).

Herbs are also an effective method of combat against veg-patch nasties... (and used as fresh herbs in the kitchen, it's a win-win situation!)

Rosemary
Deters bean beetle and carrot fly

Mint
Deters aphids, ants and fleas. 

Lemon Balm
Repels squash bugs and many other garden pests. Fresh lemon balm leaves also make a delicious cup of tea.

Sage
Repels cabbage moths and flea beetle.

If you know of any other flowers or herbs which repel garden pests, I would love to hear from you. Especially is they get rid of millipedes/centipedes/earwigs.

Ruth

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit...

... the more you eat, the more vitamin C, fibre, folate and iron you have which helps your digestive system and provides important nutrients to your body. Didn't expect that did you?


There are several things that let me know when summer has arrived.

1. The air always smells like mown grass. Lush.
2. There are bumble bees everywhere.
3. The arrival of fresh peas and beans in the garden.

There's something about those tall, spindly plants which defines my childhood summers; picking fresh peas from the pods and running around the garden with the dogs. Of course, I'm now 24 and still run around the garden with the dogs, albeit new ones, and acting like a child. With peas.

I've planted 3 different types of bean and a single type of pea. They are as follows...


Runner Bean "Prizewinner" - one of the most popular and reliable of varieties, a single plant will give you a heavy crop of medium length runner beans. Last year I had 6 plants which kept my family and my other half's family well fed with runner beans. This year I should have 12 plants, which will provide more than enough runner beans for my Runner Bean Relish, a new addition to this year's menu.







Runner Bean "Jimenez" - a climbing variety which has distinct pink pods. They can be eaten as fresh beans, or the pods can be dried and shelled to leave beans which can be safely stored for future use.

French Bean "Amethyst" - a dwarf variety of french bean which has long, purple beans. Adds a beautiful colour to the garden. Sadly, they loose their purple colour when cooked and change to a dark, bottle green colour. Still pretty though.






















Pea "Hurst Green Shaft" - the quintessential summer plant, this traditional pea variety is an excellent cropper with juicy, sweet peas. Sow from March until May to have a long summer full of homegrown peas. Is there anything more perfect than eating peas straight from the plant?










I do love the simple things in life,

Ruth

DIY Salad Bar

Last year my father built me some growing boxes from old wooden pallets which were going unused. I love a bit of recycling and am increasingly becoming more like my Dad in the way that I can't throw something away until I've at least tried to turn it into something different and more useful. 

These new boxes of mine are brilliant; they're 25 inches long, 16 inches wide and 12 inches deep and can be used to grow herbs, radish, spring onions and garlic. 

This year, however, I'm going to use these boxes to have my very own salad bar outside my french doors.
With summer just around the corner, cut and come again varieties of leaves will be the perfect addition to any kitchen garden. Easily grown in containers, growing your own salad bar couldn't be easier: a few seeds, some water and sunshine and you have your own summer-long supply of delicious salads in as little as 8-weeks! With regular sowings made each fortnight, you can ensure a continuous supply of fresh, crisp salads throughout the summer months.

Here are some suggestions of types of leaves that you can grow.

Leaves
Corn Salad (also known as Lamb's Lettuce): one of my favourite salad leaves to have. Very easily grown, delicious small leaves and is winter hardy so you can enjoy lettuce through the colder months. I'm in Wales, and colder months include the summer. This salad leaf is a winning choice as it can be sown and grown all year round.
Rocket: another fantastic leaf which is a necessity for any salad (I think), rocket adds a peppery, tangy flavour. It's also good on pizzas and in pasta dishes.
When I was in uni, I used to live with a girl called Lottie in my first year. She used to make this pasta dish which was out of this world tasty and I still make it to this day. It was a prawn linguini with lemon zest, mozzarella and rocket in a tomato sauce. It's actually one of the most memorable meals I have from my 3 years in University! That's another brilliant use for rocket. 
Rocket can be sown and grown all year round.
Spinach: spinach will need a little more space than other lettuces or leaves. I am going to allow a whole box just for spinach. As we all know, as soon as spinach starts cooking it reduces down into nothing, so a fair amount of spinach will be needed. If it's solely for salads, a few plants will probably sustain you quite happily. In our house, spinach is eaten in the kilo's, usually on a Sunday evening in the form of Eggs Florentine, and often in curries or just in salads. It can be grown from March onwards, and harvested throughout the summer.
* Spinach Beet, or Perpetual Spinach, is a delicious spinach substitute (and easier to grow). Sow from March onwards.
Mizuna: this is an oriental leaf with a mild, spicy flavour. Baby leaves can be used in salads and larger leaves can be used in stir-fries. Sow from March onwards and pick a few leaves from each plant when approximately 4" high, and for the mature leaves, harvest the whole plant from May onwards.

Lettuce Heads
Lettuce "All Year Round": does what the name says pretty much. Perfect for spring, summer and autumn snowing giving you a year round supply of crisp lettuce heads. As these are whole lettuce heads, more space will be needed for them to be able to grow to a nice size. I would probably be able to fit 2, maybe 3, in one of the wooden boxes I have, they need around 12" of space each.
Lettuce "Little Gem": one of my favourite lettuces, Little Gem in a definite for this year's garden. Again, sow from March onwards and harvest from May. The little seedlings for Little Gem and also the All Year Round lettuce will need to be thinned so as not to cramp the plants: seedlings will need around 12" of space each. Although lettuce heads take up more space than "cut and come again" leaves, continuous sowing each fortnight will guarantee a continuous source. Seedlings can always be grown in cell trays or smaller pots and transplanted to the Salad Box when a lettuce has been harvested and there is space available.

Salad Leaf Mixtures
These are particularly brilliant if you really don't have much space but want an assortment of leaves available on your windowsill or patio. Simply sow the seeds on a fortnightly basis for a continuous supply, and watch a whole variety of delicious salads grow in one container. Ingenious.
Mixed Green Leaves: Mr. Fothergills "Mixed Lettuce Green Leaves" is a brilliant way to get a variation of lettuce leaves from one packet. Sow them from March onwards and have a ready-to-eat salad bowl of 6 different leaves. What could be easier?
Mesclun: this is another mish-mash of small, young salad leaves which originated in Provence, France. The traditional mix includes; chervil, rocket, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions. However, modern assortments can contain lettuces, mustard greens, endive, mizuna, lamb's lettuce, radicchio, sorrel and dandelion. I assume that my packet of Mesclun is the modern variety as it came free in my gardening magazine. Sow from March onwards, and enjoy your Provence-inspired salads.
Mustard "Oriental Mix": a spicy blend of oriental mustard leaves such as red giant, red and green frills and pizzo, these quick growing leaves are perfect for fresh salads or in stir-fries. Sow from March onwards, and use when needed.

I can't wait to see my Salad Bar grow this summer and to be able to pick fresh leaves for BBQ salads and sandwiches and lunches and all sorts.

Ruth

How To Make: Homemade Pectin

Good afternoon,

It's a horrible rainy day in Wales (surprise surprise) so I thought a nice little blog might make it all better, especially when the blog is about making homemade pectin for all those delicious jams and jellies that we will all be making in the beautiful, long summer days ahead.

Pectin is VITAL for jellies, jams and marmalades to set. Fruits which are naturally high in pectin, such as cooking apples, currants, gooseberries and cranberries, won't have any difficulty in setting. However, fruits such as pears, elderberries, figs and peaches are low in pectin and so they will need a little bit of help to set.
With the summer coming up and an abundance of berries and soft fruits to be had, it will be quite handy to have a store of pectin available in order to make some jam or jellies.

The following recipe and "pectin test" are, from "The Gentle Art of Preserving" by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi. This book is not only one of my favourite recipe books, but it's full of practical information and guidance on how preserve all sorts of foods. It is a definite asset to any kitchen!

Homemade pectin stock

1kg cooking apples or crabapples 
1-1.5L water

"Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces... put in a saucepan and cover with the water. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil, and then simmer until the fruit is really soft and pulpy, up to 1 hour. Transfer the pulp to a jelly bag and set aside for at least 5 hours (preferably overnight)."

The juice which will have come from the straining will be the desired pectin. However, this can be tested by doing the following...

"Remove one teaspoon of the cooked juice and put into a small jar or ramekin. Add 1 tablespoon of methylated spirits and swirl them both together. If the mixture comes together in a jellified lump, the juice is high in pectin; if it forms small clumps, then it has medium levels of pectin; if it forms tiny lumps or no lumps at all, your fruit is low in pectin."


This pectin can be used straight away or can be frozen in small quantities. It can also be poured into sterilized jars and then placed in a water bath for 10 minutes, and this way it will store safely for around 6 months.

This is something I will definitely be doing this year, as I have already faced a few issues with strawberry jam not setting properly and also grape jelly not setting at all! It also ensures that good, homemade pectin is being made from produce from the garden (or someone else's) rather than using mass produced stuff. Win-win!