Hello all,
Again it has been an age since I was updated the blog, but so much has happened I'll have to use some bulletpoints to fit it all in.
So, 2015 has been a manic year for Oscar's Kitchen with Food Festivals. I've been up and down the country, east to west with a boot full of jars and bottles, selling all over Wales. My first was in May, starting off with the Bank Holiday Food Fest down in Cardiff Bay, and since then I have attended the following:
Merthyr Food Festival
Lampeter Food Festival
Brecon Country Show
Swansea Food Festival
Bank Holiday Weekend Food Fest - Lands Square, Cardiff Bay
Carmarthen Food Festival
Neath Food Festival
Newport Food Festival
I've been busier than ever, but it has been such a rewarding year with hundreds, if not thousands of new customers who have tried my products and fallen completely and utterly in love. That definitely makes the 16 hour days worthwhile. I've also started stocking a Farm Shop in North Wales called Bodnant Welsh Foods (www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk) which has been a huge step for Oscar's Kitchen in both production, and publicity. Plus, our own little shop in the heart of Pontarddulais is thriving as more and more crafters and artisans are joining (have a look here - https://www.facebook.com/crefftauybont).
As business has been going so well, and Food Festivals are happening weekly and Oscar's Kitchen is getting bigger and better, I figured it was time to take the next step - by getting an e-commerce website! Copper Bay Creative (http://www.copperbaycreative.co.uk) have been busy building a website for me as a new outlet to sell my jars and bottles; they've also done a huge rebranding by updating and modernising Oscar's Kitchen logo and labels. From October onwards (fingers crossed) I'll have stunning printed labels and tags for all my jars, along with helpful new leaflets, professional business cards and eye-catching banners for my events. I cannot wait! So keep an eye on www.oscars-kitchen.co.uk :)
My next event is the Conwy Feast (www.conwyfeast.co.uk) which is in North Wales on October 24-25th. I've never done this one before, and since my recent stocking with Bodnant Welsh Food, I'm even more excited to go up North to a food event and establish a customer base up there. It will also be my first event with my new Christmas stock!
This year I'm currently doing 4 Christmas markets:
Cardiff Christmas Market (http://www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com) - November 29th - December 12th
Llandeilo Edwardian Christmas Fair - November 28-29th
Bury St. Edmunds Christmas Fair (http://www.burystedmundschristmasfayre.co.uk) - November 26-29th
Merthyr Tydfil Christmas Market (http://www.welovemerthyr.co.uk/public/event/winter-market-and-skating-rink) - December 5th
On a personal note, Ben and I have bought our first house! We moved in in August, and although we're still living out of some boxes, its already our wonderful little home. And it has a beautiful (or will be beautiful when I've finished) garden; there's an upper patio which I'm going to turn in to a herb garden with seats and tables and a trellis roof with clematis growing over; there's another patio outside the french doors which is perfect for BBQ's; there's a rockery and a garden patch with a long border perfect for shrubs and small trees; and a garage which Ben instantly turned into a gym. After moving (which we managed to do in-between two food festivals and a delivery to North Wales) we managed to get a few days holidays in the French Alps where we played cards, drank lots of beers and got engaged! So now I'm going to be Mrs. Davies the Chutney Maker. And to top it all off, we've bought a lovely new Springador puppy called Odell to really make our house a home. Oh, and Ben and I are going to be Aunty and Uncle as my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby!
2015 has been seriously amazing. Business has been excellent, and family life is perfect.
Hope that you are all well and are all suitably excited for Christmas!
Love,
Ruth and Oscar (Ben and Odell)
Don't forget that Oscar's Kitchen is on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - there are far more updates there, along with pictures, news, events and free giveaways. Follow, like and share!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oscarskitchens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oscarskitchen
Instagram: https://instagram.com/oscarskitchen/
Wednesday, 7 October 2015
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Recipes for Marmalade
I love marmalade. But sometimes marmalade on toast just doesn't cut it. Here are a few recipes to help you finish off those jars!
Warm Marmalade Cake
Warm Marmalade Cake
200g butter
200g caster
sugar
200g
self-raising flour
4 large eggs,
beaten
6 heaped
tablespoons of marmalade
½ tsp baking
powder
Preheat the oven
to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Line and grease a loaf tin.
Cream the butter
and the sugar together. When light and fluffy, add half of the marmalade and
then the eggs. Whisk together until combined into a smooth consistency. Next, fold
in the flour and the baking powder. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake
in the oven for 45 minutes.
Once cooked,
allow to cool in the tin. Once cool, prick the cake several times with a
skewer. Mix the remaining marmalade with a little water (aim for a honey
consistency) and pour this all over the cake.
Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding
This is one of those simple-but-oh-so-amazing recipes, where something so simple as adding marmalade to the bread just changes the whole dessert. For the best. We are huge bread and butter pudding lovers (I'm not sure whether this is a Welsh thing?!); maybe it's the vast amount of cream and butter and fatty goodness that we enjoy. My mother used Oscar's Kitchen Lemon and Lime marmalade in this recipe (it was something SO special), but any flavour marmalade would work. I imagine the Whisky marmalade would be a dream!
Every family has their own bread and butter pudding recipe; we use Delia Smith's. Whatever recipe you follow, stick to it. If it's anything like ours, there are alterations and amendments pencilled in all over the margins, and little notes of extra additions.
All you need to do for this little recipe is this; after you've buttered your bread slices, spread on a generous layer of marmalade. Everything else is exactly the same, except the outcome at the end.
Marmalade and Ginger Salmon Fillets
2 balls of stem ginger
2 tablespoons of thick-cut marmalade
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 fat garlic cloves
4 salmon fillets
Crush the garlic and finely chop. Add to a medium bowl with the soy sauce and give it a good mix. Next, finely dice the stem ginger and add that to the bowl, along with the thick-cut marmalade. Give it all a good stir so all the ingredients are combined. Marinade the salmon in the sauce for a few hours before steaming.
Do not throw away the marinade.
Put this into another pan and bring to the boil. Boil the noodles (according to packet instructions), and once the noodles have cooked, drain them and add the sauce to the noodles. Steam or stir-fry some greens, and enjoy.
This is a huge favourite in our house, although Ben doesn't like salmon so I marinade a chicken breast for him and that's also delicious. I suppose beef would work well, although I've never tried it. Next time!
If you have any recipes that use marmalade that you'd like to share, then post them in the comments section!
Ruth & Oscar
Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding
This is one of those simple-but-oh-so-amazing recipes, where something so simple as adding marmalade to the bread just changes the whole dessert. For the best. We are huge bread and butter pudding lovers (I'm not sure whether this is a Welsh thing?!); maybe it's the vast amount of cream and butter and fatty goodness that we enjoy. My mother used Oscar's Kitchen Lemon and Lime marmalade in this recipe (it was something SO special), but any flavour marmalade would work. I imagine the Whisky marmalade would be a dream!
Every family has their own bread and butter pudding recipe; we use Delia Smith's. Whatever recipe you follow, stick to it. If it's anything like ours, there are alterations and amendments pencilled in all over the margins, and little notes of extra additions.
All you need to do for this little recipe is this; after you've buttered your bread slices, spread on a generous layer of marmalade. Everything else is exactly the same, except the outcome at the end.
Marmalade and Ginger Salmon Fillets
2 balls of stem ginger
2 tablespoons of thick-cut marmalade
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 fat garlic cloves
4 salmon fillets
Crush the garlic and finely chop. Add to a medium bowl with the soy sauce and give it a good mix. Next, finely dice the stem ginger and add that to the bowl, along with the thick-cut marmalade. Give it all a good stir so all the ingredients are combined. Marinade the salmon in the sauce for a few hours before steaming.
Do not throw away the marinade.
Put this into another pan and bring to the boil. Boil the noodles (according to packet instructions), and once the noodles have cooked, drain them and add the sauce to the noodles. Steam or stir-fry some greens, and enjoy.
This is a huge favourite in our house, although Ben doesn't like salmon so I marinade a chicken breast for him and that's also delicious. I suppose beef would work well, although I've never tried it. Next time!
If you have any recipes that use marmalade that you'd like to share, then post them in the comments section!
Ruth & Oscar
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
May: Cardiff Spring Festival and Gower Good Food Festival 2015
Evening all,
May is almost finished and I've managed to survive a very busy month. Between juggling the shop duties, chutney cooking, jar labelling and car-packing, I've managed to spend 9 days selling Cardiff City Centre and a manic 2 days in the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill.
Cardiff was fun; a pretty slow 9 days with regards to sales but it's so much fun having time to spend interacting with customers and actually being able to talk about my business and all that it entails. Usually in these food fest it's a smash-and-grab whirlwind of chaos so having a slow, laid back event was a blessing. Especially as I'd spend the previous 3 weeks cooking like a madman and filling almost 1000 bottles and jars with various chutneys, marmalades, jams and sauces. I was staying up with a friend on mine (Becky) so I didn't have 2 hours of commuting every day which was really nice, which meant I was able to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in AGES and have some well deserved ciders.
On the 24th and 25th I was down Gower for their food festival: that was a whirlwind smash-and-grab event. I took enough jars and bottles with me and unpacked them all on the first day thinking they would last 2 days... Nope, sold out of almost everything on the first day and needed an emergency restock for the second day. Now, Cardiff market was still going on at this point (my parents were doing the final 2 days for me), and all my surplus marmalade stock was up there; unfortunately Gower has no signal whatsoever but through a miracle I had managed to get one bar and sent a marmalade SOS to my mother before the signal disappeared again. By the time I got home the Cardiff market had long shut down for the night, so I had worked myself in to a right state thinking I'd have no more marmalade for the following day (it's amazing that these are my life problems...!) Anyway, my superhero father and brilliant boyfriend has spoken during the day and arranged to meet halfway between Swansea and Cardiff and hand over a few boxes of marmalade. Phew! Panic over.
The second day at Gower was equally as busy, which is absolutely fantastic!
Going to these markets and food festivals is by far my favourite part of the job (although I do love the gardening side, and cooking is pretty fun too). To watch people's (positive) reactions when they try my preserves is amazing, and it's such a confidence boost! It's hard spending all day, every day in the kitchen and alone just cooking all the time. It's long and lonely and there's only so many times you can listen to the same songs over and over on the radio. But to be able to pack the car with boxes of jars, and go out and meet all the people who love to eat the preserves I spend hours and hours making is well worth all the labour in the kitchen. I love my job more and more every day, and I suppose that's a pretty incredible thing to be able to say.
So, now that my store room is pathetically empty, I need to start cooking again. I've made a few contacts through these food festivals and markets and have some wholesale orders that I need to make, and potentially a new outlet in mid-Wales which is also exciting. Oscar's Kitchen is getting busier and busier, which is amazing.
Hope everyone is well,
Ruth & Oscar
p.s. I'm spending a day this week experimenting; I'm going to try and make some homemade fruit gummy sweets. Will be taking pictures through the whole process and will let you all know how well/bad/disastrous it goes!
May is almost finished and I've managed to survive a very busy month. Between juggling the shop duties, chutney cooking, jar labelling and car-packing, I've managed to spend 9 days selling Cardiff City Centre and a manic 2 days in the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill.
Cardiff was fun; a pretty slow 9 days with regards to sales but it's so much fun having time to spend interacting with customers and actually being able to talk about my business and all that it entails. Usually in these food fest it's a smash-and-grab whirlwind of chaos so having a slow, laid back event was a blessing. Especially as I'd spend the previous 3 weeks cooking like a madman and filling almost 1000 bottles and jars with various chutneys, marmalades, jams and sauces. I was staying up with a friend on mine (Becky) so I didn't have 2 hours of commuting every day which was really nice, which meant I was able to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in AGES and have some well deserved ciders.
On the 24th and 25th I was down Gower for their food festival: that was a whirlwind smash-and-grab event. I took enough jars and bottles with me and unpacked them all on the first day thinking they would last 2 days... Nope, sold out of almost everything on the first day and needed an emergency restock for the second day. Now, Cardiff market was still going on at this point (my parents were doing the final 2 days for me), and all my surplus marmalade stock was up there; unfortunately Gower has no signal whatsoever but through a miracle I had managed to get one bar and sent a marmalade SOS to my mother before the signal disappeared again. By the time I got home the Cardiff market had long shut down for the night, so I had worked myself in to a right state thinking I'd have no more marmalade for the following day (it's amazing that these are my life problems...!) Anyway, my superhero father and brilliant boyfriend has spoken during the day and arranged to meet halfway between Swansea and Cardiff and hand over a few boxes of marmalade. Phew! Panic over.
The second day at Gower was equally as busy, which is absolutely fantastic!
Going to these markets and food festivals is by far my favourite part of the job (although I do love the gardening side, and cooking is pretty fun too). To watch people's (positive) reactions when they try my preserves is amazing, and it's such a confidence boost! It's hard spending all day, every day in the kitchen and alone just cooking all the time. It's long and lonely and there's only so many times you can listen to the same songs over and over on the radio. But to be able to pack the car with boxes of jars, and go out and meet all the people who love to eat the preserves I spend hours and hours making is well worth all the labour in the kitchen. I love my job more and more every day, and I suppose that's a pretty incredible thing to be able to say.
So, now that my store room is pathetically empty, I need to start cooking again. I've made a few contacts through these food festivals and markets and have some wholesale orders that I need to make, and potentially a new outlet in mid-Wales which is also exciting. Oscar's Kitchen is getting busier and busier, which is amazing.
Hope everyone is well,
Ruth & Oscar
p.s. I'm spending a day this week experimenting; I'm going to try and make some homemade fruit gummy sweets. Will be taking pictures through the whole process and will let you all know how well/bad/disastrous it goes!
Thursday, 14 May 2015
2015 Events
Here is a list of all the events I'll be at for the rest of the year; I'll be sure to keep the list updated as I'm forever stretching my time even thinner and signing up for new Food Festivals and markets. Because where's the fun in having a day off right?!
May 17-25th: The Hayes, Cardiff - food and craft stall in Cardiff City centre.
May 24-25th: Gower Good Food Festival, Gower Heritage Centre, Gower, South Wales
June 28th: Pontardulais Carnival, Coedbach Park - reppin' the local carnival.
July 18th: Merthyr Food Festival
July 25th: Lampeter Food Festival
August 1st: Brecon Country Show
August 22-23rd: The Big Swansea Food Festival, Brangwyn Hall
August 28-31st: Mermaid Quay, Cardiff - Bank Holiday fair
August 31st: Pontarddulais Agricultural Show
September 13th: Cottage Fair, LC2 Swansea
September 19th: Carmarthen Food Festival
September 26-27th: Narberth Food Festival, West Wales
October 2-4th: Neath Food Festival
October 3rd: Newport Food Festival
November 26-29th: Bury St. Edmunds Christmas Fayre, Suffolk
November 28-29th: Llandeilo Edwardian Christmas Fayre, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
November 29th-December 12th: Cardiff Christmas Fair
May 17-25th: The Hayes, Cardiff - food and craft stall in Cardiff City centre.
May 24-25th: Gower Good Food Festival, Gower Heritage Centre, Gower, South Wales
June 28th: Pontardulais Carnival, Coedbach Park - reppin' the local carnival.
July 18th: Merthyr Food Festival
July 25th: Lampeter Food Festival
August 1st: Brecon Country Show
August 22-23rd: The Big Swansea Food Festival, Brangwyn Hall
August 28-31st: Mermaid Quay, Cardiff - Bank Holiday fair
August 31st: Pontarddulais Agricultural Show
September 13th: Cottage Fair, LC2 Swansea
September 19th: Carmarthen Food Festival
September 26-27th: Narberth Food Festival, West Wales
October 2-4th: Neath Food Festival
October 3rd: Newport Food Festival
November 26-29th: Bury St. Edmunds Christmas Fayre, Suffolk
November 28-29th: Llandeilo Edwardian Christmas Fayre, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
November 29th-December 12th: Cardiff Christmas Fair
Marmalade Dreams
Hello all,
It has been quite some time since I last nestled down with my laptop and a cuppa and wrote about chutneys and jams and the garden. The past few months have been busy, both with the business and with home life. Oscar's Kitchen and some other local artists and artisans have opened a delightful little shop in the heart of the village, called Crefftau y Bont (same as the old shop, just a new and better address.) I spent a wonderful week in Cardiff Christmas Market, had a weekend in Llandeilo and broke sales records, and sold umpteen hampers and gift boxes.
Also, Ben and I have started house-hunting, and he's had a new job, so personal life is getting very settled and enjoyable. Oscar (the cat) has come out of his terrible two's and has embraced what I've titled The Hellish Third Year of Life.
And then January came with it's Seville oranges and Blood Oranges and it was time to make marmalade. I have come to realise that I enjoy making marmalade more than I enjoy eating it (and by jove do I LOVE eating marmalade!) There's something unnaturally soothing about slicing 40kgs of oranges and watching the bubbling of thickening marmalade and the drastic change of colours of orange to amber to honey-gold. It's like edible-therapy.
It has been quite some time since I last nestled down with my laptop and a cuppa and wrote about chutneys and jams and the garden. The past few months have been busy, both with the business and with home life. Oscar's Kitchen and some other local artists and artisans have opened a delightful little shop in the heart of the village, called Crefftau y Bont (same as the old shop, just a new and better address.) I spent a wonderful week in Cardiff Christmas Market, had a weekend in Llandeilo and broke sales records, and sold umpteen hampers and gift boxes.
Also, Ben and I have started house-hunting, and he's had a new job, so personal life is getting very settled and enjoyable. Oscar (the cat) has come out of his terrible two's and has embraced what I've titled The Hellish Third Year of Life.
And then January came with it's Seville oranges and Blood Oranges and it was time to make marmalade. I have come to realise that I enjoy making marmalade more than I enjoy eating it (and by jove do I LOVE eating marmalade!) There's something unnaturally soothing about slicing 40kgs of oranges and watching the bubbling of thickening marmalade and the drastic change of colours of orange to amber to honey-gold. It's like edible-therapy.
Pink Grapefruit - have also made a Pink Grapefruit and Dark Rum marmalade which has proven to be a best seller
Lemon and Lime - again, made a variation on this one by adding some freshly grated ginger
Blood Orange - such a delicious marmalade, but far my favourite
The classic Seville Orange - a bittersweet delight, used these oranges as the base for my Whisky marmalade and my Orange and Coriander marmalade
As Seville's and Blood oranges are only around for a very short time, I bought huge amounts and prepared them all in alb bags and put them in my freezer. And my parents' freezer. And my grandmother's. There were so many oranges, all I did for about a month was slice, bag and freeze. But, it's paid off as I literally just defrost and cook and bottle, which makes things happen so much quicker in the kitchen and doubles what I can get done in a day. And with the way my marmalade is selling this year, being prepared has been a blessing.
Hope you're all well out there,
Ruth and Oscar x
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Upcoming Events...
Good evening all,
Here are a few events that I'll be attending over the next few weeks - there are a few more in my diary, so I'll update this information when I find my diary...
25th June: Pontarddulais Evening Produce Market
This occurs every fourth Wednesday of the month at Elim Community Church on Oakfield St, from 5 p.m until 7.30 p.m.
28th June: Pontarddulais and Hendy Carnival
Coed-Back park will be transformed into a day of food, drinks, games and entertainment in the central field from 2 o'clock onwards. Watch the beautiful floats make their way through the villages to the field for a family fun day. Entry is £2 at the gate, or free with the Carnival brochure.
9th July: Pontarddulais Market
Occurs every second Wednesday at the Institute (45 St. Teilo Street, Pontarddulais), from 9 a.m until 12.30 p.m.
1st - 9th August: Welsh National Eisteddfod
This is a massive event which runs for 9 days. It's a Welsh cultural festival of music, literature, food, language and everything in between - have a look at the website http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/2014/
I will be in stall 1024, so come along and find Oscar's Kitchen for a huge selection of chutneys, pickles, chilli sauces and lots of delicious new products!
South Wales is currently enjoying unbroken days of sunshine at the moment, and my plants are thriving. My raspberry canes are covered with fruits and flowers; my tomato, aubergine, courgette and cucumber plants have lots of flowers and are being regularly fed for more growth and great big fruits; the strawberries, currants and rhubarb are thriving in the polytunnel. The only bad news is that my monster sunflowers have been devoured by slugs, except for 4. These lonesome survivors are being cared for with unprecedented diligence.
Ruth
Here are a few events that I'll be attending over the next few weeks - there are a few more in my diary, so I'll update this information when I find my diary...
25th June: Pontarddulais Evening Produce Market
This occurs every fourth Wednesday of the month at Elim Community Church on Oakfield St, from 5 p.m until 7.30 p.m.
28th June: Pontarddulais and Hendy Carnival
Coed-Back park will be transformed into a day of food, drinks, games and entertainment in the central field from 2 o'clock onwards. Watch the beautiful floats make their way through the villages to the field for a family fun day. Entry is £2 at the gate, or free with the Carnival brochure.
9th July: Pontarddulais Market
Occurs every second Wednesday at the Institute (45 St. Teilo Street, Pontarddulais), from 9 a.m until 12.30 p.m.
1st - 9th August: Welsh National Eisteddfod
This is a massive event which runs for 9 days. It's a Welsh cultural festival of music, literature, food, language and everything in between - have a look at the website http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/2014/
I will be in stall 1024, so come along and find Oscar's Kitchen for a huge selection of chutneys, pickles, chilli sauces and lots of delicious new products!
South Wales is currently enjoying unbroken days of sunshine at the moment, and my plants are thriving. My raspberry canes are covered with fruits and flowers; my tomato, aubergine, courgette and cucumber plants have lots of flowers and are being regularly fed for more growth and great big fruits; the strawberries, currants and rhubarb are thriving in the polytunnel. The only bad news is that my monster sunflowers have been devoured by slugs, except for 4. These lonesome survivors are being cared for with unprecedented diligence.
Ruth
Monday, 16 June 2014
NEW! Oscar's Kitchen Chilli Sauces
Hello everybody,
After a few weeks of experimenting and lots of tasting (and fiery mouths), Oscar's Kitchen proudly introduces our new range of chilli sauces! Smokey, sweet and just downright delicious, each sauce flaunts different flavours, colours and heat.
After a few weeks of experimenting and lots of tasting (and fiery mouths), Oscar's Kitchen proudly introduces our new range of chilli sauces! Smokey, sweet and just downright delicious, each sauce flaunts different flavours, colours and heat.
"Anwen"
a green jalapeno sauce; sweet and sour with a good kick of flavour and heat
"Rebeca"
is the hottest of the sauces; roasted chillies and smokey flavours make this the perfect sauce for any BBQ
"Marina"
a scotch bonnet sauce sweetened with fruit and flavoured with citrus. A beautifully bright sauce which matches its boisterous heat
I can't believe how much fun it was to make these chilli sauces; the smells of the chillies, spices, fruits, and herbs was just staggering and utterly divine. And the colours! My goodness, they really do look as good as they taste.
Wishing you all well,
Ruth
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
May: What's Been Going On
May has come and gone. I don't know where it's gone, but I certainly know what I've been doing! The garden has really come alive, and the kitchen has been busier than ever.
In the Kitchen
The wedding favours that I had made in April were delivered to the bride and groom to be. I made Raspberry Jam for the ladies, and Caramelised Red Onion Chutney for the gentlemen.
The wedding was on the 17th of May, was really lovely as I got to dress up and wear heels, which was really strange as I'm used to flip-flops or wellies.
This is us (Ruth and Ben) before heading to the wedding. It was Ben's father's wedding, which is why he's so dressed up.
Once the wedding favours were finished and delivered, it was time to replenish my dwindling stock. First on the list was my Mixed Fruit Chutney which has dried apricots and coriander seeds. It's smells delicious and tastes absolutely divine: it has actually become more popular than the Caramelised Red Onion Chutney.
I made two batches (which is about 18-20 jars). I already need to make more.
This is Lemon Chutney. Lemons and spices are cooked together and allowed to mature for a few months before eating. So far, mine have been maturing for 2 weeks, so have at least another 8 weeks before I'll sell them.
The final product. Irresistible.
I've been wanting to make some chilli sauces for a while, so this month I began some experimentation. I used different chillies, different fruits and vegetables to make some chilli concoctions. These are the results.
I also made some Rhubarb and Ginger Jelly. There's something quite perfect about pink food.
In the Kitchen
The wedding favours that I had made in April were delivered to the bride and groom to be. I made Raspberry Jam for the ladies, and Caramelised Red Onion Chutney for the gentlemen.
The wedding was on the 17th of May, was really lovely as I got to dress up and wear heels, which was really strange as I'm used to flip-flops or wellies.
This is us (Ruth and Ben) before heading to the wedding. It was Ben's father's wedding, which is why he's so dressed up.
Once the wedding favours were finished and delivered, it was time to replenish my dwindling stock. First on the list was my Mixed Fruit Chutney which has dried apricots and coriander seeds. It's smells delicious and tastes absolutely divine: it has actually become more popular than the Caramelised Red Onion Chutney.
I made two batches (which is about 18-20 jars). I already need to make more.
It was time for some new products to go on to the Oscar's Kitchen menu this month. I did some recipe hunting and found some delicious chutneys which would go down well - excuse the pun.
This is Lemon Chutney. Lemons and spices are cooked together and allowed to mature for a few months before eating. So far, mine have been maturing for 2 weeks, so have at least another 8 weeks before I'll sell them.
The colour change throughout cooking was amazing; at first, it was quite bright and vivid, then it mellowed and took on a deliciously dark and caramelised colour. The smells, again, were wonderful.
The final product. Irresistible.
I then made two beetroot chutneys; one was a Beetroot, Orange and Chilli Chutney, and the other was a Beetroot and Wasabi Chutney.
Left to right: Spiced Apple Chutney, Summer Vegetable Chutney, Green Tomato Chutney and Mixed Fruit Chutney
Jalapeno sauce - a sweet and sour hot sauce
Smoked chilli and chocolate sauce
Caribbean Jerk sauce
Peach and Scotch Bonnet sauce
In June I will start making batches of these and bottling them up for sale. I have a few large events throughout the summer (starting next month and carrying on until September) including a massive National event which lasts 9 days! Will need a lot of bottles for that.
My favourite is the smoked chilli and chocolate sauce, its lush.
Not forgetting all things sweet, there has been more Citrus Fruits Marmalade in the Kitchen than you could shake a stick at.
I also made some Rhubarb and Ginger Jelly. There's something quite perfect about pink food.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
A Day in the Garden...
I've had quite a busy day in the garden today; weeding, transplanting, watering and whatnot.
First and foremost was planting out my chicory. These are plants from last year, and they have very solid roots now which is perfect. The variety is "Witloof" which is good for cut-and-come-again leaves and also to be forced in the winter to create long, white spear headed lettuces.
Pretty little plug-plants!
Up the back of the garden I have a 4m x 2m raised bed, in which I grew my pumpkins, squash and courgettes last year. This year, I am changing it to a soft fruit bed as it is a warmer spot with better soil and more sunshine.
I moved some of my healthiest strawberry plants and planted them in three rows. I have a few more to plant, so I will have 3 or 4 rows in total.
When the plants start growing runners, these will be pinned to the ground so that they develop roots and grow into new strawberry plants. Older, less fruitful plants, will be dug up and composted, and the new young plants will take their place.
I put together a new mini-greenhouse which is on my patio (with my salad boxes and fig tree).
Finally, I wanted to sow some sunflower seeds. I saved these seeds from a few flowers from last year, more than enough for this year!
There's about 42 sunflower seeds there, which sounds excessive, but slugs demolished most of my sunflowers last year before they even grew a foot tall, so I'm hoping that even if this happens again, I should still have enough sunflowers to plant out.
There is still plenty to be done in my garden; I have raspberry canes to move and gooseberry bushes to move as well. Not looking forward to that!
Ruth
First and foremost was planting out my chicory. These are plants from last year, and they have very solid roots now which is perfect. The variety is "Witloof" which is good for cut-and-come-again leaves and also to be forced in the winter to create long, white spear headed lettuces.
Pretty little plug-plants!
Up the back of the garden I have a 4m x 2m raised bed, in which I grew my pumpkins, squash and courgettes last year. This year, I am changing it to a soft fruit bed as it is a warmer spot with better soil and more sunshine.
I moved some of my healthiest strawberry plants and planted them in three rows. I have a few more to plant, so I will have 3 or 4 rows in total.
When the plants start growing runners, these will be pinned to the ground so that they develop roots and grow into new strawberry plants. Older, less fruitful plants, will be dug up and composted, and the new young plants will take their place.
Finally, I wanted to sow some sunflower seeds. I saved these seeds from a few flowers from last year, more than enough for this year!
There's about 42 sunflower seeds there, which sounds excessive, but slugs demolished most of my sunflowers last year before they even grew a foot tall, so I'm hoping that even if this happens again, I should still have enough sunflowers to plant out.
There is still plenty to be done in my garden; I have raspberry canes to move and gooseberry bushes to move as well. Not looking forward to that!
Ruth
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Attracting Wildlife to the Garden
Hello everyone,
I've spent quite a bit of time writing today's blog as the subject is something I not only find very interesting and fun, but also incredibly important. It's about boosting and attracting British wildlife back into our gardens.
I always remember having loads of wildlife in my garden when I was younger; voles, bumble bees, butterflies, slow worms, frogs and all sorts were always jumping, flying and running around the garden. Then we moved to a house with a larger garden and the wildlife was overwhelming! My parents bought me a British Wildlife book and I would spend hours exploring the garden to see how many different species I could find.
However, in recent years I have most certainly seen a decline in wildlife in my garden. The swarms of butterflies aren't there anymore, neither are dozens of bumblebees that would torment my dogs, nor the slow worms that would appear from nowhere only to quickly disappear again. Now, the only wildlife I see are the half chewed mice my cat brings me.
So how on earth do I get them back? Wildlife is essential for our gardens; they prey on the bugs and aphids and horrible little things which will attack fruits and vegetables. They also pollinate trees and flowers which again helps the garden.
With a a bit of research and doodling, I have compiled a list of ways to get the wildlife back in our gardens.
With a a bit of research and doodling, I have compiled a list of ways to get the wildlife back in our gardens.
Here are some ideas on how to attract certain species:
Butterflies
These colourful beauties love flowers with plenty of pollen and nectar, so flower choices should revolve around this. Bright colours will not only make your garden beautiful, but will also attract a range of butterflies, which have seen a decrease in population in recent years, especially the Monarch butterfly. Plants flowers that will be in bloom from spring until autumn so as to give a long season of foods for the butterflies. Hopefully this small gesture will help the butterfly population, as a garden, in my opinion, is incomplete without them.
Bees
Bumble bees are such lovely little things, it's such a pity there aren't as many of them around. So, to boost their numbers, plant flowers such as foxglove and honeysuckle to welcome them into your home.
Birds
A good way to attract a variety of birds to your garden is to have bird feeders available throughout the year. Bird boxes are also a good way to encourage birds to continuously inhabit your garden, and bird baths are an excellent attraction for birds.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are such pretty little creatures and are friends to gardeners as they eat slugs. They like dark and warm nests, so to build a little home for them is simple enough. A conical shaped log pile would be perfect as it would shelter them from the cold and from rain, and would also provide space for them to move about and have their little hedgehogs (or hoglets, but I think that's a horrible name for such cute little spike-balls). Any pile of sticks, branches, leaves or logs would be a good home for them, however, if you're thinking of burning the pile of wood in the future, please make sure there are no animals in there before you light it. Nobody should have the death of hedgehogs on their conscience.
If you come across a little hedgehog venturing outside of the lovely home you've made for it, they like cat food or dog food (break and milk makes them poorly pups).
Frogs and Toads
We used to have so many frogs in our garden when we first moved here. There was an old car pit which was full of frogs, and we also had a well in our boiler room (it used to be a salting room back in the day) and frogs used to occasionally wander into the house from there. The garden was also full of frogs as the garden was relatively unkempt, so there were lots of stagnant water holes. Since the garden has been well looked after and the back field of ferns has been destroyed, there haven't been many frogs or toads leaping around. In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw one.
To remedy this, I just need to simply add H20.
I'm not going to build a full sized pond as 1) I don't have the space and 2) I cannot be bothered. However, I most certainly can build a mini-pond from a large container, some pond liner, some rocks and some pond flowers.
I will be giving an in-depth "how-to" on building a mini-pond as I will take pictures of when I do it and put it on my blog.
Not only will this pond be a place for frogs and toads to hang out, but hopefully it will attract other creatures such as dragonflies to the garden.
If you're more like me and want a little bit of everything in the garden, then these simple yet effective ideas are just for you!
Flowers
Helen Bostock, a Royal Horticultural Society wildlife gardening specialist, did some research into which plants attract the most wildlife. According to her research, these are the top 10:
1. Sunflower
2. Foxglove
3. Thyme
4. Lavender
5. Honeysuckle
6. Rowan
7. Ice plant
8. Firethorn
9. Barberry
10. Purple Loosestrife
Trees and Shrubs
An assortment of trees and shurbs will create food and shelter for wildlife. In addition to that, depending on what shurbs and trees you get for you garden, it may well be that it will provide for you and your family! What a bonus! Trees and shrubs such as crab apple, elder, blackthorn, hawthorn and barberry will produce flowers for the bees and butterflies, but also produce fruits and berries that you can turn into jams, jellies and chutneys. You can even pick the flowers from the elder tree and make delicious Elderflower cordial.
Log Piles
These will make a beautiful shelter for any little critter that needs a roof over its head, whether its frogs, toads, mice (hopefully not rats), voles, shrews and all sorts of insects. Hedgehogs may also be attracted to set up home in a log pile, although they may find it more homely if the pile is arranged in a tee-pee shape as they can happy nest in the hollow. Sticks, twigs, leaves and branches can all be assembled to make a log pile which is also an attractive addition to a garden.
Build Homes and Shelters
As previously mentioned, log piles make wonderful homes for hedgehogs. However, they will also make brilliant shelter for all sorts of insects, spiders and other creepy crawlies. Damp, dark spaces are ideal for these little ones.
This year I am going to portion off a small piece of the garden and create a Wildlife Haven. In this Haven I will build a small log pile, grow some wildflowers nearby and allow the grass to grow slightly unruly (I will have to run this by my father who likes the lawns to be neat and tidy). Then I will plant some shrubs to cordon off the little wildlife area and build a mini-pond amongst the wild flowers. Hopefully this will not only encourage wildlife to visit the garden, but also to create a happy little habitat for them to stay and benefit my garden.
If you'd like to ask any questions or share you ideas or news of your garden, feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.
Hoping you are all well,
Ruth
These colourful beauties love flowers with plenty of pollen and nectar, so flower choices should revolve around this. Bright colours will not only make your garden beautiful, but will also attract a range of butterflies, which have seen a decrease in population in recent years, especially the Monarch butterfly. Plants flowers that will be in bloom from spring until autumn so as to give a long season of foods for the butterflies. Hopefully this small gesture will help the butterfly population, as a garden, in my opinion, is incomplete without them.
Bees
Bumble bees are such lovely little things, it's such a pity there aren't as many of them around. So, to boost their numbers, plant flowers such as foxglove and honeysuckle to welcome them into your home.
Birds
A good way to attract a variety of birds to your garden is to have bird feeders available throughout the year. Bird boxes are also a good way to encourage birds to continuously inhabit your garden, and bird baths are an excellent attraction for birds.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are such pretty little creatures and are friends to gardeners as they eat slugs. They like dark and warm nests, so to build a little home for them is simple enough. A conical shaped log pile would be perfect as it would shelter them from the cold and from rain, and would also provide space for them to move about and have their little hedgehogs (or hoglets, but I think that's a horrible name for such cute little spike-balls). Any pile of sticks, branches, leaves or logs would be a good home for them, however, if you're thinking of burning the pile of wood in the future, please make sure there are no animals in there before you light it. Nobody should have the death of hedgehogs on their conscience.
If you come across a little hedgehog venturing outside of the lovely home you've made for it, they like cat food or dog food (break and milk makes them poorly pups).
Frogs and Toads
We used to have so many frogs in our garden when we first moved here. There was an old car pit which was full of frogs, and we also had a well in our boiler room (it used to be a salting room back in the day) and frogs used to occasionally wander into the house from there. The garden was also full of frogs as the garden was relatively unkempt, so there were lots of stagnant water holes. Since the garden has been well looked after and the back field of ferns has been destroyed, there haven't been many frogs or toads leaping around. In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw one.
To remedy this, I just need to simply add H20.
I'm not going to build a full sized pond as 1) I don't have the space and 2) I cannot be bothered. However, I most certainly can build a mini-pond from a large container, some pond liner, some rocks and some pond flowers.
I will be giving an in-depth "how-to" on building a mini-pond as I will take pictures of when I do it and put it on my blog.
Not only will this pond be a place for frogs and toads to hang out, but hopefully it will attract other creatures such as dragonflies to the garden.
If you're more like me and want a little bit of everything in the garden, then these simple yet effective ideas are just for you!
Flowers
Helen Bostock, a Royal Horticultural Society wildlife gardening specialist, did some research into which plants attract the most wildlife. According to her research, these are the top 10:
1. Sunflower
2. Foxglove
3. Thyme
4. Lavender
5. Honeysuckle
6. Rowan
7. Ice plant
8. Firethorn
9. Barberry
10. Purple Loosestrife
Trees and Shrubs
An assortment of trees and shurbs will create food and shelter for wildlife. In addition to that, depending on what shurbs and trees you get for you garden, it may well be that it will provide for you and your family! What a bonus! Trees and shrubs such as crab apple, elder, blackthorn, hawthorn and barberry will produce flowers for the bees and butterflies, but also produce fruits and berries that you can turn into jams, jellies and chutneys. You can even pick the flowers from the elder tree and make delicious Elderflower cordial.
Log Piles
These will make a beautiful shelter for any little critter that needs a roof over its head, whether its frogs, toads, mice (hopefully not rats), voles, shrews and all sorts of insects. Hedgehogs may also be attracted to set up home in a log pile, although they may find it more homely if the pile is arranged in a tee-pee shape as they can happy nest in the hollow. Sticks, twigs, leaves and branches can all be assembled to make a log pile which is also an attractive addition to a garden.
Build Homes and Shelters
As previously mentioned, log piles make wonderful homes for hedgehogs. However, they will also make brilliant shelter for all sorts of insects, spiders and other creepy crawlies. Damp, dark spaces are ideal for these little ones.
This year I am going to portion off a small piece of the garden and create a Wildlife Haven. In this Haven I will build a small log pile, grow some wildflowers nearby and allow the grass to grow slightly unruly (I will have to run this by my father who likes the lawns to be neat and tidy). Then I will plant some shrubs to cordon off the little wildlife area and build a mini-pond amongst the wild flowers. Hopefully this will not only encourage wildlife to visit the garden, but also to create a happy little habitat for them to stay and benefit my garden.
If you'd like to ask any questions or share you ideas or news of your garden, feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.
Hoping you are all well,
Ruth
Friday, 28 March 2014
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
Friday, 21 March 2014
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.
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
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