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.

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

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

Sowing and Growing: March

Hello everyone,
I've had quite a busy few days cooking in the kitchen, making lots of nice chutneys for you all such as a Mixed Fruit Chutney and a Banana and Date Chutney, which is surprisingly moreish! I've also done some experimenting: I made some chilli pickled garlic which will look really nice once I've worked out how to stop the garlic from turning bright blue... Apparently, this is due to the natural sulphur in the garlic reacting to the acidity in the vinegar. It's still edible though! Anyway, I'm going to try it again making some slight alterations to the garlic used, the vinegar used and I might distill the water in the recipe before adding it to the vinegar, see if any of this makes a difference. I also read online that some garlic would turn pink! Wouldn't mind that...

So, next month is going to be a busy month in the garden. There are lots of seeds to sow and I have a lovely new plastic greenhouse I need to build. Did I mention that my glass greenhouse got pulverised in the recent storms? Absolutely demolished, it's looks like a scrunched up paper ball. So sad, my little heart broke when I saw it.

Here are some of the seeds that I will be sowing next month.

Indoors

Aubergines
The variety I'll be sowing is Black Beauty which will produce large, flavoursome fruits around August-October time. I'll germinate them in a propagator and then transplant them into individual 3" pots until they're big enough to handle and move into bigger pots. I'll be wanting around 12 plants or so, and these will live quite happily in my greenhouse (if I get another glass one before then) or even in a super sunny spot. Last year my aubergine plants got devoured by slugs, so I'll be sure to grow a few "decoy" ones which I'll spare to the slugs.
The aubergines will be used to make Aubergine Relish and Grilled Aubergines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Chillies
I wrote about the chillies I was going to grow in a previous blog entry called "Some Like It Hot" (23rd January, 2014). Have a read if you'd like, but if you can't be bothered to flick back then I will tell you again!
The varieties I'm growing this year are Jalapeno, Serrano and Cayenne, which aren't scaldingly hot chillies but do have a tasty tingle to them. I'll also be growing more daring (and face meltingly hot) chillies such as Padron, Paper Lantern and Bulgarian Carrot. I might even get some Scotch Bonnet seeds because I prefer doing things in odd numbers.
The chillies will be used in chilli jams, chilli sauces, and as fresh chillies in different chutneys and preserves.

Tomatoes
Gardener's Delight and Moneymaker are the two tomato varieties I will be sowing in March. They're heavy croppers and taste delicious, which is exactly the fruits I will be wanting during the summer. I will be needed about 50 tomato plants so will need a fair few seeds to germinate.
My trick with germinating tomato seeds is to scatter the seeds, approx. 25-30, on a damp piece of kitchen paper placed inside an empty plastic food container. I cover the seeds with another damp piece of kitchen paper, put on the lid and place in the airing cupboard. After a few days the seeds will be sprouting little white roots and stems and then I will move them into 3" pots and sit them on a windowsill to continue growing. It's a much quicker way to get lots and lots of seeds to germinate in one go.
Tomatoes will be used for chutneys, relishes and to make Sundried Tomatoes with Garlic and Chilli, or with Lemon and Thyme.

Cucumbers
Cornichon de Paris are the sublime little gherkins found on charcuterie boards. I absolutely love them, completely obsessed. When I go out to France one of the first things I buy (apart from Hoegaarden Rose) is a jar of cornichons and I'll eat them with everything; cured meats, bread, cheeses, salads, eggs and pate. And sometimes on their own. I can't wait to grow these plants and have my own little cornichons to pickle!

Globe Artichokes
Green Globe produce large green heads which are beautiful to look at and divine to eat.
Violetto di Romagna produces purple headed artichokes which are very tender.
Artichoke plants take two years to mature before the flower heads appear and can be eaten. Smaller ones will grow in the first year, but I will remove these as soon as they appear so to ensure a bumper crop next year. I'm a bit artichoke obsessed, love the things, so this will be a test of my patience having to wait two years until I can harvest them and cook them.
These wonderful artichokes will be used to make Grilled Artichokes preserved in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.


Outdoors

Beetroot
Detroit is a good cropper and produces good sized beetroots. I used this variety last year and it was such a winner, I'm definitely going to use it again. When I grew it last year, every single seed started growing which meant I really needed to thin the plants out. However, I allowed them to all grow together (truth be told this was laziness, I hate thinning plants as it's the most mundane task in the modern world) and only "thinned" them when the plants had formed baby plants. I then lifted several of the baby beets (probably 2 out of every 5) and ate them, and they were delicious! This year I'm going to use them to make Pickled Baby Beets.
Boltardy is perfect for early sowing which means I can sow these from next month to start my beetroot harvest from May onwards. I'll sow a few lines of beetroot every month to ensure a steady supply throughout the summer and until winter.
Burpees Golden is a stunning, golden (obviously) coloured beetroot which is a really vibrant addition to the kitchen.

Beetroots will used to make Pickled Baby Beets, Beetroot Chutney and the golden beetroot will be made into Golden Beetroot Chutney.

Garlic
I will be planting a dozen garlic plants each month throughout the year (hopefully, if my memory serves me well) to ensure a year round supply to make my Chilli Pickled Garlic and to add flavour to other pickles and preserves in oil.

Peas and Broad Beas
I saw a fabulous trick on a gardening blog that I follow which shows how sowing pea and broad bean seeds in plastic guttering works a treat! And they can continue growing in there until a reasonable size and then be transplanted to their permanent growing place. Ingenious! Am definitely going to give this a go, I'm sure my father has some spare guttering lying around somewhere.
These two beauties or for personal use; I don't think there's anything nicer than fresh peas on a summer's day.
I'm tempted to grow some soya beans too... Will look into this.


I will be posting pictures of all these little plants and their progress as it happens.

Have a great day/evening,

Ruth

Plants and Trees Wishlist...

Good morning,

It's freezing cold in Swansea at the moment, so to make myself feel warmer and more joyous, I've been reading up about what exciting fruits and veggies I'm going to grow in the summer to liven up the garden (and my plate!)

I love growing fruit and vegetables; tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, fennel, beetroot, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries et cetera. I love the whole process of nurturing the plant, watching it grow and develop, the excitement of the first flower and finally the fruits. Its a beautiful, natural process with a brilliant end result: food.
This year, I want to broaden my garden horizon. I would like to grow more exotic and interesting plants along with more unusual varieties of vegetables and colourful fruits in order to bring different shades to the garden. Whilst looking around for trees and plants I could grow in the UK, I was incredibly surprised to see the variety of tropical plants which were hardy enough for our cold Welsh winters and relatively non-existant summers.

Figs
I already have a fig tree in the garden, "Brown Turkey". I bought it last year on a spontaneous spree and I had about 12 fruits from it. I'm not completely sure how old it is, but I imagine it's a few years old. I was pretty chuffed with the fact that I could walk out of my french doors and pick sun-ripened figs off my own tree! This year I'm going to buy another tree but a different variety; it's called "Gustissimo Two Timer". It can produce two crops in a single year with a little bit of TLC, which I can an abundance of when it comes to my garden.

Pomegranate
"Provence" is a variety of pomegranate which is suitable to grow in the UK. Therefore, I'm going to get one for the garden. Why not? In the back garden, where all the other fruit trees are, there is a brick foundation of an old summer house which was built with the rest of the house back in 1834. The walls have since fallen down and just the base and a small surrounding wall remain, which, incidentally, has become the perfect place for my greenhouse and other plants as the location in the garden is a great big fat sun-trap.

Kiwi
Up until I googled kiwi plants the other day, I had no idea how they grew. They're such weird little fruits that grow on these vines, and although they sound (to me) like the diva's of the fruit world - they require vigourous pruning and only last a few years - I think it would be flippin' awesome to have a kiwi vine in the garden. "Jenny" is a self-fertile plant which will do good in the garden. I will either grow it (her?) on a south facing trellis or I will grow her inside my greenhouse. Either way, I think she will fit in to my fruit menagerie quite well.

Blueberry
"Pink Lemonade." As if. A pink variety of blueberry! Who wouldn't want a pink blueberry bush?! I don't think anything else needs to be said on this...


Ruth x

P.S Oscar, the little blighter, had a funny 5 minutes on the weekend, darting around the house with huge pupils, jumping in the air for no reason and chasing his tail. He ran upstairs and after a few seconds I could hear some pathetic mewwing. I ran upstairs to make sure he hadn't hurt himself and found him like this...

Events in March

Good evening all,

This weekend I was taken to Llansantffraed Court (just outside Abergavenny) for a two day break for my birthday. I'd never spent any time in that part of Wales before, apart from driving through Monmouth to avoid the Severn Bridge and its ridiculous toll price! It was such a beautiful place, everything was so green and scenic and quiet. We arrived on the Friday afternoon, had the full intention of going for a walk around its expansive garden but the rain came in so we were forced to stay in our room, drink Earl Grey and watch Pointless. In the evening we went to the hotel restaurant and had the 7-course taster menu: canapes with a drink at the bar and then an amuse-bouche of quails egg, sweetcorn and bacon; fish course of halibut and a trio of artichokes; pigeon; venison; almond panacotta with plums; and finally, my dessert nemesis, chocolate pudding. When I was younger, and a lot less aware of sensible sized portions, I ate 8 chocolate fondant puddings in a row. Needless to say I was violently ill and hadn't touched one since. Until Saturday that is. Fortunately, it was only a small pudding and the whole things was doused in rum so I was relatively unaware of the decadent horror lurking beneath the cream.
The following day we went into Abergavenny to have a wander; apart from the delicious coffee was had (in a chain coffee bar as well) and a trip to a wonderful little delicatessen, Abergavenny wasn't at all how I had envisaged. Perhaps it was the rain and cold weather that made it seem glum, or January blues. It does have a great food festival in September, so I will make sure that I go up for that.

January has been wonderfully quiet; I've enjoyed catching up with friends and family (and sleep!) but now I'm starting to get back into the roll of working. I have two events in March which will require a lot of stock and so I must start cooking next month.

My first event is in Castle Gardens in Swansea on March 1st - it's called Get Welsh, and its a food produce and craft day in Swansea city centre for St. David's day. Myself and some other ladies from our craft shop will be attending and displaying our various gifts and produce throughout the day. There is also entertainment throughout the day, so I imagine it will be quite lively!

My second event is a very exciting one. Swansea Rural Action, a local action group which focuses on rural development, are holding a Producers' Showcase Event in Parc Le Breos in Gower which will allow all the local food procuers to go and show their produce, crafts and whatnot to B&B's, hotels, local food establishments and tourism boards in order to promote local produce and crafts. Its on March 4th from 10am-4pm and Oscar's Kitchen will be attending. Although it is not a selling event, it will hopefully bring hundreds of people who appreciate and know the importance of local and handmade produce.  I will be displaying gift boxes, hampers, wedding favours and hospitality size 1/2oz jars, perfect for breakfast and afternoon tea, along with a few of my most popular individual jars, such as the Caramelised Red Onion chutney and my Roast Garlic, Shallot and Balsamic chutney.

I have lots of cooking, labelling and packing to do, and many many pictures to be taken which will be put on this blog shortly afterwards.


Ruth x

New Year's Resolution: Start Smoking

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas-time and a brilliant new year celebration. We had a big family dinner party (myself, Ben, my brother and sister-in-law, Becky and her son, Mum, Dad and the witty grandparents) with canapes and a very nice elderflower gin and champagne cocktail, and lots of delicious food including a rib of beef which must have weighed as much as I do! Then we had dessert, cheese and port and Presecco at midnight. It was a very fun evening. On New Year's Day, we all met my aunt and uncle and their three children for lunch in a lovely restaurant in Llanddarog.

I must say, I'm having a very relaxing few weeks off after the madness that was the run up to Christmas. I'm still catching up on sleep and eating as much as I can. However, I have had some wonderful books and tools which I cannot wait to start using. One of them in particular bring a lot of excitement; a book called The Gentle Art of Preserving. My boyfriend's mother bought me this book (along with the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde) and it's full of recipes on how to cure meats, salt fish, preserve fruits and vegetables in oil, how to make alcohol (oh yes!) and how to make chutneys and jams all year round from produce that has been stored in numerous ways. One of the chapters focuses on smoking meats and fish to prolong its shelf life, but to also alter and enhance its flavour. The book, in all its ingenuity, suggests cheap ways of smoking, curing and preserving foods without spending hundreds of pounds on super-duper equipment.

After reading this book, cover to cover (twice) I have decided that I am going to start smoking. It's a simple, yet brilliant, method of preserving, and I can't wait to get started! I've bought a great big galvanised steel bin, and some wood which will add a subtle flavour to the smoked produce. The book says to smoke small pieces of fish or cheese to begin with, to get used to the smell and texture of how the product should be, so I think this afternoon will be spent experimenting with things. I will take plenty of pictures and post them later.

Another product that I am going to start making is cured meats. I've learnt from the book that some meats can be cured in the fridge, some in a cupboard (obviously a clean and empty one) and some need a curing chamber. I'm going to find an old wine fridge and give it a good clean and then use that as a curing chamber. I'm going to have to read a lot more into curing as it requires certain humidity and temperature control, and I don't want to be getting things wrong when bacteria is involved. Good thing I like reading! And food.

With smoking, different woods produces different flavours and suit different produce. This too will need some experimentation to see which flavours I prefer with which produce.

I am almost too excited about this whole thing!

I'll let you all know how it goes...


Ruth