A Busy Weekend

As well as bottling marathon I tackled the poo pile on Sunday. Steve called for me early on Sunday morning. When we got over to the pile we first loaded up his car and then my trailer. The first trailer load had a lot of fresh stuff so we spread that over the long border at the Lottie. Steve only had time to shift one load. I soldiered on and did a further two trips. We have managed to move all but the one trailer load. We will finish this off next Sunday and no doubt we will have a little alcoholic tincture for them by way of a thank you. It is a neat relationship. They need to get rid of the horse muck and we can use it. The jobs made easier because I have left my trailer with them so they can fill it as they need. It seems to work quite well so far.

I usually make a wreath for the front door. On Sunday afternoon I went on one of my wanders to see what the Leicestershire hedgerows could yield. H cried off. She had been out with her teacher buddies on Saturday night and was counting the cost....very quietly. L was still out at friends for the sleep over. Off I went. There was still an hour and a half of daylight left but the temperature was dropping. I was well wrapped. An old chap I knew said that there was no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes! For added atmosphere, if more atmosphere was needed in the frosted forest under a watercolour sky, I was listening to a multi-national carol concert on Radio 3 via my ipod. I was not trying to be quiet yet I still walk up within fifty yards of a group of young deer. For a change I spotted them first and stopped behind a tree in the hedge line. They must have got wind of me as after a few minutes they walked off. I continued down the hedge line and jumped into the dry ditch at the end plantation. The herd had walked down the other side of the ditch line to the end of field. They were doing that funny cantering gait, all four legs at once, that is more than walk but less than a run. At a certain point the herd found a gap in the hedge, one at time hopped through it and were gone.

I made my way back to the car via the holly bushes, fir trees and ivy covered trees I had passed on the outward journey. I had a bagful of cuttings and a handful of holes from the spikes on the Holly. When I got home L had pitched up. H was had the kettle on and was making tea [Evening meal as well as the hot beverage]. I cut a two long Willow whips from the hedge at the end of my garden. In the garage to wrestled all the components into a creditable wreath. H had a red ribbon to hand. It took longer to tie a nice bow than make the wreath. The wreath is on the front door if you want to see it.

Bottling the Summer

The time came this weekend to finally bottle the wine that has been brewing since September. I though a would wash a few bottles, do a few labels and cork a few bottles. I did a quick sum in my head. I get five full 75cl bottles from each demi-john. I have seven demi-john that 45 bottles...more than a few. I like clear glass for the "white" wines and green or brown for "red". I had a rummage in the bottle pile to find 15 clear bottles. Upon cleaning I found a couple of bottles where I could not get the smeg out of the very bottom of the bottle. Another rummage and I came up with clear bottles that would clean up. I went through the same exercise for the green bottles.

I don't buy bottles. I come by them via parties, wine we have bought and recycled one from previous years. I also try to get similar bottles for each batch. I also try to have the batch all screw caps or all corked. I just like it that way.

Each demi-john H and I have a look at the colours carefully put on the stool which has been placed on the dining room table. The bottles, corks or caps, labels, Hydrometer and measuring tube and note pad are set about the table. Off comes the airlock and bung, in goes the syphon tube, a big suck and the juices start flowing. During the draw off I fill the measuring tube for the hydrometer. I fill the remaining bottles. The specific gravity [SG] is recorded in my little book. I write out the labels which are small tags on strings. I record the source, Apple for instance, the date it was bottles and the SG. I top up any bottle that are short from the wine in the measuring tube. What is left after top goes in a glass for H and me to taste. But before tasting the caps or corks are fitted.

H and I have a look at the colour, have the sniff then a taste. Our only criteria is "do we like it". H likes dry wines and I don't. I like sweeter wine and H doesn't. In shades of Jack Sprat and his wife the wine rack has something for everyone. The process finishes with the demi-johns, airlocks and syphon being cleaned, sterilised and put away for next year. The bottled wine is taken to the shed and loaded on to the waiting shelves. The Beetroot and Elderberry feels like it is going to need some time the mellow out so they are put in the top left of the shelving where they will be out of the way. The more palatable wines comes next. They make up the middle portion of the shelves. I still have 15 bottles from last year so they take space on the right hand side of the shelves, near the door.

The surprise wine is the Pea Pod Burgundy. It has smelt really suspect all the way along. However on bottling it has come of age. It is clear as a bell and tastes really nice. It might be nicer still in the summer, if I keep my hands off it! The jury is still out on the Elderberry and the Beetroot wine. It is better than it was. It might just might need time. The apple wine is nice an light. One batch to drier than the other and of course I prefer one and H the other. The Blackberry is fruity, as you would expect, but not too sweet. This year I halved the amount of sugar in the recipes which has led to drier wines. I will report back if they have lost the alcoholic punch of previous years.

Next year, more Pea Pod and anther batch of Dandelion.

Ever the optimist!

H's buddies visiting, my parents visiting and foul weather have kept me away from the lottie for the past two weeks. I have taken waste from the house to the worms or the compost heap each weekend. Last weekend when I checked in on the worms they were almost swimming. I had to cut a hole in the bottom of the wormery to let out the water. I got about a gallon out. I bobbed the worm juice in to the adjacent water butt. This week has been very cold, several degrees of frost each night in fact. I hope the worms are up to the challenge.

The new arrangement with horse poo and trailer had its first test. The call came to say the trailer was full. I was busy over the weekend so popped over the collect the trailer on Monday tea time. It took about an hour and a bit to complete the round trip. Only one light bulb on the trailer needed changing so that was alright.

I found that a local carpet shop, near where I work, throws out the remnants at the back of the shop . A quick word and now I have free access to the offcuts. The offcuts will used to suppress the weeds on the lottie.

I went to see the Potato men on society business and came away having bought some new seed trays. In the weeks leading up to the winter solstice it away feels like the deepest, darkest part of the year and spring might never come. Since science tells us the world turns I don't think I will need to go to the trouble of a sacrifice [human or otherwise] to ensure the return of the sun. Ever the optimist I checked my seed collection again.

On the way back from Newall, through Church Gresley I spotted a banner for the Church Gresley and Weston on Trent Model Railway Engineers Society Christmas open day. I parked up and paid my two quid on the door and was let into a light and warm wonderland. A wonderland if you like massive "O", "OO" gauge train layouts. The society has been running since the early sixties. I spent over an hour browsing the sets. There were a few smaller sets in "N" gauge and a number a tram sets. The big "OO" gauge set had a couple of long trains running on the long up and down loops. A couple of chaps were running sidings and trams on the same layout. It was all very busy. The ladies of the Society had made truck fulls of mince pies, sandwiches and lashings of steaming tea. Tea at 40p and mug. What a bargain. The next open day is Easter weekend so make a note to go. It is a rare treat.

Lost Weekend

I won't be doing much on the lottie this weekend except feeding the worms. H has a bunch of her Manchester buddies coming for dinner on Saturday and stopping over. It will be nice to see them. It has been a while since their last visit. I have to run over to Newall to drop off my seed potato order on Saturday morning. I also have to drop some seeds to a lottie member and the Insurance receipt back to the Society's Treasurer and H wants me to make some Soda Bread. I might get it ready before I go out so it proves whilst I am running errands. It has also been lashing down this evening so the ground will be too wet to dig. At least I will not be wasting fair weather doing non-allotment things.

I got some freeware off the Internet to recover my data off the PC that crashed. I put the old hard drive in a spare PC, which was a complete pain. The mechanics of fitting the drive and hooking up the various leads was easy. It was the faffing about the jumpers to make the new hard drive be recognised as the the slave unit that tested my patience. The recovery software has been running for three hours and says it has seventeen to go! I won't stay up for that.

A Very Good Weekend

This weekend has been very productive. My PC broke down during the week so Lucy did not have Internet which a major catastrophe. However all was up and running by Saturday evening. Steve discovered a source of horse manure few weeks ago on Freecycle. We went round and introduced ourselves. The pile had been maturing all summer. There must be a good few cubic yards there. Steve had been down a few times since the initial meeting, filling bags for distribution round his various plots. I, being so much more lazy, considered how the manure could be moved in bulk. I resolved to convert my bike trailer into a muck trailer. I bought a couple of sheets of plywood and some varnish. Steve furnished a couple of lengths of "L" profile light gauge steel. I had a rummage in the screw box and found half a box of screws left over from a previous project. I spent a pleasant morning on Saturday cutting up plywood panels and screwing them together to make a box without a top. I went over to Massey's for some 10M Nuts, Coach bolts and Washers to bolt the new trailer box to the chassis. After a little pondering whilst stood in the hardware isle of Massey's I came up with solution to make the end panel of the trailer removable. Despite the intermittant showers and it going dark early I managed to get the trailer converted and varnished. I gave Steve call the same evening. We agreed to meet on early on Sunday morning for a visit to the poo pile.

The trailer always towed nicely but with the additional weight of the timber it no longer bounced over any slight ripple in the road surface. When we arrived at Colin & Angie's, we're on first name terms now, I pulled up next to the pile. Five minutes later Steve and I had filled the trailer. We were not being greedy. I was not sure my car would pull the trailer from a stand still given that we were on wet grass, my car is not a 4x4 and the trailer probably weighed a third of a ton. Steve filled up his multifarious bags. Colin came out with cup of Tea for each of us. Very welcome indeed on a cold, damp Winter's morning. I should have not worried. I got away without a problem. The trailer made an impact on the pile. Steve and I went our different ways resolving to meet again at my house about 12.30. My trailer of poo went straight on the front garden. That is a job that is finished for the time being. It is time for the worms to do their thing. In a couple a week I can turn the manure into the soil and plant the bulbs I have in the shed.

Steve was on Dad duty. My girl was still in bed when I got home. She is fifteen, that's what we do, she says! The local council have made an offer to supply anyone with a choice small Crab Apple, Rowan, and Hazel trees and native Bluebell bulbs. I went to collect my selections. It was a bit of a laugh because there were lots a people looking a bit disappointed. The "trees" where in fact second year seedling so were no more than a foot tall. Being the winter the "trees" were hibernating so the folks were heading back to their cars with either two thin twigs or a twig and a dozen bluebell bulbs. Bluebell bulbs are only the size of grapes so the freebies were never going to over load the cars. I am not sure what they were expecting.

We went back to C&A for a second load. Same again, me with a trailer full and Steve with his bags. This load went up to the lottie. When building the trailer box I found the chassis has a device that lets the trailer tip. We tried it out. It was rubbish. It did not tip very much. I took the trailer up to C&A. That is where is to live. C&A are going drop the manure straight in the trailer and give us a ring when it is full. That is efficient for both parties. Steve and I get a regular supply of muck and C&A get to keep a nice clean yard. I guess some of the surplus veg will find it's way to them as well.

I went down the lottie for a second time. This time was to feed the worms. when I got home H had a nice bottle of red warming and was preparing Tea. Irish soul food, bacon, cabbage and potatoes. The cabbage and potatoes courtesy of the lottie.

The last good day of Autumn

The weather has turned much colder over the last week with sharp frosts. Saturday was dry and cold. The weathermen say it will rain on Sunday so I decided winter digging was in order. I am writing this on Sunday so they were right. The patch that had pumpkins is the target for now. Usually the pumpkins grow so well they smoother the weeds. Not this year. The bed is fourteen foot wide. The pumpkin area was twelve foot long. I got togged up, ipod plugged in, wheelbarrow positioned and trug for the stones placed in a handy spot. It was slow going. The soil is covered with Toad Flax which requires quite alot of picking from the soil. There were a few Dock but they were quite small. Although I have dug this plot over several times, big pebbles keep coming up. It is all grist to the path's mill. The path is filling up nicely.

The new website "A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down" inspired me to get my Trangia out of the shed. For those who don' t know what a Trangia is click HERE. I usually take a flask but there is nothing like a nice steaming hot cup of Tea, however you can not make tea without tea leaves. In my rush out of the house I left the tea bags and milk behind. I just boiled up the water and just had it like that. Nevertheless on a cold day after working up a sweat at digging the hot water was welcome and warming.

The Trangia is a smashing gadget. Mine runs off Methylated Spirits. We have had it for years. The little kettle holds enough water for a big mug of tea or two cups. From cold to boiling takes about four minutes. You get two pans and the lid makes a frying pan or a lid for the pots. It is wind proof and safe. We used it when camping. We used set it up in just inside the flysheet. It made the tent lovely and warm. I might start staying at the lottie through the winter when the day is fine to make the most of the daylight and dry days. I can make my diner and brews on the Trangia.

Cider or Vinegar

My fifteen gallons of apple juice, from the mammoth juicing session, was split into two five gallon bins and the rest put in either Demi-johns as wine or bottled and frozen. The demi-johns are bubbling away as wine in the making. The juice that was bottled is in the freezer. The odd bottle that just went in the fridge for immediate consumption has started building up pressure. That's a clue it is starting ferment. I am getting through it. It taste sharp and fruity with a slight fizz.

The juice in the big bins is a tail of two pressings. Both bins had their lids put on and the air locks fitted at the same time. Both bins were put into the cool shed. Nothing seemed to be happening judging by the water level in the air locks. After a couple of weeks I snapped open the lids to see what was going on. One bin had a nice froth on the surface of the juice. Upon tasting it tasted like cider. The other bin had a gelatinous scum on the surface of the juice which I fished out. There was also an acidic aroma. Upon tasting there was a hint of acid. Is this going to be another vat of vinegar? After a little negotiation with H the bins were allowed indoors into the corner of the dining room. I left the bins for a week to warm up to room temperature. That corner of the room hovers around 64 degrees C. The cider bin picked up and start fizzing more vigorously. The vinegar bin just sulked. I thought I have nothing to lose, I mean who needs another five gallons of weak cider vinegar? I made up a whole sachet of general purpose yeast in warm water and got it started. Then I poured the activated yeast into the vinegar bin, refitted the lid and airlock and retired to a safe distance. It was a difficult two days to keep my nose out of the bin. I checked the airlock but no movement. On the evening of the third day after dosing the vinegar I had a test. The juice smalls fruity rather than acidic and you can see the gas bubbles fizzing to the surface. The juice tastes like cider but different to the other bin.

Following my highly scientific experiment I have come to the following conclusions:
a. The lids on the bins are not air tight.
b. The type of apples that are made into juice have different properties.
c. Relying on the apples to provide the right sort of yeast might not be a resilient plan.
d. The temperature of the shed is not right for cider making. It needs to be colder as in the fridge or hotter as in the dining room.

A Nice Cup of Tea

I found a new web site over the weekend. I have added a link to it in the column on the right of the screen. The site is called "A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down". As I get older I find myself agreeing with the sentiment of such sites. My radio pre-sets are tuned Radio 2, 3 and 4 and sometimes I even tune to Smooth FM. That tells you something.

I think I will have to expand the scope of my blog to cover such things as Tea and cake.

No digging this weekend

Last weekend was a sort of weekend off. Our old friend Rolf, old in the sense of having known him a long time not old as in being the wrong end of too many summers, married Gill at Haigh Hall in Lancashire. We travelled up on the Saturday morning for the service in the afternoon. We set off extra early to make sure we arrived in time. It was a prudent measure. The A50 had problems and the M6 had two problems so it took over three hours for a journey which should have less than two. It was a moving ceremony not least because both families have had to deal with tragedy in their time together. Rolf and Gill were over flowing with love for each other. There was not a dry eye in the house as they said their own special vows to each other.

The day went very well. Hazel and I met friends from Hazel's time in banking. Rolf & Gill still work in banking in Manchester. We also met our long time best buddies Liz and Chris. Haigh Hall is high on the side of the valley over looking Wigan. It was a clear night which was great view over the Douglas valley to the fireworks from the Bonfire parties below. Altogether it was a smashing day & night. We were taken back to our hotel for a peaceful night. Breakfast was a buffet arrangement so Lucy and I were able to pig out on Pancakes, Maple syrup and lashings of Tea.

The drive home was uneventful but long. We chose to avoid the motorway as it was a very foggy morning. We drove though my old stomping grounds in Newton le Willows, Cadishead, Irlam, Salford and on into Manchester. The city looks very different to city I left eight years ago. The changes had begun back then. A legacy of the IRA bomb in the city in 1996.

After we got home and had a spot of lunch I popped over the lottie to drop the food scraps onto the worms. Whilst I was there I sawed a plank to size to create another lift on the front of the big compost bin. The bin has really heated up since last week when I dumped on the dried pressings from the Cider making. I am looking forward to the weekend for a bit of proper winter digging.

Sweet Potato

One of the lottie holders, Sandra, gave me two Sweet Potato slips that she had left over. I put them in 10 litre pots and set them on the shelf in the greenhouse and watered them occasionally. Whilst tidying out the greenhouse I harvested them. I was presented with a number of small tubers. Not enough for a dinner but it proved a point.

I am already working out how to get some big pots in the greenhouse along with everything else.

So much to do #2

I decided that the Tomatoes in the greenhouse were finished and needed harvesting and the greenhouse cleaned out. I thought there would be a few pounds of green Toms for chutney. The little basket I took for the Toms was over flowing after a few minutes. The beef tomatoes were planted late and did not have time to ripen fully. A dozen of them filled the basket. The Shirley's did well but suffered in the same way as the Beef Toms. Still there were twenty of them. Only the Gardeners Delight, cherry type Toms, ripened fully. But since they grow the bunches of twenty fruits long there are always a few that are green. I pulled up the vines and dropped in the council green bin. Their composting process should kill off ant blight spores. The contents of the grow bags went of the roof pf the shed. It is flat and is supposed to be a garden however it did not do very well this year. I am hoping the extra compost makes a difference to the soil structure for next year. I then braved the area under the staging where the spare and used pots and tray live. There are all manner of creepy crawlies that live under there as well. Having moved then shook out of the trays, being careful not to tread on the Toads, I managed to clear the greenhouse completely without any girly screams. A bucketful of Jeyes Fuild and boiling hot water sponged onto all the surfaces of the inside of the greenhouse and squeegeed off the glass made for a very sparkly greenhouse. Even a few days later it still had that special "L'eau de Jeyes" aroma. I sorted through the trays and discarded to worst of them. I even graded the plant pots so they all stacked nicely.

The one job I have to do in the greenhouse is two arrange a second stage and a shelf for the spring time assault of seed trays.

So much to do #1

So much to do and only a week in which to do it. Steve and I wound up the wick on the Apple collecting. We had a couple sessions of collecting Apples from a tame orchard and peoples gardens [with their permission] and other assorted hedgerows. We ended up with a little over a thousand pounds of Apples and a fifty pounds of Pears. Steve picked up the apple mincer and press on Friday ready for Saturday. At the appointed time Steve arrived with the mincer, the press and his stash of Apples. After some head scratching we worked out how the ratchet system worked. We put the Pears through first. They were so soft they hardly needed pressing. We pressed eleven litres from the pulp. We then set about halving apples to go in the mincer. If the apples are too large the mincer can not get a grip on them. Only a thousand pounds to go then!

H kept us supplied with tea and in between looking after us and running L around, helped with the chopping. At one o'clock we stopped for lunch. H rustled up soup from the best of the last Tomatoes from the greenhouse. Back to the toil. We got a system going that meant we could chop and mince the Apples whilst the press..erm, pressed. We stopped again at six for dinner. H had made a casserole from the Pork we had got a few weeks ago and, not surprisingly, Apples. There were Apple puffs to follow. Spot a theme? Nearly there. Only two hundred pounds to go. Another three press fulls and the jobs was done, apart from cleaning up. An hour later we were looking at our handy work: All the hire kit was wash and scrubbed as was the work area. Thirty gallons of Apples juice. A little over two gallons of Pear juice, one hundred of the best of the Russet Apples reserved for eating, a dozen Bramleys reserved for cooking and all the cake from the press bagged ready for the allotment. Cake is the pulp after it has been pressed dry. Steve swears by it for soil conditioning. I have put some in my compost bins to give them a kick start.

We are to have another go at Cider. It was not that special last year but we think we know where we went wrong. I am going to freeze some juice to keep it as juice. It ferments whether you want it to or not. And I will do a couple of demi-johns of Apple wine. I have fifteen gallons to play with. So thanks to Gloria, Richard, and those nameless people who discarded Apples along the Tow path and in the hedgerows and finally Steve for providing the impetus.

Busy doing Something

It has been a busy weekend. Most of Saturday was taken up with an Autumn Spring clean of the shed. I took everything out of the shed and painted the inside walls white. It has made a huge difference. It feels bright, clean and somehow it feels larger. The shed was swept and hoovered. The fridge that lives in the shed was taken out and cleaned inside and out ready for the next task, another ham. Whilst looking for something in the garage I found a set of assorted brackets on a card. Two of them were just the job to hang the brolly for the table high up on the wall. The worktops got a good scrubbing. Then it just a matter of getting everything back inside. I had a sort over the contents of the shed a decided that somethings could go down the allotment and other thing were only good for the bin.

On Sunday following a leisurely breakfast I set about fixing the eight new brackets that are to carry the two new shelves. That required the shed to be partially emptied. At least the paint was dry. Once they were fixed I cut the shelves from a piece of chipboard I have been saving in the shed. Now I have shelf space for thirty bottles of wine. It sound like a lot but I have seven demi-johns a brewing. Each demi-john yields five standard wine bottles. A quick count on the fingers shows I still need more space. I could always drink some of the existing bottles of wine just to make space. Whilst I had the circular saw and drills out, I cut up and fixed the last big piece of the plywood I had been saving to make closures to finish off the door entrance to the shed. I just need a 12 inched deep piece of wood to finish the threshold step.


After a nice lunch made by H and went to the lottie it fit the hinges I had bought. The hinges were to go on the big compo bin and the wormery. After some effing and jeffing, trapped fingers, dropped lids, dropped screws and assorted scratches and scrapes both set of hinges were fitted. Bloodied but victorious I went home.

It is Monday. I have the week off. H & L are off to Derby to find a dress for Rolfs's wedding. I slipped off to the lottie again. I found a couple of battens that will come in handy as props to keep the newly hinged lids open. I cut a angle on one end and a notch on the other. Now end each end fit neatly onto it's seat and does not slip. The lids are heavy. The last thing I need is a whack on the back of the bonce from a falling lid!

I had a chat with Roundup. "Roundup" is a nick name for David G, one of the allotmenteers. I have plenty of time today so I can listen to his tale of woe. Today I have the whole day stretching out in front of me. When Dave left and had the place to myself. I put on my Ipod, mellow play list, and set to on the ex-pea bed. There is something very satisfying about taking an weedy, untidy patch and turning it into a level, fluffy weed free seed bed. After emptying the wheelbarrow a couple of times and having a few brews I got to the end of the bed. I had collected a five 6x1 tanalised boards from Coalville on Saturday morning, one of these was to form the end of the bed or the edge of the new path, depending on your point of view. By the time the bed was finished it was 4.30pm. The weather has definitely turned colder but the Sun still managed an appearance although lacking the warming power of the summer. It was still warm enough for me to raise a sweat whilst working. The frosts of the last week had killed off the meager squashes. I got on butternut squash but it is too immature to eat. I also got two winter squashes. They look the part although they are only the size of a football.

The next job to tackle is either the other boards to create the other side of the new paths or weeding the ex-pumpkin patch. Upon reflection I think the pumpkin patch needs dealing with first.

Other things that have occurred. The Pea Pod Burgundy has stopped bubbling. Time for the first racking. Just as well I have space in the shed. My seed order from Kings had arrived. I am going try to plan my sowing for 2008.

It's a worms life

The weather is holding out. Still not too wet. A few showers during the week has kept the soil at the lottie damp and loose. I went to the lottie on Saturday morning. It was really misty to the point where it almost rained. It was dry enough for me though. I move the black compost bins to give me access to the big compo bin. I set about the bin with wood, nails, bolts, hammers and screw drivers and after about an hour of freestyle joinery I had a wormery.

It is a little under four foot long and eighteen inches deep and wide. It is lined with a bit a old pond liner. I managed to find some planks to make a lid but ran out of fixings. I still had a bit of my allotted time left so I set about the lid onthe main compost bin. I had found a decent fence panel sometime ago and have been using it as an over size lid. With the extra time I trimmed the panel down to just the right size and reassembled the end batten. So now I have the lid the right size. The next job is the find some hinges to make opening the lid easier.

I had moved the black compo bins which meant I had the contents of the bins all over the floor. I repositioned the bins and re-filled them. It is quite amazing how much the contents have broken down. The dock root have still got quite away to go.

Sunday was drier. I got down the lottie for a few hours in the morning. I had the wormery from home in the car. I had a some potting compost that I had been growing Carrots in from home as well which I dumped into the new wormery as a base layers. Then I tipped in the contents of the old wormery. I had to re-layer the contents of the old wormery so that the top layers were still on top. Then just to make the worms feel at home I layered on the some new "food". Once the worms were installed I nail together the planks that make the lid. I found a a piece of spare carpet, cut it to size and it now covers the surface of the material in the wormery. Whilst I was knocking wood about I made a little shelf to carry the water butt. Where the butt was positioned made it awkwad to fill the watering cans. How it is at just the right height to fill the cans and to top up the butt itself.

Just to finish the morning off a dug over an eight by twelve foot area of the old pea bed. I took two wheel barrow loads of weeds to the black compo bins. Just as well the contents have rotten down! Another eight foot and the bed is complete. I am feeling quite chuffed as over half the of the plot is cleared.

An 'Omage to Tom Good

Any body of a certain age in the UK will know of the comedy series from the late 70s called "The Good Life". Click HERE for the link to BBC Good Life page. When Tom Good's had friends round he always got out the Pea Pod Burgundy. It was supposed to be potent. As an "homage" to Tom I have started a Pea Pod wine. Whether it is a Burgundy or not is anyone guess. It is bubbling away in the dining room and is a vivid yellow. Lucy says you should not eat or drink anything that is fluorescent.

Seeing that I have a glut of football sized Beetroot a short rummage on Google came up with several recipes for Beetroot Wine. It is supposed to be ready in two weeks as well...result. I started in last night [08.10.07] and it was bubbling by this morning. It is also a vivid colour, Vermilion Red, like Cranberry. Watch this space for the tasting notes.

Compost & Worms

I have had a wormery at home for a few monthes. It is great but it has a big draw back. It grows Vinegar Flies by the score. I am not sure how these tiny flies contribute to the big picture but there loads of them. I keep the wormery in the back garden but still a few flies make it into the house.

One of the Plot holders, Martyn, was enthusing about a wormery during the summer so I think I am going to convert one the the compo bins into a wormery. The wormery needs to be shallow but with a large surface area. Imagine a big deep tray. I will need a insulated lid to keep the worst of the frost out. I figure I will use the area under the wormery as a compo heap and hopefully this will give some heat to the underside of the wormery. I just need a little bit of pond liner and I'm good to go.

Our Own Harvest Festival

H and I had our good friends the Peter's round for a long walk and then dinner on Saturday. Dinner was made up from the bounty from the lottie, the Pork we recently had in from the local butcher and Air dried Ham from the pig we had this time last year. There was even a bottle or two of the Apple wine from last years pressing.

I went to the lottie Saturday morning to dig up the veg for the table. Beetroot, Swede, Parsnip Carrot and Fennel. Only the fennel let me down. Five plants and no bulbs. Digging up the Fennel and smashing the stems ready for the compost bin was divine. I smelt of Aniseed all afternoon. The Potatoes, Onion and Garlic are at home, in the shed. I have beetroot of all sizes, tennis ball size to up to football sized ones. I tell you want I did with the big Beets in another post. I was chuffed that I had so many Carrot and on inspection there was only a little carrot fly damage. The Swedes were a bit of a mixed bags but I have loads to chose from.

We had Melon and Air Dried Ham to start, Pork Hotpot and roast vegetables for the main and poached sticky Pears for pudding. Julie brought a lovely box of home chocolates to go with the coffee. Alan & I were a little the worse for wear by th end, mainly because we had a head start by going to the Railway Inn on the way back from the walk.

Happy days!

When is the Sweet Corn Ready?

It is a question I am often asked. The received wisdom is to pull back the shelves of the corn and press your thumb into the kernels. If they bleed white juice, they are ready. If I did this I would have spoiled almost all the cobs waiting for them to be ready. I have a much smarter plan. Inspect the cobs as normal. As soon as you see mouse damage, they are ready. The mice alway tackle the ripest cobs first. This year was abismal for Sweet corn. I had a block of twelve plants and only got fourteen cobs. Usually I get four cobs per plant!

Go slow - work faster

I have recovered from the neck pain. The enforced slow down has re-newed my energy levels. Last weekend I dug up the remaining four rows or spuds. It has been a really poor harvest. It rained on Monday last so I went up to the lottie, after work, with intention of digging in the green manure [Buck Wheat]. The rain during the day had really loosened up the soil so the weeds flew out of the ground. It was lucky because it gets too dark to work by about 7.30pm. I am feeling quite righteous at the moment because I have at least half the plot dug over although not actually manured.

It looks like I won't be getting any Butternut squash, Pumpkin or Gherkins this year. I will wait until the first frost or when the plants wilt before pulling them up. You never know, I might have over looked something. I will give them every chance to produce. The leeks are rubbish but it seems I might have a Carrot crop in the ground. I will take a sneak peek this weekend.

On the beverage front, I made Damson wine and it is in the Demi-John fiercely bubbling away. The Damson Gin and Slow Gin have been started. H said she got some funny looks as she passed ten bottles of Gin through the check out. She said she was not going to justify the purchase to anyone. I am trying to find some small bottles on the Internet.

I have also resolved what I am going to do at the lottie this winter.
1. Make a proper path down the west side and north end. This will give me a clean edge to the beds and proper access.
2. Make path between the beds on either side of the centre path. The path edging will give a clean end the end of the beds and give access to the new path from the middle of the plot.
3. Put a pipe under the centre path of allow water to get away from the eastern beds.
4. Complete the patio area. I only need four, 2x2 flags.

I have this idea I am going to make room on the patio by putting the water butt, full of Comfrey Tea, on top of the end compost bin. I just have not sussed quite now I am going to support the weight. And there is the small matter of access to re-fill the butt.

The wait continues whilst the Sweet Corn ripens...or not.

Slow Work

As I was leaving the plot last week I head butted the top edge of the door opening on my car. It jarred right down my spine. I had a stiff neck all week. Whenever I had to turn round I was like a lighthouse. I was still not feeling loose enough this weekend and togther with the tablets everything was moving at half speed.

We were supposed to go to my Auntie's 60th birthday party on Saturday but I could not face to drive to Manchester. Instead I had a pottered at the Lottie. More to get out in the fresh air than anything else. I had a bash with the new hoe. It is very good. I sowed some green manure. It just has to braodcast and to cap it off it rained last night so no watering required.

During the go-slow through the week I have been able to get the Elderberry and Blackberry wine filtered and racked into Demi-Johns. They are bubbling away nicely. The Rhubard wine was racked for the third time. The next step for the Rhubarb is bottling. I am just thawing the Damsons to start the a new batch.

Note to self; I have to find time to sit down and make the seed selection for next year. I have resolved to plant my spuds much earlier next year. Hopefully I can beat the blight.

Pottering

I do not get much time for freestyle pottering at the lottie but Sunday was an exception. Unlike Saturday where I dug up some more Potatoes, turned over another couple of foot of the ex-legume bed and beheaded all the weeds I could. Sunday was most leisurely.

I have a little paved area in front of my lottie dubbed "The Patio". It covers a very poor section of my plot. Where my plot starts so does the French drain which crosses the allotment site. In laying the drain the contractors pulled up all the sub soil, rather clay, and in reinstating the surface have left a barren clay in which nothing will grow. Even the plucky Docks which abounds on the rest of my plots has just one solitary outpost and a very sad specimen it is. The area is about ten foot deep and fourteen foot wide. I had previously set out three compost bin made of pallets on the boundary facing into the plot. I laid two rows of 2x2 paving stones in front the bins. This gives a nice surface for shovelling off when the manure has been delivered. I then enclosed a raised bed four wide by seven foot. One edge of the bed makes a boundary with a path, another the start to the cultivated beds. This gave me an area six and seven foot for paving. I have since decided that will have another bed five foot by four adjacent to the path. The reduced paved area, which was not wholly paved, but still large enough for deliveries. The new bed is for flowers. H fancies Gladioli. This where the pottering comes in.

On Sunday I had a little spare time so I took off to the lottie with my tools, some spare timber and pegs I had picked up on a walk earlier in the week. I found a handful of nails in the back of the car. In true allotmenting style, after a bit of rough measuring, sawing and banging I had a new bed. I tried to loosen the soil with fork but the surface did not yield as I balanced on the fork's shoulders, like riding an unbouncy pogo stick, whilst I tried to make the tines penetrate the surface. Next time it will be the turn of the big guns....the mattock. That leaves me to find four 2x2 paving stones to complete the "Patio". I might even try setting out my deck chair for a contemplate. The contemplation might have to take a back seat to winter digging. The soil is in desperate need of re-fuelling.

The other job in tackled was to build up a threshold strip under the gate to my plot. My lottie neighbours had seen a rabbit nip under the gate to the bunny larder. I had a happy half hour embedding bricks and shuffling pebbles about to make a threshold to keep the varmints out but let me run the wheelbarrow through without it being impeded.

Happy days.

Spud harvest or is that weed harvest

My conscience would not let me leave the main crop potatoes in the ground any longer. I have decided to go to the lottie whenever I have a free evening. The dock are starting to thrive and the myriad of other weeds, Chicweed, Creeping Thistle, Sowthistle, Groundsel, Rose Bay Willowherb, Fat hen, Shepherds Purse, Plantain, Henbit, String Nettle, Redshank, Toadflax, Red Dead Nettle, Pineapple Weed, Common Fumitory, Annual Meadow Grass, Spurge, Black Nighshade to name many but not all, are enjoying the party too. There is a good website that show pictures and describes the enemy. Click HERE for a link to the website.

I set about digging up the rows as usually but the job is slow since I am weeding as I go. I cut down the haulms when they showed signs of blight. Whilst this has stopped the blight getting into the crop it has also deprived the potatoes of the drivers to make them grow. It is not surprising that the potatoes are not nearly as well developed however they are as numerous as previous years . The soil is still dry despite my watering which makes harvesting harder than it needs be. The watering only served to encourage the weeds. It is take about a hour to harvest a single 14 foot row. I then pick over the spuds and give them a wash. I hope to leave the diseased spuds and blight spores at the lottie so that the harvest stores well through the winter.

No thing to do with gardening, My Fencing club went for a friendly team match against Leicester Fencing Club. We won all three competitions. That was harder than digging up potatoes!

Onions, Rabbits and Snakes

In and out of running L around the country and other fatherly and husbandly duties I have been able to get some quality time at the lottie. I have dug over a quarter of the plot which I am very pleased about. In doing this I have harvested the Onion, Shallots, Peas and Broad Beans. The Chic peas were a disater so they have gone in the compo bin. I also took a walk about beheading any weeds that looked in danger of seeding. The soil is still too hard to harvest the spuds but the weeds are starting to get going.

On the bright side I positioned the new black comp bins. They are doing a good job. I filled one to the very top, such is the weedyness of my plot, and in a week it had dropped back to three quarters full. So I topped it up again. The other bin is less than half full but then again the weeding is not finished. The bins have made a big improvement to the tidiness of my plot. Hazel played a blinder on the Aspargus bed. We discovered there were lot of spears of "Sparragrass" coming though anew. Unfortunatelty the rabbits had discovered it too. The rabbit[s] had dug under the crown and nibbled away at it from underneath. My lottie neighbours have spotted big excavations on their plots. I was invited over to look at them and ascertain if anyone was at home. I stuck my hoe down the hole, handle first. The handle of the hoe disappearred down the burrow right up to the blade. Thats about five foot. There was no squeaking or feeling of soft bodies in the burrow so we dug the burrow up only to find an enormous Toad. The Toad was evicted and let off into the under growth. The burrow was back filled in the hope that it would discourage the Rabbit from coming back. Another plot holder had a similar hole, a similar depth so that was dug up too. No one was found to be at home. We saw the rabbit. A big, bright eyed buggers, sitting under the peas on another plot. I shied a stone at it and missed by a enough to not worry the other plot holders but close enough to the make it run off. My lottie neighbours are in a turoil. They do not want the Rabbit bredding and living on the plot, eatting everything in sight and digging up what they don't eat and clearing them off without hurting them. The dilemea is their's. I have rabbit netted all round my plot, except for the sparragrass bed. I think I will be netting that quite soon.

Once the Rabbit and Toad wrangling had ceased I went back to digging the plot over. The Wheelbarrow filled again and the ritual of the comp bin was enacted. I had a bucket full of leaves to dispose of which were to go into the big short term compo bin. For whatever reeason I did not just throw back the cover us usual but picked one corner, I think I was in two minds over something. There was a movement under the cover. I got down on my knees and peaked under the tarp. There was a Grass snake coiled up in the warm and dark of the plants that went into the compo bin the previous week. I put the cover back down and called my Lottie nieghbour, Maria, over. A couple of the plot holders had seen the snake during the summer but did not know what sort it was. Maria and I had been talking about what we would do if we saw it. Maria came over, a little nervous at what I might have found. With Maria, phone in hand, I gentlly peeled back the cover to find the Grass Snake was still there. Whilst he was pretending he was invisble I grasped it behind the head as I had seen in any number of wild life films. The Snake was not that concerned. I think it was probably a bit cold. He was about an three quarters of an inch in diameter at the thickest part of the body and about twenty inches long. Definately a Grass Snake. The combined affect of being handled and get warmed from my skin made him start to wriggle , so once we had had taken a picture or two we put him back in the compo bin and off he slid.

Hi Hoe..

H came with me. The visit to the lottie was supposed to be for testing the new Hoe or Swoe as it is rightly named. As you see from the picture it is shaped like a sand iron golf club. It is made from hefty gauge stainless steel and comes with a 25 year guarantee. The shape is supposed to help you work round plants. We will see. I have knack of clipping plants with the blade of the hoe.

I put just the necessary in the back of the car, Swoe, boot and the fork. When I got the lottie I found a ton of horse muck had been dropped on the plot near the muck bin. H and I decided to look about the lottie first. It is a dismal sight. The prolonged wet spell has drowned most things. Then a fortnight of sun which has baked the soil. Even the weeds are struggling but not enough to stop them and something is eating the plants. Despite this the first two sowings of Peas are ready to crop which H set about with a will. I, on the other hand felt it necessary to shift the horse poo. But first I loosened the Onions and bent the necks over to start them drying. Even as I did this thought to myself the dry spell is over. I am not careful I will loose the Onions to rot.

The poo bin was half full already so using the fork I set about the poo pile. The tines are too far apart.for shifting dry horse muck. I eventually found a spade on one of the allotments which was just the job the clear up the poo. When the bin was full I got in and stamped in down a bit more. After three or four poo pressing sessions the tipped poo pile was neatly contained in the poo bin.

I emptied the 40 gallon drum that acts the site's brazier. I used it last so it had a couple of inches of ash from the weeds and wood that I had burned. I tossed some of the ash on the poo pile, some on the compost heap and the remainder in one of the plastic compost bins. Next I set about the dock pile and put the worst offenders in the black compo bin to get it going.

It was getting dark by now. H had a basket full of Petite Poit pods and had tried out the Swoe. The ground was rock hard yet it made a impact. I had a go round the sweet corn. It seems to work but it flexs a bit. It might be just because the ground is like concrete and I am on the other end shoving like something possessed.

I heard myself say to H that I would not do any more weeding until we had some rain to soften the ground. I asked for rain!! I woke up this morning to find that it had been raining during the night and, indeed, was still was raining, if only lightly. Fencing tonight, picking Plums on Wednesday, going to Devon again on Friday. That only leaves Thursday evening for weeding. I can wait.

As soon as we got home I shelled the peas. I got about two pints. H has a recipe for Pea and Mint soup so guess what for tea tomorrow? There are still lots and peas at the lottie so if I can get to them before the beasties there will be plenty for the freezer. I saved the pods and put them in the freezer to make a pea pod Burgundy when I get a minute.

The best laid plans.....

Yesterdays blog shows the great plans I had for last night. I had agreed to meet my buddy at the lottie and then to go onto the Railway Inn for a chat and perchance, a small libation. On my arrival at home from work H prepared a couple of Gin & Tonics. Well that hat was the end of the plans. H and I went and sat on the patio and chatted. Then onto a light tea [dinner to you southerners] by which time the appointment at the Railway was looming.

Once I made it as far as the rendezvous with Steve I was ready for the outing. We had very convivial evening. A major part of the chat was about where we are going to get our hedgerow fruits from this year and what we would do with them. The front runner at the moment is Sloe gin or Sloe vodka. We might do Damson Vodka if we can get enough Damsoms. I have this idea to bottle the Sloe Gin near Christmas for presents. Steve told me where I can get small, fancy shaped bottles. I have to run my daughter to Devon to stay with her cousins this weekend. A four hundred mile round trip. Steve gets to go sea fishing at Aberystwth. He has promised me and few Mackerel went he returns. I look forward to that!

Back from holidays to...........

Blight. Potato blight. The five rows Charlottes were in flower when I left and on my return they were just stalks. I dug them up the very next day. To my surprise the crop was largely unaffected. There was just a beginning of softness in perhaps twenty tubers. The five rows yielded 50lbs and they taste great. The remainder were fine. I washed the spuds before I left the lottie and picked over them again when I got home. I hope this will mean they will store well. The twelve rows of the main crop were starting to show the first chocolate spots indicating blight. I chopped the haulms down to a few inches above the ridges and cleared away the debris. I hope that this we provide me some time by preventing the blight spores getting into the tubers. I am in a spot at the moment as I do not have anything in which to store the main crop. There are likely to be bags and bags of spuds.

During me holidays it was reported to me that there had been a lot of rain. The garlic was in poor condition so I harvested what was was available. The bulbs where small but in good condition. The bulbs have put to dry in the greenhouse. The Onions have a little rust so I am holding off pulling them to see if the warm weather we have been promised helps them. The Chick peas are a complete disaster so they will have to be dug up. The early broad beans are not to bad but need picking and bed clearing. The Saporo broad beans that I put in later have flowered but not set pods which is probably to do with the bees not being able to get about.

The brasicass bed is a mixed lot. The Chard, Broccoli, Swede and some of the cabbages are doing well but the seedlings I put in before my holidays have disappeared and the caulis are rotting. So that is another area that has to be cleaned up.

I seem to growing Carrots for the first time. They need a more weeding which is not so good but it is a result. Sweet corn is doing well but the Gherkins and Pumpkins less so.

I found a small leak on the central heating system at home so I had to spend almost all Saturday repairing it and as it is a little over year since it was installed I flushed the system and treated the system with an inhibitor. In case that was not enough the fruit tree border is three feet high in weeds. It seems I am the only one with a strimmer that is powerful enough to tackle the weeds. So that is what I did last Sunday morning. The strimmer can not cut the grass so I will have to go over it again but with wire attachment. The wire cannot handle the heavy stuff but chops the grass a treat. I though I would do some hoeing as the Pumpkin patch is looking a little tatty. More or less with the first stroke of the hoe the handle snapped. End of hoeing. It is a good excuse to buy a new one. I have never been happy with the old one but I have had it a great many years. I hope to buy a Swoe. It is a hoe that looks like a sand iron golf club. It is supposed to be good for getting up close the plants. It is stainless steel so I imagine it will last a long time.

Just before my holidays I picked up a couple of plastic composters from the council. I have this plan to use them for the long term composting of Docks and other weeds. I have always run a pile of Docks athe end of the plot that does, in time, rot down to a useful compost. It takes a year or more. With the two composters I hope to reduce the time it takes to convert them into something useful and keep the end of the plot tidy as well. The black plastic really gets hot which I hope is going to be the key to speed up the process. I think I might fill them from the Dock pile this evening.

Because I broke the hoe I decided to spend a few minutes to tidy up the end compost bin. The bin has turned into a collecting point for bits wire, part rolls of chicken wire, plastic bags and useful bits of fleece. All those bits that are too big to throw away but might be useful in the future. They might "come in" as H says. I reorganised the bin so as to make room for the composters and re-positioned all the spares to be neat. I even took somethings home for the dust bin men.

As it stands I have done precious little on the plot. I am going the the plot this evening the job list is:
Start composters
Clear away Chick peas
Clear away manky Caulis
Use the new Swoe!

Ready for the holidays?

H and I are off on holiday at the weekend so it has been something of a trial to get the lottie ready to left alone for a fortnight. It is the same each year. Busy at work preparing things to continue whilst I am away and busy at the lottie ensuring that I don't come back to a weedy jungle. The main problem has been the weather. When it was raining steadily you knew where you were. But recently the weather has changed to heavy showers. Unfortunately is seems to shower on me as I get to the lottie.

Last week was relatively dry. Friday night stayed dry as did most of the day. Unfortunately I had to go to see my in-laws in Chapel en le Frith to organise their website and email. They have finally got consent to let their apartment in Croatia. Click here to open their website. That took up most of Saturday althought we were treated to a lovely lunch. I was determined to get to the lotttie on Sunday to do weeding, clear out poorly plants, harvest some veg and plant out the seedlings from the greenhouse. H joined me at the lottie to help. H turned up about 11am having dropped the daughter in town. I put the two seater bench on the community patio and took a few minutes for a brew from the flask H brought with her. She is a gem. We drank tea and looked across the plots for ten minutes then back to work. Whilst weeding on our hands and knees we spotted lots of tiny toads. About the size of your little finger's nail. Brownish red things.

The snake has not been seen for a while. Perhaps he has found another home!

By 1.30pm the plot was looking ship shape and the back of the car was full of potatoes [Ulster Prince], cabbage [Hispi], Calebrase and spring onions [Lisbon]. I took my lottie buddy Steve up on the offer of PYO red currants. They went very well with the Strawberries, Raspberries and Blackcurrants from the fruit bushes at home together with some Greek yogurt and dribble of honey. When we got home we had bacon butties for lunch and then went for a stiff walk as part of our training for the walking holiday.

Over the weekend other items were checked and fettled such as:
The Parma style ham that I am getting ready for Christmas had its second dressing. It is looking good. It is getting darker in colour by degrees and lighter in weight as the moisture is drawn out. The one that is ready and hung up in the shed is slowly disappearing, shaving by shaving. The thinner it is cut the better it seems to be.

The worms in the wormery have settled down at last. They kept try to escape. Have you ever tried rounding up dozens of wiggly worms that are making a bid for freedom in all directions? It ticklish business trying round them up without damaging them and persuade them to remain in their new home. They seem to have come to terms with their new home and look busy. I can not ell how many worms are left but they are supposed to be prolific breeders so I hope to have happy colony before the winter sets in.

The Tomatoes in the greenhouse have really started growing. Some fruits have set on the Shirley's. The Beef tomatoes are in flower. If the plant is anything to go by the fruit will be enormous. The Cucumbers are growing as well. There are flowers as well as leaves but they just don't look really vigorous. I will have to investigate cucumber husbandry over the winter ready for next year. We seem to have cornered the market in massive frogs. The only trouble is they seem to be match by the size of the slugs. I have been tripping over the buggers. The salt and pellet patrol will have to be re-established.

The sparrow have discovered the blackcurrants so we have harvested all the ripe currents and are going to make them into jam or cassis. We won't have time to eat them all before our holidays so I will turn them into something that will keep.

I was at the lottie last night to check on the seedling I put in over the weekend. I had a fright as I walked passed the spuds. A Partridge shot out the rows straight past me. Unfortunately for him he crashed straight into the netting that is supposed to keep them out. At the second time of shooing the bird spotted the open gate and flapped off into the distance just short of a few feathers for his troubles. I have been blaming beetles for the nibbles taken out of the brasiccas leaves but it might have been Partridge all the while.

Dare we speak Summers name?

The rain seems to be easing off. There are still heavy down pours but they are very localised. Any persistent rain is relatively light compared with what we have had this past two or three weeks. The forecast is for the weather to abate by mid July The First early potatoes "Ulster Price" are performing very well. I started harvesting them, two or three plants at a time, about two weeks ago. Day by day the spuds get bigger giving a bigger crop. They are very tasty. I think I will have them again. The second earlies, "Charlotte" are in flower. A very pretty purple with a white centre. I go on holiday on the 14th July and I am undecided weather to harvest the Charlottes before I go or to leave them in until I return. The Ulsters will be gone by the end of next week so I hope to have prepared the soil and sowed some green manure before I go away.

I have had a few Hispi cabbage which are very nice. The spinach has boltted though which is a disappointment. I have more in the green house to out in the next few days. Finally I have carrots! They seems to be doing quite well. So it would seem that all I have to do in future is keep them really, really wet and warm. The second lot of young french bean have taken a beating. They have another week to show signs of recovery or they will be assigned to the compost heap and others planted in their place. The Swede planted in cells started really well and have established themselves outdoors.

We are eating the air dried Ham. I feel like leaving it a little longer as the drier it gets the finer it can be cut and more delicious it is. I have another one started, perhaps a month old and has just had it's second application of cure.

Its raining, its raining

The title is not strictly true. It has been raining and raining. I have been very busy with family commitments over the past few weeks which is just as well considering the weather. My auntie had her 60th birthday, so that was a day out being plied with food and drink. She lives near Ashton-under-Lyme so it was drive to get there and meant that I could not imbibe. My brother flew in from Fuertaventura, where he now lives, for a visit. He and his good lady, Tracy, stayed with us over night before returning to Manchester. Mum and Dad came too. We did go and have a look at the lottie though. Fencing continues on Tuesday nights. A team of us went to fencing competiton near Nottingham last Sunday. I had a series of close fought bouts in the pool rounds which damaged my position for seeding into the direct eliminations. I had a good outing but came mid field whereas Peter came third.

I keep going up to the lottie for an hour. Partly to weed and partly to see what has happened with all the rain we have had. My buddy Steve emailed me to say i had a massive puddle where my Patio [posh name for a bunch as paving stones at the entrance to my plot]. By the time I went to the plot the next evening the waters had subsided. I got the mattock out and hacked out a rough channel away from the plot towards the ditch. The water hosed along the channel. Since then the pond has not reappearred even though it has rained in biblical proportions. I have away dug a ditch round my large beds partly:

1. to give me some where to walk
2. as a boundary
3. to create a raised bed
4. to create a ditch
5. to a create a void that creeping weed roots can not cross or at least slow them down

The down hill sides of these ditches have been constant puddles and when it rain hard they are linear lakes. As I have said before the substrate of the site is clay over laid with imported aluvial soil. Because of the way I make big raised beds the top 4 to 6 inches of soil tends to drain quite well unfortunatley the underlying clay is slow to drain. This is a handy feature in dry weather as the clay holds the moisture for the plant roots. Just now my plants are suffering. Chic peas and Garlic in particular. I think I will have the garlic up this weekend and dry it out to see if a can salvage a crop. All the other plants seem to be making a living although they are covered in soil which has been bounced off the surface of the earth and been disposited on the leaves by the down pours.

Elderflower Heaven

This is the season for the Elder to flower. The Elder grows as a small tree or shrub. H and I have been watching the weather to gauge when we can go to collect Elder flowers. The Elder flowers during June and July depending on local conditions. We make the flowers into a cordial and a Champagne.

Cordial
One needs about thirty, big, full open flower heads per gallon for the cordial. The cordial has a uses 4lb of sugar, three Lemons, squeezed and zested with 80grams of Citric Acid. Bring the water to the boil and dissolve the sugar. Then the other ingredients are added and syrup simmered with until it reduces. Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to stand for twelve hour, over night in our case. Filter the contents of the pan through a muslin jelly bag or other such fine filter to remove the flower parts and bugs. The filter should not be too fine as the syrup will be quite thick. Then bottle. It freezes really well. Use the cordial 1:4 with sparkling water or white wine over ice, drop in a sprig of mint for a really refreshing summer drink. You will not have tasted anything so nice.

Champagne
This champagne is not alcoholic but refers to the fizz. Take a gallon of water and bring it to the boil. Take it off the heat and dissolve 1.5kg [3.3lb] of sugar. Zest two lemons and juice. Add the juice and zest to the water. Also add 2 tablespoons of White Wine vinegar. Allow the liquid to cool the blood temp [37 degrees C]. Add six Elderflower heads to the water. The water has to cool so that the natural yeasts are not killed. The yeasts are going to give the fizz. Let the whole thing stand 24 hrs. Strain the infused liquid to get rid of the flower bits and any bugs. Then bottle the liquor. Use bottles that can stand some pressure. Screw cap pop bottles are ideal. Leave the bottles to stand in a cool place for ten days. Check them every day to ensure they do not explode. One needs to let off some pressure so the bottles don't explode but you want some pressure so you get fizz. The Champagne does not keep long but that will be a good excuse to drink it and go and make some more.

The Elderflower is quite delicately scented but is pungent when infused. It is at its best if picked after a few days of dry, sunny weather. One should select the flower heads that are in full bloom and facing the sun. Since one only requires a handful of flower heads there is no point choosing anything but the best flowers, in peak condition. Flowers that not quite open or gone over impart a distinct "cat pee" odour and spoil the flavour of the product. H and I seek out Elders that do not grow near roads or heavy industry. We apply this rule to any hedgerow goodies we pick.

The other thing is that because so few flower heads are needed there are plenty left on the trees to run to berries which can be turned into jam and wine later in the year. Take note that the flowers and berries should not be eaten raw as they have a mild laxative effect.

Ooh the pain

Since the last post I have had four days in Dublin over the May Bank Holiday. In the days before I went to Dublin I planted lots of seeds and watered them in. The greenhouse was emptied again. We were promised and got plenty of rain which suited me since I was not to be stopped working and benefited from the down pours.

We stayed with our ex-neighbours who have moved to Dublin for work. We did the usual holiday things of too much to eat and too much too drink which incidentally, are my two favorite hobbies. In between eats we had a look round the countryside and the city. Top weekend out! On return from Dublin it was straight back to work. I did not get to the plot until Wednesday evening. The weed seedlings are starting to appear. My lottie buddy throught there might be a frost again as there had been one on Tuesday night so we fleeced over the tender plants and earthed up the spuds. The Ulster Prince potatoes got a dose of frost burn but I hope that will not set them back too much.

I got side tracked at home on Thursday night and we had friends over on Friday evening so no lottie those days either. In a fit of enthusiasm I accepted Tony's offer to go rock climbing the following day. Tony picked me up the 08.30 Saturday and we set off for Stanage Edge, Derbyshire.
It is ages since I climbed and although a could remember the techniques I did not have the strength or endurance for it to be an easy outing. On the third climb I stretched my forearm muscles and made it worse on the next pitch. Tony nipped off and solo'd a couple of pitches whilst I rested. But it was no good I am out of condition for that sort of exercise. Given it was only 3ish we packed or bags and went for a walk to Stanage Pole. From the Pole we took a wide right ward circular walk passed Redmire reservoirs circling back across open moor land to the car park on the Ringinglow Road behind the edge. We saw Curlew, Grouse and Snipe and at quite close quarters too as well as thick swathes of Heather and uneven tussocks of grass. It was hard going but enjoyable. We had an ice cream at the van in the car park and a well earned rest. Then it was a twenty minute walk back to the edge and down to where Tony's car was parked at it's foot. The walk turned into a hike of about six miles with all our climbing gear. It was 6pm by the time we got to the edge again. The sun had been out all day and was starting to journey toward the horizon. The edge glowed in the evening sun and since most of the climbers had left for the day it seem really quite tranquil with a gentle breeze blowing to take away the heat of the day.

Click the link for information about Stanage Edge. Movie buffs will probably know that High Neb was the location where Keira Knighly stood in the film adaptation Pride & Prejudice.
Having shimmied up Stanage Edge in the finger holds of greats such as Joe Brown and Don Whillans and stood breathless, albeit from exertion rather than emotion a la Knightly, I considered we had had a very fulfilling day which was topped off with a pint in the Little John at Hathersage.

My arm, shoulders and chest muscles were over worked so there was no point even attempting to do anything at the lottie on Sunday. After a leisurely breakfast and a potter in the garden H and I went for a walk round our locale. This walk turned into a ten mile hike. All this walking is good training for my summer holidays walking Wainwright's coast to coast.

I made an effort to go to the lottie on Monday evening mainly because I was able to finish work early. I planted out the Sweet Corn, Broad Beans to replace those scoffed by the mice, the remainder of the Leek and Parsnips. I also put in a few Marigolds. After the planting which was quite fulfilling I set about hoeing. It was tough at first but became easier as my muscles loosened up. I am happy to report that the Brassicas that I though had been attacked were in fact the victim of slugs. Since pelleting the area the damage has stopped and the plants have relished not being eaten and are grow like mad. I think the next visit will be Thursday evening if it has not rained. I might even go even if it has!

A Photo History

I was looking round my PC and found the photos I have taken since we started at the lottie. The ones shown here are taken from the same corner of the plot. I stand on the corner post of the boundary fence look out across my plot in the foreground to the carpark at the top of the plots. Click on the pictures for an enlargement.
The first photo was taken on the day we took on the plot in the Autumn of 2003.



The next photo is how it looked in the summer of the following year, 2004.



Next up is the Summer of 2005. If you look closely you can see the beginnings of a path. [bottom, left of frame]



I can not find the summer 2006 picture. I have winter 2005 picture which is will post as soon as I get it off the camera. In the meantime here is a picture from last weekend. Not quite summer but all is set.


That's all for now. I will get a proper summer picture when the summer arrives!

Last Chance to Plant

The pressure has been on for a couple of weeks now to get as much in the ground as possible bearing in mind the Mice scoff the juicy seeds such as Pea and Broad Beans and that in April it hardly rained. I took the plunge this weekend and emptied the Greenhouse. I planted out the Jolent & Musselborough leeks, Gherkins, a few remaining Rainbow Chard and what I think is Celeriac. I had a tray of what are clearly Brassicas but what sort? I think they are Cauli's. I also planted seeds for Parsnip and four rows of Carrot. It remains to be seen if I have missed the first flush of carrot fly. My other job that took quite a bit of time was weeding the onion bed of renegade spuds that I missed in the harvest last year. It is always a mystery to me why plants grow so well when they are weeds versus when they are grown as crops.

The trays had to go from the Greenhouse in order for me to remove the staging that creates a shelf under which the Tomatoes are growing. Taking out the staging out has increased the light and before to long the Toms will be requiring the space to grow.

I decided it was time to remove the bird feeders. I reckon the birds can look after themselves for the summer and autumn. I also hope that they will look round the plot for alternative food and help themselves to the aphids and anything else that might eat my crops before I do. I have a couple of Robins that dive into any earth I disturb as soon as I am a safe distance away. So I make a point of stopping now and then to empty the wheelbarrow or do another short job just to give the Robins a few minutes to pick over the new ground. My allotment neighbour told me that a Greater Spotted Woodpecker has been visiting my feeders. That is quite a larger bird. Apparently to had no trouble getting through my netting. My plot is covered with 4" [100mm] pea netting to keep out the Pigeons, Peasants and Canadian Geese. It is a shame the Thrushes have not sussed out how to negotiate the netting. There are plenty of snails waiting for them.

H and I had a bonanza of Victoria Rhubarb. I was going to make some wine and jam and bit for stewing but I had a little "cash crop". We dropped of my daughter for a baby sitting job with our friends. Their kids had been out collecting Strawberries [not surprising since they live on a strawberry farm] and gave me a pound and a half punnet. As soon as I got home a turned them into Jam. I am going to make some bread to do it justice.

The last job I did on Saturday was to bottle the Apple wine. On tasting it is wickedly sweet, specific gravity 1.030. It may reduce with age but it does taste like apples. The wine is quite cloudy but that too might resolve whilst it is sitting in the rack.

How did the tipples turn out?

As blogged in 06 I made an attempt to make wine from various free sources, Vegetables from the allotment and fruit from the hedgerows and fields. On the whole I would consider it a success. I made wine from Nettle, Dandelion, Plum, Damson, Rhubarb, Pear and Apple.

I executed the same process for all the wines and used, more or less, the same recipe. Stage 1: Take the fruit or veg, wash the dirt off and shake to remove the excess. Chop the up the fruit or veg into smaller portions, usually about 1 inch cubes [25mm] or bruise the fruit or to break the cell walls. This all goes into a big bucket followed by any other ingredients, sugars and boiling water. They are given a vigorous Stir and left for a week in a warm place.
Stage 2: After a week [5 days] I strain the mixture through a muslin cloth. I add the required amount of Yeast, another stir and then bottle the liquor into a demi-john [DJ] and fit an air lock. I put a luggage tag on the bottle with the date of transfer to DJ and the specific gravity.
Stage 3: Stand back. The DJ's live in the garage which is quite warm. When the fermentation dies down to a stop, I rack the liquor into another DJ and refit the air lock. The new DJ sits in the garage for as long as it takes to stop fermenting completely and become clear. If I find that during this period that a lot of sediment is collecting at the bottom of the DJ I will rack into another DJ. At each racking I record, on the tag, the date and specific gravity.
Stage 4: Bottling. I do not throw out any wine bottles that we might buy. I try to collect similar wine bottles by shape and colour. I try to achieve sets of five. When the time comes I syphon off the wine in to the bottles and cork. I like to have corks in bottles but I will use screw caps if I have a set of five. Then I hang a label round its neck. The label says what sort wine, date and specific gravity. The bottles go out to my shed to "have a little rest". The rest can be anything from 3 to 6 months. The run up to Christmas is the time to have a tasting. Depending on the tasting the bottles are rearranged in the shed so the "drinkers" are near the door and the "resters" are further away.
Stage 5: Have friends round and pop a few corks. If you can manage that with a warm summer evening, goodies from the allotment you are in my idea of heaven.

How did they do?
Nettle: A little dry for my taste but I have a sweet tooth. It is getting better with age.
Dandelion: Rich and medium sweet. A bit like a light sherry.
Damson: Rich, deep and sweet but with the sharp fruity acid at the end.
Yellow Plum: Everyone's favorite. Light, fruity, quite sweet but with body.
Rhubarb: A bit insipid. It is not punchy like those above. Very dry with the slight hint of Rhubarb.
Pear: Just bottled. At his stage it is light and clear. It is dry with a hint of fruit.
Apple: Still in the DJ but on sampling dry and fruity. Just waiting for corks for the bottles.

I am not sure I would do nettle again however if it is getting better in the bottle perhaps I should make more and lay in down for longer. I would do all the others again but limit my self to one DJ [Five bottles] of each.

I intend to do Broad Bean, Pea pod, Parsnip and maybe Potato wine this year as well as the fruit wines. I do not think I will be able to resist making several DJs of Damson. I have a good supply so their is plenty for Wine, jam and gin.

The other tipple that has gone unmentioned is the Sloe Gin. For this you need a DJ, a kilo of Sloes that have been frozen and thawed and kilo of sugar. Put the sloes and sugar in a clean DJ and top it up with cheap gin. In fact it seems to be better the cheaper gin. Try Aldi or Netto gin [£7 per bottle]. Stick a bung in the top, it does not need an air lock. Shake the DJ every day until the sugar is dissolved. The shake the DJ up once a week thereafter. I started mine in the autumn and it was ready for Christmas day. I bought a 1 pint decanter to display and serve the Sloe Gin. It is beautiful shade of Crimson. A gallon of Sloe Gin goes a long, long way. I am think of doing the same process except with Damson as the fruit. I have some sloes in the freezer from Christmas so I am considering getting a DJ going very soon so it has 6 months to infuse.