Our basil is at it’s best and so the first fresh pesto of the season beckons and today was the day. It is easy and quick but ingredients like pine nuts and Parmesan are expensive so whilst it might be a special treat, at least you know that only the best ingredients have been used.… Continue reading Home made Pesto
Category: Food
Food that we have grown or encountered ourselves.
Chilli harvest and Autumn tidy up
Now that all our pumpkins have gone (see www.BigPumpkins.co.uk) it’s the quiet time before the wreath making season begins so time to clear out the debris from the poly tunnels, then wash and disinfect everything ready for spring. There are a few productive tomato plants left but all the rest are on the compost heap.… Continue reading Chilli harvest and Autumn tidy up
Wild Damson Harvest
It’s that time of year when our wild damsons are just coming ready so time to risk life and limb reaching over the very deep ditch to try and hook the branches and get them harvested. Probably three quarters of the fruit is inaccessible so I don’t feel that guilty about raiding the natural larder.… Continue reading Wild Damson Harvest
Hydroponic Ginger Trial
As some will know we try and do a little trial of the more unusual in the hydroponic tanks each year. This year it was the turn of ginger. Having read up about it I went down to our local Booths supermarket to find a suitable fresh ginger ‘root’ tuber with lots of nodules on.… Continue reading Hydroponic Ginger Trial
Processing Oak into wood chunks
Processing Oak logs into wood chunks for use in offset smokers It might be Bank Holiday Monday and it might have been a lovely sunny day but all I could think was to get some Oak wood chunks split, sawn and seasoning to replace all those being burnt in BBQs and Smokers. It is a… Continue reading Processing Oak into wood chunks
Long Chilli Competition plants
The ‘long chilli’ and heavy chilli are relatively new additions to the giant vegetable competition schedules so growing techniques and plant genetics are still very much up for debate. I had a go last year with some donated chilli seed and had great success with the long chilli but less so with the heaviest. Some… Continue reading Long Chilli Competition plants
The menace of Sky Lanterns
It makes you wonder just who does not know how dangerous sky lanterns can be yet we still get them landing in grazing land. Today’s find was of the dreaded bamboo and wire construction which landed on fields grazed by sheep. I only wish I knew who had sent this beautiful paper lantern up into… Continue reading The menace of Sky Lanterns
Big pumpkin season review
Well that’s another year of big pumpkins over and, it is fair to say, Halloween gets bigger every year. The professional carvers took more than ever of our large pumpkins but the giant pumpkins remain in a very niche market. I think how difficult they are to handle is one reason but the other is… Continue reading Big pumpkin season review
Beech Logs and Chunks back in stock
It has been a while but beech is back in stock. Some will end up being sold amongst the mixed hardwood firewood but the bulk of this tree will be used for serving boards & platters, logs and heartwood wood chunks for smoking food and walking stick handles. The bulk of the branches have been… Continue reading Beech Logs and Chunks back in stock
Polytunnel Update – End July
A quick update from the polytunnels: Giant Pumpkins Over the last few weeks the main vines have achieved the most desirable length for the production of a giant pumpkin and the selected female flowers cross pollinated with it’s carefully chosen suitor. A couple of pumpkins have now set and are definitely on their way to… Continue reading Polytunnel Update – End July