The Rivers’ Early Plum – Delicious eating plum, ready at the end of July 2018
Just before picking
First crop from this little tree
Rivers’ Early Plum
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Polytunnel
July 2018
Lettuce, tomatoes, chillis and peppers being grown in here at the moment
Tomatoes are just starting to ripen
Variety – Sweet Aperitif
Freshly picked
Lettuce, tomatoes, Jalapeño chillis
Courgettes from the fields
August 2018
Update on the polytunnel
Left side
Right side
Tomatoes
Rosette Apple
The Rosette Apple – A beautiful early season apple
Rosette is a bright red early season apple, with an amazing rosette-like pattern of marbled pink or red flesh that is revealed when you cut the apple open!
The flesh does not brown (oxidise) that quickly either so it can be used to add an interesting colour to savoury or fruit salads. It was a good choice of apple tree and although only in its third year has a good crop in 2018.
Loganberries
Planted last year, 2017, this is the first year (2018) for picking our loganberries.
They look like raspberries but the fruit is a little longer and firmer. The loganberry is a raspberry x blackberry hybrid with quite a tart flavour which is ideal for cooking or jam.
The fruit is a sharper than a raspberry but makes delicious jam which sets in minutes.
A jug full of loganberries can be turned into three of these lovely jars of jam!
Garden pots, tubs and flowers
Lots of colour at the moment in the garden. Here’s just a selection from the middle of July 2018.
French Beans
French bean seeds were planted towards the end of May, and potted on, planting into well manured ground on 8th June 2018, In 6 weeks these were ready to start picking.
Three varieties of French Beans are ready for picking.
Purple Queen at the top, Saxa on the right, and Kinghorn Wax on the left.
Saxa variety – 10lbs picked so far (21.7.18), 5lbs now blanched and frozen, the rest have been eaten! The Dwarf French bean ‘Saxa’ (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a strong variety that seems to give a good crop and can be harvested early. The Kinghorn Wax (Phaseolus vulgaris) is also an early to late, stringless, dwarf French bean, but a lovely yellow in colour. 2lbs of these so far (21.7.18). The Purple Queen, dark purple in colour, turns green on boiling. However this seems to be a later variety and the pods are still developing.
Blackcurrants
The weather this summer, 2018 has been so hot. Our crop of blackcurrants has been good but the older blackcurrant bushes have produced currants of a much smaller size. All of the bushes have been grown from cuttings from our bush in Eaglesham, Scotland where we previously lived.
6lbs of blackcurrants picked
Springdale Blackcurrant Jam
Broad Beans
Broad beans were planted late this year, April 16th 2018. The ground was very wet.
Aqua dulce is the variety.
A lot of slug pellets were needed around the emerging plants. Also to try and keep the black fly off they were covered in fleece.
Date of photo of beans covered in fleece.- 28th May 2018 – Hoops and garden canes were used to hold the fleece above the plants and pegged down along the edges.
Broad beans ready for picking and podding
July 14th 2018
Ready for the pot! And some to be blanched and frozen. 10lbs in total of podded beans.
New Flower Bed
May 2018 – July 2018
End of May 2018 – Plot marked out roughly with canes for a new planting area.
This area is situated in the front garden, by a small wall, adjacent to the front gate. It looked ideal for a new flower bed.
This was the beginning of June after planting up. Plants include Geum, Heuchera, Astilbe, Salvia, Spirera, Coreopsis, Penstemon
Now the beginning of July 2018 and this is how it has developed
Iris now coming up against the wall.
Monmouth Show 2018
Saturday 7th July 2018
Success at the Monmouth Show!
Scroll down for the shortbread wars!
Overall home baking – The Sterrett Perpetual Challenge Cup won by Deb!
The Ken Brown Challenge Cup for Savoury Muffins won by Sheila!
With the President of the Monmouth Show 2018
Receiving cups
Certificates
Sheila – Three 1st Prizes – For Raspberry Jam, Apricot (stoned fruit) and Savoury Muffins and Ken Brown Cup for Savoury Muffins, 2nd Prize for Shortbread
Deb – Five 1st Prizes – Bara Brith, Six Pieces of Tray Bake, Round of Shortbread, Damson Chutney and Six Strawberry tarts, Two Second Prizes for Welsh cakes and a loaf of bread, and one Third Prize – strawberry jam
Six Pieces of Tray Bake
Damson Chutney
Six Strawberry Tarts
Sheila’s Savoury Muffins
Winning entries
Round of Shortbread
Six Pieces of a Tray Bake
Damson Chutney
First Prizes for Sheila’s Raspberry and Apricot Jam
Deb’s Strawberry Tarts
Deb’s Loaf of Bread – White Bloomer
Sheila’s Raspberry Jam
Deb’s Damson Chutney
Deb’s 2nd Prize Welsh Cakes
Deb’s First Prize Bara Brith
The Shortbread Wars!!!!!
First and Second!!!!!
Third for Strawberry Jam
The Sterrett’s Cup won for the most points overall
The Ken Brown Challenge Cup won by Sheila for the best savoury muffins
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