Sunday, 27 March 2011
Turned out nice again
In the end there was no rain. I tried to call its bluff by getting out the watering cans and soaking the seed beds but no luck. We had a wonderfully warm and sunny day, eating our meals in the garden and risking sunburn if we left off our shady hats. Planted today; a row each of parsnips and scorzonera. The forecast is for showers and then rain on Wednesday. I'm sure it will happen.
There was a huge clump of horseradish blocking progress in the potato patch, so I took advantage of the visiting muscles of Paul and got him to dig it out for me. The roots spread over an enormous area and I'm sure there are plenty of broken off bits left to regenerate but the main crown is now removed and a policy of zero tolerance should see the rest off eventually. I took the harvest back for the kitchen although there is a good deal more pungency there than I'm likely to get through before it turns to compost. I'll have to see if it's possible to freeze it.
Our solitary swallow is still waiting for the rest of the family to catch up with him. We're a bit concerned though as the swallows recognise and hate cats and will buzz them if they see them in the yard. This does bother the cats a bit but they soon spotted an opportunity to swipe dinner from the air as demonstrated here by Miss Fluffy Raven. Our lone bachelor has decided to start his campaign early despite having no mate or young to defend. His first battle was nearly his last this morning when he dive bombed Crow who is extremely strong and fast. It's quite a worry.
With almost nothing cultivated to harvest at the moment I'm driven to foraging for foodie entertainment. The dandelions are in full bloom and so I thought I'd make some more Dandelion Syrup. Oddly though, this time the petals weighed in at 150g so I've set them to steep in two litres of water overnight. Update in a couple of days when the final product is available.
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8 comments:
Horseradish freezes perfectly well. It spreads far too much for me, but I might have another go if I grow it in a dustbin or something similar.
I am a new reader to your blog and am SO enjoying reading about your gardening as I am slowly beginning the process of starting mine. I also LOVE the picture of your kitty as I have a 'twin' cat named Nermal, who also is quite a character... thank you for a great read!
Wish everything grew as hardily as horseradish.
I am enjoying your blog. It was recommended by someone on a forum, who has had seeds from you in the past, because I am just starting a garden in Brittany and know very little. I can really relate to what you are writing and am eating dandelion leaves as salad.
Thanks for that Robert, do you know if it will freeze whole or do I need to grate it first?
Hi Patti, I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry you've arrived at a time when I'm not doing much cooking. As the season progresses there will be less gardening and more recipes I expect.
Hi Diane, where in Brittany are you? Nice to meet you.
And the dandelion syrup was delicious, even if much of its flavour is due to citrus and sugar; the dandelion does add not a little colour and a certain "je ne sais quoi" which "jeo trop ignoraunt a bien roumauncer" - the latter being a no doubt feeble attempt at old Norman French, the former merely Franglais.
We are near Ploermel in central Brittany.
@Diane We did look at property in Brittany as the Celtic culture appealed to me but the day we went was terribly wet and it rather put us off, wusses that we are. Start your own blog, I'd love to see how you're doing there.
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