The Sweet Cherry tree was full of ripe cherries in the morning, by the afternoon the starlings had stripped the tree of cherries and leaves. All that was left of the cherries is shown in the photo below.
plate-of-cherries
The ripe cherries have sweet, firm flesh. There are many recipes using cherries, but our favourite is cherry clafoutis.
single-cherry
We have put old tights over the cherry branches in the past, to keep the birds off. We will have to be on our toes next year to stop the starlings taking the sweet cherries again!
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The Big Butterfly Count is taking place from 16th – 31st July 2011.
peacock-on-buddlea
The big butterfly countis a nationwide survey to assess the health of our environment. The numbers of butterflies continue to decline, & this survey will help work out what is going on in the butterfly world. Climate change is warming up the UK & we are seeing some new species. The hummingbird hawk moth usually lives in Africa, but we are getting more sightings of it in the UK. We actually saw one in our garden this week. It has a very long probosis, which it holds straight out in front of it when it is feeding on our Lilly flowers. It flaps its wings so fast while it hovers to feed, that you can hear a humming noise. Sitings in 2011 can be seen by clicking this link: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/sightings/1096/hummingbird_hawk_moth.html
butterflies-sunbathing
To take part:
red-admiral-butterfly
The survey is run by the charity Butterfly Conservation to encourage sustainable agriculture and help to protect the environment. We have 59 species of butterfly in the British Isles and over 75% of these are in decline.
CabbageWhite-Butterfly
Butterflies are beautiful and vital to the health of our environment.
Butterflies have suddenly appeared in our garden in the last few days so we should have a decent number to report to the Big Butterfly Count taking place from 16th – 31st July 2011!
There are two schools of thought on how to freeze broad beans – some people blanch the beans before freezing and some don’t.
Blanching involves plunging the beans into boiling water to stop all enzyme activity with the beans, so the beans stay exactly as they are without any deterioration. Therefore, the healthy vitamins and minerals will remain in the beans. After a couple of minutes at boiling point, the beans are dropped into ice-cold water, to stop the cooking process.
Podding-Medes-BroadBeans
To freeze broad beans by blanching:
- shell the beans
- plunge the broad beans into a very fast boiling saucepan, so the water just covers the beans
- return the water to the boil as quickly as possible
- after 3 mins,drain the broad beans
- immediately put into ice cold water to bring temperature down quickly
- drain
- fill freezer bags with the cold, dried beans
- squeeze air out of bag – suck out remainder with straw- then seal bag
- freeze the broad beans immediately
Helpful tip: make large blocks of ice in margarine/yoghurt tubs to keep water cold when cooling beans
To freeze broad beans without blanching:
- shell the beans
- fill freezer bags with the shelled broad beans
- squeeze air out of bag – suck out remainder with straw – then seal bag
- freeze the broad beans immediately
It is worth trying both methods, to decide how to freeze broad beans for yourself.
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Pairing Wine with Vegetables is a guest post by Ann Fitzgerald
Many people enjoy knowing a lot about wine. Unlike almost any other food or drink, wine is something that can be studied and enjoyed in a huge range of ways – you may enjoy going to tastings and taking classes, or traveling to different famed wine regions, or even simply having a firm grasp on what wines pair well with certain foods. The latter is an acquired skill, something that can be researched, but which also requires a certain aptitude for detecting the subtleties in the taste of wines, and figuring out what pairings would work well. For example, many people know the general ideas, such as pairing rich red wines with heavy red meats, or sweet white wines with desserts. However, there are many other wine pairing ideas that are less well-known. For example, have you ever considered what wines work well for vegetarians, or what would taste good with a particular vegetable dish? Next time you go for a vegetarian meal, you may want to check out Marks and Spencer wine and grab a few bottles to try out. In the meantime, here are a few basic tips and comments:
- Generally, matching wine to foods involves finding some sort of similar quality or taste that the food and wine share, which will help to emphasize the flavor of both. For this reason, because many vegetables (especially when prepared in a specific dish or meal) carry a somewhat herbal taste quality, you may want to try sampling a wine with a similar taste. Some examples that may work well with certain vegetable dishes are Rieslings or Pinot Blancs, which are lighter white wines that could carry an herbal flavor quite well.
- Another thing to consider will be the texture, for lack of a better word, of your vegetable. For example, a juicier, more moist vegetable may go well with a sweeter wine like a Sauvignon Blanc, or even some sparkling wines or rosé varieties, whereas a more bland or dry vegetable may go well with a harsher white wine.
- The most important thing to remember is to find something that matches between your wine and your vegetable. But, as with any food, there are indeed certain wines that ought to pair very well with most vegetable dishes, and which will emphasize flavor and enhance your enjoyment of your meals.
Wine is not only for meaty dishes or special occasions – it can easily be enjoyed with the simplest of meals, even if all that is served is a nice vegetable dish.
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Jean has asked if Victoria plums will ripen off the tree. She wants to pick them before the wasps ruin the crop.
TopVeg has replied:
Victoria plums will ripen a little off the tree – if kept at room temperature. Ripe bananas in amongst them will help speed the process.
Nothing can beat a plum ripened on the tree – but wasps seem to get the plums just before they are ripe enough – so they always beat me to it.
Better to pick the plums and save them.
Have you tried enviromesh? It depends on the size of your tree – but if you can totally enclose the tree, or part of it, in enviromesh the wasps will be kept off.
Reducing the wasps will also help. Try to track down the nest by following the wasps home. They often nest quite close to plum trees. Once the nest is discovered, it can be eliminated. Jam jar traps full of sweet liquid can be covered with paper. Then a hole in the paper will let the wasps in, but not out. There are various commercial versions of this. Lakeland have one at http://www.lakeland.co.uk/2851/Wasp-Catcher?src=gpgar.
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Carol has asked if it is possible to cook beetroot in the microwave.
We think it is much quicker & easier to microwave beetroot. Boiling takes so long!
Put 4 egg-sized beet in a microwaveable bowl, add about 3 tablespoons of water and cover. Microwave on full power for about 8 minutes, turning half way through cooking. Remove the beet from the oven & rest for 2 minutes. Drain then cool the beet in cold water.
Has anyone else tried microwaving beetroot?
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The Sonata Table Top Strawberries are ripe – 60 days after planting as promised!
ripe-60day-strawberries
These Sonata Table Top Strawberries were planted in May to replace those lost in the cold winter.
sonata_strawberries
They were purchased as “waiting bed plants” from the continent. They are designed to give the maximum yield in the first year, and to crop in 60 days after planting.
”Waiting bed plants” are an expensive option, but a heavy crop in 60 days will help the cash flow!
The Sonata Table Top Strawberries are available for Pick Your Own at Skylark Farm, near York.
