tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37152662584639530972024-03-14T00:54:33.070+00:00The Cabbage PatchMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-68648981349095328232010-10-26T10:22:00.000+01:002010-10-26T10:22:00.121+01:00The perfect timewasterI normally go out with the thought just to get them (being the hens,, obviously!)  fed and watered and leave them to it - then end up just standing and watching, then thinking I might as well be having a cup of coffee to warm my hands, then go and fuss and fiddle with things in the run, etc etc! I think I'm just making excuses to watch them! I gave them crumb porridge with peas in this Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-77281120088341817142010-10-25T10:19:00.000+01:002010-10-25T10:19:00.314+01:00Crumb PorridgeLast night I got home just as dusk turned to dark and had to encourage them in with a torch. Tonight, OH returned about half 8 and found them all tucked up nearly asleep! Bless - amazing how quickly they learn. He even rummaged around under them and found three more eggs, although they're smaller than the previous days'. Is this as they're settling into a new diet and regime and aren't eating allMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-78571097535949549352010-10-24T10:16:00.001+01:002010-10-24T10:16:05.629+01:00Introducing Wilson, Betty and KeppelCouldn't wait to share pics of our new ex-batts. One slightly more battered than the other two but all looking more confident this morning. And we even had two eggs, although Betty did stamp on one to get it out of the nest box so she could lay hers! We'll be having words about that when she's settled in a bit more! Wilson Betty Keppel Betty's Egg He he - we're very Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-85341308712687597052010-08-12T18:01:00.000+01:002010-08-12T18:01:00.463+01:00Lettuce  The few seeds I scattered several weeks ago have grown into free food! Sown so close together, I can only use these as separate leaves but since that’s what I wanted anyway, it’s all good! Used this way, lettuce becomes a ‘cut and come again’ crop, which suits me brilliantly, as I should have delicious, home-grown lettuce all through the summer months. Now, what shall I have with it?Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-14831838948359746852010-08-05T17:58:00.001+01:002010-08-05T17:58:06.183+01:00Things I found on my walk along Aldeburgh Beach… 1- a stone with a round space 2 – sea peas 3 -   blackberries 4 – some sort of prickly catkin type seed 5 – rose hips 6 - wild fennel Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-35498030022697060292010-07-14T19:09:00.001+01:002010-07-14T19:09:09.747+01:00Thanks for the rain… The lettuce has begun to sprout…     The courgettes have flourished…   Even the parsnips are coming up – unheard of after only having been sown two weeks ago!   The raspberries are swelling nicely… Which all makes for a fruitful harvest: courgette flowers, nasturtiums, raspberries. chard and spinach. Perfect for stuffed courgette flowers on top of a green Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-8616831531955308002010-06-13T13:33:00.001+01:002010-06-13T13:33:48.813+01:00Broad Beans – nearly ready! I think I got a little overexcited! I saw the broad beans were fattening up nicely so decided to begin the harvest.. Luckily I opened the first one picked to have a look how they were: erm…tiny"! Maybe with a bit off feeding in the next week they’ll be ready fairly soonish: I’m not sure I can wait that long! Labels: broad beans, tiny, harvest, June Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-69756865486901331552010-06-01T17:05:00.000+01:002010-06-01T17:05:00.822+01:00Summer veg. planting  I’ve just received my new vegetable plants, all ready to go in. Now all I need is an unrainy day to plant them all out! Well, and to weed the veg patches first and add the compost. I’ve decided this year to add lots of compost to the courgette bed as they didn’t do brilliantly least year. From front to back I’ve got Beetroot, Courgette, Celery, Sweetcorn and Leeks. I’ve also Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-56414984453129545232010-05-29T17:01:00.001+01:002010-05-29T17:01:25.606+01:00Pea Shoots: ready to use in less than 14 days!  In only 14 days, these shop bought dried peas have germinated and grown. With a little sun and water, they are now the perfect size to use as salad leaves, or as a garnish on top of other things. In fact, the first meal is going to bee an addition to a salmon dish. I cant believe how simple these are to grow – and am fairly sure that on a sunny windowsill, you could do it all year round. Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-51599063952266204542010-05-15T12:12:00.001+01:002010-05-15T12:12:30.895+01:00Pea shoots – grow and cook!Having been an avid watcher of The Edible Garden over the last few week, I couldn’t wait to try growing your own dried peas! I bought a box of Bachelors ‘Bigga’ Dried marrowfat peas at just 39p from the local supermarket, and prepared my bed. I’d just bought a set of boxes from Wiggly Wigglers and couldn’t wait to find a use for them, so this idea seemed perfect. I lined it with a bag, and cut a Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-50914154544765361522010-05-03T10:32:00.001+01:002010-05-03T10:32:42.950+01:00Spring Cleaning in the Garden  Having had two weeks off over the Easter period, and my OH having also taken one whole week away from work, with the idea of training for his up-coming Iron Man competition later in June, we finally got to work on the long-needed task of tidying up the garden! He began on cutting back the clematis and climbing rose from the top of the summer house as it was getting very overgrown, tooMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-132109289556903092010-04-07T17:47:00.000+01:002010-04-07T17:47:00.326+01:00Spring has Sprung!            Everything is just beginning to grow and now is the time to plant things out! So far I’ve done the garlic and onions, way back in December I think; The cabbages then too…they’re under there, I promise! Early March saw sowing of Perpetual Spinach. The original broad beans were blackened by the snow,Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-78115167557272734562010-03-30T19:56:00.001+01:002010-03-30T19:57:49.192+01:00Lex - Found PurseLEX,Many thanks for your comment - I only hope you're still 'checking in' on this site!If you still are, and still have the purse, please contact me at direbonappetit@hotmail.co.ukMany thanks in advance,Merlotti xMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-53843663150080089872010-03-28T13:58:00.001+01:002010-03-28T13:58:08.013+01:00How to Plant Asparagus         Ok, now, I admit it: I didn’t think this through properly, growing asparagus. Only after I’d ordered it and it had arrived did I seriously think this idea through. Having researched what the heck I needed to do with it, I finally realised there was much work involved. I looked in several books, and online, to see if there was a quick and easy Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-45350336994646668522010-02-08T20:11:00.001+00:002010-02-08T20:11:27.810+00:00Garlic from the GardenOne thing that grew particularly well in the Cabbage Patch this year was the garlic. So much so, in fact, that I planted about 30 this year, so I’m thinking if we eat 0.58 of a bulb / head a week, it’ll last all year! That’s the theory behind it anyway, so I was very upset to notice that although my onions are doing particularly well, despite their crushing by the snow, the garlic shoots weren’t Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-47729889512828389182010-01-28T21:49:00.003+00:002010-01-28T21:55:09.191+00:00Not looking good!After having left the soil upturned for the robins and other birds to have a peck at for a few days, I covered the dug beds with plastic bin bags in the hopes of insualting the soil and stopping as many weeds as possible.Whilst I was down there, I also caught up with how the new broad beans were getting on after I'd chopped all their mushy bits off. The answer is, not very well. I'll give them Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-42387345002250308262010-01-19T12:00:00.000+00:002010-01-19T12:00:03.516+00:00Garden RescueFor the first time since the snow, I ventured up to the cabbage patch to see what the state of play really was; let’s just say it wasn’t good. The cabbages had been thoroughly enjoyed by the slugs and snails, the celery was no longer strong and tall and the broad beans for an early spring crop were black and mushy: yuck. So, first up, although I dillied and dallied not wanting to start, was Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-66746217095345699602010-01-16T17:53:00.001+00:002010-01-16T17:53:30.497+00:00Redwings in for snow!Lying in bed the other morning, I was convinced I could see a bird never before viewed in the garden. Getting up and wandering to the window, there were several of them, all in the trees and scrabbling around under the bushes where the snow had melted and in the leaf mush! Looking more closely, they were vey different from anything I’d seen before with  clear strip across their eyes and a Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-91127981956279166622010-01-13T21:09:00.001+00:002010-01-13T21:09:05.283+00:00BBC Snow Watch – Tracks in the SnowI made it! One of my photos of my tracks in the snow was chosen for the BBC’s ‘quiz’ on tracks! How exciting! And it was purely by accident that I found it; having watched Snow Watch and heard you could download a ‘guide sheet’ to help you identify any you may have come across in your garden, or on your ‘wrapped up warm’ walks in the snow, I went on to have a look to see what else might be in theMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-57405050593217288602010-01-10T15:05:00.001+00:002010-01-10T15:05:29.253+00:00Tracks in the SnowOver the last few weeks, as I’m sure most of you have noticed, we’ve had rather a lot of snow. Unfortunately, this means that the broad beans I planted earlier, and that were just flowering, are now bent and blackened with snow-burn. The cabbages have fared a little better, still looking strong, and the snow has helped lessen the slug and snail activity too. The most exciting thing about the Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-59571512083061497812009-11-22T12:00:00.000+00:002009-11-22T12:00:00.362+00:001st Parsnips of the SeasonFirst parnsips of the season - and what crackers they are! It took at least five minutes to excavate one, it's tap root was sooooo long. I actually had to dig down around it in order to get enough hold on it to pull it up. Brilliant! Can't wait to cook them up for Sunday dinner guests tomorrow: Split in half lengthways, roast in the oven with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and rosemary! Maybe a Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-29416008062573446922009-11-01T20:00:00.002+00:002009-11-21T17:35:02.404+00:00Soft-Fruit TrugDaffodil bulbs, soft raspberries and a new trug to put them all in! I was in need of just the right sized collection vessel for things like tomatoes and raspberries; fruits where you only pick a few at a time as they're never ready to pick as one. SO, thanks to my friends who bought me this a a birthday pressie, along with gardener's handcream, scrub, some oak plant tags and a dibber.Girls are Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-1754882297571855292009-10-29T17:00:00.001+00:002009-10-29T17:00:00.698+00:00Greenhouse Tidy-upI've recently had a birthday and Uncle Stephen was kind enough to send a little money; which I promptly went out and spent! We took off on the Saturday to Jimmy's Farm, and had a really lovely day out exploring with the pigs and piglets! The little shop there displayed a range of gardening and growing gifts and I spotted this on the way in. It was perfect for tidying away all those little things Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-40462671997920674282009-10-28T17:00:00.000+00:002009-10-28T17:00:01.916+00:00Return of MerlottiIt's the middle of half term, not much inspiration to get outside, what with the grey, overcast days, and my love of daytime tv! I did, however, manage to drag myself off the sofa, and the cat came with me to enjoy the digging and running across the newly planted beds. The old cabbage and broccoli bed is the second winter patch to be done, so first, I removed any cabbage leaves I could use for Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715266258463953097.post-88076144639153020752009-10-27T19:34:00.000+00:002009-10-26T19:33:14.675+00:00Ready to GrowHere are the first pictures of the new spring cabbages. I've cloched them to try to prevent the slugs and snails getting at them so early on, but will have to remove them soon as they won't fit inside!I've also sown some winter gem lettuces. Now, it's a case of waiting a little longer so I can transfer them outside. I'm gong to grow them as a catch crop, between the rows of broad beans, so we'll Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0