Month: January 2010
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Harvesting & Propagating Willow
The bad weather had prevented the planned pruning of trees so far. It’s important to wait till the winter when the trees are in their dormant phase and the sap is down. However, we didn’t want to start making cuts in trees when things were still freezing. However, we’ve got a lot of pruning to…
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Chitting – not just for potatoes
According to my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary ‘Chit’ comes from Middle English chithe, to shoot or sprout, corresponding to the Old Saxon kith. So the word has roots (sorry) that go back 1200 years or so. Certainly, it wasn’t a new concept even then. Chitting is a form of ‘pre-sprouting’ of seeds before you plant…
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Dark Days Challenge Not Quite Chish & Fips
I came across the Dark Days Challenge on the ‘Urban Hennery’ blog written by Laura. Essentially you’re challenged to eat at least one meal a week that is ‘SOLE’: Sustainable Organic Local Ethical Sounds easy. That’s what I thought until I went to the shops. I could get organic but from Egypt or Israel: not…
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Seed sourcing and saving
We did things a bit different for this coming season. In the past we’ve bought seed from one or more of the bigger seed suppliers. Their service has been fine so nothing to complain about there. We wanted our small purchases to say more about what we valued and supported so we’ve changed our approach…
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Warm and spicy pot roast lamb with baby turnips
The backstory I planted some turnips in August closely spaced to give us some young turnip tops for salads. They were yummy with a bitter, mustardy taste – as you’d expect from a brassica. As they got older I used the tops as a green veg with olive oil and garlic and stirred through pasta…
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Llyn Lines – opening scribble
Hi there! Time for me to un-lurk and join the blogosphere. I’ve decided that now’s the right time for me to join the party and contribute some ideas. A bit of giving back if you like for all the good information and advice I’ve gleaned over the years from the generosity of others. Also, I…