GMG Green Thumb Club

[Irons]

I had forgotten that story!  Shudder.  Do you guys share in the compost at the allotment?  I used to have one...think that it was called "The Tumbler"....big barrel with two doors (one at each end) which was mounted on kind of a u-frame (flat on bottom though) and you could flip it end over end (rather hard when it was full--heavy!).  Thinking of getting one with a crank handle...possibly one which has two compartment too.  Not cheap though.  It does keep out critters though!  Probably not bears, but they've never bothered mine in the past.

Did you design the cold frame all on your own Irons?  Or find a plan somewhere?  Looks very nice!  You're oregano, sage and chives all look very happy in your sink!     I was able to weed for a short while, then it started raining again.  Might try to do some more in a bit since it seems to have stopped for the time being.

PD

p.s.  And thanks for the further comments and suggestions re curry leaves Biffo.  :-)

I have three plastic bins at allotment, P. The big advantage is that they are in direct sunlight unlike the garden one which is hidden away in a shady corner. I am always surprised what difference this makes to the rate of composting.

The cold frame is nothing fancy but does the job. I made it out of decking purchased at B&Q the lid is polycarbonate which unlike glass is easy to work and surprisingly tough.

Picked first marrow this afternoon which will go with shepherds pie this evening.

I'm always surprised how similar the weather between the US East Coast and SE England. We have had heavy showers today too as I have been basking in our unexpected victory over Chelsea last night - I trust Jeffrey doesn't read this thread!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have three plastic bins at allotment, P. The big advantage is that they are in direct sunlight unlike the garden one which is hidden away in a shady corner. I am always surprised what difference this makes to the rate of composting.

The cold frame is nothing fancy but does the job. I made it out of decking purchased at B&Q the lid is polycarbonate which unlike glass is easy to work and surprisingly tough.

Picked first marrow this afternoon which will go with shepherds pie this evening.

I'm always surprised how similar the weather between the US East Coast and SE England. We have had heavy showers today too as I have been basking in our unexpected victory over Chelsea last night - I trust Jeffrey doesn't read this thread!

Do you do much in terms of stirring them up Irons?  Or adding a compost starter?  Did you poke any holes in them?

Enjoy your marrow...and your victory! 

Best,

PD

[Irons]

Do you do much in terms of stirring them up Irons?  Or adding a compost starter?  Did you poke any holes in them?

Enjoy your marrow...and your victory! 

Best,

PD

No, let nature take its course, P. I did enjoy the win, doesn't happen very often, not this season anyway. How your eggplants doing?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

No, let nature take its course, P. I did enjoy the win, doesn't happen very often, not this season anyway. How your eggplants doing?

I've given away the first two (Orient Express) as I had other things in the fridge to attend to (plus a bit of trying to be nice to special people  ).

Best,

PD

[Mandryka]

Herbs staring to look good, certainly a magnet for insects. There's savoury with the white flowers at the front, marjoram with pink flowers behind, and at the very back an ornamental hedge of Teucrium lucidrys. You can see see the ugly old sage and a prostrate rosemary. Thyme is in a trough near the agave. Other ornamentals in the pic are Phlomis russeliana, which leaves architectural seed heads until February almost, and that blue thing whose name I forget.

[André]

Just back from a short walk to the pathway connecting two streets, where I pick blackberries. They are plentiful this year. I brought back over a pound in 20 minutes. In the freezer they go. In the same pathway an elderberry tree is still flowering. I expect i to yield fruits in a couple of weeks (pic below). I'll mix them with the blackberries and make jam for the winter.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have three plastic bins at allotment, P. The big advantage is that they are in direct sunlight unlike the garden one which is hidden away in a shady corner. I am always surprised what difference this makes to the rate of composting.

The cold frame is nothing fancy but does the job. I made it out of decking purchased at B&Q the lid is polycarbonate which unlike glass is easy to work and surprisingly tough.

Picked first marrow this afternoon which will go with shepherds pie this evening.

Irons,

Out of curiosity, did you drill any holes into your bins?  And how do you secure them to keep critters out?  Here, I had contemplated trying to make my own or use a trash bin and drill some holes into it.  In the end I purchased this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46imsOKKwyQ  I liked the idea that it had two separate chambers, you can rotate it easily and the platform on the underside actually holds 5 gallons of compost tea/leachate.  Not certain whether or not tea and leachate are the same thing?  Do you know (or anyone else here)?  I'm hoping that I can use it to spread/fertilize my plants.  It receives a ton of sun where it is now; I might have to shift it to an area that gets some shade.  I've heard that you need some (depending upon where you live) for things to break down well.  Have you had any issues with it breaking down well?  I also include eggshells...curious here as to whether or not others do too and if you bother to crush them up; I haven't.

Herbs staring to look good, certainly a magnet for insects. There's savoury with the white flowers at the front, marjoram with pink flowers behind, and at the very back an ornamental hedge of Teucrium lucidrys. You can see see the ugly old sage and a prostrate rosemary. Thyme is in a trough near the agave. Other ornamentals in the pic are Phlomis russeliana, which leaves architectural seed heads until February almost, and that blue thing whose name I forget.

Looks gorgeous Mandryka!  Also, that's a neat statue in the background.  Yes, this time of year is a bit of a balance...trying to use the herbs and/or dry them...preferably before they start flowering since once that starts to happen, the growth slows down...though the bees are happy.  Marjoram is lovely--particularly with eggs, mushrooms or cheese mixtures.  How do you like to use it?  Also, is that summer savory?  And what do you like to do with it?

Just back from a short walk to the pathway connecting two streets, where I pick blackberries. They are plentiful this year. I brought back over a pound in 20 minutes. In the freezer they go. In the same pathway an elderberry tree is still flowering. I expect i to yield fruits in a couple of weeks (pic below). I'll mix them with the blackberries and make jam for the winter.

Nice André!  Wish that I had all of those wild plants growing around me.  Don't know elderberries well; what is their flavor like?

Here, well I just made my first batch of baba ghanoush...though I didn't have quite enough eggplants in the garden, so I had to supplement it with one from the grocery store.  Next year, I'll try planting more of one-to-two varieties.  I also have some Asian-types growing but not a good match for baba g.  I also have some other ones coming up from seed that I hope to have some late summer harvests from.  It's been very hot lately so all of my nightshades are happy and doing well.   

Fennel has also been doing surprising well this year...I suspect that this is due to me watering them more deeply.

Lots of chippies in the garden, but they don't seem to be doing much harm other than digging some holes and sometimes knocking some soil out of potted plants.

Happy gardening and eating,

PD

[André]

Hi, PD ! Elderberry is very juicy, tastes very sweet, with a hint of bitterness. It ripens in late August, long after all other berries. That's why I wait for them to be ready to start making jams. It's perfect when mixed with other fruits like raspberries or blackberries. The tree is grown on lawns, in backyards or even in orchards. The flowers are quite fragrant. In many countries elderberry tea and syrup are a staple. 

Pics from the net: the first is from Switzerland, the second from Québec:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Hi, PD ! Elderberry is very juicy, tastes very sweet, with a hint of bitterness. It ripens in late August, long after all other berries. That's why I wait for them to be ready to start making jams. It's perfect when mixed with other fruits like raspberries or blackberries. The tree is grown on lawns, in backyards or even in orchards. The flowers are quite fragrant. In many countries elderberry tea and syrup are a staple. 

Pics from the net: the first is from Switzerland, the second from Québec:

André,

Do many people have to cover the elderberries with some sort of bird netting?  They do sound lovely.     Do they grow in the wild near you as you had mentioned 'pathways' or are people there happy to share?

Any favorite recipes that you'd care to share?   

Best wishes,

PD

[André]

Well, it's not as bucolic as you think  : the 'pathway' is a paved connection for pedestrians connecting two streets. Wedged between two houses, just a few feet wide. No scooters or motorbikes allowed, as they are closed with bollards at both ends. In this particular instance edelberry branches from one of the adjacent backyards overhang the passage...

Recipe: take any jam recipe that uses berries and use the edelberries for half of the amount of fruits required. No other trick, addition or substitution required. I usually end up with 4 medium size jars that last me a good 6 months. It's really delicious on morning toasts !

[steve ridgway]

We're eating a few wild cherries and raspberries on our walks at the moment. There aren't that many ripe ones though, I think the birds are scoffing the majority .

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Well, it's not as bucolic as you think  : the 'pathway' is a paved connection for pedestrians connecting two streets. Wedged between two houses, just a few feet wide. No scooters or motorbikes allowed, as they are closed with bollards at both ends. In this particular instance edelberry branches from one of the adjacent backyards overhang the passage...

Recipe: take any jam recipe that uses berries and use the edelberries for half of the amount of fruits required. No other trick, addition or substitution required. I usually end up with 4 medium size jars that last me a good 6 months. It's really delicious on morning toasts !

Ah, I see..."public domain".     Wonder whether or not I might be able to grow one here?  Should look into it.

We're eating a few wild cherries and raspberries on our walks at the moment. There aren't that many ripe ones though, I think the birds are scoffing the majority .

Yup, those darn birds...eating all of the fruit!   

[Pohjolas Daughter]

So, does anyone here have any good recipes to use up cucumbers that are being very bountiful?  Am looking for more!

I sometimes make a Swedish-style one using white vinegar, a bit of water, a bit of sugar, a small amount of salt, dash of black pepper and dill.  Slice some onion thinly (about 6 slices), thinly slice two large cukes (peeled).  Mix all liquids and sugar, salt & pepper together. Pour dressing over cukes and onions, mix well and refrigerate until wilted.  Garnish with fresh chopped dill.  One variation on this:  use rice wine vinegar to give it an Asian feel and live out dill.  Wonder how a bit of fresh chopped cilantro would taste on top instead here?   

Note:  I also made a variation on this using thinly sliced green zucchini instead.

Just finished off the remains (about 2/3) of a fairly large cucumber today with some baba ghanoush.  Then, a few hours later, picked three more cucumbers!  I hope that I don't have any more lurking somewhere in my fridge!     Did manage to pawn off two on a friend over the weekend; he seemed to enjoy them.   

Best,

PD

[BWV 1080]

So, does anyone here have any good recipes to use up cucumbers that are being very bountiful?  Am looking for more!

Lime juice, cumin, chopped chiles of some sort (I use jalapenos or serranos w/o seeds) and maybe some cilantro and tomato - a basic Indian thing I picked up somewhere

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Lime juice, cumin, chopped chiles of some sort (I use jalapenos or serranos w/o seeds) and maybe some cilantro and tomato - a basic Indian thing I picked up somewhere

BWV,

Is this similar to what you were thinking of?  https://www.saveur.com/indian-chopped-salad-recipe/

PD

[BWV 1080]

BWV,

Is this similar to what you were thinking of?  https://www.saveur.com/indian-chopped-salad-recipe/

PD

Yes, although it works with just cucumbers, lime juice and cumin

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Yes, although it works with just cucumbers, lime juice and cumin

Do you use ground cumin or cumin seeds?  Sometimes recipes call for toasting the whole seeds in a pan for a bit, cool, and then grind them.

PD

p.s.  Seems like I finish one cuke and there are three more outside!     A better problem to have, certainly, then plants destroyed by bugs and/or viruses!

[BWV 1080]

Do you use ground cumin or cumin seeds?  Sometimes recipes call for toasting the whole seeds in a pan for a bit, cool, and then grind them.

PD

p.s.  Seems like I finish one cuke and there are three more outside!     A better problem to have, certainly, then plants destroyed by bugs and/or viruses!

Ground cumin, which is I guess, less fresh version of what you describe above

[André]

This weekend I picked ripe staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) and made syrup for the next year. Been doing that for the last 35 years. This year's harvest was early by at least 2 weeks. The syrup is extremely tannic, giving it a very astringent taste. Needs lots of sugar to sweeten it. Stops dry cough in an instant.

The tree:



The fruits:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

This weekend I picked ripe staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) and made syrup for the next year. Been doing that for the last 35 years. This year's harvest was early by at least 2 weeks. The syrup is extremely tannic, giving it a very astringent taste. Needs lots of sugar to sweeten it. Stops dry cough in an instant.

The tree:



The fruits:

I hadn't heard of it before now...quite interesting! 

PD