Neighbour making formal noise complaint.

[Lesley]

We're picking salad leaves and asparagus, chard, spinach, leeks and broccoli.

 

I've got a self-grown potato in the polytunnel which is flowering......might be a meals worth of potatoes there for Sunday!

[chickencam]

Asparagus and rhubarb and I could pick plenty of lettuce and some radishes, but salad in what feels like winter doesn't appeal

[Lesley]

First potatoes! - there were enough - plenty to go with spring cabbage, stored carrots, roasted onions and our own lamb.

 

[theherd123]

They look fab Lesley - hope the tasted just as good too!

[henriette]

Ooo! How lovely! Great sounding Sunday lunch

[Lesley]

They certainly did taste good!

 

The potatoes we planted in the polytunnel are also just about ready - another week I think. Next year I think I'll get them planted a bit earlier. The ones we dug up yesterday were (a self-grown from one left in last year) Charlotte which is a second early - we'll see what the Riviera (FE) are like, as they are especially suited to polytunnel growing, and if we like them then we'll have some more next year and plant early.

[squidsin]

Rhubarb! I am going to forage for some elderflowers later (think they're in blossom now) to have a go at elderflower champagne, as made on the Cottage Garden.

[Old Speckled Hen]

Elderflowers? Blimey!

The leaf buds or only just opening up here brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[squidsin]

I'm in London - we have a warmer micro-climate (probably due to all the pollution)! But it was weird, it seemed like three weeks ago all the trees were totally bare, and now they're all in full blossom! And it's extra beautiful this year, particularly magnolias - as if they're compensating for that long cold winter. Maybe!

[henriette]

Rhubarb! I am going to forage for some elderflowers later (think they're in blossom now) to have a go at elderflower champagne, as made on the Cottage Garden.

Haven't tried making the champagne but had a go at the cordial. Not terribly successful, so I think I might not have had a good recipe or I just got it wrong. It went very cloudy very quickly.

Our elderflowers aren't out here yet, which is just as well as it is very windy! Good luck with the champagne

[henriette]

 

The potatoes we planted in the polytunnel are also just about ready .

Had a polytunnel in the UK but only managed to grow melons and strawberries - everything else managed to get blight or some other disease. Not a great success story for us. Would like to be able to grow early produce though.

Just about to go and pull a few leeks

[chickencam]

Ate my first radish yesterday, just pulled it out rubbed the dirt off an munched

[Cinnamon]

OK,I haven't picked anything,BUT I found my first tomato flower today,my first mini cucumber & flowers on my outdoors courgettes

 

I LOVE this time of year!

[Old Speckled Hen]

You lot are making me so envious.

I've just put my tomatoes in the greenhouse together with a cucumber and what I thought was an aubergine but turned out to be a melon (yes I know they don't look anything like eachother )

Actually I did pick( dig out) some horseradish yesterday does that count?

[henriette]

certainly does

[Christian]

Henriette, try this recipe. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5412&hilit=elderflower+cordial

 

Been doing it a couple of years and the cordial stays fresh for up to a year in the fridge. I am drinking it now to try and alleviate hay fever! A small dose every day.

 

The elders here are barely in leaf! Very late this year.

[Lesley]

Picked more of the white broccoli, leeks and cabbage.

[Daphne]

I should have posted a few weeks ago that I picked next doors asparagus

 

(with permission of course!)

 

And repaid them with an armful of rhubarb. This week I've been picking purple sprouting and today I'm going to pull the last of the leeks; but I can see some have gone woody - I might let those flower.

 

I'm jealous of those potatos Lesley - they seem very early; it must be so satisfying to be able to fully provide a traditional roast Sunday lunch.

[henriette]

Henriette, try this recipe. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5412&hilit=elderflower+cordial

 

Been doing it a couple of years and the cordial stays fresh for up to a year in the fridge. I am drinking it now to try and alleviate hay fever! A small dose every day.

 

The elders here are barely in leaf! Very late this year.

Thanks very much I will definitely try it again this year. Like you are trees are way behind, but I will make sure I have all the ingredients to hand for when they are ready

[Old Speckled Hen]

If you mix it with a VERY dry lemonade or soda it tastes like elderberry champagne (sans alcohol )

[Lesley]

I'm jealous of those potatos Lesley - they seem very early; it must be so satisfying to be able to fully provide a traditional roast Sunday lunch.

 

They were only so early because that one plant was a leftover self-grown one from last year's crop in the polytunnel - it was about a week ahead of this years which I planted. Most of our meals are all home-grown these days, we're very fortunate.

 

Today I picked spinach/chard and yesterday I picked Angelica which I'm candying.

[henriette]

If you mix it with a VERY dry lemonade or soda it tastes like elderberry champagne (sans alcohol )

Yum, I can taste it already

Have sadly pulled up the last of the leeks.

[squidsin]

I haven't picked anything today but reckon my gooseberries will be ripe for the plucking in two weeks time. Making wine with them, yay!

[henriette]

I haven't picked anything today as there is nothing ready or even nearly ready The thought of your gooseberry wine sounds good though. Have never seen gooseberries in this part of France.

[squidsin]

I've never tried making wine before but I'm looking set to have a glut of gooseberries as I've got four massive bushes and they're all fruiting really well. My work colleagues looked less than enthusiastic when I offered to bring some of the wine in for them to taste, though, and someone even muttered something about there being a reason why there aren't massive gooseberry 'vineyards' in France! Meanies!