a summer of discontent...

I heard on the news this morning that this has been our wettest summer for 100 years! I was not surprised at the announcement, as I have lived through the weeks of unrelenting rain which caused the weeds to grow unchecked among the herbs and turned many of the vegetables to mush. The wet weather has also led to an upsurge in the number of slugs and snails which have laid waste to the vegetables not flattened by the rain! The hens will make short work of those when they are let loose in the garden at the end of next month, but in the meantime they march on...
A few late frosts at the end of April meant that much of the fruit blossom was killed and therefore there are very few apples, blackcurrants and cherries to be had. Only the redcurrants, raspberries and rowans survived to provide any harvest.
I am now hoping for a relatively dry autumn, so that I may clear the herb garden of weeds as plant growth subsides and prune the fruit trees in the hope of a better harvest next year.
It is hard sometimes, not to get despondent when looking out at grey skies and persistent rain, but I am determined to pick this garden up out of the mud and give it the best possible chance of productivity next year...

this week in the herb garden

Today I took advantage of a rare dry day to harvest some St John's Wort flowers to make an infused oil. The flowers were loosely packed into a jar which was then filled with a light olive oil. It will now be left on a window sill for 4 - 6 weeks and by the end of this time the oil will have taken on a deep red colour. It will then be strained through cheese cloth to remove the plant matter and stored in a dark, cool dark place.
I will use the oil, which has anti inflammatory properties, in the making of creams to treat sprains and bruises.

red currant jelly

The redcurrant harvest was a little late this year, but the yield was good and it has now been made into jelly which will last through the winter and into next year. There may even be enough to give some away!
Here is my recipe...




For 4 lbs (1.8 kg) redcurrants you will need
3 pints (1.8 litres) water
1 lb (450 g) sugar per pint of juice obtained.


Wash and drain the redcurrants.
Pick over to remove any unsound fruit but there is no need to remove the stalks.Put the fruit into a pan with the water and stew until the fruit is pulpy. Tip it all into a jelly bag and leave to strain for at least 6 hours. (I leave mine overnight) Measure the juice and heat in a pan. Add 1 lb (450 g) warmed sugar for each pint of juice, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 - 15 minutes, until the jelly sets when tested. Remove the scum. Pot and seal whilst still hot.

this week in the herb garden...

The angelica has been cut and the seed heads have been removed, placed in a paper bag and hung up to dry.Since Angelica seeds have a low germination rate and the seed is comparatively short lived, sowing of the seeds for new plants should take place as soon as possible. Remaining seeds can be kept in sealed packs, in the fridge until late summer. The seeds should be planted in a seed tray which should then be stored in the fridge for around 30 days and then moved to an area where the temperature is about 18c for germination. Seeds may be also be sown directly where the plants are to grow in the Autumn.Seeds are used commercially to flavour drinks, including gin and absinthe.