Apple D'Arcy Spice Tree Annual Update

My little apple tree is still thriving.  It was first planted in December 2016.  Last year it bore 2 fruit having been severely thinned down.

This spring the flowers on Apple D'Arcy Spice started to open around 20th April 2019.

All the flowers set, but I thinned them down allowing just six fruit.  We have no other apples in the garden, but there is another apple tree about 25m away, a cooker of unknown variety.

A warm and sunny summer, with low rainfall was followed by an exceedingly dull and wet autumn .  The tree was heavily watered about every two weeks during the dry spell, but would have had water from the watering of the French Beans growing nearby, as well.

Late October sunshine on the tree shows up the wear and tear and damage to the leaves from some sort of mining moth probably Apple Leaf Mining Moth.

Apple D'Arcy Spice

Earlier in the year, one stem only was infected with black aphids, with their black ant farmers, and was regularly washed off or crushed.  In the end, I cut off the shoot as if to summer prune.  No further parts were affected.

The apples when growing on the tips bend the branches down.

A full tree picture shows that the main stem is still relative thin.  The tree is unstaked and in a sheltered position.

During the end of October and Early November there were days of high winds.  On 3 November one apple was found to be missing...and had had a soft landing, unblemished.

Ahead of predictions of severe gales the remaining fruit was picked.  The fruit did not experience any frosts in that time.

3/11/2019  143g

8/11/2019 260g, 253g, 207g, 166g, 118g

6 Fruit total weigh 1147g...(last year two fruit 350g total weight)

All the fruit were sound and in good condition.  wrapped in paper and now stored in the shed.

I have since read that fruit have a strong stem, and can resist strong winds....they were still fairly difficult to break off, and so maybe they would have been better left longer.  As we have mainly dreary and wet days, with little sunshine predicted, I decided to pick all the apples on 8 November.

End of season summary
Last leaf fall 6th December 2019

Day course on Fermented Drinks and Vegetables

Yesterday I drove down to deepest Somerset for an 'Introduction to Fermented Drinks and Vegetables'. 

Katie Venner in addition to being well versed in matters fermented, last year with Jo Webster achieved the World Record for Sauerkraut with the help of a team of people in Wells, Somerset.  

A steep flight of steps leads up from the road to the cabin on the edge of a disused quarry.  Large boxes of cabbages, cauliflowers etc freshly delivered that morning stood outside in the cool.  A warm welcome from Katie and  the brightly lit workshop with the table heaving with fermented drinks and vegetables made me forget the long journey, and prepared me for an exciting day ahead.

With everyone settled, drinks were offered, and we started on our 'breakfasts' prepared to showcase the way fermented foods can be incorporated into the rhythm and flow of our days. The first one was cooked apples topped with a baked granola and coconut milk kefir, the second was pinhead oats soaked overnight in milk kefir topped with fresh raspberries.

The morning passed with much tasting, explanations, and discussions about making and looking after scobys.  Katie covered Kombucha, Water and Milk and coconut Kefir, fruit shrubs and drinking vinegars.

We almost groaned at the thought of actually eating lunch...but after a break to clear the table and bring in lunch, we reconvened and enjoyed a delicious meal...with of course a wide range fermented foods and drinks already on the table.

After lunch we all got hands on and created in pairs a 'wild' ferment, and covered all sort of areas which would help us create our own in the future.  The techniques, of mixing in salt and stuffing the jars, and making a covering to ensure all the veggies were totally submerged, were covered.

To end the session,  Katie had some of us chopping while she assembled a large bowl of Kimchi.  We all came home with a small pot to continue its fermentation at home. With tips of where to get the Korean red chilli powder and finding out that you can make your own Kimchi without fish sauce or paste, I feel that I could easily make this at home.

To send us on our way resident baker Fleur Hoyle, who had prepared lunch, served up a delicious dark gingerbread cake, topped with lemon drizzle, with drinks all round.  Along with Katie Venner and her partner Gordon Woodcock, Fleur is part of the team and takes the baking classes.

In addition to the two ferments, we came home with scobys to start our own Kombucha, milk and water keffirs, and printed guidelines.  One of the tips was to mark the jars with details! Another was to observation, taste, take notes etc....

The kefir that I have been using is going to have a little rest, covered in milk, somewhere at the back of the fridge, and I have set up Tracebridge's with a new covering of goat's milk.  With the kefir just strained off, I am going to try to make some kefir cheese.  Katie had made some for us to taste, and  there was very little left after lunch!

Katie did warn about leakage from fermenting jars, which is why I put the jars on a dish in the utility.  I've decided to cover them with a little cloth, which I had embroidered.  This morning juices had seeped from both jars.

My Kenilworth friend Kay sent me the 'kit and instructions'.

I used to make and share baked red cabbage with Kay...another thread has now inspired me to try  a red cabbage ferment.  

Although I do drive, by and large, Mr S likes to take the wheel when we travel anywhere together, which is something I am perfectly happy with.  Round and about locally I like to walk or cycle, so this was a drive the length and difficulty being one I haven't undertaken for years.  The journey back was almost terrifying, as there was torrential rain and it was dark, and along the roads huge lorries would come right up the back within a few feet. This behaviour is so dangerous, as I really could not go any faster, with visibility poor and breaking distance compromised by all the lying water .  On the motorway going down, a traffic safety vehicle came alongside me and very shortly a large lorry that was acting in a very dangerous backed off to a much safer breaking distance, for which I was very grateful.  At least I got home knowing that I could manage a fairly taxing drive.

Altogether a great course....would have been better in the summer with longer days!

In a Vase on Monday - Anniversary posy

For our sixth anniversary, Cathy has set us a challenge of making a  very small affair to fit a 15cm cube.  The whole arrangement including vase does indeed sit within this space. It isn't compulsory to have made a small arrangement and no doubt there will be several arrangements from other friends to mark this occasion.

With only a whisper of a frost on Saturday night, it was a delight to comb the garden on Sunday, and cut flowers in sunshine.  The acer in the corner with autumn colours testify to the season

Photo in the conservatory with small clock with date just so that I can say 'I can't believe it is not November' but yet it is nearly mid November and bumble bees were on the wing visiting flowers today.  A friend posted a link to Michael McIntyre's sketch on this which made me laugh!  He didn't mention in that my garden still had loads of flowers and there were bumblebees and butterflies still on the wing.

One flower that has yet to feature or get mentioned on the blog is Nemesia Fruticans Pink Bicolour Imp. which has been a star in the garden, since I planted it mid summer. It is very small and was planted just on the edge of the circle.  I picked it up from one of the plant sellers on a visit to the local mid week market in Wells.

List of material:

Nemesia Fruticans Pink Bicolour Imp, with its small snapdragon like flowers

Corydalis  ochroleuca aka Pseudofumaria alba, with lovely brightgreen leaves and white blooms Fuchsia microphyilla 'Silver Linings', the tiniest of fuchsias in my garden. Astrantia Major 'Sunningdale Variegated' Can't believe this is still flowering Fuchsia Hawkshead Growing a little too big, and requiring a severe pruning in the spring Centaurea Montana Alba, the last bloom of the year Persicaria Red Dragon, as always specially for Cathy Verbena rigida, with tiny purple flowers  Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver', seems to have a flower throughout, and lovely bright variegated leaves Lophomyrtus ralphii Little Star, I must try to propagate this next year.  Erigeron karvinskianus: a pretty little daisy perennial but doesn't seem to self seed...but have propagated from cuttings. As all of these plants were doing so well and I had picked some material, I could not decide what not to use.  As a mark of the type of late season performers, and the warm but wet autumn we have had in 2019, they are all included.

Wet Saturday in the Kitchen

On Friday,  we had a little turn round Shepton Mallett..and had coffee and tea and cake at Loaf.  The lovely sourdough in the window was the thing that attracted us in.  However Mr S's cinnamony chocolaty bun was a total failure.  I had taken one look at this and thought NO!  We have come up with a code:  in future he is going to say to me before he makes up his mind: "Do you think I would like this?"  If I say no, it means it won't be any good!  The bun was a bland colour as if it was only part baked.  It turned out less than cooked, and the dough was not an enriched one at all.

Saturday was a complete wash out here...so a little baking therapy!  I just love Almond Croissants, but don't bake these feeling that croissants with all their butter and time taken over laminations require too much exercise to work off the calories.  Last time I made them was 2013.

I made an enriched dough, using goat's butter and milk, eggs etc and then made up an almond and pistachio marzipan to stuff the brioches dough.  Leaving the shaped buns to rise overnight in the fridge meant they were baked this morning.  The pistachio slivers were added five minutes before the end along with one of the layers of sugar glaze, and this way they don't get scorched!  Some for neighbours and some for the freezer too.

Another time I would allow the bulk rise overnight, and the shaping in the morning.  This time the fridge was so cold, that the shaped buns needed another three hours rising after coming out of the fridge.

Six on Saturday - 9 November 2019 - Soggy with some sunshine

In a week that have brought us spells of very heavy rain, there has also been moments of glorious Autumn Sunshine.  Mr S and I have cleaned down the conservatory inside and out to perfection, and since the light levels have been so low have decided not to hang up the ceiling shading for the moment.  They are all washed, dried and stowed away....

Last week I did post my SOS but failed to notice until very late that I had not put up a link..so if you want to peek there here is your chance to have 'two for one'.  Well done on the propagator for noticing and making a supportive comment.  Again he has something to interest all his gardening friends...with great pictures, my favourite this week being his Fatsia.

Looking out towards one corner of the garden, (1) the Acer is changing colour, and is in the perfect position to reflect the sunshine in the afternoon and add an autumnal note to the garden.  There is quite a space behind it, and this is where in the lee of the wall that I have decided to place the 'Winter Hedgehog Quarters'.  Too late to make up this year, but a nice project to work on in the next few weeks, with a little help from Mr S. As you can tell up to last night at least we have not yet had a frost.  I have just peered out and the nasturtiums are still in fine form this Saturday morning.

A new plant to the garden and to me is (2) Amsonia hubrichtii.  Here it is with its narrow needle shaped leaves turning golden yellow.  According to the RHS it comes from Arkansas and I have just read that there they have wet winters...so it is probably feeling quite comfortable.  The low morning light shining through helps this stand out in the Autumn Garden. By this time next year it will be much larger, and may well be on the 'to be moved' list.

I am sure most gardens will have (3) Hylotelephium Autumn Joy.  This is one of the few plants that came with the garden.  I divided it up and replanted smaller pieces...and I can see that the ones given to neighbours are also thriving.  Just as an aside, we saw a small tortoiseshell butterfly in the garden yesterday sunning itself on the back wall. Whilst on the subject of creepy crawlies, we cleared way  several Noble False Widow spiders from the Conservatory.

This week I have been on more than a little about the light.  It has shown up some plants to great effect.  I had to move all the plants which were close by the conservatory, to accommodate the scaffolding which Mr S used to clean down the roof of the C.  (4) The Hakonechloa macra Aureola Grasses were moved out from the shade towards the middle of the garden.  They look great at the edge of the seating area, so I've decided for my birthday to have two nice large pots to transfer these into..not too heavy so that they can be moved.  Those grasses deserve to have some decent pots now that their old ones are breaking up.  They were old and second hand to start up with.

Close by the conservatory are two (5) Rose bushes: Grace, and despite the heavy rain they are putting up a few blooms even in November. Only the fully open and fading flowers seem to struggle with the rain.

Now the Cyclamen Hederifolium are the sole players on my shed shelf, as they deserve full attention.  Just one for your eyes this week:  (6) Cyclamen Hederifolium Silver Shield.  

In the garden in the snowdrop and cyclamen zone, many of the coums are coming into leaf.