Every year I’m surprised when blackberries are ripe in August. Blackberries should be an autumn fruit, designed for jam making and comforting crumbles. And yet this year I was picking them in burning sunshine, wondering how soon I could get… Read More ›
Although I was given an apple tree a couple of years ago it hasn’t exactly burst into fruit-bearing life yet. It produced a solitary apple last year and this year was on strike. I’m still hopeful for next year… Read More ›
Foraging may not be everyone’s idea of a good time but if you haven’t tried it already, I recommend you give it a go. I find it’s both relaxing and quite compulsive once you start. And you get stuff! It… Read More ›
I didn’t need much persuading when my friend forwarded me an invite to a baking demo and champagne tasting at a kitchen showroom in Notting Hill and said that while she couldn’t go, she thought it would be right up… Read More ›
It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of wanting more: more money, a bigger house, a more expensive car, “better” clothes, handbags and shoes. I learnt a lesson I’ll never forget when I was 18, inter-railing around Europe… Read More ›
Damsons may be a labour of love but they are worth it for the taste and the deep vibrant colour. If you find some, pick them and remember where you found them for next year. Having been on the lookout for them this… Read More ›
It’s been a great year for blackberries and in fact all sorts of fruit in the hedgerows. I even realised that several of the crab apple trees nearby I have had my eye on were in fact pear trees, so I… Read More ›
This year is turning out to be an amazing year for the hedgerows. The blackberries have obviously appreciated all the rain and sunny interludes we have had and are large, juicy and abundant. I have discovered all sorts of over-laden… Read More ›
If you find a wild plum tree, make sure you take full advantage of its delicious fruit. I found a yellow plum tree a few years ago near my brother’s old house and made pots and pots of jam and put… Read More ›
A couple of weeks ago we did one of our regular local walks and as usual it didn’t disappoint: there is always something interesting to see. On that occasion it was teeny tiny frogs smaller than the fingernail on my little finger… Read More ›
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