Author Topic: Eric & Anthea's garden at different times of year. (Read 98493 times)

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #400 on:** October 04, 2015, 07:08:04 AM »

We have got so used to this glorious weather over the past few weeks we have almost got to think of it as the norm. This morning is cloudless too, but I believe it is due to break soon. Everyone enjoy it when they can.

Would you believe it, Anthea got us down to making even more chutney! Far more than we need, but then she loves giving jars away as presents.!

Eric H.

Palustris · « **Reply #401 on:** October 04, 2015, 07:48:40 AM »

And I'll bet she hates seeing the garden produce go to waste too.

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #402 on:** October 14, 2015, 02:04:56 PM »

It is extraordinary day today, alternating sunshine and sudden squalls of rain. It would be the day that we have help in the garden, half the time they are sheltering in the greenhouse.

Eric H

Palustris · « **Reply #403 on:** October 14, 2015, 04:26:14 PM »

We have had blue skies and reasonable temperatures.
Typical that you get rain when you don't want t though!

ideasguy · « **Reply #404 on:** October 14, 2015, 10:20:47 PM »

We are glad of any sunshine over here

We had a disappointing summer in Ireland - mostly grey skies. We looked in envy at the beautiful weather folk in the south east of England were having.
Autumn is lovely though. Its been dry again today with pleasant sunshine. Better late than never!!

Caught the end of a harvest program on TV last night - bumper crops reported.
We had the best potatoes Ive ever grown (British Queens). One good stalk could almost fill a bucket! Plentiful and large.
Peas and Beans were very good. Good to see something was enjoying the rain

Apple harvesting soon (gathering windfalls only so far, but early Bramleys are good for stewing).
We will be trying your recipe for Apple Chutney soon Eric.
Breakfast tip - porridge with stewed plums. My DIL started me on the fruit with porridge thing. She liked Porridge with our fresh raspberries.
The birds queue up for the porridge leftovers

I clean the saucepan with a pot scrubber in tap water and empty it up on the grass. Gone in a few minutes.

Palustris · « **Reply #405 on:** October 15, 2015, 11:21:34 AM »

Save on the washing up. Make your porridge in the microwave in the bowl you eat it from.

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #406 on:** October 16, 2015, 08:50:33 PM »

No, Eric, I prefer George's way, there is something of a morning ritual stirring the porridge oats in the pan while the coffee is brewing. I haven't fed the scrapings to the birds like George does though, perhaps I should. Anyway, each to his own

Eric H

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #407 on:** October 16, 2015, 08:58:33 PM »

It was Anthea's birthday last Saturday, and Adam, our eldest son, and his wife, ordered these roses online to be delivered on the day. As they hadn't seen them I thought i would send them a shot by email. This was taken with my iPhone5 and it is amazing the quality of it's tiny camera lens.
Eric H

NightHawk · « **Reply #408 on:** October 17, 2015, 03:53:31 PM »

Although we've exchanged emails recently I have to praise the quality of your iPhone photo of those roses again Eric.

I know Anthea was delighted to receive them and Adam and his wife will be thrilled to see them also.

Great result.

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #409 on:** October 17, 2015, 08:20:22 PM »

Thank you very much Laurie for your kind remarks.

Eric H

ideasguy · « **Reply #410 on:** October 17, 2015, 08:50:07 PM »

Hi Laurie! I agree on the quality. The other thing I find amazing is how unfussy they are about light conditions. They make any user appear like an expert. The only thing I find they don't like is when facing sunlit windows when indoors - easy to accommodate!
RE:

Quote

I haven't fed the scrapings to the birds like George does though

Also part of the ritual even though its not something to enjoy on frosty mornings.
In winter I don't have the garden to keep me fit so I have an early morning walk and when I return I spread bird seed and replenish the nut feeders. Then its make the porridge time. Mind you, I prefer Crunchy nut cornflakes with a sprinkling of Jordans Country Crisp with Chunky Nuts and cold milk (bet the birds would love them as well

)

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #411 on:** October 27, 2015, 11:34:30 AM »

Quinces:-
A neighbour has kindly given us a bag of quinces but we have no idea how to cook them, any ideas?
Eric H

NightHawk · « **Reply #412 on:** October 27, 2015, 12:39:45 PM »

As they belong to the apple and pear family, you could treat them as you would those fruits.

They are also perfect for turning into jams or jellies.

Have fun Eric

Palustris · « **Reply #413 on:** October 27, 2015, 05:07:25 PM »

We usually make Jelly from them. Slice up, no peeling needed, boil until puréed. Strain through muslin. Add 1 pound of sugar to one pint of juice and make as you would any jam.

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #414 on:** October 28, 2015, 04:46:23 PM »

Thanks for the tips, Laurie and Eric. Based on Laurie's advice, Anthea decided to use a method she learned from an old French friend who lived in the Vendee region on the west coast of France. The method she used for hard, flavourless pears was to boil them in red wine, with sugar then serve cold. Anthea tried out this method using three of the quinces. She sliced and cored them and put them in a flat Pirex dish, poured on the wine, and in this case generous helping of demerara sugar. As the fruit were very hard she put the dish in a moderate oven and left them as long as it took to soften them. We had a small helping each for lunch with a liberal amount of cream (wicked

). They were delicious and the scent of the fruit was lovely too. We still have a few more to experiment with another day.
Eric H.

Palustris · « **Reply #415 on:** October 28, 2015, 08:10:04 PM »

Ripe ones actually make rather nice air fresheners.

barryl · « **Reply #416 on:** October 28, 2015, 08:14:56 PM »

Makes a change to have recipes (something I know more about than plants :-) )

Hard Pears: I also add nutmeg and cinnamon

Quinces: I have made (lovely) jelly in the past (but quite a lot of work); more recently I have made puree (same way as apple puree (or stewed apple). I also add nutmeg to it.

ideasguy · « **Reply #417 on:** October 28, 2015, 08:49:25 PM »

Yes Barry, it should be a more interesting topic for the low/no maintenance gardeners among us

I'd love to experiment with these recipes. Problem is Mary feels put out when I say I want to make something.
I told her about the Apple Chutney recipe that Eric had posted here.
The "suggestion" was taken aboard! However I was overruled AND not encouraged to make it so... she made Chutney yesterday, using a recipe from a book she loves - never a bad result from any of their recipes.
We are on a 5/2 diet again and today was one of our 2 "abstinence" days. We'll try the chutney tomorrow.

Back to the topic!
I'll suggest the jelly recipe to Mary...

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #418 on:** May 02, 2016, 09:54:01 AM »

Hello George and other members.

You may have wondered where I have disappeared to. The main explanation is that for some reason I have been locked out of my Flickr site for some time and that is the only way I know of uploading my photos. That is where I would get the code to put into the text. Anyway, I am still alive (90 in October) and relying on others to keep the garden trim.

Best wishes to all

Eric

roiphil · « **Reply #419 on:** May 02, 2016, 11:10:40 AM »

Good to hear from you Eric, i may not post a lot here but i do visit and i look forward to your garden pics
All the best
Phil

ideasguy · « **Reply #420 on:** May 02, 2016, 08:06:37 PM »

You are always a welcome visitor Eric.

As you can see from recent postings, Eric (palustris) and Nicola are using Ideas Genie Pro 6 to create web projects and, using the webspace I provide free to IG customers, upload their photos.
Send me an email if you'd like to give it a try. I'd love to see the presentations you could create using your excellent photos

Enjoy your 90th year and enjoy watching someone else do the "heavy lifting" for you

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #421 on:** May 04, 2016, 04:31:16 PM »

I am delighted to say that my young friend Mike has just spent an hour getting me reconnected to Flickr. This means that I will be able to post photos on the forum again. I will post some more when I can.

Eric

Palustris · « **Reply #422 on:** May 04, 2016, 04:49:56 PM »

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ideasguy · « **Reply #423 on:** May 04, 2016, 06:35:44 PM »

I seconds that

I look forward to your next presentation Eric.

Eric Hardy · « **Reply #424 on:** May 05, 2016, 09:35:10 AM »

Now that I am back on Flickr I can start posting photos again. Here are two views from upstairs windows with my iPhone. The second one gives an idea of the state of the back garden at the moment. In that one, on the far right, almost in the shadow of the hedge, the slight flecks of white on the the small tree are the Magnolia Stellata. The daffodils unfortunately are just beginning to go over but they have been blooming well for quite a while. There are bluebells and periwinkles out but they are difficult to spot at this distance. The fritillaries are almost over too. The primroses still flourish at the front.

Eric H

Author Topic: Eric & Anthea's garden at different times of year. (Read 98493 times)

NightHawk

NightHawk