Brogdale, home of the National Fruit Collection, hosted its Apple Festival – touted as the ‘Biggest and the Best Apple Festival’ on 19–20 October 2013. Being something of an apple enthusiast, and appreciating the importance of the National Fruit Collection in terms of the preservation of our fruit growing heritage, I was very keen to… Continue reading Brogdale apple festival, a review
Month: October 2013
Patisserie Lanka
Having recently expanded the content of the blog to include recipes, today I am making yet another digression by uploading a review of this wonderful patisserie. Whilst staying with our good friends Serafiina and Arto at their house in Hampstead, a visit to Lanka, Finchley Road, London, was recommended. We took some other friends with… Continue reading Patisserie Lanka
Another colony of bees lost
Today we were continuing to prepare the bees for winter. We had one colony, started earlier in the year, that was still building up; another that was looking good for the winter, having put quite a bit of stores away, although not producing any surplus for us; and the long deep hive, which had packed… Continue reading Another colony of bees lost
Winter squash harvest
Determining the exact moment to harvest the winter squash can be a little tricky. They want to grow and ripen for as long as possible, but gloomy weather, especially with the onset of autumn rains, is not good for them. Placing a tile or something similar between the squash and the soil to prevent them… Continue reading Winter squash harvest
Disappointing second crop of sweetcorn
Our first crop of sweetcorn this year, sown on 30 April, was a great success. We grew a variety called Lark, which has given us excellent results three years in a row now. As with almost all readily available varieties, this is an F1 hybrid. Sweetcorn is one of those crops for which it is… Continue reading Disappointing second crop of sweetcorn
Louise Bonne of Jersey
Some of our cordon pears are bearing fruit for the first time, and Louise Bonne of Jersey was the first of the autumn sorts to ripen. Despite the name, this old French variety hails from Avranches, Normandy, where it acquired various names, amongst them Bonne Louise d’Avranches and Beurré d’Avranches. As the first fruit fell… Continue reading Louise Bonne of Jersey
Botrytis brings an end to the tomato crop
Grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea, has struck both the glasshouse and polytunnel tomato crops. Spores of this fungal disease are generally present in the environment and typically infect dead or dying plant material. In theory, grey mould could cause problems at any time of year, but in order to develop significantly, a certain amount… Continue reading Botrytis brings an end to the tomato crop
Improving egg shell quality
Recently, our girls have been laying the occasional soft shelled egg and even those with shells have been a bit thin and weak. A properly formulated layers feed is supposed to provide sufficient calcium for the production of strong egg shells. Additionally, they have access to mixed grit – a combination of flint grit and… Continue reading Improving egg shell quality