Scarecrows . . .

Even the scarecrows have to stop for a cup of tea!

Ceps and Chantrelle, and a good bottle of Soave

Ceps

Chantrelle, cleaned and sliced

Cooking

These were magnificent specimens and fried in unsalted butter had a superb flavour. Broad leafed chopped parsley is often used as a garnish, particularly in rubber tyre eateries. We opted to keep them simple and accompanied them with ciabatta. As we passed the vineyard we chose to wash them down with a good Soave.

Sheep in the park on a sunny day

Some sheep in the park at lunch time today. England at its best. Note the almost straight line of the foliage at the bottom of the trees; this is caused by livestock eating the trees to that height.

Unless we have some severe frosts before Christmas, and the birds eat the berries, it looks as though we will have plenty of mistletoe.

A grey day among the cattle . . .

A grey day among the cattle in beautiful England

Sheep under the trees in the park

The grass is less green in the park because of the drought. Here the sheep are keeping cool under the trees.

Yukon Gold . . . the first potatoes of this season for us.

Yukon Gold. These are our  first potatoes of this season. Originally developed as indicated by their name, in Canada. This is one of Wilson's top 100 varieties.

Down on the farm Aberdeen Angus enjoying the weather . . .

The herd of Aberdeen Angus that are enjoying the spring sunshine in the park.

A blackthorn winter down on the farm

 

The hedgerows with an abundance of blackthorn in bloom. The white blossom gives rise to the old country adage blackthorn winter . . . the white flower may be seen as snow. The grass is lush and the dandelions are spectacular this year.

 

Dandelion flowers are used for making, in the home, a wine, and sometimes another wine called dandelion whiskey  and the fruit of the blackthorn, sloes, are used for making slow gin.

Down on the farm it is lambing season.

Down on the farm it is lambing season.

 

Flowers in the garden

 

Flowers in the garden are always a delight, and among them the aconites are always one of the first. Adjacent to this clump one can see the leaves of the celandines. And in the foreground, the long leaves of the snowdrops.

Potatoes - the new season- Sun-bathing Scots'

 

As the British media tell the world that Britain is being torn apart by gales, storms, white-out blizzards, floods, disaster after disaster, impassable roads due to floods and snow, some Scots are sun-bathing under a deep blue sky.

But down on the farm, and in the garden, this is the time of year to think about the variety of potatoes one will grow this year.
 

So far we have purchased four varieties that we intend to start sowing  on Good Friday. Good Friday is a traditional day for planting.

 

Chicago. Developed in 2009 as a main crop and raised in England by Cygnet PB Ltd. It is used in the crisp industry, and its kitchen use is for mash, roasting, and chips. It is said to have a heavy yield. This variety has good resistance to both golden and white eelworm, and tolerates heat and drought.

 

Foremost. We have grown these before with some success. Though they date from 1954 I do not believe that my father ever grew them. They are first earlies, have a waxy flesh and are used for baking boiling and roasting. We have found that the yield is not as good as we hoped. I read now, that the foliage cover is not good, and certainly we have found this, but I have put it down to poor irrigation on my part. I read that it is a variety that does not like stressful conditions or cold.

 

Nadine. This will be the second time we have grown these. Developed in 1987 as a second early and raised by Jack Dunnett in Scotland. They have a waxy flesh and are used for baking chipping, mash and good boiled. They are resistant to scab, sprang, drought, slugs, and foliage blight. 

 

When we last grew them the yield was poor, and this was due to drought, even though it is a variety that is tolerant of drought. We have chosen them again because of their resistance to drought and slugs. And for us, they tasted good.

 

On the farm they produce 60-70 tonnes per hectare, and under ideal conditions tonnage has been as much as 100 per hectare.

 

Yukon Gold. We have grown these previously without much success. My brother is growing them in the midlands and has had previous success. An attraction is that they are resistant to slugs.

 

They are an early maincrop and date from 1980 developed in Canada by Agriculture Canada. They are good for baking, chipping, and boiling.

 

. . . . .

 

What is a success for us can be a disaster for others. The seed for Foremost is becoming harder  to obtain, so in time, I suspect,  it will not be produced for commercial purposes. Nadine is a heavy yielding variety that lends itself to modern farming, therefore, as long as the supermarkets like it, it is here to stay. Chicago is still in what can be called a commercial  trial period. Yukon Gold is a good commercially farmed potato.

 

Ideally a  six or seven year rotation should be aimed for, though this is impractical for most gardeners.

 

We do not intend to sow many this year. The plan, at the moment, is to go for broad beans, French climbing beans, and peas. Over the last few years we have produced excellent onions and finished using the last of the red ones last week. We will grow them again this year. Our garlic crop was excellent last year and one is tempted to grow more this year.

 

The Greenhouse.  Ours has a lemon tree, avocado, chillies and a small olive tree in it, among other plants. So, before we can clean and sterilise it we have to move the in situ plants., and that will not be until we can be sure that frosts are over.

 

We intend to grow the usual quantity of tomatoes that are bottled and frozen. Last year we had a greater harvest of aubergines, so this year, as they are one of my favourites, we will grow more. Chillies, of different heats, will be a feature again. We had a serious glut of cucumbers last year and had problems

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

Down on the farm the new fencing works a treat.

The new fencing works a treat.

Trees with mistletoe

 

After an interesting morning with clients and negotiating heavy traffic caused by  a lorry crashing through the central reservation and closing the motorway,  it was a pleasure to walk down to see what  little remains of the lime avenue. These aged lime trees produced the customary show of mistletoe, and now, in mid  February, the berries have been eaten by birds.

All parts mistletoe, Viscum album to the cognoscenti, are toxic if eaten. Nevertheless, it has medicinal uses. It is used internally for treatment of arteriosclerosis, insomnia, tinnitus, and in the treatment of cancer of the lungs and ovaries.  Externally it is used for rheumatism  and leg ulcers.

Cyclamen and hellibores growing among the beech trees

 

Cyclamen growing among the beech trees

 

 

The Hellebores look extraordinarily good this year. All parts of this plant are toxic if eaten and too much handling may cause systemic poisoning. Wear  gloves when cutting the leaves back. Though poisonous it does have medicinal uses. It is used, in the form of alkaloids, to treat heart conditions in the elderly. It can also cause abortions in pregnant women.

 

In the garden snowdrops among the rasberry canes

 

We have not had any of the snow that was forecast, we have though, had some cold weather. This      years snowdrops are late. These are shown growing among the raspberry canes that we have fed with   horse dung. The celandines are up, and hopefully will give as good a display as in previous years.

 

Snowdrops should not be eaten. Celandines, Chelidonium, are for some a perennial weed. The sap from them is orange and is a tradition treatment for warts and corns when dabbed on them. When freshly picked they can be used in infusions or tinctures. Medicinally it is used as an anti inflammatory herb, it stimulates the uterus and circulatory system, it is also used as an anti-spasmodic and laxative. There are numerous other uses, but it should not be given to pregnant women.

 

This part of the garden is particularly cold and, during January, does not receive any sunlight, even on the brightest day. Yet, as the sun rises into the sky the raspberry bed changes. With the snowdrops we have daffodils and primroses that bloom in March, and by then, raspberries are beginning to move upwards. We pick the fruit from July through to November, almost on a daily basis. The sun rises to give them warmth and light from the beginning of February.

 

Of course we are harassed by blackbirds that defend their right to eat the juicy red berries. Our cat is now fifteen years old and cannot deter them in the way he used, so last year, we resorted to partial netting. The cat sometimes chases blackbirds but is never successful in catching them.

Poppies - in memory of those who had their lives taken from them

Displayed in wine bottles

And in the garden

 

The poppies at the Tower of London were seen by people from all over the world, and were extensively photographed by the world wide media. They commemorate those that had their lives taken from them for King and country, they did not give their lives.

 

Political correctness, the 21st century religion that replaces global warming and climate change religions, prevents any intelligent comment or discussion.  During the Second World War though, where these poppies were exhibited in the moat of the Tower, vegetables were grown to feed starving Londoner's.

 

 

In the garden . . . these flowers don't seem to care

 

On the steep bank at the west side of the garden

As the media in Britain report that the country is on the brink of disaster because of  snow, freezing conditions etc. these "weeds" don't seem to care.  

Winter, down on the farm the oak tree is dead . . .

 

Winter, and down on the farm the oak tree is dead . . . it may fall with the promised gales, snow and ice. The tree, or at least what is left of it, is less than 100 years old. It saw an American  bomber crash  just yards away during the Second World War and all occupants killed. In the woodland deer roam freely, and in the fields there are curlews, magpies, wood pigeon among other birds. The tree has been holed by green woodpeckers, and foxes stalk prey throughout the fields and barns.

 

A Fieldfare and Mandarin duck

 

A Fieldfare in the meadow 

 

A Mandarin duck basking in the sun that is reflecting on the pond

 

The Fieldfare is not so plentiful in England this year and he is oblivious to the snow and horrific weather we are experiencing according to the media.

 

The Mandarin duck is also unaware that it cannot swim on the deep frozen ponds! In the press yesterday, one was able to read that last night would be colder than on Mount Everest. It all leads one to ask just what is happening in Britain? The media appear to make it up as they go along, and the politicians are determined to scare the life out of the electorate. Weak government rules by fear and in Britain a general election is nearing.

 

Down the garden . . the first aconites and violets

 

 

In Britain the media are still scaring the populace with stories of inclement weather

and terror on the streets. The good people of Arizona don't realise how fortunate they are.

 And no-one can be as lucky as those living in Langley, Virginia. However, nothing can beat the tranquillity of a proper English garden.

 

 

A few of the first of this years aconites with some cyclamen among them. Aconites

 are toxic and may cause poisoning in handled without gloves.

 

 

And the first of this years violets

 

 Violets have both medicinal and culinary uses. It is used internally

for the treatment of some cancers. An excess taken internally can cause

vomiting. It is also used in salads and made into tisanes and food flavouring.

 

 

At he bottom of the garden the oak trees look resplendent in the winter sun

As the British media panic about the weather, here, at the bottom of the garden

 the English oak trees look resplendent in the winter sun. Notice the swelling buds

 that indicate that spring is not far away.

 

Down on the farm the sheep don't seem to care

 

Down on the farm and whilst the British media are shouting about the country

 grinding to a halt because of snow, torrential rain, and diabolical gales, the sheep

 don't appear to care.

 

 

A few steps to the east and different settings on the camera.