Sun, Plum and Garden Fun

The 1 September is the first day of Autumn. This week we have had some gloriously hot days, misty in the morning, very hot after lunch time and cool at night with the nights drawing in and sunset about 8pm.

I have been busy weeding, tidying the lawns and harvesting.

I have been watching the Victoria plums all week and the warm sun was just what they needed. We are now starting to get a plentiful supply and I am running the gauntlet of the wasps who are gorging themselves.

How about this for a plum harvest?

So tasty

The apples tress are weighed down with fruit so they have needed a helping hand. You need to be careful when walking under the trees as you could have the Newton effect where an apple could land on your head.

Ripening crab apples

This tree needs all the support it can get

The runner beans are producing a steady supply and it is like climbing into a jungle as the two rows of beans are very close together.

Beananza

Why is it always no matter how hard you look you always miss a courgette until it grows into the size of a marrow? These little yellow courgettes are very tasty.

Tasty in yellow

My row of sunflowers along the Artful Garden wall are looking very bonny. One flower head is the size of a dinner plate.

Sunflowers always make me smile

The purple of the helitrope flower is intense.

Purple sensation

We cut our beech hedge once a year. We planted it over 30 years ago when we moved into our house.

An evergreen beech hedge

I have been picking quite a few twin raspberries.

Cheeky

Looking out of my kitchen window the sky was a milky orange as the sun was setting. This only lasted for a few minutes.

Golden wonder

When you look at the clouds you can see some amazing shapes that are always very transient.

A tree or not a tree that is the question

It is amazing what you find in the most unlikely places. One morning I found this on my doorstep.

A peacock butterfly wing

Cherie the Ooh La La Bird had got her feathers ruffled and is now back sitting amongst the onions.

Bird in a basket

My curtain rails are getting full of drying flowers.

Hot colours

Delicate shades of pink and red

This is a view of Rose Castle the palace of the Bishops of Carlisle, it is near Dalston in Cumbria. 

A castle with a chapel

This is the view from Hartside summit 1904 ft. The view is forever changing which makes it so special.

A view from the top of my world

Harvesting, Hot Weather, Hot Relish

What a gloriously hot bank holiday weekend. I had several visitors this week so I have mainly been giving Artful Garden tours.

The barley crops in the fields are almost ready for harvesting. Not a lot of cereal crops are grown in the Eden Valley as it is mainly livestock farming.

Bearded barley stalks

The bracken this year seems to be dominating the hedgerows.

Deep green bracken

This is a view of the Lakeland hills travelling through St. Johns in the Vale.

Look at the slope of the hillside

Clouds can often create some lovely patterns. This is known as a 'mackerel sky' because of the clouds look like fish scales.

Floating white puffs of cloud

A lovely study of white and blue

This sunflower has self seeded and grown in a pocket of my strawberry growbag. 

Grow anywhere sunflower

The cosmos is still flowering and I deadhead the flowers each day.

Crazy for cosmos

Bistort is a pretty pink flower which you can also dry.

Shades of red and pink

The rocket flower has such a simplistic shape.

Rocket stars

The Kentish hop flowers on the trellis are just starting to appear. At the end of the summer I will make a hop garland and hang it from a beam in my kitchen.  

Hop flowers

The bees are busy collecting pollen from the mint. There have been a lot of bumble bees this year.

Garden mint

My pottery houses blend well with the flowers.

Shabby chic homes

My pottery birds float above the the mint and rocket.

Birds of a feather

Flock together

Bluebird over the green hills of Eden

Today I picked my first blackberries, it looks to be a good year for harvesting. 

Yum

Another interesting vegetable shape, this time a tomato.

Tomato head

The peppers in the greenhouse are starting to ripen. I have used them in my Hot Tomato Relish.

Hot and fiery

Hot Tomato Relish
This recipe is a family favourite and an excellent use of both red and green tomato gluts.
Recipe taken from 'The Complete Book of Preserves and Pickles, Catherine Atkinson and Maggie Mayhew, Hermes House, 2009, ISBN 1844770168

600 grm ripe tomatoes skinned and quartered
400 grm red onions, chopped
3 red bell peppers seeded and chopped
3 fresh red chillies seeded and finely sliced
200 grm granulated sugar
200 ml of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt

Put the chopped tomatoes, peppers and chillies in a preserving pan, cover with a lid and cook on a very low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the tomato juices start to run.
Add the sugar and vinegar to the tomato mixture and slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved completely. Add the mustard seeds, celery seeds, paprika and salt and stir well to combine.
Increase the pan heat slightly and cook the relish,  uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has a thick , but moist consistency.  Stir frequently towards the end of the cooking time to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan.
Spoon the relish into warmed sterilised jars, cover and seal. Store in a cool dark place and leave to mature for at least 2 weeks before eating. Use the relish within 1 year of making.

Delicious.

Birds, Beetles, Frogs and Spiders

The weather again has been mixed and last weekend it was torrential rain in the Lake District. Trying to stay dry I visited the Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick. 

This van was once used to transport goods.

How many pencils does this van hold?

These wonderful pencil artworks are from a time gone by.

Pencil Circles

Pen nibs

1920 pencil packs

At one time the factory's had a clock where you 'clocked in' and 'clocked out' of work.

A clock that could tell a good story

The museum made a secret pencil for use in world war 2. Hidden inside the pencil was a map, how ingenious.

The third pencil in the row is the secret pencil

A replica of the map pencil

I saw this beautiful round topped gypsy van on the road near Hexham in Northumberland.

Beautiful artwork

How about this for accommodation?

This takes camping to a new dimension

When weeding the flower border in the Artful Garden out jumped a frog.

A frog he would a hopping go 

This black beetle was basking in the sun on the stone flags in my garden.

A sun baked black shiny beetle

This metal spider was along the disused railway track at the Garden Station at Hexham.

Metal spiders

Here I also found some large toadstools.

Red for danger

Another poisonous toadstool

I am still harvesting carrots. I think these carrots could win a prize.

The Manx carrot

The suggestive carrot

Mrs Woody has taken up residence in the stone trough at the entrance to the Artful Garden. There have been so many visitors that she wants to keep track of all the compliments about the Artful Garden. 

Don't mess with Mrs Woody

The Ooh La La bird has flown in from France. She was attracted by the smell of the onions drying on the picnic table.

Cherie the Ooh La la Bird

These don't look much like eggs

Cherie's beak and legs are made from a pair of wooden laundry tongs that inspired her creation.

It is the harvesting season. I am still harvesting, potatoes, peas, carrots, onions, garlic, courgettes and runner beans. I also picked the last of the blackcurrants this week and the Autumn raspberries are starting ripen.   I have been busy making Hot Tomato Relish. recipe to follow next week.