Saturday 23 June 2012

The Fruit and Veg Have Arrived

After long weeks working knee deep in mud and under the torrential rain of the winter, creating a new and improved vegetable patch, it's all starting to come together now that summer is on the way. We've (well my aunt) has planted copious amounts of fruit and veg, a huge strawberry patch and a nursery of plants and young trees. Everything is now blossoming, fruiting and lots of it is ready to eat.


Peas, spinach, lettuce, herbs, garlic, onions and (my favorite) strawberries are coming up by the dozen. I've stopped bothering cooking for breakfast and lunch and taken to just sitting in the vegetable patch and munching on anything that looks remotely edible.


Now I'm looking forward to beef and cherry tomatoes, courgettes, asparagus and a hole host of 'surprise veg' that Dida has forgotten she planted.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Borage the Companion Herb




At the beginning of the year, we have a meeting and I'm told what I am allowed to plant in my veggie patch.
Then I go and  order exactly what takes my fancy!!  and once I "hit" the herb catalogue I am transported from the cold February reality to warm, fuzzy days of summer, when the aromas of basil and coriander make it a pleasure to
to get out the biggest pasta pot and invite everyone over.

As  you can tell, the catalogue is my downfall!  I am now wondering what made me want to plant... Borage for instance. What magic was it that the seed supplier used, for me to tick the "buy" box ?? Well, with the help of good old google now I remember.......Are you sitting comfortably ?  Then I'll begin:

Think of Pimms, Iced Tea, Summer soups or salads topped with tasty dressings. Borage leaves enhance
all these and the perfect blue flower, frozen into the drinks ice cubes give a soft honey flavour.

Of course I need all the help I can get to convince the "Doubting Thomases" here, that the spinach, peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc etc. were worth planting and the dear little Borage accompanying them as nurse and companion will help. And this is why I've popped them in between everything else and hope they have a good bedside manner.

As a medicinal herb, the benefit list is long and varied, used to help with problems from coughs and colds, to menopause and much more. 

So, money well spent, this little star is a gift from the Gods and now I can sound like a "know it all" if anyone asks me about it... I just won't tell them, that really I simply fell in love with a picture of perfect blue flowers and imagined it's head nodding at me from  my garden. Oh joy !

Didaweeder X

ps. Thank you so much to our volunteers Steve and Marie who went out and bought me the Colin's Book of Herbs whilst I was scratching my head trying to remember what on earth Borage was!