Poetry and Pears

At last the rain fell on our dry, sandy garden. So grateful to see the drops splashing on the window. Time to do some indoor tasks, like removing those horrible labels from the back of the neck in some new clothes, sorting old clothes and making lists of things to do outdoors when the sun shines again.

Of course, it was another opportunity to catch some lovely wet moments, with my camera, among the flowers.

The rain inspired me to write another little poem. Not profound but expresses how I feel about the effect of rain on the garden.

Refreshing Rain

Rain splashes on the paving
And brings up unexpected shades.
Drenched leaves are gently waving
With glistening drops on grassy blades.

The sky is dull and overcast
Yet the garden sparkles in the rain.
Such a pleasing contrast.
Why should I complain?

Diamond droplets drip from flowers,
Astonishly beautiful to see
And those life-giving showers
Refresh the garden and, also, me.

My Clematis “Elizabeth” is dipping her pale pink flowers gracefully from the top of the plum tree. The tree is old and very high and the clematis scrambles through the branches. A lovely sight in early May.

Clusters of baby fruit are abundant on the pear trees. Many of them will fall off in the “June drop” when the fruit is naturally thinned by the tree. I don’t bother to thin them further. We have enough fruit and I don’t need them any bigger.

Pears ripen very quickly when the time comes so I usually dry or bottle some to preserve them.

I think the electricity will be too expensive this year to dry them. The dehydrator has to be on for several hours. I will probably bottle some as they’re a real treat.

Not everything in the garden goes to plan! I have never successfully grown cauliflowers, one of my favourite vegetables. I think they need very rich, fertile soil, a lot of water and loads of attention. All of which are in short supply in my garden.

However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So I bought some plants in the autumn and attempted to grow some. I put two in the polytunnel where they would, I thought, be protected from pests and stand a better chance.

Only one cauli began to form a head. Beautiful white “curds” appeared. Then the slugs found it! For days I was having to remove them and the top was beginning to be spoiled. I mastered the slugs, watered well and folded the leaves over the top to keep it white. All to no avail. This is what I ended up with!

I shall give up and admit defeat. I grow plenty of other good vegetables so I won’t miss them.

I have planted my sprouts and kale, runner beans and kohl rabi. Carrots, parsnips and onions are in their early stages too. The potatoes have fresh green leaves so hopefully things are going on below the soil. The mange-tout peas will soon be flowering and then, not long afterwards, we’ll have some tender pods. Basil is germinating in the greenhouse and parsley is at it’s best.

The mint has aromatic leaves now and I shall be making mint sauce very soon. I love it and it goes well with many meals. You can’t beat the taste, freshly made in the kitchen. Nothing like the strange slimey stuff sold in jars. Of course, it’s perfect with roast lamb but it’s also delicious with bacon or ham and my vegetarian sausages.

Easy to make. Just pick a good bunch of fresh mint stems. Wash well and strip the leaves from the stems. Put the leaves into a food processor or chop finely. Cover the chopped leaves with vinegar. I use malt vinegar but cider vinegar would probably work too. Add sugar, a little at a time, until it’s sweet enough.

I found that it freezes well in small containers and when it thaws it tastes exactly like freshly made. So it’s a good idea to make more than you need and pop some in the freezer for another day.

Middle of May already. Weeks are flying by. I hope you have an enjoyable time until I’m with you again. Bye for now.