Halfway through May and the weather has been kinder. The garden is full of birdsong and a few butterflies have been dancing about. Even though I’m overwhelmed with jobs to do, it really is time to sit in a warm spot and admire the developments.
A few wet days with sunny spells have brought a lush green look to the garden which makes the flower colours pop.
The Welsh poppies glow in a bright shade of yellow and they are full of pollen for the bees.
I have just three “parrot” tulips which spring up and surprise me in a border full of herbs. How they got there, I really can’t remember! Their frilly petals are exuberant and colourful.
Another pleasing surprise has been the first flower on a clematis which I thought had died a couple of years ago. Last year it suddenly sent up a small shoot but no flowers. Now it’s putting on a little show. One flower has opened and there are some other smaller buds. I think it’s called “General Sigorsky”.
Bluebells, with their white and pink variations, have been lovely and are still flowering. I think these are the Spanish bluebells. I do have some English bluebells which I grew from seed but I think they tend to cross with the Spanish ones if they’re nearby and produce hybrid versions. They’re all lovely and welcome in my garden.
Other beautiful flowers are catching my eye. Some almost over, like the anemones, and others, like the aquilegias and oriental poppies, just beginning to show their flowers.
Because we have an abundance of birds in the garden, feathers appear here and there. One was floating in the pond and a tiny, downy one had settled on a tomato leaf in the greenhouse.
Which reminds me! The tomatoes are doing well. They look very healthy so far, no discoloured leaves and the first flower buds forming.
The greenhouse bench is full of seed trays with various plants coming along at their own pace. Mostly vegetables but I’ve put some sunflower seeds in. My Cosmos are nice little plants now and I’ve put some of them out into the garden. Fingers crossed there won’t be a late frost and the munchers stay away.
There’s always something going on in a garden. Squirrels visit and try to nibble the birds’ food. They don’t do any harm and I love to see their acrobatic antics as they leap from the pear tree into the conifers close by. I managed to snap one as it sat weighing up the job.
When the time is right I’ll sow some basil. We love this for my Italian style salad and in various vegetarian meals. Before mine is ready I buy a potted basil from the supermarket. It’s easy to keep these going for two or three weeks if I feed them with cold tea every day. I stand the plant in a dish and just use the last drop of tea from the teapot after breakfast. I pour the tea into the dish so the compost soaks it from below. Works really well.
I also love mint. So deliciously aromatic and the taste is wonderful. Time to make mint sauce, one of my favourite things. I used to enjoy it with lamb or bacon and new potatoes but we eat less meat nowadays. Just as good with vegetarian meals like my nutty sausages.
Mint sauce is very easy to make and freezes well. It’s just like fresh when it thaws. If you love mint and its scent, you will love making this. The kitchen smells wonderful. The taste is very different than the mint sauce sold in jars and so much nicer, in my opinion.
Full instructions for making mint sauce and my nutty sausages are in my “Earthyhomemaker’s Cookbook”. If you’d like to find out more, this link will take you to it. https://geni.us/eANQu
Another vegetarian meal we like is stuffed mushrooms. The large flat mushrooms are very flavourful and ideal for this. I peel the outer skin and trim the stalk, then gently scrape out the inside into my food processor. I place the mushrooms in a baking dish while I prepare the filling. I add bread, sliced onion, herbs like basil or parsley and salt and pepper to the processor. Then I add either cheese or ground cashew nuts. I whiz them together and fill the hollowed-out mushrooms. I surround the mushrooms with tomatoes, cauliflower florets and oat cream with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. This produces a pleasant sauce as the mushrooms cook.
My recipe for nutty stuffed mushrooms is in my cookbook. Very simple to make and a tasty meal.
I haven’t finished my painting yet. So much to do in the garden and knitting is keeping me occupied while I’m relaxing. Here’s how it looks so far.
That’s all for this week. I hope you’re enjoying your own pastimes and all that the season offers. Bye for now. with you again next week.
Living a contented creative life. 