Ribes ulva-crispa, gooseberries, are an excellent fruit bush for my climate and location. They grow prolifically, yield well every year, and are very easy to propagate. (I have expanded my number of plants by taking hardwood cuttings, which have rooted well.) They are native to temperate areas of Europe, and have been cultivated in theContinue reading “Why Gooseberries are One of My Favourite Fruit Bushes”
Tag Archives: preserves
How To Reduce Food Waste at Home
Reduce food waste at home and you are playing your part in caring for planet and people. It can help you reduce the amount you spend on food and ease financial strains. But it can also help prevent waste on a wider scale, and safeguard society, systems and environments. Reducing food waste at home doesContinue reading “How To Reduce Food Waste at Home”
Cooking From Scratch
Since so many people have been inspired this year to grow their own for the first time, I thought I would return to basics once again and write a little about the importance of learning how to cook healthy, fresh ingredients from scratch. In our modern world, where so much convenience food is available, itContinue reading “Cooking From Scratch”
Pasteurising Apple Juice
One of our favourite ways to use up our bumper apple crop from the forest garden is to make apple juice. In a previous post, I already mentioned our fruit press, which is essential to us in being able to make the most of all our apples. We have a range of different apple varietiesContinue reading “Pasteurising Apple Juice”
No Such Thing as ‘Too Many’ When It Comes To Garden Crops
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard gardeners complain that they have ‘too many courgettes’ to get through. Or that they have too much lettuce… But as permaculture gardeners and growers know, excess abundance should not be viewed as a negative. Successional sowing and careful planning can help to spread out harvestsContinue reading “No Such Thing as ‘Too Many’ When It Comes To Garden Crops”
July in the Forest Garden
July in the forest garden is an abundant time. Soft fruits are the stars of the show. We have plenty of red currants, blackcurrants, raspberries, as well as the last of the strawberries and gooseberries. Harvesting and preserving are the order of the day. Even in a low maintenance garden like a forest garden, thereContinue reading “July in the Forest Garden”
Tips to Help You Reduce Food Waste
When people start looking into how to live a zero waste lifestyle – reducing plastic waste is often the first thing they think about. But you might overlook another type of waste that can pose a huge problem for people and the planet: food waste. Food waste, if it were a country, would be theContinue reading “Tips to Help You Reduce Food Waste”
Preserving Food – Sustainable Solutions
Recently, I have been spending quite a lot of time preserving some of the early summer harvests from my garden. For example, I’ve been making plenty of gooseberry jam. (My recipe is simple – 1.5kg underripe green gooseberries, 1kg sugar (for a pretty sweet jam). Reduce the sugar to taste for a tarter option. )Continue reading “Preserving Food – Sustainable Solutions”