What's growing?

Many thanks for the suggestions. The raspberry vinegar is done and looks lovely in the pretty bottles I found. Starting the raspberry gin tomorrow.
As you've all been so helpful and creative can anyone suggest something different to do with black currants and gooseberries?

Blackcurrant cordial is the traditional use (Ribena, anyone?) but I have never tried making it.

I've googled it and it looks a simple, if somewhat sticky, recipe. Worth a try.
Wondered about black currant wine..... sort of Ribena with a kick. Or better still Crème de cassis

here's the recipe

Just found this thread.....lovely to read about all the home grown produce.
I've cropped lots of sugar snap peas, climbing & runner beans are looking good. Tomatoes are ripening well in the sun and courgettes keep on coming. I froze dozens of courgettes in chopped up single portion bags last year without blanching and they were fine throughout the winter in casseroles & soups.
I've lost my annual battle with cabbage white butterflies and slugs and yet again, brassicas have ended up in a compost heap. Every year I try a new method of protecting cabbages, broccoli etc but the creatures always win.

Thanks for the tip about freezing courgettes Notso I'll try that. I also got a great recipe off this site for courgette cake, while was lovely and moist.
I've given up growing brassicas during the summer months and go for winter caulis, cabbage etc. much more successful and I cloche them until the insect season is over. Re slugs I've had real success with nematodes.
Going to harvest black currants tomorrow.

I've just frozen 4 pounds of white currants. Would Aka's recipe work with white currants? I usually add them to various jams but my one bush seems to be doing rather well this year.

Only one way to find out Nfk

I wish I could grow chinese lanterns buy them and lose them .I like Alchemilia as I also love the droplets after rain . We say the fairies drink them .It is good filler if you have a new garden The florist charges a lot just for one piece Only today I hve been garden visitng and Iam givng some to a lady who has a new garden who left hers behind. Broad beans hardly any flowers and lost my sweet peas But Dad always said "there is always next year to start again and enjoy"

By Chinese lanterns do you mean cape gooseberries? I have some: the little yellow fruit is encased in a flimsy beige 'lantern'.

I'm trying white currant vodka with a pound of currants - will report back in a month.

We've some excellent five year old sloe gin, and I've been doing the same with blackberries and brandy with good results. The advantage is that the sozzled blackberries make lovely jam. Anyone tried sloe jam?

Five year old sloe gin???? It wouldn't last five months in our house.

That should have been five weeks.

Yes, let us know how that goes Nfk my blackcurrants are fermenting anyway nicely in a darkened space for a month, then I have to do something else to them. The raspberry gin looks promising too. And the raspberry vinegar is wonderful and so simple. We dribbled some on a melted goats cheese salad yesterday, very tasty.
I've got about 6lbs of pink gooseberries that I have to top and tail and make into chutney and jam today. Glad it's raining here so I'm not lured into the garden and the allotment has been rained upon so it doesn't need me today.

The best thing in our garden this year has been the cotinus. It's the purple one and is an enormous shrub. I remember its name because it sound like a character from Julius Caesar ( Whither goest thou, Cotinus?) When the bunches of teeny flowers on their multitude of very thin stems are out it really does look as if the shrub is covered in mist.

If that's also called 'Smoke Bush' then it is indeed lovely. Your post has made me realise how it got its name as those tiny flowers do look like mist or smoke. Mine was overcrowding its space last year and with some trepidation I cut it back in early spring. But it's recovered well and is all the better for its haircut. Mine is a deep, dark velvety red and it gows beside a lemon leafed Ceanothus, the contrast is striking.

RASPBERRIES galore - my favourites

Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple. We have a young one and it's growing like crazy so I'll have to keep an eye on it but it's lovely to look at while I'm doing the washing up.

Just about to turn the gooseberry sludge into wine but not until DH has cleared up the mess in the kitchen. Nice of him to offer to prepare the veg for lunch but home grown stuff leaves twice as much to be taken down to the chickens.

DD2 is arriving on Wednesday with the DGDs and their dog which I'm going to be looking after while they go on holiday. I must be mad. We already have the mother and his sister so three Jack Russells???

Why can't I ever say NO?

The garden table, the paddling pool, the washing line ... all covered in shallots, drying. A bumper crop. Just keeping an eye of the weather in case I have to rush out and rescue them.
Normally I'd dry them on the grass but like Merlot we have an extra dog holidaying with us and I can't trust him not to cock his leg over them
They'll have to overnight in the conservatory (the shallots not the dogs) so we'll wake up to a lovely aroma of onions.
PS if I have to top and tail another gooseberry I'll scream

My raspberries are a disaster. I'm going to start a fresh bed in a different place in the autumn (well Gary is!)

We had the first cauliflower for lunch today - lovely with cheese sauce, cavolo nero, broad beans and new potatoes. The last two pork chops from our small-holding friend were delicious and home-made raspberry ice cream for pud.

Hoping to stock up with more delicious pork once DH has finished fixing friend's landrover.

Bartering is great

Lucky, lucky you I just adore cauliflower , and pick it freshly grown must be even better .

Galen you are lucky to have a 'gardener' - my OH does not know a dandelion from an orchid ... and just can't be bothered with any project around the garden... or the house for that matter. So, I am like the little red hen ... and just have to do it all myself, or it won't happen. But bless him, he has lots of other qualities, so I'll keep him a bit longer (43 years so far).

GRANJURA , like it !!

There are more things in heaven and earth than gardens!