We have added to the content in the fruit cage we bought last year,  just in case  anyone is looking for suggestions you could check out this site  http://www.wmjames.co.uk/fruit-cages.htm We bought our cage from them  So far  it has stood for a year without any problems. Having gone through a winter which was so cold and a lot of snow. The netting is still in place and it still feels secure.  It’s probably one of our better investments seriously increasing the amount of fruit harvested from the blueberries, currents and strawberries.

The fruits we have added are

Honey berries  Lonicera-Haskap.

from the honeysuckle family (but be careful as not all honeysuckle fruits  are okay to eat). These are originally from Siberia and can withstand temperatures to -40C so should easily cope with the British winter. Their taste is suppose to be very sweet, not unlike blueberries and can be used in much the same way. The plant can have a life time of up to 75 years and the fruit ripens in June after the second year. The berries are almost seedless (a bit like kiwi fruit seeds) and are great to freeze. Wow! I can’t wait to try.

Goji berries, Lycium barbarum,

the super fruit that contains more vitamin C than oranges and more iron than etc…and will increase your life span according to Li Quing Yuen (he lived to be at least 197 years and maybe even more , well that’s what I read and I’m not suggesting everything we read is true!  These berries have not  always been know as the Goji berry it has been know as the Chinese Wolf berry or the Chinese Boxthorn amongst others, it is also hardy down to -15C and can take heat up to +40C . They are self fertile and a plant can produce up to a 1kg of fruit in the second year. They can also tolerate drought although they prefer a moist soil. The fruit is good for most uses but a bit of care when harvesting,  using cotton gloves or a fork or shake and catch, touching them can course them to oxidise and go black.

Black currents,

everyone’s favourite! No problems growing this plant and the currents  are so expensive in the supermarket making the small effort really worthwhile.

I have made these bars in the hope they will stave off my crisp addiction. I have agreed with my daughter to fore go the three C’s; chocolate..mmm, cake and crisps for the forty days of Lent.  We have done this over the years making Easter eggs all the more appreciated and enjoyed.  Mostly we have  gone without chocolate but some years have changed it to make it a bit more challenging. One year we stopped eating meat and chocolate, I never went back to eating meat but the chocolate, well…there was no contest there.

This is a simple and quick recipe loved by all who have tried them. Hope you will like them also.

The picture actually shows the second batch, these I made up using apricots and hazel nuts with some ground almond too.  They are still just as tempting.

You will need the following

75g Butter
75g Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Golden Syrup
175g Oats
A handful of chopped Apricots
A handful of chopped Almonds
(Of course if you don’t have apricot and almonds  any other dried fruit and any other nuts will be just fine)

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan
Add the oats
Add the fruit and nuts
Mix together and place in a baking tin that has been lined with silicone or baking parchment
Smooth down with a palette knife or your knuckles slightly moistened with water
Cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes on 180C, 350F, Mark 4 gas
Divide in the tin and leave to cool in the tin until you can handle without burning yourself
Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely
Place in air tight tin.

So sorry if I gave you false hope.  Ummm…that really good peeler, with the ceramic blade and twisty thing for the left or right handed, the all singing all dancing one is now condemned to the bin.

I know,  I was so pleased to find one that was going to be perfect but alas, it was not to be, the weak point was where the blade  was  held in place by two tiny little pieces of plastic that were  fixed into two holes.  After a few days of work, the blade began to continually popped out of its sockets and the frustration started all over again.

I think unless any of you do have a better idea I’ll resort to the  slightly more than occasional cut fingers and use my paring knife.

Just making a mental note to buy a new pack of plasters!

Today is the 4th November and I have picked Swiss Chard for the garden, we still have tomatoes and chillies outside, we are not unusual this year as it seems several others I know are experiencing the same bonus due to the very clement weather, we hope it continues on for a while.

I have been so busy with some projects  in and about the house and garden this year that my poor blog has had to take second place but now I am almost finished and will be rearing to write again.

I have been experimenting with the vegetables and fruit we have grown and have had much fun in the process. So lots to tell and add to the pool of info available I hope.

I am looking forward to your news and views too.

Thanks to Richard for taking the time to update the old header, it’s much appreciated.