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Hello Forkers August 2018

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Posts

  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949
    No rain here. But we can smell the grass fires from Staffordshire so I guess they need more than us right now.

    Its almost the weekend. I've a day overtime I'm clearly not going to be able to get back this week as this afternoon I'm taking time off to use up last week's overtime. Place your bets on this actually happening!

    Has anyone any ideas for blackberries? We've blackberry sorbet, blackberry & apple compot, I'm looking at jam next - would it last til Christmas?
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    My best idea about blackberries , is to leave them for the birds.
    Me no likey.
    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Morning all/afties Pat.
    Cool and cloudy with a bit of sun here. Some rain overnight and for later I believe. Hurray for Friday. Couldn't come quick enough.
    It's similar here klepieper - many farms struggling and having to feed their winter foodnow. Isn't that ridiculous re the supermarket plums. What have we come to? Glad it ended well. Of course 'we' as consumers are to blame - wanting everything all the same and perfect. The whole system needs to change.
    You don't like brambles Hosta...nothing quite like picking them fresh. As a friend once said to me - 'make sure it's the ones above 'dog height'  though'... :D
    And with that - I'll bid you all farewell for now....have a good day
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AuntyRachAuntyRach Posts: 5,291
    Morning.
    Raining here - looks like an Autumn day.

    Yum Blackberries...they will freeze well if you have room, so you can add them to cakes, crumbles and other baked goodies over the Autumn/Winter. Put a handful in the fridge overnight and have on morning cereals etc is good too. 

    Have a fab Friday folks.
    My garden and I live in South Wales. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I went back to sleep 😴
    thanks for the help @kleipieper and special thanks for the song ... a real family favourite for several reasons and it always brings back happy memories. 
    My brother has said exactly the same as you regarding fruit and veg growers this year. Very worrying.  :/  There’s only the two of us here but we use nearly a kilo of onions a week in the winter. 
    Hi Clari  :) properly made jam will keep for years if you use the right proportions of sugar to fruit and pot it in sterilised jars. If you want a recipe give me a shout. 
    Hiya Hosta 🙂 it’s amazing how fast the weeds grow once they get some rain 😳

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    re the crazy "plums"  Dare I say Waitrose set up contracts with our farmers and take what they produce. They'd just be sold as "weather affected" or some such thing. Otherwise " odd , undersized, mishapen " fruit and veg goes for  processing into soups, desserts etc.
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2018
    Yes Hosta it does seem that some UK supermarkets have improved the way they do business with their fresh food producers ... thank goodness. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Pat EPat E Posts: 12,316
    Morning all. For some reason I’d somehow logged myself out of the Forum so had to get Hubby to help me sign in again.
    Anyway, interesting to read your farmers  arehaving similar problems to the Australian ones.  I think everyone is in for a bad year of produce. 

    S. E. NSW
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Yes Hosta it does seem that some UK supermarkets have improved the way they do business with their fresh food producers ... thank goodness. 
    Tesco most certainly isn't one of them. Grrr
    Devon.
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    Morning all.

    Good to 'see' you Clari. I'd stew blackberries and make summer pudding (or freeze them to make summer pudding in another season). 

    It's quite chilly here! Don't worry, I'm not moaning- I'm quite enjoying having some energy for the first time in ages, and after rain all day yesterday the garden is looking the greenest it has for some time. It's a bit of a shock to the system though - 31° on Monday and Tuesday, 17° yesterday!

    Where are you going on holiday, Liri? 

    Hello Kleipieper. Interesting (and rather depressing) about the crops. We really do have to sort out our skewed relationships with food. 

    We went to the 'Teeth' exhibition at the Wellcome Collection yesterday. Really interesting and well put together. This wasn't part of the exhibition but I thought it might make people smile:


    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
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