May Round Up

May has passed in a flash! We seem to have been so busy and June will be even busier.

Last weekend we had a Meet and Share event at the allotment, we all put a bit of food in the marquee and shared and ended up with quite a feast. Iain boiled some duck eggs and made mayonnaise using olive oil infused with basil that we bought in Italy last year; this gave me the inspiration for this month’s task of making an aromatic oil. I am going to make a basil oil but not by heating, I will infuse basil and olive oil in a jar for a couple of weeks.

 The plot next door to us built a barbeque for the Meet and Share which I'm quite envious of but we don't want to give up our growing space at to build one at the moment!

Allotment Barbeque

The allotment is coming on wonderfully, yesterday we lifted our first early potatoes and I also came home with a bag of mixed salad and a pak choi plant; cabbages and peas are nearly ready and broad beans are close behind. Some raspberries and a few blueberries have set and we have strawberries but the local wildlife seem to love them (not sure of culprit yet!) On the allotment herb front we have thyme, basil and sage so far.

Iain shows off our first potatoes

Deb sorts out our crop

 Yesterday we went on a deer hunt over the Chase with my two daughters, their husbands and two granddaughters. We saw lots of deer much to everyone’s delight and the girls made themselves antlers out of sticks to become deer and also had sticks as wands to become Harry Potter; a few sticks provided much more fun than any expensive toy could. Everyone helped me gather dog rose petals for my vinegar, we didn’t get many but I know there are plenty nearer to home that I can add.

 We are preparing for a weekend in Cornwall as it is the annual dinner of the Fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur on Saturday night in King Arthur's Great Halls, Tintagel. We have also arranged to have dinner with about 25 members of the Sir Bors Chapter on Friday night in our hotel, I’m sure an interesting and fun weekend lies ahead!

 In between everything else I’ve been experimenting with recipes for natural skin care products and will be in London the weekend after next to expand my knowledge. Later on in the month hubby and I are spending a few days in Rome to recharge our batteries.

 I am still trying to take in the mountain of information in Susun Weed’s Menopause book for my theory task and will then do a write up. I am looking forward to our next workshop at The Sanctuary which has the menopause as its theme so will compliment my reading.

 In my garden there is lots of herb activity, there is marshmallow, chamomile, elecampane, lavender, bronze fennel, St John's wort, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, feverfew, chives, comfrey, hyssop, valarian, meadowsweet, echinacea and lots of nettles. The garden is getting neglected at the moment, mainly due to the allotment keeping me busy but the herbs are doing well and I hope to tidy it up soon as my shift patterns are changing at work.

Nettles have started to seed