I’ve cornered the market in Vocalzone, small black liquorice
like sweets for smokers, excessive chatter boxes and those with throat
conditions. Yes, there were a few raised
eyebrows in the chemist as I cleared their shelf of its entire supply. I can assure you this is not some devious
banker’s ploy to drive up prices of pharmaceutical products in the stock market
but just my way of easing the pain of that ‘just swallowed a razor blade’
feeling that generally comes with a sore throat. Anyone who wants any Vocalzone best give me a
shout. Or a tentative whisper if your throat is still a bit croaky. I've chomped through about 2 boxes in a week.
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| Perfect for those who love to chat |
It’s been a funny old fortnight. Fighting back the lurgi has taken up most of my valuable
gardening energy, the rest of which was spent picking cockles in the dark. It might seem a bit bonkers scrabbling around
in sand in the twilight looking for cockles at this time of year but it did my cold the
world of good. Perhaps the government
could find another couple of spare million quid to fund a study on the revolutionary
cold curing properties of picking shellfish instead of donating our hard earned
tax payer’s money to the local Uni so they can explore the relationship between
chickens and humans. Give me a tenner
and I’ll provide you with a concise report on this relationship on my return
from the KFC!
.JPG) |
| Cockle shell |
What’s also been funny is this year’s vegetable
growing. I’m sure I’m not the only
gardener scratching their head out there, trying to figure out why a second crop of mange-tout
has decided to magically sprout forth after all the dead plants were cleared
away. Is this some kind of veggie Lazarus
phenomenon I should be aware of? My
confused pea plants are now 6 inches high and happily growing in the plastic
covered veg bed. What I’d like to know
is, will they succumb to the autumn weather or actually produce a second crop
of peas? Crazy huh!
Peas and beans are not the only thing that's grown in
abundance this year. 2013 has also been a
bumper berry year in Charminster.
Growing conditions were ideal for our blackberry beauties. I’ve frozen the entire season's crop and can now look
forward to a winter of crumbles, pies, strudels and loads of other tasty berry
flavoured goodies. It’s ten out of ten
for blackberries as a value for money plant to grow, I’ve more than
recovered my investment and would definitely recommend the thornless varieties for anyone with a sunny unused corner in their garden.
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| There's more where this came from |
I find freezing blackberries is best done straight after picking. You should pick them as soon as they've darkened but not so that they're too soft or squishy to touch. Take off any stems and other debris then pop straight into a plastic airtight container. Some folks freeze them on trays but if you are adding a small quantity per day into a large container, they should freeze separately rather than in one large lump. Pop straight into crumbles or pies directly from the freezer, I don't usually bother to defrost as this turns them a bit mushy.
MORE ABOUT:
Vocalzone - http://www.vocalzone.com/
Humans and Chickens - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2425213/Outrage-academics-handed-2m-study-humans-interact-CHICKENS.html
Blackberry recipes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/blackberry
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