Green Fingers Garden Club Your Green Fingers Newsletter, March 2014 Issue: 2

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1 Your Green Fingers Newsletter, March 2014 Issue: 2 WELCOME Dear Members Welcome to the spring edition newsletter. We thank you for all the positive comments following our first issue. It seems a long time ago since we released issue 1. Winter has been and gone and thankfully this year we managed to escape the hard frosts and snow. We must also be thankful that we escaped the floods experienced by so many people over the last few months. Even though we live on top of a hill, water did stand on our garden for some time, but our only loss seems to be our Timperley Early, Rhubarb. The nights are drawing out, we have passed the Spring Equinox so we now have more daylight hours than dark and temperatures are rising. It is time to get busy in the garden, with lots of seeds to sow and lawns to start mowing. I have been busy turning my compost over during the last couple of weeks and am determined to speed the process up this year. I have been reading about the Berkley 18 day system for making super quick compost. It is not hot enough here in the UK to achieve quality compost in 18 days but between 20 to 30 days is a possibility. If you make your own, do let us into your secrets for perfect compost success. During the winter months your committee has been meeting to put the final touches to this year s programme and we have some great garden visits planned. We have even booked some speakers for next season so we are well ahead. We do still have some slots to fill though for next year, so if you would like to recommend someone as a speaker then please let us know. If you do not know of any speakers there might be a topic you would like covering. Let us know and we will endeavour to find a local expert. You cannot have failed to notice some subtle changes to the format of our indoor meetings. Mentioning Jobs to be Done is one and another is the Dates for your Diary slot. One event I mentioned before Christmas was the Anglesey Abbey, illuminated winter walk. Did any of you visit? Lynda and I paid a visit and there are a couple of photographs later in this edition. If you have any contributions for future editions of this newsletter then please forward them using the contact details below or pass on to any committee member. Andrew Goodall Holmdale, Bells Lane Hinderclay Diss IP22 1HW Tel burhinus@talktalk.net IMPORTANT DIARY DATES Indoor Meetings: Wednesday 30 th April 2014 Sue Rayner, Herbalist. Wednesday 28 th May 2014 Visit to Furze House Rushall Please remember all indoor meetings take place in Hinderclay Village Hall and begin at 7:30pm.

2 APRIL (The Spring Cuckoo's Month) lst April - All Fools' Day. "Twelve o'clock is past and gone You're the fool for making me one" th April -Hedgehogs again active after winter hibernation 11th April - Many trees now coming into leaf, forecasting a wet or a dry summer from the budding of Oak and Ash. Oak before Ash We'll only have a splash Ash before Oak We're in for a soak 15th April - The Cuckoo Flower (or Ladysmock) and Cuckoo Pint now blooming. (Incidentally the Cuckoo Flower is so called because it is in flower at about the time the Cuckoo arrives) (Editor) 22nd April - Cure for a Sore Throat from Robert Cook's Receipt Book 1730! "Take quince seeds and steep them in rose water for two hours at least. Then take the rose water and gargle in your mouth until the throat is well". 25th April - St. Mark's Day - cowslips now booming. "Three or four handfuls of cowslip flowers cast into bath very hot, take away tiredness" - 18th Century. 30th April - May Eve (the Eve of Beltane - "bright-fire") Celtic festival of Summer's beginning. Val Forge Martin s Monsters

3 Some photos of 'leaf monsters' taken last summer. These beasties were found on our cherry tree and had done some considerable damage. They are attached at the bulbous end; they are very soft, slippery and 'squidgy'. This is a competition to discover what they are and anything about them. But this is a competition with a difference, there is no prize and I have no idea what the answer is. It s a 'cry for help' really! What are these things? Larvae of something I presume. Tip from a 'non' gardener:- I used my usual mixture to remove the above 'Leaf Monsters', which is a strong spray made with washing up liquid. About 3 good squirts of washing up liquid into a spray bottle and fill with water. Works every time, on all sorts of bugs - green/ black fly and other wee beasties that damage plants. You don't need the expensive sprays normally sold. a nice drop of 'Fairy Green' (generic name for washing up liquid!) and it does not damage plant or fruit. I sprayed this on our cherry tree and the beasties were gone within 15 minutes. Don't know where they went though. I couldn't find any on the ground. Can anyone help Martin, please? Martin Forge

4 The Lemon Stop Here s our Lemon Tips Refresh Cutting Boards No wonder your kitchen cutting board smells! After all, you use it to chop onions, crush garlic, and prepare fish. To get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board, rub it all over with the cut side of half a lemon or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle. Prevent Cauliflower From Turning Brown Cauliflower tend to turn brown with even the slightest cooking. You can make sure the white vegetables stay white by squeezing a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice on them before heating. Elaine Gaddis Gardening Wit The husbands may mow the lawn, but it s the women who do the planting, the digging, the weeding and all the real work that goes into making a garden. Charlie Dimmock. The Humble Spud I do like to grow many types of fruit and vegetable as there is nothing quite like harvesting something and putting it straight onto your plate or into the pan, a freshness that can't be beaten. One of the most satisfying to grow is the potato, especially the very first new varieties who's flavour you can never experience fully by buying from your green grocer or supermarket. I say that it s me that likes to grow them but in fact it s my husband that's the true fan of the planting and caring of these little thought of vegetables even though most of us eat them, in some form, on most days of the week. Potatoes must be grown in frost free conditions so wait until April/May before planting the sprouted tubers in a sunny well drained plot. Adding well-rotted compost or manure will help to retain moisture and feed them. Plant in rows about 6" deep and 18" apart as the tops always grow much longer than you would expect them to unless you only grow earlies and harvest very young. When the leafy stem starts to show through, earth up to create furrows between the rows which will encourage more stems to develop so hence more potatoes. Keep them well watered. New potatoes should be ready in about 12 weeks when the tubers are the size of a hens egg. These can be simply washed and boiled in salted water, leave the lid off to avoid the water boiling over - nothing nicer with a little butter and chopped fresh mint. If you want to grow potatoes to store then leave until the green growth has died back before lifting, dry out of sunlight for a few hours and store in paper or hessian sacks in a frost free but cool room.

5 There are hundreds of varieties to choose from so pick those which suit the way you like to cook and eat them. We like to grow early Nicola, 2nd early Kestral, Juliette for a main crop salad potato and Desiree as a good all rounder main crop for storing. This year we are also trying Rocket for an early and recommended by Georgina Rivett, Apache which are a small variety to par boil before roasting. These have a delicious nutty flavour. Even if you only try one variety do give it a go. Different ways to cook - For delicious mash boil peeled potatoes in milk until soft. Drain then mash adding enough of the hot milk and a little butter until creamy. Potatoes will carry the flavourings of the ingredients they are cooked with : Try adding sun-dried tomato or basil pesto, roasted garlic, mustard, horseradish, roasted garlic or creamed corn to your mash. To keep wedges low fat, place peeled potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 mins. Drain and cool enough to handle. Cut into wedges and toss in a bowl with a little vegetable oil and salt. Bake on a tray in a hot oven until crispy and golden. For potato pancakes grate potatoes coarsely and squeeze out any excess water. In a large bowl combine the potatoes with finely chopped onion, chopped fresh chives, egg yolks, a little plain flour and some sour cream. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until firm then fold into the potato mixture. Fry heaped tablespoon of the mixture in hot oil until browned on both sides. Happy gardening Karen Calton The Humble Spud contd At a recent indoor meeting I mentioned the Suffolk Potato Day and the fact that I had never attended a Potato Day before. I really did want to have a look so on a cold and windy Saturday in February Lynda and I set off for Stonham Barns, near Stonham Aspal. It might come as no surprise to find that there are potatoes for sale at a Potato Day, but the event is only open for half a day. We were very surprised to see how many people attended and as we arrived a little before the opening time of 9:30 a queue had already started. Bang on the dot the doors opened and in we went. There were seed potatoes available for purchase and lots of them, in fact over 100 varieties. Everything you would expect really. First Earlies, the varieties with the shorter growing period: Arran Pilot, Casablanca, Colleen, Duke of York, Dunluce, Epicure, Foremost, Home Guard, Lady Cristl, Maris Bard, Orla, Pentland Javelin, Premiere, Red Duke of York, Rocket, Sharpes Express, Sherine, Swift, Ulster Sceptre, Vanessa, Winston. Second earlies, slightly longer growing period: Anya, Balmoral, Blue Kestrel, Bonnie, British Queen, Carlingford, Catriona, Charlotte, Estima, Innovator (Russet), International Kidney, Kestrel, Marfona, Maris Peer, Nadine, Nicola, Osprey, Purple Majesty, Salad Blue, Saxon, Shetland Black, Vivaldi, Wilja. Early Main crops: Ambo, Amour, Apache, Bambino, Belle de Fontenay, Blue Belle, Blue Danube, Chicago,Desiree, Golden Nugget, Harlequin, Harmony, Highland Burgundy Red, Isle of Jura, Kerrs Pink, Kifli, King Edward, Lady Balfour, Linda, Majestic, Maris Piper, Markies, Maxine, Mayan Gold, Melody, Milva, Novella, Pentland Crown, Pentland Dell, Pentland Hawk, Pentland Squire, Picasso, Ratte, Record, Red Emmalie, Remarka, Robinta, Romano, Rooster, Rubesse,Sante, Setanta, Violetta. Late main crops, these potatoes have really long growing seasons: Arran Victory (O), Cara (O), Golden Wonder (O), Kerrs Pink, Pink Fir Apple, Sarpo Axona, Sarpo Mira (O), Valor.

6 A potato for all occasions from mash to chip to salad, we were well and truly spoiled for choice. Another great thing about this event was the fact that you could purchase by the tuber. We wanted a bit of novelty factor so we purchased some which we had never even heard of before, just a couple or four of each to give them a try. So Hinderclay will have its own Potato trials going on this year as we grow our Catriona, Linda, and a couple of other varieties One final thing on Potatoes, I picked this up recently and it was an old country saying I had not heard before. When you hear the Cuckoo shout Tis time toy put your tatties out Wild about Gardens It has been an incredibly mild winter, but it is important that you continue feeding your feathered friends. Spring is actually a very lean time for seed eating birds, most of last year s seeds have now been consumed or fallen to the ground out of reach and none of our native wayside plants have flowered and set seed just yet, so birds rely a lot on kind folk like us feeding in gardens. I for one certainly notice an increase in the number of Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch coming into my garden at this time of year. Male Greenfinch Photograph provided by Andrew Goodall Many insects are now coming out of hibernation. There have already been several sightings of Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies and I have seen quite a few queen Bumblebees in my garden, like the Buff-tailed Bumblebee pictured below. Try to provide nectar for insects right though the year by having a succession of flowering plants. Buff-tailed Bumblebee Photograph provided by Andrew Goodall Keep a look out for spawning frogs, toads and possibly even newts in your garden pond. Do tell us about the wildlife in your garden.

7 Recipe Time Rhubarb Syllabub to serve 6 grated zest and juice 1 orange 100g caster sugar 6 stems young pink rhubarb, about 500g 2 cardamom pods 2 star anise For the syllabub 280ml double cream zest and juice 1 large lemon 3-4 tbsp Grand Marnier or dry sherry 100g caster sugar Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Warm the orange juice in a pan and dissolve the sugar in it. Cut the rhubarb into thumb-length segments and cook in the orange juice with the zest, cardamom and star anise for 8-10 minutes, then cool. To make a syrup, lift out the rhubarb pieces and boil up the juice until it thickens. To make the syllabub, put the cream, lemon zest and juice, alcohol and sugar into a bowl and beat for a few minutes until the mixture becomes thick and light. Remove the cardamom pods and star anise from the syrup. Put the rhubarb into individual glasses, spoon over some of the syrup, then the syllabub mixture over the top and chill for a few hours before serving. Enjoy. Recipe kindly provided by Kate Bowden Please share your recipes with us. Old family recipes handed down through the generations are often the best, but if you have tried a recipe from one of today s celebrity chefs and really liked it then send it in but please credit the author. We don t want the likes of Gordon Ramsey chasing us down the High Street with his kitchen knife! Angelsey Abbey Illuminated Winter Walk On a cold cloudy night in December Lynda and I drove over to Angelsey Abbey in Cambridgeshire. The purpose of our visit was to go along the winter garden walk and look at the illuminations. As always at this venue there were a lot of visitors and we had to book a timed slot in advance to start our walk. It was certainly different and neither of us had ever attended an event like this before.

8 Poplars at night, near the Mill Photo taken by Andrew Goodall We could not argue that some of the lighting was particularly impressive, but for the most part we did wonder whether we would have been better stopping at home. Like the daytime winter walk we walked very slowly through with crowds of people, which did take the edge of things a bit. The image below of the reflection of trees in the water was very good as it was a calm evening and there was not a ripple on the surface. Reflections of Poplars, Angelsey Abbey Photo provided by Andrew Goodall We make a pilgrimage to visit the winter gardens every year but the illuminated event is one which I think, seen it done, no need to rush back. Angelsey Abbey, illuminated. Photo provided by Andrew Goodall

9 If you have visited a garden and would like to tell us about it then please pass your article to a committee member. Andrew Goodall Jobs to do now and over the next few weeks If you are like me you will have been itching to get sowing over the last few weeks. There are lots of vegetables and flowers which can now be sown. If you have not sown Chilies yet you need to be getting on with it, they require a good long growing season. Peas and beans can be sown directly into the garden as can Beetroot and it is also time to sow Parsnip at it likes a long growing season. Towards the end of April you can make a start on planting up your hanging baskets, but don t forget there is still time for some late frosts and tender plants like bedding, basket or vegetable could still need some protection. Any remaining seed heads from border perennials should now be cut with secateurs. These stalks can be shredded and added to compost bins. You might have started making your first few cuts of Rhubarb. If this is the case don t forget Kate s lovely recipe for Rhubarb Syllabub, above. Talking of cutting, April is certainly one of my favourite months of the year because it heralds the start of the UK, Asparagus season. There is nothing quite like UK Asparagus and those first few spears lightly steamed, tossed in butter and served with a poached egg is like sex on a plate. Cut the spears for 8 weeks then give the crowns a good feed and a well-deserved rest. Asparagus Photograph provided by Andrew Goodall If you have been putting off mowing the lawn then you really should give the mower a good service get the blade sharpened, tip any old petrol out which might have sat there all winter and top up with fresh. Clean your filter and also check the oil. Now with the settings on high take the top off the grass. Try putting a strip of grass aside from the mower or a couple of square metres, then consider leaving it to grow as a wild meadow patch. You might be amazed at how many flowers appear and the bees will thank you.

10 Mower Photograph provided by Andrew Goodall The last word For those members who have received this newsletter electronically you can click on the blue, underlined hyperlinks for further information. I hope you find this new dimension to the newsletter informative. It is really interesting researching and pulling together all the bits for the newsletter, but I bet there is someone out there who really fancies being an editor? If so please give me a call or chat to any of the committee members. I ended the last newsletter by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, this time I end by hoping you all have a wonderful Easter Andrew