Fern stencil

After looking for some time for a stencil for my bathroom- I have started on my own.  life size shuttlecock fern leaf- will take sometime.........

Gooseberry & Elderflower Champagne Jam

Hmm after a gooseberry and strawberry cobbler I decided to make jam and added some of my delicious elderflower champagne!  The champagne is lovely- lots of bubbles and a lovely taste.  The jam - waiting to try!!!

Well would you believe it??!!

As I was merrily gardening in the Pratts Patch I came upon a stash of my lovingly grown strawberries and gooseberries - I can only guess it is a mouse or two!!  So cleared it all away then had to pick most of my gooseberries - can only hope I get to the strawberries as they ripen before the mouse!! There are so many veg and fruit predators to contend with in this growing malarky !!!

ElderFlower Champagne!

Collected some elderflowers from some very kind neighbours and found this recipe  http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/27/recipe-for-elderflower-champagne/.  I made half the amount for fairly obvious reasons!!  Bottled it today in plastic bottles and also trying a demi john with airlock as suggested on the chat on the website- will see how it goes.

Ingredients

• 50 elderflower heads  - (if you pick flowers in the morning they should smell slightly of  bananas, if picked in the afternoon/evening there will be an aroma of cats piddle! Both work, but bananas are best )
• 6 lb bags of caster sugar
• 11 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 50 pints of cold water
• 11 large lemons zested & juced

Method

Pick the elderflowers when fully out and shake to remove insects.

Place the flowers in a cloth bag,

Seal it and put it into the water with the sugar, vinegar, juice and zest from the lemons. (use plastic buckets)

Mix well, cover and stand for 72 hours.

Remove bag of flowers & strain into bottles (use screw top bottles) and leave in cool larder for 2 weeks, releasing the fizz every couple of days or the bottles will burst.

Serve very chilled.