The unveiling of the newbies

In a previous post I took a photo of my plastic bottle clad new herbs. It helps to protect them from the harse winds and just lets them settle in a little first after the initial move out into the garden.
I unveiled them about a week ago and took this photo to share with you. Already the chamomile plants are producing flowers and the calendula is doing well. The thymes are not so bad either but time will tell.
It has been a bit unsettled in Pixiepods Garden over the last few days, the winds are changeable but when settled it has been really hot.

Planted out some more broccolli, cauliflower and lettuce into the vegetable beds and more potatoes. We are eating the last of the ready crop tonight. They have been great and I hope now that the earth is up to a reasonable standard we can continue to produce some tasty vegetables.

I have also been pruning and bundling. Herbs love to be tied into little bundles and recently I have posted onto my Etsy shop, a bundle of apple tree branches, prepared and bundled into a bundle of 8 perfect little sticks. The apple tree is very symbolic in the garden, it represents, garden magick (amongst other things) so they make good companions for herbs, even in little pots on the window sill. The blossom of the apple tree is well known for representing fertility.

Hubby and I went walking at the weekend, nearly our first of the season. We did Roque del Conde, which we have done before but just before the very top I took a bit of a panic attack. I am scared of heights to some degree but my legs just went like jelly and I really didn´t want to be up there. We came back down and I can honestly say I was glad to get back to a more normal height. It was an enjoyable day but by gum were we sore the next day! Walking in Tenerife is great fun and there are lots to choose from but be careful if you do venture out as some of them can get tricky and you must remember, you have to have the energy to get back.

Well must get on and do some gardening, feeling like more sitting in it today, but there is always something to be getting on with.

Foraging Feast

Sunday was a great day! Hubby and I went up the hills for a wee walk. It was a lot cooler than it has been and we even got a bit cold, yeah!! It was a fruitful day out as we filled our foraging bags with chestnuts and figs. The figs were nearly all gone but the chestnuts are still to be got, for those of you that like to forage.

Here´s a recipe for my homemade Chestnut Butter, chestnuts have fantastic nutrional value, they contain B vitamins, Iron and some vitamin C, also lots of minerals, such as potassium. They are also very low in fat and that is why they are sometimes called grains rather than nuts, also because they are very rich in fibre.

CHESTNUT BUTTER

Roast or boil your picked chestnuts and peel
Mash up the peeled chestnuts, try to crush them as much as you can but I like to leave a few bigger pieces for extra crunch
Put the mashed chestnuts in a pan with enough soya milk (or cows if you really want to) to just cover them, sugar to sweeten (optional), nutmeg, and a good glug of brandy (optional)
Bring all the ingredients to the boil and keep stirring until it starts to thicken, you´ll know it is ready when you can see the bottom of the pan when you are stirring
Take it off the heat and pour into a sterilised jar, leave a little room at the top for an extra splash of brandy (optional), the brandy helps to preserve it for longer and if you shake well before using it, this helps to keep it runny enough to use easily
Keep in a dark, cool place and use at once or will keep for approx. 12 weeks, once it is opened though store in the fridge

Mmm ..... a great wee recipe using what nature has to offer ... a good Halloween spread for your pancakes