POST PARTY PICK UP

We’ve just done the fifteen load of washing. Well that’s what it feels like. It’s the following day, post party clean up at our house.

I’m out in the garden again to see the extent of the damage. Like inside the house, I am pleasantly surprised. Years ago if I went to a party the doorways would be filled with bulging dustbin liner bags full of beer cans and bottles and there would be a thin film of grease all over the walls. The post synopsis of our party is that the house has been left tidier that it was before it began. The garden also appears to have escaped without any damage.

On the driveway I can see trails of burst water balloons, I knew about these, as it was me that stood at the sink for an hour at the party and filled them up. Apart from these colourful pieces of plastic and two skateboards that have lost their wheels, there are no other signs of destruction.

Marquee
We set up our marquee on the off chance that the weather would be wet, but we were lucky enough to have a completely dry day. Because of this we didn’t really use this protective covering so it doesn’t need any cleaning. All we need is a dry day to take it down and put the washing line back up. The rain has now started so this might not be for a while yet.
Decorating outside
The white marquee looked a bit sparse when I set it up so I added pieces of ivy to the inside corners to break up the colour. I copied the idea from the fabulously decorated churches I go to around the peninsula taking photos of weddings for the paper. I also put vases of cut garden flowers and shrubs on tables and corners of the patio to brighten things up a bit. We don’t really go in for flowers much in the garden but we had plenty of sweet peas to brighten up the dull corners.


Party spuds
Most of the food was confined to the tables in the kitchen or the decking and we had three dogs running around on the day so any scraps dropped by the guests were soon picked up. The potato salad went down well. I had dug up two different types of spud in one bed as I couldn’t remember which ones were the earlies. It turned out that I did them just in time as blight was beginning to take hold. The crop was a bit of a disappointment though (probably because they were supposed to be maincrop spuds) and I was left with only a bowlful from a whole bed. There was enough to make a tasty salad, though with all the digging, washing and cutting out the bad bits of the golf ball and smaller sized spuds, Julie commented, after about 2 hours, that it might have been handier to go to the supermarket..

Fingerlings
One guest came with a big bowl of fingerling potatoes that were just boiled up and coated with a drop of melted butter. They went down very quickly. Fingerling potatoes are turning up in the poshest places these days, such as the menus of some of the country's finest restaurants. There is a novelty value about them and like the salad leaves, Rocket, they command a very high price in the shops even though they are just as easy to grow as any other variety. These spuds are grown for their small size. Choose between the waxy type and ones that resemble the balls of flour we get from some of our local roadside sellers.


HUGE SUCCESS
All in all then the party was a huge success. The garden came into it’s own and gave the children plenty of space to go crazy and there were enough nooks and crannies for them to hide. The adults on the other hand made good use of the decking and seating areas closer to the house. I also had some very pleasing comments about how well the garden was looking. I have a theory that if the grass is cut and the hedges look neat then everything else around it looks good, even a bed full of weeds.

The party was a great motivator for getting everything sorted so I will need to get planning for a Christmas one to get everything tidy for the winter.

PARTY TIME

It might be June drop in August, but still no-one told the tree it should keep at least a few apples.

IT’S PARTY TIME
I’m outside in the garden getting everything ready for a party this week. It’s not for me I might add, I tend to shy away from such shows of socialising, (maybe it’s the fear that no-one would turn up). It’s for Hilda, my mother in-law. It’s her 80th and we thought having the shindig at our house would spare her the trials of having her arms submerged in soapy water washing pots and running around with a dustpan and brush. Hilda is active enough at the best of times running 15 yoga classes a week as well as body boarding in her spare time, so she probably needs a rest from that too.

MARQUEE
The weather is a bit unpredictable at the moment so I thought a 6m X 3m marquee would help if it were wet. If nothing else it will get the children outside so they could entertain themselves away from the boring adults. I can’t decide where to put it though.

Party planning is, I am finding out, a bit of an art. If the weather is fine we will need the lawn for children to play football so the marquee couldn’t go there, although if it’s wet it could….I have therefore decided to take the washing line down at the side of the house and squeeze the Homebase special in between the two washing line posts. This way if it’s dry the kids can play football and we can serve food in the marquee. I shouldn’t think we will be doing any washing as the last thing the 50 guests want to see are pairs of odd socks hanging up to dry.
TRIMMING
I have been a couple of weeks preparing the garden for this party, starting with the hedge cutting. We have a lot of escallonia around the front and back of the garden and I found that the electric hedge cutters just weren’t up to the job. I would get half way around the front and then have to charge them up for four hours. Four hours is along time in the garden so by the time they are ready again, I am on to new things, usually putting my feet up in the front room.

I decided to invest in an electric set of hedge cutters and they are far lighter than petrol types. My arms start to buckle after a few minutes. I get plenty of rest with the electric cutters too as half of my time is taken up taping the severed electric cable back together again after I have accidentally cut through it. You don’t get as many rests with a petrol one.

I was going to leave the grass cutting until the day before the party, but again I have had to make hay whilst it’s dry, so the grass will be growing again for three days. This means that the stripes won’t be so defined. I like stripes, to the extent that even at cup final football matches when the teams are battling it out for the premiership, I’ll be commenting on the accuracy of the patterns on the pitch, much to the disgust of the lads.

JUNE DROP
I have noticed all of the fruit on the apple tree has dropped, so I am tidying those up before the wasps get excited and start to terrorise the guests. There must have been over 100 apples. It looks like something called June drop (although it’s August) and its nature’s way of getting the tree to self regulate how many apples it will produce so it doesn’t get too burdened. New trees shouldn’t really be growing too many as it could snap the branches. This tree is about fifteen years old though and every apple has fallen. If it is June drop, it’s a bit severe.




FINER DETAILS
The strimming has been done as well as sweeping the driveway so I have had time to spend on small details around the garden. I usually try to anticipate where children will be playing and take out as many potential dangers as possible, so I have been cutting back small branches at children’s head height on the trees. The paths have also been swept and cleaned and I have gone around the vegetable beds with my new oscillating hoe to keep the weeds down.

One job that I will be doing a bit closer to the time is to dig up some early spuds for a potato salad. I grew four types this year from early to lates but as usual I have lost the labels. I planted them in a logical pattern from the earliest to the latest, but I have forgotten from which end of the beds I did it, so I will pick out random plants to see how they look. To tell the truth there isn’t that much else to do around the outside of the house. It’s not like I am entering the local gardening competition. There will always be something to do though like washing the windows and adding few trowels full of compost into the containers to liven them up. The longer I stay out of doors though, the less chance there is of me being set on doing domestic stuff. As long as I keep my gloves on and occasionally wander past the kitchen window with the wheelbarrow, I should look busy.

SUMMERTIME HERBS

The summer months are a great time to pick, use and dry herbs. Herbs are easy to propagate and grow and you don’t need a big space. Even if you are living in a flat or apartment you can have windowsill planters filled with these useful plants.

We always have herbs in our garden, a lot of them are disguised as weeds. They attract the insects, grow in poor soil, are easy to look after and add colour, life and fragrance to the garden. They can be used in cooking, for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

Here’s a taster of some of the more well known ones…..

Mint
Mint is great. A sprig in your new spuds adds flavour. Mint tea is very popular these days. It is supposed to be good for the digestion so it is nice to enjoy a cup after a meal. Just wash a spring under the tap and pour on boiling water. When the kids were younger and had to be nagged to brush their teeth, getting them to chew the left over mint leaves or using their finger to rub their teeth with a leaf, always worked a treat. I am sure this is why mint became a popular flavour for toothpaste. Mint grows like wildfire and can take over a patch quite quickly. Contain it in a pot or grow it somewhere you have a lot of space. Easily divided to propagate so you can pass it on to your friends.
Sage
Speaking of dental hygiene, my lad also uses a sage tea as a mouthwash. This is supposed to be very good for gum diseases. Sage is the herb of choice at Christmas in our sage and onion stuffing, but it has also been used as a natural purifier. Sage stalks and leaves were used in hospitals to purify the air and it has also been used as a natural deodorant. You can take stem cutting to propagate, cut the leaves back when you plant them to stop the cuttings drying out too much.
Rosemary
Rosemary is great with roast spuds and roast lamb. Use a whole sprig and remove before serving, It can also be used as a bath herb to revitalise and has been used as a shampoo or hair rinse. People burn rosemary oil and drink rosemary tree to keep them mentally alert.

Lemon Balm
My mother-in-law often has lemon balm with her rosemary to make a refreshing herbal tea. The lemon balm lends a more subtle pleasant flavour to the tea. It is also a great tonic and is supposed to have a calming effect.

Parsley
Parsley is always a popular garnish. Chop finely and sprinkle over food or add to soups. If you want to keep some for winter stews, freeze after chopping in an ice cube tray. For a garnish with a difference, try taking a sprig, rinse and shake dry. Then deep-fry until just crisp and serve with any grilled or fried food. Parsley sauce is great with fish and is a great source of iron and vitamins and should be included in the daily diet. It is so easy to grow from seed too.




All of the herbs here can be dried and used throughout the year.



COMPANION PLANTING
Companion planting done well does away for the need of any herbicides or insecticides in the garden. Companion planting can also enhances the yield of most vegetables. Trial and error is the most successful way to see what plants go well together as most gardens are different.
Here are some ideas to get you started:

Borage, comfrey, elder, lavender, lemon balm, lovage and tarragon: good with all vegetables.
Dandelion:Helps mature fruit and vegetables. Don’t let them go to seed though….
Horseradish: good with spuds.
Marigolds: Controls soil disease, especially between tomatoes, aubergines and sweet peppers.
Nasturtium: Repels aphids from brassicas especially broccoli and benefits fruit trees.
Parsley: Tomatoes and roses.
Santolina: Insect repellent, especially for spinach and lettuce.
Thyme: Good protective border for the veg garden and repels fruit moths.
Not all work….
There are a few combinations that don’t work though. Basil dislike rue, coriander hinders fennel. Fennel is harmful to most plants especially beans cucumbers and tomatoes….but don’t let that put you off of growing it.


Here are a few suggestions of how herbs can keep away most garden pests:

Keep ants away : Catnip, Mint, Onion, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tansy, Wormwood.
Scare off those slugs : Artemisia, Fennel, Garlic, Rosemary, Sage
Maybe the flies are bothering you: Basil, Pennyroyal, Rue, Tansy

Aphids and greenfly. Lots to choose from here: Catnip, Chives, Coriander, Dried & Crushed Chrysanthemum, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Feverfew (attracts aphids away from Roses), Garlic, Larkspur, Marigold, Mint, Mustard, Nasturtium, Onion, Oregano, Petunia, Sunflower.

MAGIC IN THE HEDGEROW

Plants for making cordials and teas

Enjoying the virtues of wild plants that are commonly available in Ireland is a real treat at this time of year.

I’m trying out an old recipe for Honeysuckle tea (woodbine) today. The whole plant contains salicylic acid, which is the essential element in aspirin, also naturally found in willow. In France the flowers and leaves are infused and recommended for children’s coughs, especially whooping cough. All it takes is ten minutes to infuse in boiling water so it’s worth a try…..

Here are a few other plants in the hedgerow whilst we are waiting……

Beech
The nuts of the beech tree (known as beech mast) are valued on the continent for cattle fodder. The dried leaves can be used as a tobacco substitute and you can also make beech nut coffee. Peeling the nuts is time consuming and the nuts will need to be ground up in an electric coffee grinder to get the best of the flavour.

Blackthorn-sloes
A common shrub found in the hedgerows and open woodlands. It is the wild plum from which the cultivated types come from. Mixed with crab apples makes a delicious attractive looking jelly. Sloes have been enjoyed since prehistoric times. There was a first century BC village in Glastonbury excavated recently where a barrow load of the stones were found. Use the tender leaves for making tea and the flowers can be infused in milk or water. It is said to be a great purgative, so that’s probably not all that they found…..

Bramble- Blackberries
Most of us have been intimately entangled in these plants at one time or another. It has binding qualities and over the years some rituals involving the plant were said to heal ailments. Children suffering from ruptures and hernias were passed (or dragged) through loops of brambles and in Cornwall, dragging or creeping under brambles was a charm against boils and rheumatism.

The leaves and fruit have many virtues, blackberry vinegar is used for feverish colds and a decoction of the dried leaves boiled in water is said to be good for bowel problems. The Victorians also added a cup of whiskey to the mix (as a preservative of course). To make a bramble syrup, strain the berries to get the juice and add equal quantities of sugar. Bottle and use for sore throats and catarrh. It can also be diluted to make a delicious blackberry drink.
Clover
Clover is a common sight in most places and it is a great nitrogen fixer for the soil, giving back more than it takes out. You might have sucked the nectar from the flowers when you were younger. These flowers can be used in spring salads or made into a tea, known as a “Spring bracer” –just add sugar. The flowers were often combined with mint and sage for extra taste. Mix the flowers with apples to make a delicious jelly.
Dandelion.
This fabulous plant keeps our guinea pigs going. And the bees love it. The young leaves are delicious as a salad and they can be cooked like spinach. The flowers can be made into wine and the roasted roots made into coffee. Medicinally the dandelion has been considered useful for liver complaints.
Flag Iris
This common yellow flowered plant is in most wet places around Inishowen. It is claimed that the root, boiled up with a few drops of water gets rid of bruises, although this is very rarely used now. The flowers are used as a yellow dye and the root mixed with iron sulphate makes a good black colour. A French chemist used the mature roasted seeds to make a coffee substitute, declaring it had “a far superior taste”. They called it Sylvester’s coffee.
Goosegrass – sticky willy- cleavers
The seeds from the goosegrass get all over your clothing in summer. Small green balls with Velcro like hooks get into your shoes and hair too. These small seeds can be roasted and ground to make coffee. The juice of the invasive plant is used for skin disorders such as psoriasis and the tea is said to be a cure for insomnia and colds. The whole plant is enjoyed by most animals…especially geese- hence it’s name….

Heather
Heather has been used for bedding, thatching, brooms, baskets and fuel for generations. The flowering tips can be boiled in water and have antiseptic and diuretic qualities. It also helps to tone muscles and help rheumatic sufferers when added to a bath. For tea, add young tips with bramble and bilberry leaves, speedwell, thyme and wild strawberries for a delicious summer tonic.


A few picking tips
· Pick the plants on dry, preferably sunny days. Not too early, not too late or it may be damp with dew and liable to spoil. Roots are best pulled up after rain and collected in autumn.
· Take care not to crush or squeeze the plants to avoid blemishing the leaves and use them as soon as possible unless you are drying them for future use.
· Don’t strip the plants of all their leaves, it may kill them or prevent their seeds or fruit from reaching maturity. Leave some flowers and seeds to mature future use.
· Only uproot plants that are in your own garden or not protected or you have permission to do so from the landowner.
Results of the honeysuckle brew….
I used the flowers fresh, as I don’t have the patience to wait until they dry as the recipe says. The smell is very familiar, a sort of vegetable stock smell. Sipping the unsweetened liquid isn’t at all pleasant so adding the honey has certainly improved things. I am sipping it very tentatively then there’s a shout from the kitchen. Anyone for a cuppa? One of my lads also pops in and offers me a choc ice…..Far more satisfying I must say…….


The berries from honeysuckle can cause sickness and diarrhoea, so caution is needed. Use all plants and products wisely and only use recipes that you are entirely sure are safe…. Some of the world’s most powerful drugs come from plants…