Wild Blackberry Fruit

Today me Tanya and Adam went to pick wild Blackberries,me and Tanya collected well over a pound and I decided to make Blackberry Pie! (I know,me cooking) this has to be a first,never made this in my life,the only pie I have ever made is Cheese and Onion pie (without the onions) and a meat pie years ago so here goes with the Blackberry Pie. I got a recipe off a website for a plain simple Pie

3 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbls flour
1 tbls grated lemon rind
4 tbls butter
I added some Greek Honey to it

Combing flour, sugar and rind. Add to the berries. Using your favorite pie crust, line the pie tin. Dot with 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour in berries. Cover with a top lattice crust. Bake in a hot oven (400F) for 15 minutes. Reduce to 325F and bake 20 to 30 minutes more.


and I started to make it,washing the fruit then adding the sugar ect ect,then I had to find a recipe for making short crust pastry OMG dread set in.. (I have never made this either),so I thought I know Delia will know so I went to Delia online and got it,I made it and thought Mmm not doing bad,I put it in the fridge for ages like it said,I took it out and I couldnt roll it it was resembling a squishy mess so I must have done something wrong! its only butter,flour,pinch of salt and some water what could I have done wrong? then I realised I had put far too much butter in it so it wouldnt roll,I know I know! I told you I couldnt cook,so I threw that and started again this time taking more care,it's now in the oven baking away and hopefully I will be able to taste some very soon,what a rigmoral for a Blackberry pie! Home Economics wasn't my best subject at school and still isnt to this day,nevermind Hells Kitchen it was can't cook wont cook here a minute ago! but I am trying, VERY! As I was browsing for all Blackberry related things tonight on the Internet I came accross this,these are made of glass and just had to put them on the blog,couldn't you just eat one of these? Excellent photography....

Click the picture to make it bigger....



Pictures of the pie coming soon....(

Pumpkin update

The Pumpkin is 20" in diameter now,growing everyday,feeding every other day now...
More soon

B-J

Pumpkin update

Finally we have a pumpkin growing on one of the vines,I never thought I would see one it was taking ages to grow,but here it is. The vines are really long now and reaching right accross the other bed,hopefully there will be a Pumpkin growing on the other vines soon,I feed them 9 litres of water each a day (thats how big my can is) with Tomorite every 3 days,this seems to be working ok at the moment as the Pumpkin swells a bit more I will water a little more.



11th July



22nd July



30th August


Is it going to be huge?




more soon...

An even bigger egg and holiday

Tanya found an egg this morning in the bigger hutch,its very big weighing in at 2.20oz (62g) this is alot bigger compaired to the egg we got a couple of weeks ago 1.90 oz (55g). The chickens are now on vitamins with their food to give them a boost after some of them have molted and they have been unwell.
The Thoery is young hens lay more smaller ones in the first laying season and fewer bigger ones in the seconed season. Eggcelent (sorry couldn't resist)

Back from Greece now,it was very hot,very expensive,very busy,although Mykonos is a lovely island with breath taking sunsets and views to die for BUT it just wasnt the kind of place for us really,maybe when I was 17-20 I would have not wanted to come home from there but when ya get old like me lol ya just want peace and quiet away from the hussle and bussle of a hectic life. Everything and everyone had one speed FAST! Here a few pics of the holiday (dont want to bore you too much).

more on the allotment soon ....B-J x

Me and Tanya at a Church on the way to Mykonos town


One of the 4 Pelicans in Mykonos town


A Boat in the Harbour where the film Shirley Valentine was filmed


Just before we got on the Jet Skis




Me and Paul before the sunset in Mykonos Harbour with Little Venice in the background


Click on the pictures to see a big version (if you want to :-) )