It's Christmas Time, The Blackcurrant Harvest Has Begun
Hello friends,
Christmas is closing in on us, and the biggest way I can tell is that our blackcurrant harvest has begun.
When we moved into our home in October 2019, we noticed that we had a big blackcurrant bush in the back yard, and every year around Christmas since then it has supplied us, and the local bird population, with a huge harvest of blackcurrants.
The harvest has started early this year, after I spotted some overripe blackcurrants splattered on the ground in front of the bush over the weekend. So I grabbed a container and started picking.
It wasn't long before I'd picked a whole container worth of juicy ripe blackcurrants. After a good wash to remove any detritus and bugs, I placed them in an ice cream container for freezing. I tend to bulk freeze blackcurrants, and then bring them out in autumn to process them into other stuff. The first black currant harvest was 475 grams, so I think it'll be a good harvest over the next month.
The harvest is usually so bountiful, that between us and the birds, there is still a lot of blackcurrants left on the bush, so this year I plan to pick more than what we need for the year, freeze it away, and then use them to swap for other produce in our local produce swap Facebook group. We don't have space for apple or pear trees, so it's a good way for us to have access to other fruit in autumn.
This is the last blog post for 2023. Hubby and I go on holiday this Friday, and after a rough year health wise, I really need a good break to rest and recuperate over the Christmas break. I still plan on taking photos and videos for the blog over that time, and will begin posting again sometime in January.
I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and New Year break.
Have a wonderful day.
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon.
Dehydrating All The Herbs
Hello friends,
It's finally the time of the year when the dehydrator is working full time, and there's currently a bunch of herbs drying in the dehydrator.
First up is coriander, which is currently on it's second harvest for the season.
Next we have dill, which has also been harvested for the second time this season.
I've also just harvested celery for cutting for the first time this season, and I'm hoping to turn it into celery salt.
And also, there's finally enough basil to start dehydrating. I've just did the first harvest, and there was enough for both making a small amount of pesto, and also for some to dry.
And finally, I've just harvested lemon balm for the first time ever. It's used a lot in the teas I often drink, so I'm hoping to make some for myself.
Have you got harvests coming on? I love early summer in the garden, it's full of so much potential.
Have a wonderful day.
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon.
Social Media
Archives