Berry coloured kitchen

Sorry for multiple reposts, Blogger is doing horrible things with my text, images and alignment, still trying to fix it so I'm fiddling with posts to monitor changes.

The Berry colours aren't just happening in the garden, they are in the kitchen too with raspberries and beetroot being the main glorious culprits in the making of smoothies, hummus, and all manner of finger staining delights. This particular one (above) was long, dark and quite woody, not juicy like the big round ones I use in salads (shown below), so I was blending into things where the other ingredients would stand out more, like elderflower, aronia and raspberry frosted smoothie, and raspberry ginger pear and coconut milk ice cream (not shown, I ate it too quickly).

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - Hot berry colours

Achillea 'Red Velvet' (twice), Cornflower 'Double Black', Viola 'Rose', Mimulus 'White Flame, Aster chinensis Matsumoto Crimson





Viola (possibly 'Red blotch') with Heuchera 'Purple Palace', Pelargonium 'Lord Bute', Sanguisorba officinalis 'Red Thunder', Osteospermum 'Sunny Sheila'





Clematis Purpurea 'Plena Elegans', Knautia macedonica (twice)




Allium sphaerocephalon, Persicaria amplexicaulis 'JS Caliente' (not as red as this photo implies), Osteospermum (unknown variety grown as an annual)

Renamed my post as I realised it was the August Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and May Dreams Gardens, something I've been meaning to link into all year. There are so many things flowering just now I can't keep up with the photo's but these ones I had uploaded already and are all in flower on the 15th, looking very summery in their hot colours. I may do more posts of other colours this week.

Of course there are plenty of other colours in flower just now, Yellow stars include Rudbekia, Tagetes Orange Gem, Coreopsis, Fennel, Ragwort, Santolina. Blues come from Hyssop, Nigella, Monkshood, Clematis, Viola. Whites are everywhere making the garden glow at night mainly from the Feverfew and the various large flowered Daisies but also Clematis, Dianthus, Cosmos, Sedum, Foxglove. Purples from Verbena bonariensis & Rigida, Clematis, Osteospermum and my beloved Kale. Paler pinks from Phuopsis (which has been flowering for months and months), Brachyscome, Mallow, Hydrangea... the list for so many of these colours goes on and on.

I'm so thrilled that my new patch which is only a year old has so much thriving in it already, mostly grown from cuttings, divisions and seed or gleaned at bargain prices. I've spent less on this than the 'average' UK woman spends on clothes and make-up each month. And on that note, I was shocked to read that 85% of UK women over 50 spend £1500 on their holiday wardrobe!!! I'm stunned, I doubt I've spent that on my entire wardrobe in 10 years. Imagine how many plants you could buy. And that was a report done during a recession, goodness knows what they used to spend.

Anyway, I'm going to spend some time today doing a bit of an update on my FOLIA
garden tracking page to get photo's on for as many of this months flowering plants as possible. I invite you to take a look and maybe even start documenting your own growing activities there.

A slice of July

The most beautiful way a pest could destroy your multicoloured Kale, and other photo's from the garden last month...





Because I've not been well enough to garden much I like to grab a bit of everything when I can to bring inside. Below is the result of a 30 minute haul towards the end of July. There were plenty of things missed but that was OK because there wasn't barely room for so many flowers in the house. My bettery ran out befoer getting photo's of the most sculptural jar of eucalyptus, allium christophii, heuchera and pink seed podded honesty. The honesty has been amazing this year changing from green, to deepest purple and now to shades of pink, shown here in this photo from one of the plants outside on top right of this montage of July flowers...


The leaves of Brunnera 'Jack Frost' are turning from white to a metallic silver and really set of the purples and plums of the Sangiusorba, Clematis, Astilbe, Berberis and Heuchera.

Also enjoyed this week lovely colours and themes in Daphne's posts Frill and Vroom Vroom.

Novel Foods Act - Mesquite, Chia, Stevia

Raspberry & Beetroot smoothie with Strawberry, Aronia,
Date, Prune, Cranberry, Viola, Acai and Spinach.

All I wanted was Mesquite powder for my smoothie, is that too much to ask? Apparently it is because I live in the UK where it's been classed as a 'Novel Food'. “A novel food is defined as a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the EU before 15 May 1997.” FSA. The act was set up to deal with GM foods, but doesn't even relate to them now as they are covered by separate legislation, but it suits big business and pharmaceutical companies to keep these foods from eating into their markets. As with so many of these types of things it's all about politics and money. I hate that.


Pak Choi,and Pear smoothie with Maca, Cucumber & Celery.

It doesn't matter that people have been consuming Mesquite for 100's of years. Places that used to sell it online have, in the last few months, either stopped or are not allowed to sell it 'for human consumption'. It's all very frustrating, but my mood was lightened when I looked at the Detox Your World website who were selling mesquite but giving a suggestion list of what you can do with mesquite other than eat it. Brought a smile back to my face, and of course that's exactly what I'll do with it, I won't eat it, no, I certainly won't eat it (said the child in the berry patch with the purple stained face).

I'm sure we'll be allowed to it it again in time, just like we can now eat Goji berries again (which they put on the Novel foods list around 2004 despite people having eaten them from UK hedgerows since the 1700's). I think they are this year finally giving up their attempts to stop us eating Stevia and hopefully Chia will come soon, though until then we can watch with envy as Americans grow a wie and bizarre range of edible Chia pets, Chia Priesidents and even a Chia Mr T. I'm more partial to a Chia Mac...



Until then, we overprotected Europeans must search out places that will sell us these 'products' for storing in a jar and looking at longingly. I'm off to buy mine now, let's hope none of them spill into any of my meals!

Peppersmith Mints & Gums ( 20% off )

Mmmmm...

Seems there's a bit of a colour theme here of late, lots of yellow which coincides nicely with the arrival of a most delicious new tooth friendly mint from Peppersmith. Sicilian lemon & fine English peppermint Fresh Mints, they are bloomin' lovely, as are the Peppermint ones, but I have a particular weakness for anything with lemon in it (this week I'll be experimenting with Lemon Cornbread, I'll report back if it works). But back to the mints, like all their products they make them with good ingredients like xylitol and none of the nasties that are standard in most of the gums and mints out there. I'll let Peppersmith tell you about them in their own words:

'They’re made with the finest Sicilian lemons from the Femminello and Monachello varieties and picked from the superior winter crop. They also have a touch of our distinctive fine English peppermint, farmed in Hampshire, giving them a nice cooling freshness.

What’s more, accredited by the British Dental Health Foundation for being good for teeth, they actually help reduce the risk of plaque and tooth decay. And as you’d expect from us they’re free from artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and aspartame.'

No Aspartame. That's a huge selling point for me, it's why I stopped buying gum. Now I can have Peppermint or Spearmint, and they are developing a Cinnamon one which I can hardly wait to taste.

A good ethos twinned with good design always gets my attention so I can see myself being a long term customer, a few minutes nosey-ing around their website lets you see what they are all about. I'm quite nerdy about nice packaging and love both the box styles they have (one with a drawer, one with a flip top that catches to close) and they bring a sense of fun with a different moustachio'd movie star or historical figure inside to reflect the twin mint leaved 'moustache' of their logo. I also like the papers included to dispose of your used gum, so no more excuses for leaving it on the bus seat for me to sit on in my new jacket (15yrs on and I'm still annoyed about that).

So there you have it, Peppersmith, great products from great people, so great that they made a code for you to try them with 20% off, just type in CALLY when ordering from their E-buygum webshop, valid until 7th Aug 2011. You can also follow them on twitter and facebook or sign up for their newsletter to get product news and special offers, which is how I got hold of those delicious Lemon mints this week. Click here for stockists, or do what I did and ask your local health food shop or cafe to stock them (thanks Real Foods).

Fantasy shopping inspired by Silver Ragwort

Apologies in advance for any weird formatting or odd postings, blogger seems to be doing a few strange things with my drafts lately and I have to keep deleting and editing, not sure if that means multiple viewings for subscribers.

Inspired by the greys and yellows of the Silver Ragwort I posted the other day (and a sleepless night - something moving around under the house, cat, hedgehog, monster?) I did some fantasy shopping. I don't buy many clothes in real life and these days I can't often get to town for window shopping, so I had a bit of fun collating some things I get if money, body shape, comfort, confidence and conscience (eco & ethical) weren't factors. I'd look completely different. I'd look like the way I see myself. Click to enlarge the big picture and hover over the wee ones for makers.

My reality is a much more budget friendly (mostly 2nd hand) and practical for sitting in dirt when I garden, which is 99% of the extent of any outdoor life I have at the moment. But when I was well I used to have a social life, travel, go to openings and, my favourite thing of all, make fancy dress outfits for parties, usually with a spacey/futuristic edge to them. These days I let Lady Gaga revel in that role, she and her team (and mega budget) do it so well. But here is a small selection of things that cover all my old and new life, only missing a pair of chunky grey men's workwear trousers which I already own (free from my old job), no amount of kneeling in the dirt would ruin the knees on those bad boys.


Lady Gaga sparkling origami headpiece at the Grammy's
Designed by Philip Treacy for Armani Privé


1: Melinda Young 2: Masao Takahashi 3: Gwen Hosker


Eco friendly house shoes by ETSY seller elephantandchickpea