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 to the kitchen on this hot warm day.  I am preserving for my sins. Mind you it really is hot out there so perhaps even though it is hot in the kitchen, not as hot as outside.

I have been into the greenhouses and watered up.  Everything seems okay.  Bert the Ghost Chilli apparently has a babies! Five or six pods forming on the top of the plant. Exciting times.  OH found the pods.

My mint plants have been planted out into the Herb Bed.  Fingers crossed they take and increase my Mint bed. In the space of a week they have an half formed some roots. With Mint being a Perennial herb (one that comes back) I am hoping for a substantial increase in Mint plot size.  Most people would groan at this, but it is for a particular need - my Mint tea. I hate the bought stuff. I have found the flavour of this particular Mint lovely and I only have a short supply for the winter months, and which I am still tucking away where I can.  It will be used sparingly this winter. It soothes my digestion system when it is playing up. However, that does not mean that I cannot put in hand plans to increase the stock.  It may mean that my Herb bed will no longer be a mixed herb bed at the end of the day but I am sure that I will be able to locate Herbs elsewhere in the garden and grow a lot more than I have been doing.  The Mint seems to like it where it is.  I do need ordinary Garden Mint though, and perhaps next year will be able to get some roots of Chocolate Mint, and some of the other herbs. I particularly like Sage in all its forms. The pale grey-green foliage, the golden variegated form and the purple form.  I have had these in the past and they have all ended up rubbed and popped into my jar for making stuffing and using in cooking throughout the winter months.  At the moment I am having to buy it in and even though the quality of the herbs is good it is nothing like home grown and dried herbs.  Mind you I love using them fresh as well.

As the weather is lovely taking advantage to get the washing done and out on the line for drying.  Makes it a lot easier if I can get it done like this and am enjoying this whilst I can.  Not having the use of the tumble drier is a bit of a hindrance and hard work, but you can only do what you can do and unfortunately no pennies in the pot to get it mended and then to run it, like so many people in the current circumstances. So it is resting as they say at the moment.  Why is it that things break when there are other issues.  You just have to work through them.  Just say I am developing a rather long list.

I have not been Blackberrying today the berries need time to catch up and also other people need a chance.  Later if I get a chance will go on a recce further up to see if there are any more sites to have a look at.  I have my favourite haunts.  Not just for Blackberries either.  Want to see what else is about.  That might mean me going out on my own for a while.  If cannot get to it today will do it tomorrow.

I have processed chicken stock, I have processed the second batch of Blackberries and now have jars of Blackberries altogether in a very light syrup (hardly any in) just to keep the Blackberries flowing.  When it comes to serving you can always drain the syrup off and make a sauce with it or drink it.  Just keeps the preserve looking good and a little bit more shelf life on it.

Once I have got all the Blackberries out of the way with (i.e. end of Blackberry season) I will then set about getting hold of some Plums and some Apples.  Not just for chutneys and jams but also for bottling in syrup for pies and puddings.

Tea tonight was planned as;

I have a load of mince which is going to be made into a Ragu initially for a small Lasagna, and then I have some Chilli Beans and a Chilli Sauce to pop into the second half.  Two slightly different meals out of one batch of mince.  Helps keep the taste buds perky. Also only one lot of cooking, it will just be a warm up job tomorrow for the Chilli.

In reality, we have had:

Sausages with roasted veg.  Quick for me to prepare due to the fact that I have a lot of stuff going on at the moment and want to get it all done.  That is the beauty of having food in the fridge or freezer you can go to as you can change the menu up a bit.

I also have two bread loaves on the go. One for later today and the other for tomorrow.  No doubt more will be put on tomorrow, probably be buns.

Right off to potter and do a bit more.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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