Thank you for all your kind words last week, after my father-in-law passed away. It was lovely to know so many people were thinking of us.
We had the funeral on Monday and the church was full, as he was a very well liked and respected man in our community.
We found the day exhausting and we felt very drained at the end of it.
Unfortunately we were away on holiday in Scarborough when we received the call that he had passed away. This was devastating for us as we couldn’t be with him during his final hours.
We obviously cut our holiday short and drove home that day, so we could be with my husband’s family.
We are all missing my father-in-law very much.
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This last two weeks have been very hard on us all and I must say I have really had to push myself to do anything at the allotment…..but nature doesn’t stand still and things need to be picked (though I haven’t been keeping on top of the weeds as I would normally do).
Amazingly the allotment is looking good even though it hasn’t had much attention for three weeks now:
Things are growing well:
I also have melons growing in the polytunnel which I really need to support and I have little cucamelons which are about ready to eat:
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Since coming home I have been picking my produce by the basket load and using it up or freezing it, pickling it or preserving it…
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I have dug up my onions and garlic and they are currently drying in my mini greenhouse and I have begun digging up my potatoes, which I dry for a few hours before putting them in sacks to store for the winter:
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The shallots have now all been pickled, together with my gherkins and my pantry is bulging, even though some have already been passed onto family and friends. However, the first jars to be opened are already half empty as my family love them, so they won’t last long:
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CUCUMBERS GALORE…
As it has been a very dry summer here, my indoor and outdoor cucumbers have done exceptionally well and I have so many of them. They will store in a fridge for a few days, but there are only so many cucumbers that you can eat!
I read if you peel them and then puree them, they can be frozen in portions and then added to spag bogs, pasta sauces, etc. so I have given this a try and I’ve found it’s a great way to add a few vitamins without the family knowing:
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Also, I made a very easy Cucumber and Mint Sorbet. It sounds horrible, but it is quite a surprisingly refreshing taste. I must admit I couldn’t eat a whole bowl of it, but a scoop served with another pudding, e.g. meringues, is really lovely and it will impress friends at a dinner party.
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Cucumber amd Mint Sorbet:
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800 grams of cucumber that has been peeled and the seeds scooped out
5 – 10 grams mint leaves (I used apple mint from the garden)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
130 grams icing sugar
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Start by putting the cucumber, mint, lemon juice and icing sugar into a food processor:
Blend until the mixture is runny, but still a bit course (see the photo below):
Chill for a few hours in the fridge.
Then pour the mix into an ice cream maker and let it do the hard work for you.
When it is ready, transfer the sorbet to an ice cream tub and pop into your freezer until required.
(If you haven’t got an ice cream maker, just put the blended ingredients into a container and freeze. Remove from the freezer every 1-2 hours and mash vigourously with a fork to break up the ice crystals).
Decorate the sorbet with some fresh borage flowers from your garden if you have them.
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And Enjoy!
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I just wanted to finish by saying a big ‘thank you’ to those of you that voted for my blog in the ‘easyshed.co.uk’ competition. I am amazed that I received so many votes and even more amazed to have won – thank you so much.
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I will be back next Friday at my usual time.
Thank you for reading my blog today.
I’m so sorry to hear about your father in law. My thoughts are with you.
Thank you, that is very kind of you.
so sorry for your loss, a tough time for you and your family, thank you for still finding the time to blog, so much to share and it was a great read
Thank you Julie, comments like yours really help me to carry on with my blog
You have been through a difficult time and you must now look after yourself. I hope your garden will be a comfort to you in the weeks and months ahead. Take Care, Catherine C.
Thank you Catherine
Sending you good wishes through the miracle of the Internet for our Friendship X
Yes the internet is a miricle isn’t it….what would we do without it now?
I’m sorry to hear of your loss.
The sorbet sounds delightful and the produce from your allotment looks lovely.
Thanks silverbells, How are things with you?
Great, thanks!
Sorry you’ve had such a rough time lately. I’m going through the same thing with my partner’s mother, who passed away recently. The funeral is on Monday, it will no doubt be emotional. Your allotment is looking fantastic. I’ve got masses of cucumbers as well, it’s been quite a surprise. We eat lots, but frankly, not quite that many! I hope you have a good weekend. CJ xx
Thinking of you Cj, it really is an emotional time for us both isn’t it. What I found strange in the days leading upto the funeral (and I felt exactly the same when my old friend died last year) was the fact that the world carried on around me…I found this hard, as to me the world had stopped and I felt like everything around me should stop too (which is obviously not the case).
Look after yourselves.
Your allotment looks amazing, its so lovely to get so much in store after all your hard work, thankfully it is raining here so badily needed, It has been a very difficult time for you all and continue to keep your family in my prayers.
Sue
Sue thank you that is lovely.
I’ve been thinking of you since your last post.I didn’t realise you had to come home from your holiday.It is so sad to lose someone we love.I can see you are such a close family.We lost my beloved Mum in November & shortly will face our first holiday( with my father with but without her) in Cornwall.It was his idea to go ,memories can be good as well as incredibly painful.We have relatives there that I know he wants to see. As you say nature waits for no one and you have done very well to carry on through such a difficult time xx take care till next time.
Thank you for your lovely kind words carriet. You are so right about memories, they can be so painful but you are right they are also good
Keep it coming , as a newbee gardener I appreciate your blog and look forward to it every week 🙂
Thank you Noel, that is very kind of you to say. If you ever have any questions feel free to ask too as I am here to help.
My thoughts and prayers have been heading your way, lovely lady. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Your garden certainly doesn’t look like it hasn’t had any attention for three weeks!
I had never thought of purée ing cucumber! This is definitely an idea to be stored away!
My guys like pickled cucumber, so I usually have some handy if I can manage it.
Heeheee! I like your borage garnish 🙂
Thanks Mrs Yub, I just knew you would be thinking of us.