I went to Mum's on Wednesday, on Tuesday night we were chatting on the phone and she said "if you have any spare apples could I have a few". No sooner was I off the phone than I was out with my apple picker stick thingy bashing the hell out of the trees.
They released lots of lovely Bramleys from the tree at the far end of Chicken World and a few eaters from the other trees near the sheds. So with the ones I already had in the fridge there were lots to share between us. The freshly picked apples were washed and left to dry on a towel overnight, I didn't want to take any creepy crawlies in my car on the journey to Manchester!!
I also took Mum a couple of jars of the Bramble and Apple Jelly. I managed to make eight small jars and four normal one pound jars full of this wonderfully tasting concoction ....
.... and it had set perfectly, well I had to try a sample to check didn't I ;-)
When I got to Mum's we had a coffee and a chat and then set off for the Garden Centre. I specifically said the only thing I needed to buy was some green manure seeds for the raised beds on the hillside. At first we couldn't find any seeds, but after a large cup of coffee and a delicious lunch we set out to hunt down the seeds ... and we finally found them all laid in in the annual end of year sale.
This is how I like to buy my seeds .... at 50p a packet.
My Dad taught me well, if you wait until September you will get virtually everything you need for the next growing year in the end of season sale at most garden centres.
I got quite a few packets of the things we eat the most .....
... and luckily for me there were two packets of green manure left ... PHEW!!
Mum got herself some packets of flower seeds and we left the garden center as two very happy ladies who had lunched AND planned ahead for next year.
I got 18 packets of seeds for £9, adding up the prices on the packets these would normally have cost me £48.18 ... a real bargain. And then when we got back to Mum's house and I was ready to settle up she said we were bartering our goods not handing over cash.
So apples, jam and spinach got me potentially
10 Marrows 12 Butternut Squash 125 Leeks 200 Carrots 200 Parsnips 605 Onions 1750 Spring Onions and 1850 Radishes
Brilliant ...... I love a good barter :-)
When I got home the remaining jars of jam were stashed in the now rapidly filling larder unit .....
... reminding me of the one I saw at the Garden centre, the one that I drool over every time I visit!!
A girl can dream :-)
Sue xx
