Time for tea and snickerdoodles

One of the things Ryan and I like to do is sit and make a cup of tea in the garden, for which we use a Kelly Kettle that can quickly boil water using very little fuel (even in inclement weather). We’ll enjoy it even more when the garden is finished and we have somewhere to sit!

I’m sure my parents didn’t know when they named me (and still don’t!), but Emma is the Tibetan word for a spice – the dried berries of Zanthoxylum species, more commonly known in the UK as Sichuan pepper. I really must replace the two species I had, which didn’t survive life on the allotment.

There’s nothing quite as British as a nice cup of tea, and sitting down for a good cuppa can certainly brighten up your day. A tea bush is unlikely to thrive in most UK gardens (although there are a couple of tea plantations) because of the climate, but there are plenty of herbs that are easy to grow and make a refreshing brew. They’ll even grow well in containers – so they make ideal plants for a windowbox or a patio. Having them close at hand means you can harvest leaves as and when you need them.

When I was younger, I used to be a fan of cream cakes – especially chocolate eclairs and those cream-filled meringues. As I got older I moved onto cream teas, preferably with clotted cream. When my body decided it no longer wanted to digest cow’s milk, I kissed all of those things goodbye.

One of the great joys of spring is seeing trees leaf out and bloom. They bring so much joy, and do so much for us, and yet are rarely valued as they should be. In particular, ancient trees are wondrous, magical things. Impressive and complex structures, they have lots of nooks and crannies in which wildlife can find a home. As fungi feed on the tree they provide food for woodland creatures, and a hollowed out trunk provides shelter. Although ancient trees are in the final stage of their life, and technically in decline, they have a lot to give, and can go on living for a long time, depending on the species.

Last week’s outdoor ‘cooking’ experiment didn’t involve lighting a fire – I relied on solar power!

I recently re-watched The Wartime Kitchen and Garden, and – as there is no legitimate way to acquire a permanent copy – I am slowly making transcripts of them. My episode 1 transcript is here.

A note caught my eye the other day that now is a good time to think about adding nest boxes to your garden, if you want to offer accommodation to garden birds this year! Ryan and I were doing a bit of bird watching in the garden today and it’s clear that the blackbirds and the robins are starting to defend their territory against incomers, so nesting season is definitely on their minds.

On Saturday my garden went from this:

A little while ago, I told you about a preliminary experiment that Dr Wieger Wamelink and his team at the University of Wageningen conducted. It demonstrated that it is possible to grow plants in simulated Mars and Moon soils. 

Work has started on the hard landscaping for the garden – a large patio, paths and hard standing for two sheds (or a shed and a greenhouse) will appear soon. We’ve had to move everything out of the way for the work to be done, and the garden is more or less unuseable. It won’t be long until it’s finished, but a couple of days ago Ryan and I decided we were going to make tea in the garden anyway.

I am making transcripts for The Wartime Kitchen and Garden, a fascinating series starring Ruth Mott and Peter Dodson, with a voiceover by Peter Thoday. This is episode four (of eight). [You’ll find the other transcripts, and other relevant posts, under the Home Front tag.]