Selfsufficientish.com

I think there is a lot confusion about using kilner jars because of all the nonsense written about them especially emanating from the US. We went through all sorts of convoluted processes, sterilising bottles and cooking fruit beforehand, etc having read such stuff. The bottles need to be clean, not...

Bonnie, I think Hugh's recipe is good but over complicated. The method of making a sponge first adds flavour to the process but if you put the dough in the fridge, say overnight or any similar length of time will give you that same extra flavour. So making the sponge adds an extra step, a complicati...

Looks incredibly organised but thoroughly enchanting and an inspiration to all allotment holders. Perhaps you would answer a couple of queries, are the various structures you've made easily demountable and transferable (I presume you rotate your crops) and have you made them in such away to try to k...

Just to let people know there are currently vacant allotments at Montrose Avenue in Colindale, London ready for renting to anyone wanting to take them on. I can forward contact details to members.

Yes this the first time I've looked into the forum for a longtime. It was regular daily reading and posting when I was working and took (very frequent) tea breaks but I went and retired and now I'm too busy to take tea breaks, well really I don't take my iPad to my allotments, and with some 50 poles...

If there is one thing to get me posting again is talking about sourdough. For a start I am sure the name puts a lot of people off, it did me for a number of years. Au levain, in French, or naturally leavened sounds much nicer. Sourdough is not sour, or it shouldn't be, just an indeterminate somethin...

Hazel is a waste of time if there are any grey squirrels in the area. In fact most fruit trees are, except apples and conference pears, unless they are in a very secure fruit cage.

Surely it would be worth taking one of the shoots with a bit of root, planting that out to establish itself, then in winter cutting it back, covering with earth, then the following year this should send up several shoots which you can divide and you will have several rootstocks suitable for grafting.

Although I don't suffer so badly from hayhever these days, I find eating narrow leaved plantain or ribwort very effective when I am affected. The nice thing is it is generally on hand when you are outside, in the garden, etc and need it.

Don't know sources of clay renders, but why change to expensive clay from cheap lime? You can get very smooth finishes with lime if that's what you are after, using horsehair instead of straw. As for the acoustic performance, I'm certainly no expert but I would have thought that a lime render could ...

Returning to Mrs Fibbles problem, 3 things could be contributing to problem. 1. 2nd kneading, you only need to knock back, shape and tin, not knead. 2. 150degC is low, try starting at 230degC and turning down to 200degC after 5 minutes 3. 100ml oil is a lot, try without, then on later loaves try a t...

Yes reading James Wong thought asparagus peas were his most important discovery instanly stopped me off buying the book. This year I grew kudoo, a Bangladeshi climbing marrow. They can be long and thin, when they can also be called laow, but mine were pumpkin sized and pear shape. They can be grown ...

Started eating our sweetcorn this weekend, swamped with cucumber although the gherkins are only just starting to produce. Tomatoes are well behind only some yellow ones ready. Don't think we will get any melons this year.

Air rifle it may have to be. Even my OH who is vegetarian is ready to slaughter them.

Found one green cherry on the floor and after a massive search one cherry amongst 4 cherry trees - seems the frost killed the blossom this year, same with some but luckily not all of the apples. The weather seems to delaying some crops but we have had bumper crops of broad beans, peas, mangetout and...