It has been so miserable lately with plenty of this:
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| Battered Tomato House |
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| The Enemy |
and made up my Elderflower Champagne mix.
It will be a week before I bottle it up and another two weeks before it is ready, but I'm pretty euphoric today already because I got around to doing this this year!
Now just to prove that you can grow strawberries in Scotland :
These are the first of my first earlies "Honeoye". It's so nice to get strawberries before Wimbledon starts. I have to admit there were some earlier - but the slugs got to them before I did. I can see I will have to pick them half ripe and ripen them at home if I am to get any before the slugs and snails. I do hope the sun makes an appearance before my other three slightly later varieties all get gobbled up! That would be a repeat of last year. But I'm shrugging off such feelings of desperation today. I'm about as optimistic about getting a strawberry crop this year as I am that the England football team will still be in the European Championships tomorrow!
It's a shame to have to pick semi ripe strawberries as they never seem as sweet once ripened off the plant. Having said that the sunshine sweetens them so maybe this year it will make little difference. Leave any nibbled strawberries where they are as the sluigs should go back to those rather than head for new ones.
ReplyDeleteWe have pink elderflowers which apparently would make pink elderflower champagne.
Wow--that looks fabulous--and fun! I lost most of my blueberries to squirrels...so many pest problems!
ReplyDeleteStrawberries look tasty Mal.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the champagne will be ready so quick....is it fizzy?? Does it taste good??
Never made any sort of wine or champagne myself and this looks quite simple so would love to know how.