An old newbie

[LostGoddess]

Hi everyone,
I joined the forum last year but for some unfathomable reason didn't use this wonderful resource much. My SO has always been the gardener in our household and my responsibilities were confined to cooking the veg crops. But this year I am getting more involved with growing, mostly herbs.
I am also getting steadily obsessed with making preserves and anything that extends the season of fruit and veg. We have been eating only seasonal fruit and veg for a few years now, and I have found preserving a really valuable way of keeping variety during the lean periods.
My other big interest is using wild foods. I'm just a beginner, making bramble jelly, rosehip syrup and jelly and recently joining the Elderflower Appreciation Society (is there one? there should be, lol), but I'm finding it hugely rewarding.
Other than that, very interested in acheiving a sustainable lifestyle, herbalism and natural remedies and all things beardy weirdy
I look forward to chewing the fat with you all... I've been here a few days and I've had some invaluable advice and I am completely addicted to this place!

[Two_Sheds]

I like weirdy beardies ...

[LostGoddess]

then you and I are going to get on just fine

Oops I forgot to mention I am in sunny Blackpool but hankering for a move to rainy Devon

[Two_Sheds]

you can put that into your profile (location)

[Nicos]

Hi there- and welcome back!!

I'd like to get involved more with weirdy beardy stuff too!!!!...it'll be good to hear what you're getting up to- successes and failures!!!

( I had sage 'tea' the other night- and it was lovely!!!!)

[LostGoddess]

you can put that into your profile (location)

Duly done, thanks!

[LostGoddess]

Hi there- and welcome back!!

I'd like to get involved more with weirdy beardy stuff too!!!!...it'll be good to hear what you're getting up to- successes and failures!!!

( I had sage 'tea' the other night- and it was lovely!!!!)

OK, this is great, people that actually WANT to hear my stories about herbal tea concoctions
I haven't tried sage tea with my own sage (I am starting to feel like a fraud now) but I love the sage & burdoch tea that I buy. I am going to try my own tonight just to earn some stripes. At the moment I am loving 'tea' made from crushed fennel, caraway and cardamom seeds - very soothing on the stomach. I am thinking it could make an interesting iced tea with my elderflower cordial too... I could be back here citing that one as a failure, watch this space.

[Nicos]

Tissans are a big thing over here. Most of the peeps we know won't drink coffee after mid afternoon - and in the evening drink tissans...freshly picked mint from the garden is very popular after a meal....the sage one is supposed to cleanse the digestive tract as it's a mild antiseptic and bunches of it near the pillow is supposed to be soporific ( which can't be bad!!!)

My chamomile is looking ready to take the flowers to dry....
Plenty of other herbs on the go...although we have rosemary/mint beetle here- and I have to go out on a hunt most days- the plants- although pretty tough were nearly killed off last year with the attack ( bit like lily beetle!!)

[LostGoddess]

Oh yes I love fresh mint tea, anything that aids digestion or soothes is interesting to me as my stomach is still recovering from years of inadvertent gluten abuse.
Which chamomile do you grow for good flowers, Nicos? I really want to grow some next year, for infusions and for skin preparations if I can yield enough.

The only thing that attacks our rosemary, and sage, are those leaf hoppers that are maddeningly difficult to catch. They cause unsightly tiny spots on the foliage but don't seem to affect the overall health of the plant, thankfully.

[Nicos]

Urmm....it's just 'normal' camomile..it's not the lawn one...are there different types????

[HayleyB]

Well if you like beardies you'll love Bubblewrap........ welcome (back) to the madvine

[jackie j]

then you and I are going to get on just fine

Oops I forgot to mention I am in sunny Blackpool but hankering for a move to rainy Devon

OI what you saying about Devon lol. welcome back let me know when you move down and what part would you like to move to.

[bluemoon]

I like weirdy beardies and tissanes too. My favourite is lemon balm, but I have to admit that rose-hip is probably better if you can be bothered to mess about picking the hips. Every year I'm going to, every year I end up saying; 'Oh no, I'll leave them for the birdies, they need them more than I do'. Laziness is what it is.
Welcome LostGoddess.

[LostGoddess]

OI what you saying about Devon lol. welcome back let me know when you move down and what part would you like to move to.

Lol sorry Jackie! I'll amend that to more-average-rainfall-but-much-nicer-than-Blackpool-Devon and I'll just brace myself for the north westerners response to that
We have been looking around your neck of the woods and I would prefer to live somewhere around that area. But the search extends to pretty much the whole of Devon and north Cornwall. 20 properties viewed so far and counting... we just want more than an acre that isn't next to a motorway/main road/breakers yard/sewage works... which are all variants we have seen that surprisingly weren't on the agents details

[LostGoddess]

I like weirdy beardies and tissanes too. My favourite is lemon balm, but I have to admit that rose-hip is probably better if you can be bothered to mess about picking the hips. Every year I'm going to, every year I end up saying; 'Oh no, I'll leave them for the birdies, they need them more than I do'. Laziness is what it is.
Welcome LostGoddess.

Mmm a friend of mine has just taken on an allotment with a great big lemon balm bush on it, so I am going to take some cuttings from it.
As for the rose hips, I dunno I find it very therapeutic to go out and poick them on an autumn afternoon. And the birds never seem to want eat them all. I picked a load of Haws as well last year but blimey that IS a bit tedious and I didn't find it worth it for the uses they have (unless any grapes have some fab recipes?). I wouldn't be bothered doing that again, except that my dear SO bought me a proper Haw stripper so I feel obliged to use it this year...