Thursday 27 October 2016

Blackberries.

I have had a very good Blackberry season this year. I use them to mix with apple and eat them for breakfast.



Blackberries are are very useful fruit and are not to much trouble to grow. I prune and manure mine in the Autumn and make sure that they do not get too wilded during the year, by cutting bits off that growth in to my paths.

Not much seems to trouble them apart from:  if you have noticed that your Blackberry plant has turned orange, destroy it. This is a serious fungal disease that cannot be cured.

Blackberries like spinach, raisins, apples, plums and grapes, are rich in bioflavonoids and Vitamin C, 

Eating blackberries can help to promote the healthy tightening of tissue which is a great non-surgical procedure to make skin look younger. 

If you eat Blackberries  long term it will helps keep your brain alert, thereby maintaining clarity of thought and good memory.

Making a tea of the leaves of blackberries have been used to treat  mild inflammation of the gums, this tea is also very soothing for sore throats.This tea does not taste very nice so it is a good idea to add honey to the drink.

Blackberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all fruits. Banana, one of the UKs most popular  fruits, has 40 units of antioxidants, while Blackberries has a whopping 650 units and that is a lot of bang for your berry. 

Antioxidants, well-known for lowering the risk of  a number of cancers are a huge bonus, but be aware the berries are best consumed in their natural state to get the full benefits.

You can also use the leaves and barks of the plant  because the astringent tannins are effective in oral hygiene when used as a gargle or mouthwash.

The high tannin content of blackberries provides a number of benefits: to reduce intestinal inflammation, 
alleviate hemorrhoids 
soothe the effects of diarrhea. 

It is important to incorporate berries in your diet in a variety of ways. Have them as a snack or in your cereal or even as a smoothie.


the healthy dose of Vitamin K aids in muscle relaxing and many women use the berries to alleviate labour pains. 


Friday 21 October 2016

Cauliflowers

I am a bit upset, right now because I have had a glut of Cauliflowers and not been able to eat them before they went over.

Pity really, because they are not easy to grow in the first place. I am told that you can keep them for a week or so if you hang them upside down in the shed; however that did not work for me because, I think, that it has been too warm in the shed during the day time.

As my beds become empty, I give them them two big wheelborrows of compost; which I dig in. It is very import to get the compost under the ground so that the worms can do their 'thing'.

If you want to see signs of spring when it comes; now is the time to get your spring bulbs in.
  Bare soil should be hoed every week or so in the winter just to keep the weeds at bay and the soil loose