Welsh strawberries, elder flowers & gooseberries

A beautiful rose, glistening with rain.

With strawberries rotting on the plants because of the persistent rain, the rhubarb and gooseberries seem to be making up for it.  

But there's only so much crumble you can eat, isn't there?   Why not make jam?   Both gooseberry and rhubarb & ginger are delicious, easy to make and achieve a 'set.'
If it doen't set you can always pour it onto icecream.   Still yummy.   There are loads of recipes online, some far too complicated for me to tackle.


Clover in the grass

If you don't eat jam yourself, it can make a useful present for friends and family.

Sweet cicely is a herb which smells of aniseed.   A few stalks placed in a pan of stewing rhubarb and it takes away the sour taste without any added calories.   The stalks need to be removed when serving, as they remain hard and unpallatable.



Elder flower ready for picking

Elder blossom and privet have also both excelled this year.   Elder flower champagne is something I've been meaning to try, and the flowers should provide a huge crop of berries for Elderberry cordial in the autumn.   Just as full of vitamins and as tasty as a commercial poduct made from black currants (and cheaper.)


Rhodedendron blossom

I mentioned privet, and both the blossom and scent have been fantastic, but please take care.   Privet, as with the foxglove and many other plants, is poisonous.