Quince and Apple Jelly, and Tomato Sauce

So the quince didn't give me as much liquid as last time so I bulked it up with some apple liquid too. Came up with about 800mls. I added 590g of sugar and crossed my fingers. I'll have to check the jelly when it is cold, as it's still hot and very fluid.The tomato sauce I found the recipe in the Edmonds book, and had all the ingredients on hand. The smell of the tomato and onion reminded me of eating that in sandwiches at the Orchard over ten years ago. Amazing how smell works huh? The tomato sauce jarred well, all the seals popped on the twist on lids. I used two of the new jar lids and screw bands tonight, one each of jelly and sauce, so tomorrow I'll look how they sealed. $4 in PnS for 12 lids today. Found them and the cellophane covers 25 for $1.95 next to the baking items.

This is the black boy peach cobbler I made for pudding tonight. Man it was good. Will have to make it again for my visitors. Tastes even better with foraged fruit.

The biggest of the Beefsteak tomatoes I've grown so far. It weighs 379g alone! I am going to save the seeds for next year, as I don't think this one is a hybrid and it should produce good fruit for next year.



The three jars of bottled apple slices I made last night all sealed well. I am going to open one within the next week and see if the syrup was strong enough. I made a medium one, that was 1 cup sugar to 2 cups water.

Mid Summer Gardening

I have just sown some seeds,

Cucumbers

Courgettes

Butter Beans growing in the photo below

Snow Peas

Dwarf Beans

Already I have these growing,

Pumpkins

Basil

Tomatoes..

Sweet 1000, a mid size I can't think what it's called at the moment, Beefsteak and Taupo
Onions
Banana Pepper

Lettuces

Plus the perennial ones,

Hybrid Berry

Strawberries

Blackberry

Red and Black Currants

Gooseberries

Fennel
Tangelo

I think those are all the plants growing in the garden right now.

The two front plots before sowing seeds..and my onions are in the corner of the plot growing nicely

The tangelo tree is looking healthier this year, though I'm looking to put some food on it . I can make out a tiny fruit near the middle of the photo. I'm excited to see it there.

Gardens

My garden is very overgrown with weeds. I did some digging this morning before I got rained inside.

This should be cleared soon, next to it looks better already.

In the middle next to the self-sown dill is a thornless blackberry I bought Summer 2008, hope to grow it up onto the fence, but not sure if there will be fruit this year. The yellow sad looking thing is a tangelo tree, I think it needs some tree food of some sort, will look into that soon.

The willow we ripped from the gravel road has sprouted nicely this year, and I'll keep guiding it to grow up instead of into a bush.

I also cleared the corner where I'll put one of the tomato plants I bought last week. I have sweet100, beefsteak and another medium variety. The other two will go against the back fence I think, they did well there last season.