30 January 2019

Tips on how to grow successfully plants from seed

Now is the time of the year when gardeners start looking through seed catalogues choosing which plants they would like to grow.

Seeds can be ordered from various companies on line or bought in garden centres, but if you want to grow something different and interesting, 'Chiltern Seeds' based in England is a company I would recommend. They are set up to send seeds abroad.



Why should you choose seeds rather than buy plants in a garden centre.


  • Diversity - You have a much wider selection of varieties to choose from.  For example Chiltern Seeds has 20 different varieties of Basil and over 20 varieties of Sage to choose from, much more than you will ever find in a garden centre.  In addition seed companies offer unusual plants that you do not find in the garden centres.
  • Save money - It is much cheaper to grow your plants from seed, especially if you have a large garden.
  • Satifaction - January is probably the worst month of the year weather wise, often too cold to work in the garden. It is also the month in which seed catalogues for the present year become available. Selecting the seeds you want to try this year, to see them germinate and turning into plants gives enormous satisfaction.

So what do you need:
  • You'll need something to grow the seeds in, this can be a tray, an old plastic icecream container, plastic trays that contained salad leaves or fruit or just used plastic pots.   Makes sure you pierce holes into the bottom for drainage.  

  • A container larger than your seed tray.  When you want to water the seeds, you should not water them from above, but place them in a larger container that is filled with some water.  Place the seed tray in the larger container to moisten the soil from the bottom. This way you do not disturb the seeds or wet them by watering from above which can cause damping off,  a fungal infection encouraged by damp conditions.

  • If you are using trays and pots that have been used before, wipe the pots with 10 parts of water to 1 part bleach.

  • Potting compost.

  • A piece of glass or plastic (can be clingfilm) to cover the tray.


How to sow:


  • Empty some of the sowing compost in the middle of the tray and spread it out  till your tray is filled, level it and firm it lightly so that the soil is about 1 cm below the rim.





  • Sow seeds thinly in rows, 1/2 cm apart. Sowing too densely may result in thin, spindly plants and possibly damping off, a fungal infection.
  • Fine seeds and those that need light to germinate do not normally need to be covered with soil.  The general rule is that you sprinkle the seeds with a thin layer of fine sieved compost to the depth of 2 x the size of the seed.





  • Label and date the container, place the seed tray in a tray of water to dampen the soil and to prevent the seeds from dislodging. 
  • Minimize evaporation by covering the container with glass, plastic or a sheet of cling film.
  • Place them in a cold frame or serre or in an area of the house that received a lot of light.
  • Protect the seedlings from too much sun by providing some shade with newspaper.

What to do when the first leaves appear:

The first leaves that appear are the embryonic leaves (Cotyledon). Two primary leaves. These are not the true leaves of the plant.  The true leaves normally appear after an additional 14 days, depending on the conditions of where the tray is kept.



Once the true leaves have emerge, it is important to prick them out and transfer the plants to another tray or pots.



When pricking them out with a dipper or pencil, hold the seedling by the leaves, never by the stem or roots.



The new pot or tray should be prepared, filled with compost, firmed up and with a receiving hole (made by the pencil) for the seedling to minimize the transfer time.

Place the tray in another tray filled with some water to dampen the soil.  After a few weeks the plant will have developed into a full grown plant ready to be transferred into the soil (if frost has passed).
In the meantime trays and pots can be put outside during the day and taking inside during the night or cover them with fleece.  This way they slowly toughen up.



There are a lot of seed companies to choose from, 2 that I would recommend:
www.chilternseeds.co.uk
www.sarahraven.com

Both supply free catalogues of their products.

Photos: Web
Info:  RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening + Web 




06 January 2019

Fruity Cocktails - Guacamole



For the second year running we were lucky to have Gillian Duffy, culinary editor of New York Magazine, make some suggestions for drinks and edibles, very useful for this time of the year.

Sue busily preparing some nibbles.

Françoice McCredie very kindly, once again, allowed us to use her kitchen for the demonstrations.


VIN D’ORANGE - MAKES 8-10 SERVINGS
As featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

4 medium oranges (unwaxed)
1 bottle Provencal rose wine
½ cup cognac
½ cup sugar

Scrub the oranges then strip off the orange zest with a vegetable peeler avoiding the white pith, and add to the wine. Recork the bottle and set aside in a cool place for 15 days. Strain the wine, stir in the cognac and sugar, and serve.
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Gillian preparing the Sparkling Holiday Punch


SPARKLING HOLIDAY PUNCH (makes 1 serving) or 4 servings
As featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) fresh orange juice (12 oz)
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) pineapple juice (12 oz)
½ ounce (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice  (2 oz)
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) raspberry or strawberry  syrup (2 oz) (or to taste)
Dash Angostura bitters
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) sparkling brut (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) (12 oz)

Garnish -Sliced orange and lemon
Mix together the first five ingredients in a goblet or pitcher if making larger amounts and top with the sparkling brut. Garnish with wheels of orange and  lemon.

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Gillian with the Limoncello

LIMONCELLO

5 unwaxed lemons
1 liter bottle vodka or grain alcohol
3 cups white sugar
4 cups water

Scrub the lemons under hot water set aside to dry. Pare the zest from all the lemons with a  peeler, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
After one week, make the simple syrup by combining the  sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
 Add the sugar syrup little by little  to the vodka and peels until you achieve the desired sweetness, and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly. Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle. Keep in the freezer.
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Sue with helpers June Lynn & Betty

CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE PUNCH (Serves 10 cups)

3 cups (24 oz) pineapple juice, chilled
3 cups (24 oz) cranberry juice, chilled
4 cups Ginger Ale
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ lime, thinly sliced
Ice
In a large jug or punch bowl, stir together the pineapple juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale.
Add the cranberries, sliced lime and ice. Stir gently to combine and serve over ice.

Note: Add some vodka or rum if you need a little kick to the drink.

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Gillian stirring the Rum Punch

RUM PUNCH (Serves 1) My husband’s favorite version of a traditional West Indian Rum Punch as featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons instant dissolving sugar or simple syrup
3 ounces (6 tablespoons)rum
4 ounces  (½ cup) water
Ice cubes
Goslings Black Seal Rum (optional)
Garnish: whole nutmeg for grating

In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice and sugar or simple syrup, stirring. Add the rum and water, shake well and pour into a tumbler filler with ice. A floater of Goslings Black Seal Rum can be added if desires.
Grate a little fresh nutmeg over the top of the punch.

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Gillian and Betty preparing the Guacamole

GUACAMOLE (Makes 8-10 servings) Recipe based on Josephina Howard’s famous version from Rosa Mexicano and featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

4 teaspoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno or Serrano chili pepper
⅔ cup white onion in ¼ inch dice
3 to 4 tablespoons minced coriander
¾ to 1 teaspoon salt
2 medium avocados, preferably Haas
4 tablespoons diced tomato, seeds and interior ribs removed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)

Corn chips for serving
In a mortar combine 2 teaspoons chili pepper, ¼ cup onion, 2 teaspoons coriander, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mash with pestle until the mixture forms a wet paste.
To cut the avocado, hold it in one hand and cut a full circle around the seed with a knife, then twist the halves in opposite directions to separate them. With the blade of a heavy knife, strike the top of the seed, give the knife a slight twist, lift the blade, and the seed will come with it.
With the tip of a small knife, cut the avocado flesh into ½ inch dice, do not cut through the skin. Lift the flesh from the skin with a spoon to avoid mashing, and add to a bowl. Gently stir in the paste from the mortar.
Add the remaining onion, coriander, the tomato, and 1 teaspoon peppers at a time, tasting with each addition, and stir carefully. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, coriander and peppers.
Serve immediately with corn chips. Add lime juice if the guacamole is not served immediately.

Gillian Duffy
Culinary Editor
New York Magazine

Photos - Mavis McQuade


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