Tag: grapes

Shrub

It has been my understanding that a shrub is a small to medium sized bush, several of which together can make a shrubbery. Here is a cranberry shrub:

This is also, apparently, a cranberry shrub:

When the bottles cool, the labels can be affixed.

To the right, are two bottles of grape shrub. Which grows on a vine rather than on a shrub.

Looking for ways to use my grapes and cranberries, I came across recipes for ‘shrub’ – a kind of cordial made with sugar and vinegar or alcohol (I chose vinegar) and which will keep in the fridge for several months. The making of it uses lots of utensils and pots for a rather small result. After steeping overnight, the cooked fruit is sieved which requires patient effort. It looks like the kind of drink which might be useful in winter as an immunity boost, diluted and served hot or cold.

Busy, busy, busy…

It’s strange to consider that being busy is not helping my energy levels! When I was teaching, it was important to have ‘meaningful teaching moments’ rather than just keeping students occupied with ‘busy work’. I’ve realised that I do a lot of busy work because I am procrastinating.

Lisa O’Neill (see previous post) calls it ‘procrastination paralysis’ and writes: “Reading this book might be changing your life, but is there something you have been putting off? A phone call? A small job? PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND GO DO IT!”

A friend of O’Neill termed the phrase ‘actionator’ to describe Lisa, who gives strategies for overcoming procrastination and quotes Benjamin Franklin who said, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’.

This morning – unplanned – I pruned the grapevine to reveal squillions of grapes in various stages of ripeness. But was this just busy work? I haven’t got to the watercolour painting yet, and there is more on my mental list…

Last hurrah for summer

Japanese anemones/wind flowers make shadows on the path.

A woman at singing this morning reminded me that it’s the official last day of summer today. After several gloomy days, this afternoon is brilliant with sunshine. The crickets are chirping – always a sign that it’s nearly the end of summer. But the light is lovely, slanting in and casting shadows as the sun moves lower in the sky. The raspberries, apples and grapes are ripening. I felt a pang that the hens are all gone. They loved the grapes and would stand under the grapevine looking meaningfully upwards if I was near. I picked the first bunch today.

Blue sage towers over my head. The cranberries are plump and smell divine. The Japanese anemones flower in late summer and are at their best now. The roses are giving it their last shot. Bees are busy.

Blue sage
NZ Cranberry
The feijoa has grown tall and has fruit. The Cecile Brunner is still flowering above the Japanese anemones.
Busy bee in the roses
Strawberry Ice
Blueberry Hill

I found some new (to me) varieties of greens for the vertical garden. As ‘hardy greens’ they may prove to be good for winter salads. What great names they have!

Time to repair to the egg chair – with a slice of watermelon – to enjoy this glorious day. Perhaps we’ll have one of those lovely warm autumns…

Autumn Storm

The garden looked very green and fresh on the morning after the rain-and-wind storm last week. It felt like autumn though. No more warm summer days and nights.

The wind had blown down the archway made by the climbing beans. It collapsed completely and I consigned it to the compost. I thought of Jack and the Beanstalk as, with some difficulty, I cut it up the tough stems and disentangled them from the stakes which had failed to hold it up. Did a similar task inspire the writer of the story?

Before
After

Vera followed me to the compost and, as usual, stopped and stared pointedly at the grapes hanging tantalisingly out of her reach. They are steadily ripening and, after tasting a few myself, I draped some over the wheelbarrow for her.

The fresh autumn air has made the grapes perfect for eating: cool and sweet-tart. Delicious.