Forest garden, September notes

We didn’t have a lot of time for growing food earlier in the year and it’s one of those things that had to take a back seat. Although today I’m making jam with brambles, blackcurrants, apples, raspberries and plums from the croft, and chutney from our green tomatoes, onions, apples, courgettes, dried chillies and plums, all grown here. I also used fresh turmeric from the Selkie Collective, garlic from our West Coast Organics veg box and some Isle of Skye sea salt – so fancy! I can’t find my favourite green tomato chutney recipe so I’m totally winging it.

Growing food is becoming less effort each year as the fruit trees and bushes are established, and the pots of herbs do their thing. I like to plant peas, kale, chard, tomatoes and courgettes in the spring, and harvest strawberry runners around now. I’m also busy collecting nasturtium, sweet pea and calendula seed for more flowers next year. I tried to grow strawflowers, cosmos, zinnia and holy basil for the first time this year and they got nowhere. I’m happy growing what I know grows well, and I’ll still try a few new things each year.  I wish I’d dried more nettles and mint for tea over winter, there’s still time – I might get to it yet.

Wondering what I could be sowing now to plant in the tunnel over winter? I can never remember when to plant purple sprouting brocolli? We’re enjoying daily eggs from our lovely hens too – although I’m worried Beetle is going broody. She wasn’t at all happy today when I took the eggs this morning.

The hedges we planted are laden with haws, sloes and rosehips that I won’t get to this year, and I’m happy to leave it all there for the wildlife. We did get a lovely bottle of hedgerow syrup from our friend Lesley (@islandcrofter) that we’re drinking in everything and we made icicles from it too.

I wrapped two basket handles today. This is getting slightly easier, although I’m still never fully trust them and always think they could be better.  We collected our veg bag from the amazing Anna and Hanno from West Coast Organics today so I used their lovely produce to test out the handle and do some quality control! It’s a big basket so it needs a secure handle tie. It seems solid! But I’ll keep practising.

I hope to get a nice photo of the blue dragonflies before we see the last of them this year, and a video of the roaring stags. Then I think I’m pretty much ready for winter. October will be busy with school holidays and my first time attending the Autumn Gathering of the Scottish Basketmakers Circle where I’m very excited to be learning lampshades with Anna Liebmann. When November comes I’ll be back to weaving for everyone still waiting for their baskets.