New Site

LorraineGardens is going .com!  Ok, well, .co.uk to be more precise:-) Change is good.  Come over and take a look at the pretty new site. You won’t need to do anything as this site will automatically re-direct sometime over the weekend. If you’re one of my lovely wordpress.com followers and would like to still receive new posts by email then just need

National Allotment Week

Tomorrow is the end of a wonderful week of celebrations of allotments and their owners. I’ve been on a journey of looking at allotments and checking out Caribbean veg and other delights.  This year the week has emphasised the benefits that allotments bring to everyone regardless of age or gender and to also highlight the fact that we need to value our

Late Summer Colour

Late summer is richer, warmer, more golden. It’s the colour of wheat fields, bejewelled hedgerows and sunlight bathing you and everything else in a gentler, more golden, tone. August to September is when some of the most beautiful colours make their entry into the borders.  Not only do they arrive cloaked in the richest of colours, they arrive bold and beautifully with

Yummy ‘Trionfo Violetto’ French Beans

I have a confession. I never used to like French or runner beans. The ones I was used to seemed woody and bland, a little bitter even. Then I grew my own and now they are one of my favourite parts of summer. Home grown beans are an entirely different matter, sweet and crunchy they have a lovely zest taste

From Gangs to Gardens

Welcome to EcoHipHop! Love this film by JLove Calderon which chronicles the journey of letef Vita (otherwise known as DJ Cavem) from gangster to urban organic gardener, eco chef and environmental educator.   Using the power of music and education to bring the idea of reconnecting with nature, the importance of food security and healthy living to us all. As the

Keeping Cool With Jamaican Sorrel

As summer dances along and temperatures soar one of my favourite long cool drinks is Sorrel. Yes, purely speaking it is traditionally drunk at Christmas in the Caribbean as a festive drink, but with delicious spices and a tanginess that is refreshing this is just so good I love drinking it throughout the summer too. A fabulous idea to have in the

Baked Summer Fruit Medley

Summer fruit ripening in the garden and in country lanes enables us to create a lovely medley of hedgerow heaven and garden delights. Make the most of the soft fruit in the garden. I managed to get a couple of peaches from my tree this year and have had a lovely strawberry harvest. This year has been a good one

Pea, Mint & Coconut Milk Soup

Fresh peas straight from the garden are a real delight.  Wonderfully sweet, you may find yourself like I do eating them straight away after picking, which doesn’t leave too many left for actual cooking!  However, I did manage to save enough to add to some already in the freezer to make a lovely pea soup.

Share The Thinnings Love

I was busily thinning the beetroot seedlings this week and I just couldn’t bring myself to consign these to the compost heap, so I gave them to my gardening loving neighbour. She was genuinely pleased to receive them.  Fabulous as we will now both have bounties of delicious golden beetroot.  Delight all round.  So I urge you to give your

Breathe

So as June turns the corner I take a breather.  The last few months have been a busy time. Planning, ordering, sowing, potting on, hardening off and finally planting out.  Ahh, the planting out is such a triumphant moment, the culmination of months of frantic hard work.  Then right on que the days get much warmer just as they are

Time Out

Spring is a busy busy time in the garden. Crazily, blissfully busy. There are seeds to get going almost on a weekly basis, seedlings to pot on and beds to weed and re-organise. However, there is always something glorious flowering it’s heart out that will take your breath away and make you smile. That sight is a time to take

Beautiful Gardens: Jekka’s Herbetum

From the moment you step into the field on Jekka’s Herbetum you can smell the herbs. A damp Spring day does little to quell the warm aromatic air exuding from the farm and you know you’re in for a real treat. Jekka’s famous Herb Farm has been on my list of places I’ve wanted to visit for a little while