Autumn Update

We have had a bumper crop of beetroot. A new striped variety, 'Choggia', has done particularly well and has a lovely sweet taste with lots of natural sugars, even without the aid of frost. Next year we plan to grow a gold variety too.
Soon, we shall be constructing more raised beds, and getting ready to re-instate our fruit garden near 'Fuchsia Chalet'. We shall plant blackcurrant, gooseberry, rhubarb and some baking apple cordons in February.
We have plenty of wild blackberries here and have been enjoying blackberry and apple pie and ice-cream.
To our dismay our usual place of supply of sloes for our 'River Cottage Sloe Gin' which we enoy as an aperitif at dinner parties, is unavailable this year. All the blackthorn hedges were cut between flowering and berrying. We shall have to start outr own hedge at this rate. Oh well, anyone for a G and T?
Of course, now is cutting season for shrubs and trees so we shall be busy with that over the coming weeks so that our supply is rooted and ready to be potted up for growing on next spring.
Have a lovely Autumn.

Here at River Cottage on Achill island in County Mayo on Ireland's West Coast we are enjoying a fabulous crop of organic carrots, broad beans, shallots and lettuce. The big success story have been the carrots - fabulous big long ones without attack from insect or disease, due to our use of bio-fleece which has increased our yields and quality of veg four-hundred-fold.

We also recently adopted another wild starving kitten whom we named 'Timmy' and has now almost stopped spitting when we feed him. As yet we haven't managed to catch him or pick him up - it's a lengthy process gaining the trust of a wild cat even if you are the hand that feeds. We hope 'Timmy' will not have to be re-named 'Tammy' once we manage to check.

Take care - I'm off to shell the broad beans.