Red Gooseberry /and Raspberry Tart

I made this Red Gooseberry and Raspberry Tart a fortnight ago  with my homegrown my red gooseberries,  and let me tell you not only was it pretty, it was really delicious.  

Here is a lovely warm slice for you to feast your eyes upon.

The Gooseberry Tart recipe comes from Sarah Raven.  Sarah Raven uses green gooseberries,  my substitution was more necessity than design as I only had 200g red gooseberries and just over 200g raspberries from the garden plot, so I combined them both.  But if you have 400g of either gooseberries or raspberries, it does not have to be a combination of both. 

Look closely at the photograph above, you will see half of it is raspberries and the other half red gooseberries.  If you want sweet, go for the raspberries, if you want sharp go for the red gooseberries.

Broad Beans and Red Gooseberries

Last month I shared the first of my strawberries and the last of the chard from the garden plot.

Today, I share a small harvest of goodies from the garden.

Here are some broad beans, some strawberries and a good handful of raspberries.  

And most of the red gooseberries. I managed to get to them this year before the birds did. 

If anyone has got any sweet recipe ideas for red gooseberries, please do let me know. 

Now a quick peek to see what else is growing, of course more raspberries.  I have to say, these are much tastier than those I harvested last year that lacked flavour. We've been eating them with Greek Yogurt.

Blueberries coming along.  

In the greenhouse we have tomatoes, still a little way off.  We are not growing any fancy tomatoes this year, which I am a little disappointed about as I do like to try some heritage variety, but just was not organised enough.  Plus our good neighbour got himself a new hobby which included a greenhouse is growing a number of heritage tomatoes.  He is even growing goji berries.  He has been bestowed these plants by a friend of his who grows unusual vegetables and heritage variety.  Am I jealous - of course not - yes I am a little, I want his friend to give me some. Truthfully though, we get on well with this neighbour, he is the one that gave us cherries and the reddest eating apples I have ever seen. So I am really pleased that he is enjoying his new hobby. 

Here are some broad beans - more ready for the picking.

The peas are coming along now, there are pods if you look closely. 

And finally climbing beans in purple, yellow and green, as well as runner beans.

You can't see it here, but right in front is the courgette patch, the gold/yellow variety.  I think I will have harvested my first courgette come the weekend. And forgive me for the make shift cane toppers which also includes a empty bottle of wine and beer.  Well someone stole my terracotta pig cane toppers that I haven't got round to replacing them, so I am doing a bit of reusing.

And finally this Echinacea belong to D.  He bought it for the bees, as if our garden doesn't have enough bee friendly plants! No I am really happy about it.  I marvel at how its grows. 

I am sharing this blog post with Dave over at Happy Acres for Harvest Monday.  

Red Gooseberry Cake

So how is your weekend going?!  I have had a good weekend.  Yesterday, I had some friends come over. I know some of you are saying so what, we have mates over all the time, well not me.  You see I live out in the digs in the Welsh valleys and not many of my friends want to come over as its out of their way.  So I was delighted when some friends and to show my appreciation I was keen to cook for them.  


D and me rarely sit out in the garden to eat, so it was doubly enjoyable that I was able to sit outside with friends and eat cake.  Added bonus, the new neighbours with the non stop barking dogs and lots of grandchildren was out, so were (and the other neighbours) were able to enjoy the quiet for a few good hours.  

Okay onto my recipe today was not something  made at the weekend, in fact I made this red gooseberry cake a couple of months ago when red gooseberries were in season, but as you know life gets in the way, that food blogging now and again has to take the backseat.  

The red gooseberry cake does look a bit flat - my fault, I used a larger cake tin as I couldn't place my hands on an eight inch round cake tin, but regardless of it looking like a flat pancake with red spots.  It was  good to eat.  The red gooseberries burst and sunk into the batter and were proper sharp on eating.  

Follow here for the recipe - replace the plums with red gooseberries and omit the cinnamon. 

Red Gooseberries and Wild Strawberries

The weather in the UK is sweltering and I have been spending quite a bit of time in the allotment garden plot  in my shorts - mostly weeding, but delighting in what has been a better year for me in relation to vegetable gardening.  I am getting there slowly and enjoying the fruits and vegetables of our labour.

Here is a glimpse of some edible colours in my garden 

Heavily scented red roses - I am drying some to garnish homemade cakes.

A bowlful of red gooseberries.

Wild strawberries and traditional strawberries. Not enough to make strawberry jam, but plenty to enjoy with yogurt, cream or in a pie!

 Rocket also known as arugula growing well in pots. 

 More Lettuce from the garden

Most of my broad beans got destroyed by black fly, I only managed to harvest a small pot. The potatoes were a bonus gift from last year and made for a lovely meal for two. 

Rhubarb was the first vegetable we harvested from the garden and stalks have been shared with neighbours on our left and right side. I have also made a Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie and it was delicious.  Blog post coming soon. 

I am sharing this post with  Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave over Our Happy Acres

Red Gooseberries and Wild Strawberries

Its been almost a month since I shared progress in my garden, so I am joining in again with Harvest Mondays and sharing my wild strawberries and red gooseberries.  

These alpine wild strawberries were not planted by me or the neighbours, but by its very nature of being 'wild' and invasive they have self seeded and have been creeping from the neighbours into our front porch, not even the garden plot - winding and weaving its way in the paving slabs - I love it actually.  And they are the most sweetest berry I have ever eaten in my life, proper natural sugar berry burst. 

Whilst I was weeding at the back, I discovered, a pot of red gooseberries.  

I had forgotten about it  actually, we picked it up from a garden centre last yer and wow - look at these berries, hardly a harvest, but a unexpected present from the garden indeed. I have put the red gooseberries into a larger container, until I can decide where to give it its permanent spot. 

National Botanic Garden of Wales

At the weekend we drove to the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmathenshire.  

So I warn you in advance, this blog post is jam packed with photographs of our garden walk,  enjoy. 

We're berry rich

Yesterdays harvest, which includes my first ever harvest of gooseberries and blackcurrants rescued and protected from the birds, unlike the red currants that D didn’t get around covering with netting. Those have been got. Only a left few hanging where the birds couldn’t perch, and therefore, couldn’t reach with their greedy beaks.
One of my colleagues at work, doesn’t usually ask much of me, but last week while I was talking to her about the abundance of my berries at the allotment plot, she tentatively asked ‘can I get some gooseberries of you for my Dad. I’ll pay you for them’. Silly woman, does she not know me. Her Dad loves the sourness of gooseberries. Her Dad has been quite poorly recently, so she wants to cheer him up and make him either a gooseberry cake or a gooseberry crumble. I was more than delighted to share my berry crop. Food is also about sharing, not just about consuming.

As a Thank you for helping me pick the elderflowers for the elderflower champagne, I also gave her a bottle of elderflower champagne to enjoy, let wait to hear her verdict.

My gooseberry bush

Look at the state of my gooseberry plant! That is what happens when you forget to prune - unruly.

I hope it does not get mildew.

Last year, I did not get to harvest any of my redcurrants or gooseberries at Plot 45 because the hungry and greedy birds got them before I did, this year the plan is to cover them with netting. Yes, I know this will make the plot look rather unattractive, but I have written before sometimes, taste comes before beauty.