I sometimes feel a little smug after I have managed to get my elderflower cordial made and my sparkling elderflower bottled and brewing away in the shed. I post about it and then my friend Shelley will comment that she has made hers as well but she has also MADE MARMALADE FROM THE LEFTOVER LEMONS.  I’m talking about the lemons leftover from the elderflower brewing process. I know it’s not a competition but I definitely think if it was, she would win.  Talk about resourceful!

Its not all about elderflowers this month (or you would be forgiven for thinking that if you are following my facebook page) For those of you who don’t have access to elderflowers, then why not try some rhubarb bubbly for Christmas?  Most people have some rhubarb coming away in the garden and there’s only so much rhubarb crumble you can eat. So if you love the taste of rhubarb and want to show off your homesteading skills give this one a try. I have started creating pdfs of my recipes for you to download so you don’t have to you’re your phone open to read.   Make sure you read all the notes in the blog as the recipe is just the ingredients and the method.

It’s still winter here in the south with the promise of more cold conditions to come - so don’t be fooled by the occasional warm springlike days we will get this month. They do get the sap rising in both gardener and garden alike however, so it is okay to get excited about the new season.  There’s always plenty to do, even if that may involved sitting in front of the fire planning, but planning is important to get the most our of ll the hard work we put into our gardens.

Tips for getting started on planning your new season vegetable garden.