More produce

Growing is going well ... the salads and veg are springing up.

Peppers, marrow, courgettes and tomatoes







Blackcurrants, cabbage (our first!), runner beans, broad beans and peas.

Al Harding ... pub landlord

Beer for the Men - actually Stout, IPA, (or Ginger beer) down in the cellar. The position of Cellarman is currently vacant.





Wine or a Fruit-based drink for the Ladies - Dingle Damson Wine, Damson Gin, Sloe Gin, Pineapple Gin. Some gents like these too!

Wine at the Dingle

The wine rack is now populated - shop-bought to the left and home-made to the right. We have a few more gallons of home-made that will be ready soon - damson, plum and greengage - so we'll have less empty spaces.

Filling up









Ten (not) green bottles

Busy weekend at the Dingle

Janine and Sue were over this weekend and we had a busy chutney, picalilli, curd and wine-making session - note Janine's double-stirring action here. We used all the pears we had picked, and some more of our tomatoes and chillis. We also found time to plant more bulbs, plant eight rows of onions, move some logs, mow the lawn/field, visit Wroxeter vinyard, and cook and eat a few delicious meals. Busy busy busy.

Apple pressing time at the Dingle

Lisa, Scott, Willy and Chester came to visit this weekend and we had a proper go at apple pressing. We processed two wheel-barrow loads of them, and made loads of apple juice plus we set off 2.5 litres of cider. You can see us behind the fruit press, with our bucket of Dingle apple juice.

Another busy weekend at the Dingle

Another busy weekend at the Dingle. Apart from gardening, we made our first apple juice, started more elderberry wine, picked blackberries, damsons (LOADS), runner beans, and a few more plums. We made Picalilli (well Sue did), and Damson Jam and Jelly and Cheese. We like our damsons!

We also sampled our Pickled Walnuts, comparing them with shop-bought and they are good. Ours are a little more crisp, and due to the cloves etc. slightly more spicy. Nevertheless I am looking forwards to trying them with some cheese.

Peppers and chillis

How about this for a nice crop of peppers and chillis? All from our greenhouse, and destined for Dingle chutney!!!

More harvest

Another good day's harvest at the Dingle - we picked elderberries from the hedgerows, and damsons and plums from our own trees. Most of the plums are already prepared ready for wine-making, and we are making some damson jam tomorrow!

Happy picking

A good weekend for nature's harvest ... 4kg of plums picked from trees on the side of our lane, and 8kg of Greengages from Ian's garden in Preston upon the Weald Moors. Mum and Jo spent ages stoning them before use. Most of the greengages are already fermenting their way to become wine.

WINNER!!! - Wrockwardine and District Garden Club Summer Show

Its official - Joanne is now an Award-Winning Wine and Liqueur Maker. A bottle of Dingle Elderberry 2006 took first prize in the dry red wine category, and a bottle of Dingle Damson Gin ran out a close second in the home made alcoholic drink category. Much excitement in the Dingle household as you can expect! You'll have to visit the Dingle to try some ... and you'd better be quick

Thanks to Sue at Brew Genie for the equipment and advice in our first attempts in wine making.

Show programme











Winners' enclosure.

Fruit and Veg progress

Mid-way through the year and the vegetable and fruit growing proceeds well. We are eating potatoes and peas, some carrots, and the parsnips beetroot and runner beans are coming on well. Even the sweet corn is growing nicely.

On the fruit side the currant bushes are doing well, including the eleven new blackcurrant bushes Jo has grown from cuttings.

Dingle Deli - progress update

Work on the Dingle Deli continues - now we are in the fresh fruit/veg season stock is building up and we have registered the web address. The main products are jams, chutneys and eggs, though the 2006 Dingle Elderberry Wine is likely to be very well received also. Contact either of us for details - the deli website will have more information soon. Bookmark it now!











Dingle Elderberry 2006, made from Dingle and Wrockwardine Elderberries. Dry and smooth.

Early season produce

Today we picked two cucumbers, some new potatoes, some peas and a few gooseberries. There will be loads more, as we have 4 cucumber plants and rows of peas and potatoes. I added a few Dingle eggs for artistic licence.

Apples, apples, get your luvverley apples

30 minutes later we had a few apples (cookers and eaters) - and some damsons thrown in for luck. So all we have to do is decide what to do with them.

Pickin time

At long last it was time to pick apples from the lower field. So with all available hands we set off with a load of boxes and the ladder and picked picked picked.

More Dingle produce

Grapes, courgettes and more toms.

More Dingle produce

Here is a selection of Dingle tomatoes - already in use for cooked breakfasts and to make delicious Bruschetta. Possibly also coming soon ... tomato chutney.

Dingle blackcurrant jelly

We have turned the first of our blackcurrants into jelly - it looks and smells good; wonder what it will taste like?

First crop of the year

Here is a rural scene of blackcurrant picking ... we have had about 4 kilos so far and counting.