Front garden work-in-progress

Growing days in May

Nettle beer update

Nettle beer after only a few days: fermentation done

...apparently 'ready' to DRINK

Just a shame it tastes unequivocably RANCID

Nettle beer: it was only ever a matter of time!

One carrier bag of carefully (!) picked nettle shoots,

plus rhubarb, ginger and lemon

Boiled for about 15 mins (to break down the formic acid);

smelled, BEFORE: great, something akin to elderflower even;

AFTER: yuk!

Added a little ginger powder and cream of tartar, which

resulted in a lot of fizzing and seems to have helped the yeast get going

And the dregs will make a good addition to the compost,

since nettles, like comfrey, make a good plant feed

Home-made pasta: first go with new toy

Beetroot pasta

(pureed beets; '00' pasta flour; semolina; egg; olive oil)

Shockingly easy: blitzed in blender; kneaded; chilled ...

... fed through the rollers of the pasta machine

(charity shop acquisition - £4!)

Voila! Tagliatelle 

Shame the colour came out in the wash ...

... at least the home-grown Swiss Chard was 'rainbow'

and turmeric in the falafel worked a treat, yum!

hydroponic garlic