Make your own mint jelly

If you enjoy mint jelly with your roast lamb why not try making your own with fresh mint gathered from your garden. All you need are the following ingredients and some time. Mint jelly is best made in small batches as it can only be stored for about three weeks in the fridge.

1 bundle of freshly packed mint leaves
300ml of water
1/2 Kg of tart apples
Sugar

Wash the apples and cut them into small pieces including the cores and peel. Put the apples pieces into a saucepan with the water and most of the mint and cook gently until the apples are very soft. Allow to cool before pouring into a jelly bag and leaving overnight to strain into a bowl.

The following day measure your juice, pour into a pan and add 225g of sugar to each 280ml of juice. Heat gently and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Then bring to the boil and add about 1 teaspoon of chopped mint for every 280ml of juice. Boil rapidly until the jelly sets when tested and pour into a pre-sterilized jar and seal. Once completely cooled store in the fridge and use within three weeks.

Candied watermelon rind recipe

This recipe takes some time but is well worth the effort and makes about two to three cups of candied watermelon rind, depending on the size of watermelon used. All you need is:

1 small watermelon washed
1 Tbs salt
2 Cups granulated sugar, plus more for coating
2 Cups water, plus more for cooking
2-3 sprigs fresh mint leaves

Cut the watermelon into 4 to 6 slices and remove the flesh to enjoy later.

Take each slice and scrape as much flesh away from the white as possible and peel away the green outer skin. You’ll be left with the white part of the rind which you should cut into chunks.

Place all the rind chunks into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-8 minutes. Drain and rinse the rinds.

Clean the saucepan and place the rinds back into the pan with enough water to cover adding 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and then drain and rinse.

Clean the saucepan again, dissolve two cups of sugar in two cups of water and stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the mint.  Add the rinds and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour (or until the rind is softened but still firm). Drain the rinds from the syrup, reserving the syrup for other uses if you wish.

Line a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Scatter the drained rinds across the sugar and turn the rinds to distribute the sugar evenly. Place in a pre-warmed oven at  250 degree and allow to dry for about two hours but stir occasionally until the rinds are slightly tacky on the outside but still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and allow to cool partly before rolling  in sugar to coat the chunks thoroughly.  Store in a jar of sugar syrup and enjoy (they probably won't last very long).

Make your own orange peel oil cleaner

We try to make as many of our own household cleaners as we can. This one is easy to make and can be used for all sorts of cleaning jobs. Not only is it great at removing grease but has the added advantage of leaving behind a lovely scent. By making your own cleaners not only will you save money but you will cut down your exposure to chemicals.

All you need to make this cleaner is orange peel and white vinegar. Keep your orange peels in a jar until the jar is full and then fill the jar with white vinegar. Seal the jar and allow the mixture to sit for 2-3 weeks in a cool dark place Once a week give the jar a few hard shakes to thoroughly mix the contents.

After 2-3 weeks, filter out the liquid into a clean jar. You can now use your cleaner by filling a spray bottle to about 25%-50% (depending on the strength required) and then filling with water. Use with a rag to clean mirrors, wooden furniture, worktops, sinks and windows.

Make your own organic weedkiller

Lemon juice and vinegar both contain acetic acid which can be used to make a very effective organic homemade weed killer.

While most table vinegar's have an acid content of around 5% to 8%, a more concentrated solution of 10% to 15% can be achieved simply by exposing vinegar to the air and allowing it's water content to reduce by evaporation and so increase it's acidity level. The higher the acidity level the more effective your solution will be at killing weeds.

At the right strength this organic weed killer will kill the leaves of any plant it comes into contact with but will not kill its roots, so it's best used on young weeds which will not have enough energy to re-emerge. Repeated spraying can destroy any more established weeds.

You can make your own organic weedkiller by mixing 150 mls of lemon juice and 1 liter of strong vinegar.

Use your mixture to directly spray weeds and the most effective time to do so is during the heat of the day.

Gardening in Cyprus - Jobs for January

January is the coldest of the Cypriot months with temperatures averaging between 13c to17c. The days can still be warmish at lunchtime but become very chilly as the sun sets. The month is also on average the wettest month with an average of eight days of rain.

There are plenty of jobs to keep you busy during January. It's the month when the major garden cutback and clean up can take place, with the pruning of flowering shrubs and fruiting trees (if required) such as almonds, olives, apples, plums, citrus trees and figs.

The vegetable plot is now producing rocket, spring onions and garlic whose stems can be chopped and added to salads, parsley and radishes. The peas, broad beans, onions, leeks, garlic cauliflowers, cabbages, spinach, carrots, beetroot for early spring harvests are all developing well.

Late in the month it will be the time to dig holes in the beds intended for growing marrows and melons and fill them with a mix of well rotted manure and compost. They will be sown with seeds under plastic or planted with propagator raised plants later in the Spring.

If the conditions are right you can sow beetroot, mustard greens, pak choi, carrot, parsley and salad leaves.

You can start seeds like okra, borage, cayenne pepper and tomatoes in the propagator.

Happy gardening and harvesting for the month and if you require any further information go to www.cyprusgardener.co,uk or http://cyprusgardener.blogspot.com/

Simple and frugal lifestyle

Cannot believe that the blog is approaching it's first birthday, so thought we would publish and update the first ever blog.

We moved to Cyprus in October 2009 with the aim of growing most of our own food. We have a large garden and have established twenty-two deep beds for vegetables, a herb garden and a mini-orchard where we have planted 44 fruit and nut trees.

We initially started the Cyprus Gardener website to provide information on growing organic food but have gradually come to realise that food is only part of living a sustainable lifestyle and this blog is an opportunity not only talk about growing our own food but other sustainability issues. 

There is a growing awareness that our materialistic lifestyles, in a world with depleting resources, are not sustainable over the long term. Especially in a world where one in four of the worlds population still live in extreme poverty. We need to consider living simpler and more sustainable lifestyles to meet our everyday needs but at the same time not compromise the ability of future generations to enjoy a life without scarcity. A simpler lifestyle does not mean we need to go without but we do need to review lifestyles which are generally based on over consumption and materialistic values. As Gandhi said, "The rich must live more simply so that the poor may simply live".

Growing some of your own food organically is a good start to a sustainable lifestyle which is open to us all. And reduces our over reliance on the large food multinationals which are dependant on depleting oil for growing and transporting food thousands of miles around the world. Growing your own food without relying on artificial fertilisers and chemicals also protects the soil on which we all depend and supports biodiversity.

There is growing evidence, obviously denied or rejected by the food industry, that organic foods are higher in nutrients and vitamins and consequently a healthier choice. Feeding ourselves with food which is chemically and GM free has to be your first step towards a sustainable lifestyle. Everybody, even with very little space using containers or pots, can grow some of their own food organically or if not support, by using their purchasing choices, those who do. With food scare stories almost daily such as mass food poisoning, hormones in milk, mad cow disease and cloned meat its no wonder more and more people are realising that growing their own food is the only safe method of producing nutritious food. 

This blog will hopefully offer suggestions on what you can do to live a more sustainable, simpler and frugal lifestyle.

I honestly believe that there is a growing shift in attitudes to food, and other sustainable lifestyle choices, as we gradually return to enjoying our food rather than treating it as another factory commodity where our food is produced as cheaply as possible.

Small steps do matter so join the movement.

2012 New Year Gardening Resolutions

Resolution 1 - Make a plan of what we want to grow. A plan will enable us to grow more, save time and save money by not buying too many seeds. Good planning helps you to arrange your beds and plant the right number of each vegetable and allow you to use your space to it's maximum.

Resolution 2 - Continue to build the soil and improve it's structure and nutrient levels. Reuse fallen leaves, make compost and use seaweed.

Resolution 3 - Mulch, mulch, and mulch. Organic mulches, such as straw, seaweed and chopped leaves will suppress weeds, conserve moisture and add nutrients to the soil.

Resolution 4 - Water only when you have to.

Resolution 5 - Try to grow more of what we eat. Reduce our food miles and make them food meters but try growing something new and grow more herbs for the kitchen.

Resolution 6 - Pick early and often vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, squashes and cucumbers, as continual picking will increase your yields.

Resolution 7 - Increase successive planting. Once a crop is finished plant another crop. Make this part of your gardening plan.

Resolution 8 - Take regular breaks when gardening or at least switch movements or activities often to save muscles and joints from injury by repetitive motions.

Resolution 9 - Encourage the good bugs by planting appropriate flowers to naturally fight insect predators and parasites. Remove diseased plants and don't let any weeds go to seed.

Resolution 10 - Enjoy all aspects of gardening even the tedious and energy sapping tasks.