Hi All,
Has anyone had experience of using homemade insecticides on Gooseberry Sawfly and were they successful? I've just been reading about bicarbonate of soda. Has anyone tried it?
Regards Paul

I'll take some pictures of the toilet pan tomorrow

Paul

I've made lemon cheese/curd many times and have always made it directly in the pan. It's just a matter of keeping an eye on it and keeping the cheese or curd moving in the pan so it doesn't catch on the bottom. I have also made both orange and lime curd as well. All of them are far superior to the b...

Hi All, I mostly make my own stuffing by boiling chopped onion, when soft drain off the water and save. Add the drained onion to breadcrumbs, herbage of choice and depending what meat it's being served with well chopped, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Sometimes I add finely grated lemon zest. M...

As most of my garden was slabbed over when I moved in I decided to do all my gardening in containers. I used to work on a landfill site so finding containers was not a problem. I have 7 stone sinks and a toilet pan coated with a mixture of sand peat and cement and planted with my herbs. Beans, salad...

My favourite sprouts are radish and onion, both excellent mixed with alfalfa. I prefer the smaller seeds to the peas and beans.

Paul

Has anyone had any experience of making wine purely from cartoned fruit juice? I have just started a gallon of apple wine using 4 cartons of cloudy apple juice. The recipe was from the internet, but there was no clue as to the outcome.(taste etc) The one I have is bubbling away nicely so it should a...

I have started using a stardrops and white vinegar mixture, much like the washing-up liquid version, for general cleaning. Sodium Bicarbonate also makes a good cleaner, I have even washed the pots with it in emergencies. It is very good for stainless steel, and pot sinks and toilets.

I too mostly use my breadmaker for mixing to the dough stage. Splitting the dough in to two equal parts they are put in to 2 2lb loaf tins and left to rise again. In this weather the dough rises quite well enough on its own so theres no need to put the oven on until just before the bread goes in. Fa...

I used to have a herb known as pennyroyal growing in the cracks in my slabs. As a member of the mint family there was a fantastic smell everytime it was stepped on. It is supposed to be an ant repellant as well but I don't think the ants knew that, I still had loads. Now I get a lot of wild strawber...

I've got 3 stone sinks under my kitchen window that have about 7" deep of compost in them. They are not in the sun much but are well sheltered from the wind. I want to grow something, preferably food based, in them. I'd thought about salad leaves and radishes but would they be deep enough for s...

I've been researching my family history for nearly ten years and up to now have found no skeletons in the cupboard. Most of my ancestors were from Nottingham although a few did venture as far as London and Leeds but soon came back. I'm thinking now of starting to do payed research for other people, ...

I have 4 of her books, or rather, books co-written by Barry Cockcroft, the reporter who "discovered" her. Fantastic reading. A lot about her life and the people she grew up with, a life that many of us would struggle to cope with. I remember the series "Innocent Abroad The Travels of ...

I'm trying cranberry vodka this year as well. I came across the recipe in Morrison's christmas magazine. Made along the same lines as sloe gin. I've made this years christmas cake as well. That will be fed regularly with whiskey untill its time to wrap it in marzipan and icing, probably the week bef...

Heres mine. Just made two bottles this afternoon. Take 1 empty bottle with lid Fill 1 third full of ripe sloes that have been pricked all over. Add 2 or 3 tsp of sugar Top up the bottle with gin put the lid on and give a good shake. shake it once or twice a day for a few weeks and then leave to sett...