Wild Fennel

The garden is coming along a treat.  Hard to imagine that only a few months ago it was impossible to get from one end to the other without being tangled up in spiders' webs, feet stung to pieces and walking over carpets of dandelions.  The sun has done wonders for the growing and the rocket has gone absolutely mental.  We can't eat enough of it which has meant that trips to Queens' Park market has become almost redundant were it not for its great veg.

Check these broad beans out!

Yet to bear any beans but we are waiting in hope.  They had a scourge of blackfly which I have been trying to remedy with sprays of diluted Ecover mixed with a little vegetable oil, although I have just been told by another friend that spraying them with a mixture of whizzed garlic, onion, thyme and sage (left overnight in a solution of a litre of water) also does wonders.  So I am spraying like mad.  Obviously nasturtium is supposed to attract black fly too, so we have planted plenty of those...

But as you can see they are far from fully grown so I think ain't do anything about them blackfly!

Anyway I cooked some bass the other night which I stuffed with masses of the wild fennel from the garden.  I shall be writing up the recipe this afternoon.  Until then,

tommi xxx