The Three As (and some other options)

It is the time of year for enjoying the three As in the garden - Alliums, Aquilegias and Astrantias.  Above and below are some of my alliums.  Those in the sunny border don't seem to be very happy and are dwindling.  It is a raised bed and perhaps gets too dry in the summer.

I have planted some in the big rose pots and they seem to be doing better.

I do like the globe flowerheads.  

Aquilegias are another plant which don't seem to like the sunny border.   They have seeded themselves into other pots this year.

I should have an astrantia photo here, but the one I took is too blurry so I will have to try again. In the meantime, there is a chive flower which is very pretty (and edible!)

If you don't like the chive flower, how about a geranium phaeum?  These are happier in a bit of shade so they are in the north facing border.

My third option is an apricot foxglove, grown from seed last year and with drops of rain on the flower. It is nearly time to sow next year's plants.  These are in a pot and have done better than the ones I planted in the border, which seem to have disappeared.  

It is RHS Chelsea Flower show this week and I shall be watching the TV coverage, as I do every year.  It is always fascinating to see how the gardens are created and where they will be going after the show. 

Beautiful Blueberries

 I don't grow all that many edible things in the garden; chives, mint, raspberries (a new introduction this year), beetroot (for the first time this year) and blueberries (one plant, 'Goldtraube', originally and two more added this year, 'Blue Pearl').  I have found that 'Goldtraube has been an excellent plant, producing lots of berries.  Last year it managed enough for five lots of little cakes.  This year, so far, I'm on the second batch of cakes.

 Every day there are more luscious fruits to collect and they seem to be ripening almost in front of my eyes!  I love the grey bloom on the skins.  I don't really enjoy raw blueberries as I am always disappointed that they are not full of juice.

 However, when they are added to a basic sponge mix, they are lovely!

Baking them in a cake does seem to bring out more juice and the slightly tart flavour of the fruit contrasts beautifully with the sweet cake mixture. 
(I posted something very similar about the blueberries in July 2012 which shows things are still a little bit behind where they were last year, despite the baking hot weather we had in July this year.  I consider the blueberries to be one of my small gardening successes and I hope you don't mind me repeating myself a bit.)

My first fruit harvest this year

I am very excited.  My first fruit harvest of the year from my single blueberry bush (Goldtraube).  OK, so there isn't all that much fruit, probably about a small handful, but enough to add to some little cakes, I think.  Baking at the weekend is definitely on the list of things to do.
Last week, there were only green berries but now, after some much needed sunshine, here they are in all their blue/black/purple glory.  There are more on the bush to come though, probably about the same amount again.  As this is one of the only edible things I grow (the others being mint and chives), it required some form of celebration.
Hoorah for the blueberry!

Diamond Jubilee celebrations - sort of

 Like everyone else, we have watched the jubilee celebrations this weekend - from the wet Thames sail-past, via the concert to the service and appearance on the balcony and the fly past by the amazing planes.  However, my post doesn't really have much to do with all that (although Chris did wave a flag while sitting in his chair in front of the TV, if that counts).  This is all about a vegan chocolate tart which I made for lunch with Rachael yesterday, before she heads off to London.  Amazingly, this recipe was by Jamie Oliver and was actually called a vegan chocolate tart.  Anyone who is a vegan, or knows a vegan will realise how difficult it is to find yummy recipes that everyone else would enjoy too.  Such is this one.  The filling is rich and smooth, made with soya milk, cornflour, sugar, dark chocolate and vanilla essence.  The pastry is made in the usual way, but has icing sugar and ginger in it.

 I had enough pastry left over to make some individual tartlets.

Here it is with the recommended accompaniment of baked rhubarb.  You only need a very small piece of the tart as it is so rich and I used half the amounts in the original recipe.  I have to admit, the pastry caused me a bit of a headache as it was really hard, more like a biscuit than pastry, but I think this was down to the addition of the water (too much) and the way the icing sugar reacted (by going very squidgy).

 Not exactly red, white and blue - more like lilac, pink and purple, but these are some of the flowers blooming away at the moment in the garden.  I treated myself to the lovely mini-milk crate from   dotcom giftshop  as I saw one on a blog that I follow ( Helen Philipps ) and just decided that I needed one!  I love flowers and beautiful floral arrangements, but can't quite get the hang of them myself.  So, this is perfect!

From top left: geranium (probably Johnson's Blue), purple viola, Rose 'Geoff Hamilton, bottom right: chive flower and Clematis Arabella, Clematis 'Crystal Fountain' and Geranium Oxonianum.  I think the colours are lovely (even if they aren't traditionally patriotic).