Autumn has arrived, we are in no doubt as it blows hot and cold, dry and wet. Nights are much colder and the days vary but the rain, I'm not complaining, we badly need it and lots. You can almost hear the earth taking huge gulps and the plants slurping as everything is rehydrated. More layers are required and the trees are turning. The garden slides into its wild and woolly autumn look, still with plenty colour but a bit ragged around the edges, but arent we all by this time of year. I have my hot chocolate ready, lets go autumn.
Useful plants from the garden -
Beef stew with pale ale, juniper and prunes by Yotam Ottolenghi
I used a few local ingredients, which is always good, supporting local businesses:
~ juniper berries and thyme from our own garden here at Quercus
~ mustard from Traquair House
~ beef from Shaws Fine Meats Innerleithen shop
This is a fab meal for an autumn night. Serves four to six.
1 tsp juniper berries
½ tsp black peppercorns
Flaky sea salt
900g beef brisket, in 2 pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
500g baby shallots, peeled and left whole
4 garlic cloves, peeled
5g picked thyme leaves
500ml pale ale
2 tbsp date syrup (40g)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
600g small waxy potatoes (desiree or charlotte), peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
10 large pitted prunes (about 100g-worth)
The finely grated zest of ½ lemon
80g soured cream, to serve
~ Put the juniper berries and peppercorns in a spice grinder with four teaspoons of salt. Blitz well, then put in a medium-sized bowl, add the two pieces of brisket and, using your hands, mix well until the beef is well coated, then set aside for an hour.
~ Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 2½. On a medium-high flame, heat a tablespoon of oil in a 26cm-wide casserole or ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid, then add the brisket pieces and fry for two to three minutes, turning them over halfway, so they brown on both sides, then lift out the beef on to a plate.
~ Turn down the heat under the pan to medium and add another tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the whole shallots and fry for five minutes, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, then add the garlic and thyme, and fry for another minute, just to soften. Stir in the ale, date syrup and mustard, return the brisket to the pot and bring to a boil. Pop on the lid, transfer the casserole to the oven and roast for two hours.
~ After two hours, turn over the brisket pieces, stir in the potatoes and prunes, cover again and return to the oven for another hour, until the brisket is very tender, the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is thick. Take the pot out of the oven and leave the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes.
~ To serve, cut each piece of meat into four to six chunks (or even shred it into smaller pieces), then divide the stew between four or six shallow bowls. Sprinkle lemon zest on top and serve with a spoonful of soured cream alongside.
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| Juniper berries grown here in the gardens at Quercus |
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| Lots of local produce |
Autumn has certainly arrived overnight. From a long, hot, dry and windless summer to rain, strong winds and dull skies today. There were several lots of geese flying overhead over the course of the day, another sign. The pace of work has slowed, I'm catching up on long awaited tasks in the nursery and pondering its future at the same time. Yes it does mess with my head. For now concentrating on one day at a time, that day's task list and contemplating the future in all spheres of life.
Awesome Autumn flowers - Rudbeckia - we have 8 varieties planted in the nursery gardens and 5 of those available for sale. Rudbeckias are hardy perennials with striking, intense golden-yellow, daisy-like flowers with a black centre for late summer and autumn colour. A tough, very effective ground-cover plant for landscaping and ground-cover massing. Grow in well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out. They come in varying heights from 3 feet to over 8 feet. Some are clump forming and some are more spreading but great for ground cover.
The terracotta pots in wire baskets are available in our wee shop. The single pots are £5.95 and the set of 3 pots in a basket, £15.95.
Below is Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
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| I'm not really here, you can't see me. There seems to be a tunnel trend in snug doglets! |
Today's task was to start strimming the wildflower areas starting with the herb garden bank. A big job, but great to see it done and good exercise raking off all the strimming. Takeaway well earned 
just the rest of the wildflower areas to do.
just the rest of the wildflower areas to do.
There is still so much colour in the gardens and the grasses and Asters are just getting started! Here are a few highlights from the nursery garden this weekend starting in the bottom left corner:
Helenium 'Ragamuffin', Calendula officinalis, Helenium 'Rauchtopas', Helianthus 'Lemon Queen', Leucanthemum vulgare, Monarda 'Mohawk', Echinacea purpurea 'Brilliant Star', Aster (Symphyotrichum) 'Little Carlow', Aster (Symphyotrichum) novi-belgii 'Coombe Fishacre'
Rosa spinosissima (Burnet Rose)
Vibunum opulus berries
Rosa glauca hips
Rosa rugosa hips
Miscanthus sinensis 'Kleine Fontäne'
We went away for our two days off this week, a wee treat and a belated celebration of Davids Birthday. This was the first we could get booked on the Jacobite train since his birthday in June. A lovely drive up to Fort William and an overnight stay in a great hotel on Monday and on Tuesday the train trip to Mallaig. The weather was mixed but it made for great photos and it was lovely to get away together. More in another blog.
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| Loch Lubnaig, one of my favourite places |
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| Glen Etive |
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| Glen Coe, always atmospheric |
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| Glen Coe |
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| Rannoch Moor |
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| Dinner in Fort William |
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| Best Hotel hospitality tray ever |
Title quote - William Longgood
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