Day 10: Gifts from the sea If your garden has sandy or clay soil, or you prefer to use organic fertiliser, then the offer of an agricultural trailer full of kelp (about 10 tons) should make you smile like a Cheshire cat. If you are trying seaweed in it’s natural state for the first time, […]
Croft Gardener
12 Days of Christmas
Day 9: Vegetable Delight My Head Gardener, who is always right, insists that food is the best form of winter fuel. On a cold day there is nothing better than a bowl of hearty vegetable soup, a rich casserole or a tray of roasted root vegetables to restore the inner glow. Winter food needs rich […]
12 Days of Christmas
Day 8: New Year Dawn Sunrise at the start of a new year, the time when a Hebridean Hogmanay ceilidh is just getting its second wind. This year was different, no music, no dancing, no singing, no first footing and probably fewer sore heads. Although, I suspect a few drams of uisge beatha were consumed […]
12 Days of Christmas
Day 7: Wild Swans We are on the cusp of a new year, a time of transition – looking forwards and looking back. This morning, before the sun had risen behind the hills of Uist in the east, I looked out on to a silver path over the waves inviting me to journey into the […]
12 Days of Christmas
Day 6: The Staff of Life According to the traditional song, the sixth day should involve geese. At this time of year there can be anywhere between 6 and 150 or so Greylag Geese loafing around on the croft. We have plenty of grass, so I’m quite happy sharing as they do their share of […]