Plums

 We have lots of plums on the big tree this year and about half a dozen on the small one.

 The small tree is hiding behind the big one and has yellow rather than red fruits.

  Now we have had all the Leylandii trees removed from the top of the garden, the little tree has more light that is until the holly hedge grows taller now it too has more light.

Work goes on behind the shed to try and straighten the hedge as it was growing out sideways because of the trees.

 

  Where it has gone completely we are going build a fence and then eventually replace the shed.

 

          The yellow plums on the smaller tree are not as tasty as the others.  They aren't as sweet and juicy and the flesh seems denser and dryer in texture.

 

                                           

Even more plums came into the house last evening.

 

 The tree is still full with loads more to be picked.  Some of the plums will be given away and some we have frozen. I've been keeping old jam jars and we have a few kilner jars so the next thing is jam or chutney making and also bottling.

From Tree to Table

Some of the plums have started to ripen but they seem to be struggling this year. Last year we had loads and loads of fat juicy plums even though it was a fairly wet summer. This year, although it is just as wet, the plums are growing differently in that a lot of them are going bad before they are even ready to pick. Is it the weather, is it some sort of insect or is the whole tree diseased in some way? I'm going to have to find out!

Yesterday I managed to pick a colander full but not many are ripe enough to eat raw so I decided to make a plum crumble so I could soften and sweeten some of the less ripe fruit.

I cooked them in a pan with a little water and some honey and then put the crumble topping over the softened plums.

Just half and hour in the oven and the crumble was ready to eat with some custard.

Today I made scones for afternoon tea. We will eat them with the plum jam that we made last year - we still have some jars left - perhaps next week this year's plums will be ripe enough to make some more.

Lots of Plums and Pots

The plums are nearly ready, they are almost there - just a little more sun is needed to complete the process; there are lots of them, the tree is laden with fruit.

On Saturday we took our neighbour up to Kidsgrove to visit her mother. After we'd dropped her off we came back via Westport Lake and took a look at the new visitor centre and then popped into the Burleigh Factory Shop which is next to the canal at Middleport.

This is a very interesting place and apparently, acording to their information leaflet, it is England's last working Victorian factory. It was saved from closure in 1999 by a couple from Hampshire and has been working to the same designs and techniques as it did when it first opened in 1851.

This is the main factory gate where the workers would have arrived for work. It was the rule at most factories that if you were late for work the gate would be closed and you would lose your shift and therefore your wage for that day.

I love the cobbled roadway and could image the workers walking along in their 'trashers' (working shoes) and carrying their 'snappin' (breakfast or lunch).

Above are some views around the entrance to the factory and below some views inside the factory shop

On this side of the factory the car park is right next to the canal.

Of course we couldn't leave without a small souvenir so we chose a mug each from their bargain basket mine was a blue and white pattern made especially for Crabtree and Evelyn and Paul's was brown and white with an oak leaf and acorn patterm made for Williams-Sonoma Home.

Well, we don't mind you going out and leaving us but you could have brought home new cat bowls instead of mugs!