All around us at the moment is the sweet aroma of the Robinia pseudoacacia (false acacia) flowers. Last summer our French neighbour recommended that we try making beignets – fritters – with them. Having tried elderflower fritters we were keen to have a go.

I made a simple light batter out of a 50/50 mix of cornflour and plain flour, beaten egg and a drop of sparkling white wine as there happened to be a bottle open! (You could use beer or sparkling water) you then dip the flowers into the batter by holding onto the main stem, let some of the excess drain off and then fry until golden in hot oil, this only takes a couple of minutes.

We served this as a savoury dish with tapas, they go nicely with a yogurt and tahini dip or a smokey chilli salsa but you can also drizzle with honey and eat as a desert with crème fresh. Yum!

Last year our fruit harvest was devastated by a late frost which damaged all of the delicate young developing fruits on our apples, pears and cherries. There were only a handful of walnuts to be had too but this could be due to high winds and/or heavy rain around the time of pollination.

Walnuts are not pollinated by insects like apples and pears but by the wind, therefore when there is either no wind or too much wind or heavy rain, pollination may be poor. You have probably noticed the large, fat catkins on your walnut trees that have now fallen to the ground. These are the male flowers and produce the pollen. Have you spotted the female flowers that are now fully open?

Walnuts, like many trees, are what is botanically known as ‘monoecious’ this means that they have separate male and female flowers on the same tree (some plants are dioecious where the male and female flowers are on separate plants giving the individual plants a gender). They also have a clever way of avoiding self pollination which is to produce the male flowers before the female ones (known as Protandry) this is why it is best to have several trees growing in close proximity so that it is more likely that there will be pollen around when the female flowers open.

The female ‘flowers’ are not particularly decorative. Because they do not need to attract insects there are no petals, colour or scent, instead they are purely functional consisting of the plump ovary (that will develop into the nut) ad two large and feathery  stigma that are sticky and have evolved to capture as much pollen as possible.

Other monoecious trees include hazel, birch and poplar. A common dioecious tree is holly and this is why you need at least one male and one female variety growing nearby in order to get berries on the female. Watch out though, the cultivars often have confusing names such as ‘Golden King’ which is actually a female variety.

Apples and pears like all fruiting members of the Rosaceae family are hermaphrodite, bearing flowers that possess both male and female organs within  the same structure and are insect pollinated.

Watch out for our basic botany courses coming this autumn to learn more about the fascinating world of plants!

Come and see us at Oradour-Sur-Vayres on Sunday Journee du Jardinier 

We will be selling a selection of our plants and demonstrating examples of the crafts and activities that we will be offering as courses over the next couple of months.

We will also be giving away heirloom seeds of a range of climbing bean varieties.

Stall at Magnac-Laval

Tulip mix ‘Queen of the Night’ and ‘Maureen,

Borecole collection

Bedding plants

There is plenty of foraging to be done in France with an abundance of fine foods free for the picking in the countryside from truffles to giroles but what about the humble nettle?

This simple recipe is simple and delicious and full of vitamins and minerals and gives you an excuse for not weeding!

Go out at this time of the year while the nettles are young, it is best to go foraging in the morning to pick fresh nettle tops, just the first few leaves of the new shoot are the most tender. You may want to use gloves if you are sensitive to nettle stings.

To start the soup saute a finely chopped medium sized onion in a little olive oil and a small nob of butter (optional), add a little fresh or dried sage and if you are a garlic fan you can add a couple of cloves too (optional).

Then add two medium potatoes that have been chopped into 1-1.5cm cubes – remove any damaged skin from the spuds but keep the skin on for more vitamins if it is clean and blemish free. Saute for a few minutes along with the onions.

Add a litre of vegetable stock, season and bring to the boil. Add the nettles – they are difficult to weigh but a litre jug loosely filled is about right, take off any tough stalky bits and chop roughly before adding (again, you may need gloves).

Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Next you need to blitz it with a hand blender or liquidiser. If you like a creamy soup you can add a little cream, milk or yogurt before blitzing but I prefer it without. Check your seasoning and serve with fresh multigrain bread for a nutritious and vitamin packed lunch! it is yummy!

We now have supplies of professional grade potting compost for sale.

We have found it difficult to purchase good quality potting compost with a fine texture that is suitable for seed sowing as well as potting and bedding in the local outlets so we have ordered in bulk from a professional horticultural suppliers. Our potting and bedding mix comes in 70 litre sacks, is a fine blend of responsibly managed peat, fine grade wood waste to reduce the peat content and give a good balance of air and water retention and milled clay for stability, nutrient retention and improved re-wetting.

10.99€ a sack or 3 sacks for 30€

On sale Saturdays 10.00-4.00 from our nursery, if you want to pre-order/reserve some then drop us an email at lejardincreatif87@gmail.com