SCAPES

I love this time of year when the garlic scapes start to appear. These are the flower stalks which are removed before the flower develops. This helps the bulb develop, but the stalks themselves are absolutely delicious, eaten raw in a salad, gently steamed or stir fried. They have the consistency of a french bean, but a smooth texture and a lovely garlic flavour. I love the fact that they are a by product of garlic production which is almost as good as the end product.

This is the first dry day since we returned from holiday, but not much time for gardening as we have been on full time grandson duty. Had a boat trip to Cumbrae, played on the sands, scrambled on the rocks, rode his bike around the sea front and had lunch in the excellent Garrison House cafe. Afterwards, he helped me tie up his sunflowers and we had a grand half hour just watching the bees working the garden. Unfortunately, he is still a bit scared of them, so I spend time explaining what they are doing and how much we need them. We found one poorly bee, which meant that we could pick it up and take a closer look at.

THREE GOOD THINGS:
Sunshine
The Professor's brilliant Sptifire impersonation
Being reunited with the smallest grandson after a three week gap when he visited his other Granny.