Kickoff To Fall

Starting next Monday, September 7th, a group of our fabulous vegetarian and vegan artisans will be offering specials in their Etsy shops! Keep watch for fabulous deals on unique handcrafted and vintage goods and supplies, a perfect way to start off the autumn season!

Look for specials like dicounts and free shipping in the following shops for the week of September 7th-13th- don't miss it! Check in later for an updated list...

aktie9
amefaust
auclairdelalune
chickscratch
CollarMeGorgeous
jackandjillsmom
jenoconnell
judysmosaicsupplies
loveluca
Karramandi
KneeDeepOriginals
krugsecologic
magglepie
midnightrabbits
movetheneedle
ThisisBexx
pandawithcookie
silentlotus
TheAwesomestPossum
veganessa
vibrantmosaics

A Good Year For Insects?

Thanks to a warm, dry spring, and despite a wet summer, we seem to have a bumper crop of insects this year. We have seen lots of bees, hover flies and butterflies in our garden, and my parents ended up with a triple-sized swarm of honey bees in a hive in their garden.

The last photo was taken by Rob (my husband) this morning. You can see every hair and claw on this enormous bumble bee in the original close-up.

Photo 1 copyright Julia K Walton 2008
Photos 2 and 3 copyright Rob Walton 2009

Yellow Treasury For the EtsyVeg Team


I managed to glean a treasury for the EtsyVeg team today. I need some sunshine to brighten up a cloudy, rainy day!

Hedgerow Series #3

This is Indian Balsam or Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) photographed next to the River Annan at Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Introduced to the UK in 1839, it is now a troublesome, invasive species, most commonly found along waterways and on waste ground. The photograph below shows an example of the problem along this river. The RHS suggest ways to erradicate it here.

Hedgerow Series #2

This is a photo of Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), a member of the daisy family. Photo taken 7 August 2009.

Hedgerow Series #1

While walking our dog (Henry), Rob and I enjoy seeing the ever-changing variety of plants in the hedgerows around our house in southern Scotland. It seemed like a good opportunity to try out our new camera and take some photos of the plants throughout the year, and perhaps learn some of the names for the plants we photograph.

The sloes are just beginning to ripen.



These are the fruit of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Having tried them fresh from the tree, I would not recommend them raw: they are extremely astringent. They make a beautiful liqueur, called 'sloe gin'. The sloes are pricked with a fork, then infused in a mixture of gin and sugar for three months, before the liquer is drained off the fruit, filtered and bottled. I have since been given the tip that freezing the fruit first, splits the skin and saves having to prick each one with a fork.

Roger Phillips, in his book "Wild Food" ISBN 978-0-330-28069-3, also mentions recipes for Sloe Jelly, Sloe and Apple Cheese and Sloe Wine.

Potfest In The Park 2009

Rob and I went to this lovely ceramic market for 100+ artists from all over Europe. The market is held under marquees in the grounds of Hutton-in-the-Forest near Penrith.

There is an annual competition for the ceramic artists. This year's was called 'Building Bridges'. This was one of my favourites with little ships mounted on pieces of driftwood. Here you can see a naughty visitor about to grasp hold of the exhibit.

We had a lunch of brie and onion chutney in ciabatta, followed by ice cream for me, and oat and pumpkin seed biscuits for Rob.

There was a three piece brass ensemble playing throughout the day to add to the festive atmosphere. Here I am smirking unnecessarily at one of the exhibits. As well as looking at the ceramics, you can wander round the walled gardens and grounds of the house, which were very beautiful and buzzing with insects at this time of year.



This was one of my favourite exhibitors. The dogs were caricatures, but very well observed, and reminded us a lot of our dear departed Tess, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Find out more about Potfest here.