There was a man from Huddersfield,
Who had a cow that wouldn’t yield.
He found out why she wouldn’t yield.
She didn’t like having her udders feeled.

• Gather rose hips after they have developed and turned red. Some herbalists recommend waiting until after the first frost for improved flavour.
• Rinse rose hips well.  Remove any stems or flower remnants.
• Bring two cups of water to a boil and add four cups of rose hips. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has been reduced by half.
• Allow to cool slightly and then strain through a jelly bag.
• Stir in one cup of honey, or to taste.

This rose hip recipe keeps well in the fridge. Rose hip syrup is especially good on pancakes or to sweeten teas.

Chrysanthemums, often called ‘mums’, are a genus (Chrysanthemum) of about 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and northeastern Europe.

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For sale: some runners and a young male goose looking for a good home.
Contact Grahame Kerr on 01952 541149

SSG members may place (subject to space) a free advertisement in a newsletter.

Contact the newsletter editors Mel Gregory and Margaret Heritage on 01588 640538 or by email, mel.gregory@btinternet.com.

DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn is proposing a replacement scheme for the set-aside scheme that was abolished earlier this year. The proposals will compel growers to take as much as 5% of land out of production and manage it for environmental purposes – despite heightened fears over a shortage of food. Mr Benn is keen to “offset the loss of environmental benefits” and insists that the proposals would not preclude arable production through permanent grass buffers, winter stubble and reduced-input cereal crops. The proposals could come into force for the 2009/2010 cropping year within the Environmental Stewardship scheme.

Source: Farmers Weekly

EID is due to be introduced on 31 December 2009 but doubts about the EU scheme are now being voiced in Germany, France, Spain and Italy as well as this country. It is hoped that some concessions, such as making the scheme voluntary rather than compulsory, will be made by the EU Commission.

Source: Farmers Weekly

Brackens (Pteridium) are a genus of about 10 species of large, coarse ferns. They are widely distributed throughout the world, being found on all continents except Antarctica and in all environments except for hot and cold deserts.

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Bovine tuberculosis is not just an increasing disease of cattle and badgers.

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Nearly all the breeds of ducks that are common today can trace their origins to the wild Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos. The name comes from the Latin ‘anas’ (a duck) and a combination of two Greek words, ‘platus’ (broad) and ‘rhynchos’ (bill).

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This soap recipe is for an all olive Castile soap. This is a soap that can be traced back to at least the 12th century and is a very mild, gentle soap suitable for laundry as well as cosmetic use. It is a white soap that takes scents well, so a good all round soap.

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