We moved to The Secret Acre to live the good life, so when the opportunity came along last month to visit Cerys Matthews’ Good Life Experience with friends and the dog, it seemed rude not to! Continue reading
The Good Life Experience
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Tag Archives: Smallholding
One for the Vine
Last month, inspired by our Turkish smallholding/winemaking experience this summer, we visited our local vineyard – Woodchester Valley – for a tour and tasting. Continue reading
A Win and a Score Draw
September marks the start of Produce Show season, even if the football season, rudely earlier every year, has already kicked-off too.
Our history of mixed results continued this year…. Continue reading
Hacking the Swimming Pool (Smallholding Turkish Style, Part 2)
As if making your own wine in glorious sunshine wasn’t enough, the Turkish smallholding we visited this summer had a brilliant swimming pool hack. Continue reading
Smallholding Turkish Style
Visiting Turkish friends this summer, we were told we must visit their Uncle in Urla who, like us, has built a house on an acre of land and is growing his own. And what an inspiration it turned out to be.
Alongside the veg, figs and olives, smallholding Turkish style means a small personal vineyard, about 10 rows of vines producing about 250 bottles a year, which of course we felt duty bound to taste extensively whilst discussing the finer points of our respective wine and cider making. Continue reading
Yesterday’s Veg Patch Harvest
Particularly pleased with our first ever crop of Padron Peppers (bottom left), continuing our Mediterranean weather themed summer. And one of our favourites in the kitchen.
At this rate of climate change we’ll soon be able to supply our favourite local tapas bar!
That’s Shallot
Having pickled the first sowing of radishes, our next harvest at The Secret Acre was once again the over wintered onions and garlic.
This year’s varieties were Cristo and Iberian Wight for the garlic with Troy F1 white onions and Electric red onions. Although the results seem on a par with last year’s varieties. Continue reading
Radishes in a Rush
This year, one of our early harvest gluts was radishes, which all came in a rush, despite the weather.
So for the first time at The Secret Acre, Emma tried her hand at pickled radish. Continue reading
139 Days Later…
Has The Secret Acre gone to rack and ruin since our last blog 5 months ago?
In short, no.
What has gone to ruin, we’ve realised, was our resolve to only work part-time since moving to the smallholding. Both our hours have slowly crept up again over the last two years, almost without noticing. Continue reading
Three Wassails and a Burns Night
Chepstow Wassail & Mari Lwyd
Once again, January came and went, before we actually put into action any of our good intentions to make an early start in the garden.
Not that it was all just lounging around in the house after Christmas drawing up planting plans and ordering seeds.
As the snowdrops started to emerge, we got down to making another year’s supply of marmalade, following the award-winning formula we accidentally hit upon last time round. Continue reading
The Secret Acre 