Editorial | November 2009

Written by judith

Whoa! What happened to my nice dry autumn?
November has arrived with all the cold, damp sogginess that this entails. Time to bring in some wood for the fire.
If you are considering installing a wood burner, read this article first to learn about the pros and cons, and then look here to see the many options available. And don’t forget that if you do go ahead, you can cook on it too.

The cold soggy start to the month doesn’t necessarily mean that the vegetable garden has shut down for the winter. There is still much you can sow and many little jobs that you can do on your plot to give you a head start for next year.
One vegetable just coming into its own right now is the Jerusalem artichoke; this article on the windy tuber offers some interesting recipes.

And while the oven is on, there is nothing like a piece of spicy ginger cake to banish those dark day blues.

This is also a good time to start thinking about buying and planting bare-rooted fruit trees. As the old Cardiganshire farmers say, “If you plant them in November you can command them to grow. If you plant them in March you can ask them to grow.” Any garden centre will sell you an apple tree, but if you want something a little out of the ordinary, there are many small nurseries that supply interesting heirloom varieties.

Nor has the foraging season ended completely. When you go out walking during November, don’t forget to take a bag as there are still edible pickings out there. In fact an abundance if you know where to look.

November is also Make a Will month, when solicitors across the country will waive their fees in return for a donation to charity. Not the cheeriest of topics, but the consequences of ignoring the issue can be very far-reaching, so do your loved ones a favour and get writing!

Finally, no November editorial would be complete without some small mention of the “C” word – indeed the lights were going up in town when I drove through this morning. Like it or loathe it, it won’t go away, but there are ways to reduce the impact of your festivities if you start planning now. Perhaps you would like to make your own puddings Well it's time to start thinking about them; Stir-Up Sunday falls on the 22nd this month. If you don't have your own ancient family recipe, then why not try a Downsizer version this year?

And as ever you will find many more topical discussions on our forum.