http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:36:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2009/07/nettle-fertiliser-great-for-leaves-bad-for-fruit-and-flowers/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2009/07/nettle-fertiliser-great-for-leaves-bad-for-fruit-and-flowers/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:33:47 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=158 Nettle feed is one of the easiest ways to produce a cheap yet effective fertiliser for your garden plants and vegetables. Nettles, being typically dark, green and leafy, are extremely rich in nitrogen. Brewing a liquid fertiliser from these prolific plants creates a rich concentrate packed with nutrition – and you guessed it – nitrogen. To [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2009/07/nettle-fertiliser-great-for-leaves-bad-for-fruit-and-flowers/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/health/2008/11/honey-health-benefits-magnificent-active-manuka-honey/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/health/2008/11/honey-health-benefits-magnificent-active-manuka-honey/#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:20:48 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=152 Honey is widely available on the shelves of our supermarkets, and is well known for its healthy qualities. Quite a few of us like to spread some honey on a slice of toast, and it is frequently used in cooking recipes. Most of us think of honey as being purely a food, but there are [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/health/2008/11/honey-health-benefits-magnificent-active-manuka-honey/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/green-living/2008/10/explaining-fair-trade/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/green-living/2008/10/explaining-fair-trade/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:12:05 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=148 Not long ago, fair trade bananas and fair trade coffee were just about all we could find on the shelves. Now they’ve been joined by fair trade chocolate, fair trade clothes and even fair trade gifts. With well over 2,000 fair trade goods available now in the UK, up from just 150 in 2003, [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/green-living/2008/10/explaining-fair-trade/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/beat-the-budget-brew-your-own/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/beat-the-budget-brew-your-own/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:40:29 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=144 I used to love cooking with wine, but when I found out how much of what I paid for it went straight to the Treasury, I decided to stop. And let’s not even think about the four-pound pint, coming soon to a pub near you. Then I discovered home brewing. I’d always thought that when it came to [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/beat-the-budget-brew-your-own/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/10/understanding-different-soil-types/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/10/understanding-different-soil-types/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:47:43 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=141 Understanding the soil in your garden is vital to producing a successful crop. Different plants have specific needs from the soil they grow in. Whilst some plants are best suited to fertile soil others may produce excessive growth at the expense of flowers and fruit. Some plants may require a constantly moist soil whereas others will [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/10/understanding-different-soil-types/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/winter-warmer-mulled-wine/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/winter-warmer-mulled-wine/#comments Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:05:35 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=138 As the Autumn nights draw in, the arrival of a distinct chill in the air is the perfect excuse to start brewing batches of warm, spicy, mulled wine. I first tasted this Scandinavian take on mulled wine, Glögi, during my university days - after a night out, we crammed into my friend’s student accomodation, bustling [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/food/2008/10/winter-warmer-mulled-wine/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/smallholding/2008/10/growing-unusual-vegetables-take-a-chance/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/smallholding/2008/10/growing-unusual-vegetables-take-a-chance/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:10:28 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=133 Although supermarkets are now stocking more varieties of fruit and vegetables than ever before, they still only represent a tiny portion of what is available to the home grower. Flick through any seed catalogue and you will gain an indication of the wealth of plants available. One of the appeals of ‘growing your own’ is [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/smallholding/2008/10/growing-unusual-vegetables-take-a-chance/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/travel/2008/10/4-christmas-market-destinations-for-08/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/travel/2008/10/4-christmas-market-destinations-for-08/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:06:47 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=123 Christmas is upon us, and in the UK there are some fabulous markets to visit. Each year, Christmas markets seem to be gaining in popularity, making the most of the festivities and reflecting the fun spirit of Christmas.  Continental markets are also becoming more and more popular; we recommend visiting a German Christmas market to be [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/travel/2008/10/4-christmas-market-destinations-for-08/feed/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/09/encouraging-wildlife-build-your-own-wildlife-pond/ http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/09/encouraging-wildlife-build-your-own-wildlife-pond/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:39:30 +0000 admin http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/?p=88 Wildlife needs us to create more ponds, so where better than in your own garden where you will have a ring-side seat to observe all the goings-on, writes Helen Taylor. On my journey to London the other day I looked down upon garden after garden but only saw one pond in the whole 40-minute [...]]]> http://www.ruralmuse.co.uk/gardens/2008/09/encouraging-wildlife-build-your-own-wildlife-pond/feed/