"Fire is the most tolerable third party"  Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 62)

It comes to something when I receive excited texts from my husband announcing "Got two new water-butts through Gumtree" and then later, "Managed to get eight bags of sh*t". 

Ah - the romance!

Well, we have started the autumn jobs as advised by various gardening books and magazines and the preparation for winter.  Not that you would think it was even in the offing if you consider the absolutely fabulous weather we have enjoyed this past week.  How fortunate have we been??

However, the runner bean wigwams have been dismantled, and the tomato plants have been stripped of most of their leaves so all the energy is focused on the ripening fruit.  The aubergine plants have been added to the compost heap - they started off so well, flowered and even developed small globes but then seemed to give up the ghost.  I spoke with the man-who-knows at our preferred local garden-centre (Gotherington) and he said that he only had two plants himself and they are notoriously hard to grow because of the amount of constant heat that is required.  I also think that I probably over-watered them too, and although I managed to rescue the peppers (just about!) from the same fate, the aubergines were just trickier customers.  Oh well, you live and learn.

Still, all of this harvesting coupled with my enthusiastic clearing of the annuals, pruning, dividing and moving perennials meant we had our first bonfire of the season.  And we all know how much Paul loves a bonfire!!

But back to the eight bags of the good stuff...

"The fairest thing in nature, a flower,still has its roots in earth and manure"  D H Lawrence (1885 -1930)

I sampled THE CLUMSY GARDENER cocktails a few times whilst relaxing in Kefalonia... however, I didn't get all the ingredients down, and just recollect that the base-note is GIN based! Oh - and high-notes of MINT.

I have checked out the web (obvs) and found a few 'Gardener' cocktails; perhaps the following can whet the appetite?

The Gardener – from Percy's restaurant in Seattle
Ingredients

• 3 oz. green juice (i.e. kale / spinach / watercress etc)
• 1 1⁄2 oz. barrel-aged gin
• 1⁄2 tbsp. agave
• 5 drops immunity tincture (optional)

Instructions

• Combine green juice, barrel-aged gin, agave, and immunity tincture in an ice-filled shaker.
• Shake vigorously; strain into a coupe with 1 large cube.
• Garnish with cucumber wheel and rhubarb spear.

The Drunken Gardener (a bit too complicated for me)

Ingredients for the cocktail

• 2 ounces freshly expressed bell pepper juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce Basil Syrup (see below)
• Ice
• Seltzer water

Directions for the cocktail
Combine the bell pepper juice, vodka, lemon juice, Basil Syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain the contents of the shaker into an ice-filled rocks glass.
Top off with the seltzer, garnish with a bell pepper slice, and serve.
Ingredients for the Basil Syrup (makes approximately 1 cup)

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 1-pint mason jar

Directions for the Basil Syrup (makes approximately 1 cup)
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the honey has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to allow the syrup to steep for 1 hour.
Once the syrup has cooled, strain out and discard the basil leaves. Transfer the syrup to the mason jar, ensure the seal is airtight, and store in the refrigerator.
Basil Syrup will keep in the refrigerator sealed in an airtight mason jar for 1 to 2 months.
Garnish: Bell pepper slice

The Drunk Gardener

• cherry tomatoes
•  salt
• 1 ½ oz. gin
• 1 oz dry vermouth
• 1 oz. St Germain liqueur

In a shaker, muddle sea salt with three halved cherry tomatoes. Add gin, vermouth, and St. Germain liqueur. Add ice and shake until cold. Garnish with basil or other fresh herbs.
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Serve and enjoy!