It's All Go At Trevena Cross!
We’re writing with a packed Trevena Cross 2018 update for you introducing new plants, prize giveaway, gardening tips for February, café and charity news, plus a recipe using beech leaves. (Any guesses?) Pop the kettle on and let’s get started…
Good news - Graham returns with the weekly prize videos on Facebook after a well-deserved break. To win just like & share the videos on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TrevenaCross/ This week the prize is a decorative trough planted up with houseplants.
The Garden Kitchen Café at Trevena Cross is cooking on gas with rave reviews! Every TripAdvisor review it received from customers in January awarded it a 5-bubble "Excellent" rating. Even Trip Advisor emailed us saying, ‘Congratulations — that's an amazing accomplishment!’ Great work Derek and the team!
If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest menu, Derek has just launched a Garden Kitchen Café Facebook page. Click the link to LIKE and rate (and also take a peek at the special Mother’s Day menu): https://www.facebook.com/The-Garden-Kitchen-Cafe-1782756412018991/
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New Store Entrance & Seed Potatoes
If you haven’t been into Trevena Cross recently, you’ll find we now have a new shop front and our covered area is back to ‘normality’ after Christmas. It’s been restocked with loads of plants from our nursery including sweet scented Daphne. We have also extended our Coastal Plants area and our seed potatoes are in and selling fast.
Which spud do you like? Our top potato picks include our Earlys Arran pilot which has a great flavour and is lovely boiled up with a bit of mint. Garnish with some of our tasty rocket – which as the name suggests is very quick growing. Another great choice is Charlotte which is a smashing salad potato. Play it potato safe with our main crop Sarpo mira – the most blight resistant potato available or go traditional with the good old fashioned, regal King Edward – great for roasting boiling or mashing.
All available now in store.
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Love Is In The Air
With a day of pure romance today why not gift your Valentine with one or two of our colourful potted spring bulbs including dwarf daffodils and snowdrops from just £2.00 each. Love doesn’t need to cost a fortune, does it? :-)
Or how about instead going, ‘lovey dovey’ with us this week to celebrate the national bird box week which also starts on February 14th. Pop along and get your bird box and food ready to twit tWOO :-) in time for the nesting season and help the wildlife in your garden this spring.
Alternatively, you can always indulge yourself with John’s tried and tested (and very alcoholic), ‘Beech Leaf Noyau’ recipe made from the Fagus beech trees we have in stock – fagus sylvatica. Perfect to make in the potting shed and enjoy by the fire on a cold winter’s night.
John says, ‘This makes an excellent mixer and can even be drunk neat. I guarantee that everyone you serve it to will go mad for it’. Clearly speaking from experience here. :-) Recipe below.
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Beech Noyau
A noyau is typically a cordial made from brandy, gin, cognac etc. However, this is a classic British version made using young beech leaves.
Ingredients:
1 bottle of gin (700ml), 225g white sugar, 200ml brandy, 400ml young beech leaves.
Method:
Using only very young beech leaves, freshly stripped from the stem. Add these to a bottle or glass jar (with a secure lid) until the vessel is half full. Add the bottle of gin then stopper the jar and store for 3 weeks before straining the alcohol off. Meanwhile add the sugar and 300ml water to a pan and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and allow to cool before mixing with the flavoured gin and the brandy. Pour into bottles and store.
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Meanwhile, back in the garden… Nick has provided an excellent check-list reminder of February gardening tasks. How many have you done?
1. Source and plant summer flowering bulbs (Iris, Agapanthus, Oriental Lily, Begonia, Freesia, Gladiolus, Polianthes tuberosa, Crocosmia, Scadoxus and more are all now in stock at Trevena).
2. Get chitting (sprouting before planting) your seed potatoes in trays with plenty of natural light. In six weeks’ time they should be ready to plant out.
3. Plant out onion and garlic sets this month - ideally in light, well-drained soil.
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4. Sow vegetable seeds indoors ready for greenhouse growing later (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies). Top tip – never sow whole packet in one go in case bad weather causes crop failure. Save some for later.
5. Get pruning, feeding and mulching. Unsure how? The Royal Horticultural Society is an excellent online resource. Or come into Trevena for advice.
6. Clean up pathways, patios and decking.
7. Erect bird boxes ready for nesting season.
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Need a bit of advice about specific gardening topics? Our new website now has all 15 of our gardening guides available to download FREE. Take a look here: https://www.trevenacross.co.uk/trevena-cross-free-gardening-guides/
Finally, if you haven’t heard our charitable good news, we’re happy to report that Father Christmas saw 2195 children in our grotto raising a final grand total of £5440 for charity! This is being shared between two deserving local charities: The Invictus Trust and the Childrens Hospice SW. We’re thankful to Steve Ford and the Helston and Lizard Rotary Club for their team of volunteers who worked tirelessly with us to make this happen.
We have also donated £400 to the Breage and Ashton Pensioners Dinner and £250 for Food Hampers. (Photo below). With thanks to Roy and Julie Treloar assisted by President Bob Calleja, Tony and Trudi Smart, Ray Harris, Paul Knight and Robin Carr who worked hard preparing and serving dinner for 25 guests at Breage Village Hall.
Hope to see you at Trevena Cross soon.
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