Sunday, November 22, 2015

WHAT THE L…??!!!



Loganberries
Lychees
Longans
Rambutans
Loquats

Lulo

The loganberry wasn’t named after the Jimmy Logan from down Logan way. The hybrid loganberry was named after a certain workhorse lawyer/horticulturist James Logan who toiled like a Trojan – in his garden, at least.  A slogan definitely states he was neither a bogan from Logan, nor was he from the Shire of Bogan.

Loganberries were actually the result of a blooper made by our fumbling lawyer Logan, probably after a long night arguing his case with a bottle of whisky. In his hungover state, Logan unintentionally crossed a raspberry and a blackberry.  Rather than the two berries giving legal-eagle James the raspberry for his blunder, they gave him a loganberry in lieu. (I made up the bit about him being hungover...but you never know....)

I’ve not eaten a loganberry, but I am wondering if I simultaneously toss a raspberry and blackberry into my gob would I be eating a loganberry?  I’ll give it a go, then I’ll let you know the fruits of my laborious experiment. 

It’s long gone since I’ve enjoyed a longan.  Sweet, succulent longans are closely related to the equally luscious lychees.  

When I loitered around tropical north Queensland, not only did I terrorise the locals, but I also lavishly indulged in loads of lychees, as well as lots of lush longans I legally purchased from the local farmers’ stalls along the lanes and roadsides. And, of course, I couldn't ignore the rambutans rambunctiously begging to be purchased in boxes next to their cousins. 

Longans and lychees originate from southern China. In the late 1800s the Chinese gold-miners who lobbed on the northern gold fields of tropical Far North Queensland in search of the mother lode, all arrived laden with longans and lychees.  Lucky for us! 

By the way, we should gobble up lots of lychees; they are considered to be a symbol of love and romance.
For me, I'll forego the love and romance nonsense - I’m searching for a mother lode of a Lotto win. I’m eating every variety of fresh fruits I can lay my hands on -  in abundance!  Something will work.  I’ll strike it lucky one day – and be healthy at the same time!

Loquats also originally landed from China.  The elusive loquat is difficult to locate these days. Does anyone local have a loquat tree in their yard?   I long to know - why have loquats lost their lustre? 

The last time I lingered at length beside a loquat tree was when I lived and worked in Glenden, 165kms west of Mackay - when I was the chef at “Lorikeets’ Restaurant” back in 1991/92.

Long before my Glenden loquat feast I’d not eaten loquats since I was a little girl leaping around the hills and dales of Gympie.  We had a very healthy tree growing at one corner of our front yard. Year after year it produces bucketfuls of fruit...not that we gave the tree’s bounty much time to fill the buckets.  My brother and I, along with our mates usually devoured the oval yellow fruit directly from the tree, pelting each other with the seeds (and some of the over-ripe fruit) in the meanwhile. 

On many occasions our Nana managed beat us to the tree.  She’d gather some of the fruit when we were at school and magically turn it into jam, or delicious chutney.  Throughout the years of our childhood and beyond our healthy loquat tree generously produced fruit, enough to suit and feed our needs.

Blimey! Let’s not forget limes!

Delicious, lush limes are grown in tropical climes year round. With limes readily available it’d be a crime not to enjoy limes at all times.

From finger limes to round/dooja limes; to desert limes and mountain white limes to Kaffir, Kakadu or Humpty Doo limes; as well as blood, wild and sunrise limes – there is no limit on the largesse of the sublime lime. Limes are always in their prime. 

Here’s a lulu for you…have you ever eaten a lulo?  Better still, have you ever heard of a lulo? It’s a small fruit native to the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Lulo flesh tastes like a blend of pineapple and lemon.

And then, on top of that, to confuse us even further, there’s the lúcuma aka lucmo.  The subtropical fruit lucmo is also known as “Gold of the Incas”.  Native to Peru’s Andean valleys, it’s an ancient super-food that can be traced back 8000 BC. I wasn’t around in those days so I can’t verify if this is true, but thousands of lucid Peruvians who are prepared to lay their word on the line, have proven it to be so.

A lúcuma is like a little pawpaw (papaya to those of you in the Northern Hemisphere).  The lúcuma is loaded with health benefits. If you’re looking for a cane sugar substitute the powder made from lúcuma is supposed to do the trick.

In Peru they queue for lucmo; maybe they do in Yokomo, too. Adding lúcuma powder to drinks and shakes livens up the brew. 

Lastly, while on the subject of fruits beginning with the letter “L” – you’ve no doubt noticed the leitmotif of my literary treatise (my leeway allows me the liberty of latitude) - I can’t leave out the leader of the bunch - the ever loyal lemon. I have to squeeze in lemons; jam them in. 

What would life be like without lemons to liven it up? Lemons add zest!


Loganberry Cake (or any berry): Heat oven to 180C/160C fan.  Base-line and grease a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Blitz 140g ground almonds, 140g softened butter, 140g golden caster sugar, 140g S.R. flour, 2 eggs and 1tsp vanilla in processor until well combined.  Spread half the batter over cake tin; smooth top; scatter the loganberries or whatever other berries you use over the batter; then dollop remaining cake mixture on top and roughly spread; easier to do using your fingers. Scatter with flaked almonds (about 2tbs); bake 50mins until golden; cool; remove from cake tin; dust with icing sugar to serve.

Lychee (or Longan) Chicken Curry: Heat 2tsp oil in saucepan; add 1 sliced red onion, 1 sliced red capsicum and 200g quartered button mushrooms; cook 3-5mins; add 1tsp each crushed ginger and garlic, 2tbs red curry paste and 1tsp turmeric; cook 1-2mins; add 1c chick stock and 1c coconut milk; boil; add 520g chicken, cut into 3cm pieces; simmer 4mins. Add 200g green beans, cut into 3cm lengths, 100g sugar snap peas; simmer 3-4mins; add 16 fresh peeled, pitted lychees (or longans); cook 1min.

Lychee Lime Sorbet: Puree 4 generous cups peeled, pitted fresh lychees; add 1c water, juice and zest of 1 large lime, 2/3rd cup agave syrup or other preferred sweetener and 2 to 4tbs fresh basil leaves (or mint); puree until smooth; perhaps in 2 batches. Chill; process in ice cream maker 20-25mins; or make it without using maker. Freeze 2-3hrs.

Lúcuma Slice: Whizz until chunky 1c medjool dates and 1c almonds; press into bottom of slice tray or moulds; freeze while whizzing together 3tbs cashew or coconut butter, 3tbs lúcuma powder, 3tbs cacao butter or coconut oil, 2tbs maple syrup, 1tsp vanilla bean paste and ½ to 1tsp Himalayan salt. Spread finger-width thick on top of base; chill. Combine 3tbs cacao powder, 2tbs maple syrup, 3tbs melted cacao butter or coconut butter and 1/2tsp sea or Himalayan salt; spread evenly over top; chill until completely cool. Cut into squares if set in slice tray.

Lemon-Lime Bars: Line 8-inch square pan with foil; extend over 2 ends. Melt 6tbs butter; stir in 1c plain flour, 1tbs sugar and pinch of salt until crumbly; press into base of pan. Bake in 190C oven 15-20mins. Whisk 1/3c each lemon and lime juice, 1 can condensed milk and 2 large eggs; pour over crust; bake 20-25mins. When cool remove from pan; cut into squares.

Loquat Jam: Wash, de-seed and quarter enough loquats to make 8 cupfuls; add lemon juice to prevent them from browning; the lemon juice is also necessary for the jam to thicken. Put loquats, 6c sugar and loquats (including the lemon juice) in large pot over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cut 1 vanilla bean in half; add to fruit; bring to bpil while stirring constantly; then reduce to a low simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Cook for approximately 1 hour. At 30 minute mark, remove vanilla from the jam. Using a stick blender, blend loquats; leave some texture, if preferred; or you can make it smooth, but lumpy is good!  Add the vanilla bean again; continue to cook for another 30mins, until jam is thick, stirring frequently.  Ladle into sterilized jars; seal. Finish off the sterilization process in a boiling water bath.  If you don’t do the latter step, store the jam in the fridge. (And always store in fridge after opening).

Loquat Chutney: Trim stem and flower ends of loquats; remove stones and membrane; ending up with 650g fruit; no need to peel the loquats. Peel and cube 4 large Granny Smith apples; cut 300g dried apricots into strips. Peel 80g fresh ginger, and then julienne. Grab 4tbs mustard seeds; crush some to release flavour, but leave majority whole. Put all ingredients together with 500g raw sugar, 750ml cider vinegar, 2tsp salt and 2tsp crushed chillies into large pot; bring to boil. Simmer about 90mins, until apple is cooked to a pulp; stir occasionally to stop sticking to bottom of pot. Heat some clean jars in hot oven to sterilise them. Pour hot chutney into hot jar; put lids on jars while still hot.  Finish off in water bath.  Store in cool, dry place for up to 9 months; open jars should be kept in fridge.

46 comments:

  1. Now Lee - when that Loganberry Cake is ready - please send me an e-mail.
    I will catch the Gympie Express leaves here about 9.30 am - should be
    ready for collection at Gympie North about noon. Just in time for a few
    beers at one of the many pubs and then for afternoon tea. Forget the "tea part".
    A bottle of red will do nicely.
    In anticipation for this epicurean delight with ice cream and cream, maybe a few
    fresh loganberries on top???
    Cheers
    Colin

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    1. Well, Colin...either which way you'll miss out because, as I've mentioned previously, I no longer live in Gympie...and haven't done so for 13 and a half years! The first time I left Gympie was in 1965...I returned in 1998 and lived there for four years; and then left again in 2002.....but I'll ring around a few of my friends up that way and see if they can make one for you.

      The Indian Pacific, The Ghan and The Inlander offer great food in their dining cars, too, I hear!

      You don't ask for much, do you! lol

      Thanks for coming by....oh...by the way...I've eaten all the cake (it's wonderful when warm)...and I've just finished off the ice cream as well. :)

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    2. Ah - shucks!!!
      You ATE it all??????????
      You jest with train food???
      The food on the Ex-Sunlander / Queenslander to Cairns in that dining car was highly questionable.
      Well might get some in the Hunter Valley this week.
      Where home made cooking is available and your expertise and experience, I can assure you I will be first in line for samples - ha ha.
      Cheers
      Colin

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    3. You could always make your own, you know!!! :)

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  2. I have to tell you that there are some unusual things where you are - well I have heard or seen some of those things. They do look good tho. I guess that you don't celebrate Thanksgiving like we do - but this is Thanksgiving week for us. Happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. No, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here in Aus, Sandie...only in the US and Canada (Canadians celebrated it in October, of course, as you know).

      I hope you have a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones. Thanks for coming by. :)

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  3. Back in 1988, we were visiting in England, staying just between St. Albans and Hatfield. We picked berries at a farm, rows of all sorts of berries, loganberry being one. We had crepes with berries and whipped cream. Wonderful. Thanks for the photos.

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    1. Oh, those pancakes sound very yummy, Susan! I wouldn't mind some right now!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  4. I don't know longons or lucumu - but love the rest. Mmm fresh fruit. And fresh lychees are a delight. Always.

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    1. Yep! I love fresh lychees, too, EC...they're delicious...and very "moresome"!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  5. I like what you did here; lush longans, rambutans rambunctiously etc, what a great read.
    I haven't tasted most of those fruits, they're usually out of my budget, by the time i buy what I need, there's not much left for buying things I might not like.
    There is a loquat tree in the yard next to my flat, over on Ps side. The fruit isn't as I remember loquats from childhood, perhaps the tree doesn't get enough water. I tried them one summer and they were not quite sour, and have very little flesh and too much seed. Four large seeds per fruit with maybe 7-8millimetres of flesh surrounding them. Not worth the effort. I leave them now for the birds. P noticed the neighbours above her were stripping the tree one year, so sneaked out at night and got me a bowlful of fallen fruit and under ripe off-the-tree fruit. I had to throw the lot away, but didn't tell her that, she meant well.

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    1. Hi there River...the birds will love them, anyway. Maybe the tree isn't getting enough sun...I have no idea what the problem would be...they're a pretty hardy tree from all accounts. I know we did little with ours when we were kids other than pick and eat the fruit.

      Lychees are in season now and will be for the next few months so the prices will be coming down. I usually make a bit of a pig of myself over them during summer, if and when the price is right! lol Rambutans hit the markets mid-summer...and they, too, are delicious...very much like lychees in flavour. The tropical areas do produce some delicious fruits, that's for sure.

      I'm glad you enjoyed my bit of frivolous writing...thanks for dropping in. :)

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  6. Some of those things I haven't eaten because I haven't seen them in our supermarkets..oh dear..
    Enjoyed reading :)

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    1. Hi Margaret...It's a wonder you didn't came across some of these during your travels....you'll have to hitch up the van and head off again on a tropical fruit trail!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  7. Wonderful fruit - many of these fruit have strange, and remarkable flavours, which I suppose makes up for floury apples and tasteless tomatoes! Oh well. The recipes look great!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    PS: my slowness to comment and visit has been caused by a trip to an island in the Pacific!

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    1. Hi Stewart...I'm going to have to glue your feet to the floor to keep you at home! In saying that I am looking forward to your latest batch of photos...I know they are going to be stunning.

      As you say...the flavours of these fruits are remarkable...now I feel like having some!!

      Thanks for dropping in. :)

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  8. You have me missing my gardens in California where I grew a number of unusual fruits; ah to have that climate back again. Once again I am hungry and must go make my coffee so I can eat my mango. some of these rare fruits are available occasionally here but they cost an arm and a leg. I have never had a lulo and hope to one day.

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    1. Hey Linda...mangoes...I love mangoes, and it's mango season here at present - and I make the most of it! :)

      I love fruit, of all varieties, and I eat a lot of it....it's always like a fruit store here at my home...lol

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  9. Very interesting Lee. Thought I'd try the cake with blue berries, there are lots of them around at the mo.
    By the way our friend Carol is doing it tough at the moment .

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    1. Thanks Helsie. Another horrible day at work. I feel like I am self-imploding. Something is not right with me.

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    2. Hi Helsie...yep...any berries will work with that cake; and even a mix of various varieties.

      Thanks for the heads up about Carol...I figured as much. I think we should grab her for a girls' night out!! :)

      Thanks also for coming by. :)

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  10. Exotic fruits but grossly overpriced if found here.

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    1. I will send you some tropical fruit wine from Murdering Point Adullaman.

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    2. G'day Mr. Ad-Man....we're very fortunate here with our supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables - something which I never take for granted. I'm a glutton for the most pleasant punishment of eating loads of both!

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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    3. Fruit wine from 'Murdering Point????'

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  11. I think I might try my hand at the loquat jam and chutney Lee. Thank you.

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    1. Hey Carol...I think making some jam and/or chutney might be a good way to take your mind off all the nonsense going on around you, Carol....plus the jam will be great on toast for breakfast or on hot scones at any time...and the chutney will be just wonderful with the Christmas ham!!

      Thanks for coming by....take good care... :)

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  12. On Saturday, during a food drive at our community center, someone donated a can of Lychees. No one had ever heard of them before and we were all curious. I am printing out your post to show my co-workers what they are. Good timing.

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    1. G'day Arleen...How strange you've never heard of them before...they've always been readily available here in supermarkets and Asian shops...they're used a lot in Chinese/Asian cooking. The canned ones, of course, are no where near as nice (delicious) as the fresh ones. If you ever see the fresh lychees...grab some...they really are delicious.

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  13. I would be in trouble not knowing what to pick. I've never seen these!

    Junior loves his fish food.

    Have a blessed night.

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    1. G'day Gail....Junior certainly does. I laughed when I saw those wonderful pics of him. He's in his glory! :)

      Just have a few of each (the fruit, not the koi food)...and then you'd not be in trouble. We are fortunate here, particularly in Queensland where these fruits are often readily available.

      Thanks for coming by, Gail. :)

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  14. LHI was really wonderful, and I found out about the Miss Australia thing rather early on, although the marriage details were news to me! Thanks! SM

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    1. I imagine it was wonderful, Stewart...and I know you photos will tell beautiful stories. :)

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  15. Are you working through the fruit alphabet? Looking forward to the day you reach "X". By the way we have a loganberry bush at the end of our garden - amongst the bramble plants (sometimes known as blackberry). No other food on the planet can compare to the sharp sweetness of plump, fresh loganberries. Normally I get a handful and squash them into my mouth before lying on my back giggling manically with glee, hands and legs thrashing the air - such is the tastebud sensation.

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    1. No, just fruits starting with the letter "L", Yorkie - just for the 'ell of it!!

      Now I've fallen on the floor, flat on my back giggling at the image conjured by you doing similar...

      Thanks for coming in...I might need a hand to get back up from the floor, though! :)

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  16. I am LMAO that a berry is named after someone...what an achievement ;)

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    1. Hi RK..I wonder if it counts that I had a calf named after me when I was around 9 years old....but long ago it moved on to graze in greener pastures in the sky - so it didn't stick around as long as the loganberry.

      James Logan has gone down in history...he's famous...I'm just infamous, and the calf...well, maybe some of her great, great, great, great, great grand-calves are grazing on farms down around the Canungra area today! ;)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  17. Thank you. Industrious sounds much better than wasting time.

    Blessings.

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    1. From what I've seen, Gail...wasting time is one thing you don't do. :)

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  18. Lots of yummies for my tummy! By the way, my eyesight has improved, but it still has a long way to go.

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    1. That's good to hear re your eyesight, Jerry...let's hope the improvement continues.

      Thanks for dropping in. :)

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  19. Golly - how did I get so behind reading posts? This one is delightful (as they all are.) I've never heard of a loganberry - I'll have to shop berries at our international farmers' market and see if there is anything like that.

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    1. Hi there Lynn....Thanksgiving took over your time! :) You will no doubt find a few berry varieties at your markets, I'm sure.

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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  20. I bought a loganberry bush in a church fete many years ago. I wasn't sure if it would survive, but it certainly did.... however it did not turn out quite like I expected. I don't know much about gardening but I think loganberries, being a hybrid, might have to be grown on a particular kind of rootstock. I can't imagine what rootstock this one is grown on. Its one aim is to take over the garden, but although the stems are incredibly long and prickly, they are also very fragile, which is not really good when you have a big tangly spiny bush with little fruits growing all over it. And if you try to move the long tangly stems they are very likely to break and take yards of developing loganberries with them. The loganberries aren't ripe till they are dark maroon in colour (and then they are truly delicious) but they don't grow in large bunches. So once again, in trying to reach them, you risk breaking those fragile stems. And if you don't pick them at the right time they wizen up. Do they all ripen at the same time? Don't ask -! So there's no way of just getting in the harvest. When that whole flower bed had to be dug out (it adjoins a wall which needed rebuilding) I dug out the loganberry. With some regret (cause I had got quite fond of it) I decided it was time it went on the compost heap. The wall was rebuilt, the bed was filled again with earth and darn me but that loganberry started growing out of the same spot again. I can't imagine how. It's now battling it out with a rosemary bush which is the size of a tree. The funny thing is that nothing else likes to grow in that bed much. So I've left them to get on with it now. :)

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  21. I bought a loganberry bush in a church fete many years ago. I wasn't sure if it would survive, but it certainly did.... however it did not turn out quite like I expected. I don't know much about gardening but I think loganberries, being a hybrid, might have to be grown on a particular kind of rootstock. I can't imagine what rootstock this one is grown on. Its one aim is to take over the garden, but although the stems are incredibly long and prickly, they are also very fragile, which is not really good when you have a big tangly spiny bush with little fruits growing all over it. And if you try to move the long tangly stems they are very likely to break and take yards of developing loganberries with them. The loganberries aren't ripe till they are dark maroon in colour (and then they are truly delicious) but they don't grow in large bunches. So once again, in trying to reach them, you risk breaking those fragile stems. And if you don't pick them at the right time they wizen up. Do they all ripen at the same time? Don't ask -! So there's no way of just getting in the harvest. When that whole flower bed had to be dug out (it adjoins a wall which needed rebuilding) I dug out the loganberry. With some regret (cause I had got quite fond of it) I decided it was time it went on the compost heap. The wall was rebuilt, the bed was filled again with earth and darn me but that loganberry started growing out of the same spot again. I can't imagine how. It's now battling it out with a rosemary bush which is the size of a tree. The funny thing is that nothing else likes to grow in that bed much. So I've left them to get on with it now. :)

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  22. I had a wonderful rosemary bush, too, Jenny...it grew to a massive size...and then one day my landlord decided to get of rid of it! Grrrrr!!!!!

    Sorry...I've only now (4th Jan, 2016) found your comment. :)

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