Kitchen Garden Forum

Stewed and then passed through a sieve before adding sweetener of your choice and then add about 50% water to the juice, poured into moulds, very tart, but so refreshing in this heat, I've not made my own lollies since our kids were little.

Yes, I bet they,re tart but probably better than redcurrants which are even tarter. A little goes a long way with these fruits I find.
I marvel are the robustness of the guts of wood pigeons who were able to strip our entire crop in the space of less than two hours!

I've made wine from them in the past, but it some how didn't sit right, I'm not a fan of alcho pops, the lollies are nice, my wife read a recipe where the whole fruits are blended so you get the benefit of the goodness in the skins, so I'll try that in the next batch and not bother using a sieve.

Primrose wrote:.....I marvel are the robustness of the guts of wood pigeons who were able to strip our entire crop in the space of less than two hours!

They're so common now and totally unafraid of humans, the days of an old boy up the allotments using a 4/10 or an air rifle on rabbits and pigeons are long gone.

But more on topic, have you nave walked under one of their roosting spots?
Every other tree in town here seems to have a roost or nest.
The ground beneath has a multicoloured decoration all over. ......

I bought a riffle to kill rats the result was a warning letter from our council who won’t let anyone take a riffle on their land

And what are they doing about it robo? We are overrun with rats as loads have chickens, unfortunately not all owners are diligent with post feeding clear up & feed storing.

We have 2 farm hands from the farm behind (fully licensed) who come down really early a few mornings a week & use an air rifle which is pretty pumped up. They shoot the rats & pigeons but the pigeons are for them to cook & they dispose of the rats somewhere on the farm. If plot holders give them permission they will camp out on your plot & really reduce the rat population on it. It was arranged by our committee but they have full council permission as also have a contract with them to stalk the back alley ways in town to dispatch the excess rats.

Just wondering if your council has an arrangement with anyone to do the same in your area then they will have permission to enter council property like your site? I think we probably pay them a bit as well. Worth a bit of investigation as it is really effective even if the first time you see them on the site after a very early start gives you a bit of a start!

I've not made any rat or pigeon flavoured lollies before, don't think I will bother, but the Black current ones come highly recommended.
Re your rat problem, cage traps, work every time , the pests can't refuse a free feed.