Wonderful ways with weeds

Now the clocks have gone forward we have an hour more light, and what better way to spend it than weeding? (Yeah, right!)

Ripping the weeds out now while they're young and tender means they're less likely to take over, robbing your poor plants of nutrients. So what better method of destruction than using the weed to feed yourself or your plants?

The two I put to good use at the weekend were nettles and comfrey. When they're young and tender, nettles make a lovely soup. Pick the smaller top leaves (you'll need to wear gloves; the little ones can be vicious too). Avoid ones that are likely to have been watered by dogs, and check for greenfly; they're not easy to wash or pick off.

And for the soup: gently fry a chopped onion in oil or butter, add a couple of small diced potatoes, a couple of handfuls of nettle leaves (discard stalks, which can be tough), and some stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until potato is soft - by which time the nettles will have lost their sting. Blend until smooth, then serve, for a deliciously fresh-tasting soup.

Comfrey makes a great liquid feed for your plants. Pick the bigger leaves lower down on the plant, put into a container with a lid, weighted down by bricks or plant pots. As they decompose, the leaves produce a seriously stinky liquid (you'll be glad it's under a lid) which makes a great plant feed, as it's rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium plus other trace minerals. Dilute it 1:15 and water your plants with it.

Make a felt anemone brooch

Anemones are one of my favourite flowers and, after staring at the couple that have come up in the garden, I was inspired to make this.

How to make a felt flower brooch
Cut petal shapes from red, pink, blue, white or purple felt. Stitch together in the middle, roughly, as your stitches will be covered by the button.
Sew some long white stitches from the centre outwards on each petal to represent the flower's white markings.
I had some fuzzy black trim, which I decided to use for the black anthers in the middle, but you could leave this out, or substitute black felt. If you're using it, sew it on.
Sew on a black or dark brown button.
Cut some crinkly-edged leaf shapes from green felt, and stitch to back of flower. Sew on a brooch pin.
Wear!