What a whopper!

I harvested a parsnip for tea tonight. It was almost dark so I had to guess where the plant was and managed to put the tines of the fork through it as I lifted it but I was over the moon with the monster I dug up. It weighed 700g! I also picked 15 sprouts to try but as we were running late with tea and I suspected them to be full of unwanted bugs I’ve covered them in a salt soak . I think that’s what you do with fresh sprouts full of insects. Normally I’d just take them (the sprouts not the insects!) out of a plastic bag from the freezer once I’ve bought them from a supermarket!

 

Fruit flies

Yesterday I decided to try making relish’s with the fruit we’ve grown.  I had a couple of large cucumbers that weren’t going to get eaten. I scoured the web and came up with these:

Cucumber & Green Tomato

• 2 lb (900 g) green tomatoes
• 2 lb (900 g) cucumbers
• 1 large onion
• 1 large green pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon pickling spice
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 6 oz (175 g) white sugar
• 1 pint (570 ml) white vinegar

Method:

1. Chop all the vegetables finely. Put in layers in a large bowl, sprinkling each layer with the salt. Leave to stand overnight. Tip into a colander and drain well.
2. Put the vinegar, sugar and spices into a pan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and add the vegetables.
3. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is fairly stiff but still moist.
4. Pack the relish into hot, clean, sterilized jars, right to the top.
5. Cover and seal immediately.
6. Label when fully cool.

Makes 3 -4 lbs (1.4 kg – 1.8 kg) of Cucumber and Green Tomato Relish. Ready in about 4 weeks.

Cucumber and Pepper

• 1 lb 8 oz (750 g) cucumber
• 2 large red or yellow peppers
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 6 fl oz (175 ml) red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds

Method:

• Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Chop coarsely into a colander or sieve, sprinkle with the salt and leave for at least an hour.
• Squeeze out the excess moisture.
• Core, de-seed and thinly slice the peppers, put into a bowl with the lime juice and mix well.
• Bring the vinegar to the boil and add the cucumber, peppers, lime juice and mustard seeds.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Makes about 1lb 12 oz (750 g) of relish.

I used all of the green tomatoes we had from two baskets and I had to buy another cucumber to make up the recipie. The recipes say to chop the veg but last time i made a relish, I left the pieces too big and I dont like it so I thought I’d chop it all small. It took ages, a good hour or more. The recipe then says to sprinkle with salt and leave. (Why is that? to remove the excess fluid? Why?) So I did and today it’s full of hundreds of fruit flies. And we have no more fruit to make more and this is just worm food. At least I’ve prepared it nicely for them…

Beans

I don’t really like beans. It’s probably not a fair statement as the only beans I’ve ever really tried are baked beans from a tin but I’m not keen on those. Trouble is, I’m reading all these blogs and forums and when people talk about them and describe themthey sound lovely. Perhaps someone can recommend some good recipes. I’d also appreciate someone explaining about what I think are different stages (which I used to think were different beans) shellies, haricots, driers, green, snap, flagelot etc etc?! How confusing is that?

I’ve also discovered the many types of beans there are to grow! There are lots of colours; green in varying shades, orange, brown, red, black and white, yellow and even blue. I want to grow them as much for the variety in the beans and the flowers. Again, I’d need to learn. Can I plant them all in my garden or plot and have the beans breed true or do I need to isolate and hand pollinate as I’ve read you need to for cucurbits such as courgettes and marrows?

On a forum recently I was reading about beans and they were discussing different types. When I said that I’d never seen one type of bean they were discussing, one member (TS) pm’d me and offered to send my some in exchange for the stamp and an SAE! Aren’t some people lovely!

I wish I’d been growing my own for years. I feel like I’ve wasted all this time buying and eating supermarket food and I should have been learning how to make our food from scratch and showing the kids as I did. There are so many skills that are being lost. I vaguely rememebr being a little girl and watching my great gran when she had a baking day. We were shoed out of the way but I remember bread and pastries covering the tables in the dining room and she seemed to just throw it together and it came out gorgeous. Sadly these skills weren’t handed down and most of what I cooked and served as an adult was “ready” meals. fish-fingers, chicken nuggets etc . Over the last year or two, that’s changing and I’ll learn but I wish I’d done it a long time ago when the kids were little. Oh well, it’s never too late to learn and hopefully the kids aren’t too old to want to help in the kitchen…

Home Grown Food

I’m pleased with myself! Everything on my plate has been produced at home. The eggs from the hens, the beans, courgettes, tomatoes, onions and even the herbs are from out of the garden!

elderflower jelly

Elderflower Jelly Recipe

• 2.5 kg cooking apples, washed and roughly chopped (you can also use 1kg crab apples)
• 20 elderflower heads, roughly chopped
• juice of 3 lemons
• 75g sugar per 100ml liquid

1. Place the apples and the elderflower in a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with just enough water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until very soft.
3. Pour into a jelly bag or a sieve lined with several layers of muslin and allow to drain into a bowl (do not be tempted to squeeze the bag as this will only make the jelly cloudy.)
4. The following morning discard the fruit (I tend to freeze them to make pies later) then measure the volume of the liquid and add 75g sugar per 100ml of fluid.
5. Place the fruit juice, lemon juice and the sugar in a saucepan and heat through, then add the sugar stirring until completely dissolved.
6. Bring to a boil and cook rapidly for about 15 minutes.
7. Test for setting by placing a plate in the fridge. Spoon a little of the jelly onto the plate, allow to cook then move it with your fingernail. If a crinkly skin forms then the jelly is ready. If not continue boiling for 5 minutes more and test again.
8. Skim the surface then ladle into sterilized jars that have been warmed in an oven set to 100°C for 5 minutes. Allow 1cm of head space then secure the lid, allow to cool and store.

My method Changes.

To remove the flowers from the stems I used a fork and because I love the taste of elderflowers, I filled a medium bowl with flowers. The heads had wilted so it was difficult to tell if I was using large or small heads but it was way more than 20 – at least double that.

I put the fruit pulp into a mulsin lined seive but after 8 hours I wasn’t happy that all of the juice had drained out so I gathered the edges of the muslin, tied it with a shoelace and hung it from the cooker extracter overnight and quite a lot more juice drained out.

I used 4 tbsp of lemon concentrate becuase I had no more lemons.

I read that the temperature for jam setting is 220F so instead of testing with a cold plate, I used a thermometer. I did do a plate test which wasn’t crinkling but I put it in jars anyway.

I used the oven to sterilise the jars as it says here but I must have had it too hot (the problem with my oven) and when I put the jelly into the jars it boiled on contact. I put a spoon in the jar to try to stop it from cracking but still lost one jar. I also melted the rubber lining on the metal lids in the oven!

Early Results:

This tastes more of apple with hardly a trace of elderflower. I was really disappointed becuase I wanted it to taste like the cordial.

This recipe made far too much for us too and used up all of my remaining seven jars. I don’t think it will get eaten; DSK tried it and hates how sweet it is. They say that about all of my jams.

Update on the taste trials July 2009:

DFS and others love this jelly. I can now taste the much loved elderflowers. It will be on my list for next year!

Elder flower time again.

This past week I’ve been driving around looking for accessible elderflowers that aren’t growing next to the busy main roads or motorways that surround me. I managed to spot some on a housing estate so I screeched to a halt, parked on the verge, pulled a carrier bag out of the boot and ignored the strange looks I got from local residents. I came home with a carrier bag full and spent the night stripping the flowers off with a fork. I then browsed the web for recipes andI used the recipe I used for the cordial last year andthe champagne recipe from river cottage :

Pineapple Jam

2 pineapples – peeled, cored and chopped finely
1lb sugar per lb of fruit ( I used a 1kg bag)
2 lemons.  Use all parts (zest, juice. Roughly chop reamins and place in muslin bag)

Place fruit in pan with sugar, the lemon  zest and juice and heat gently to disolve the sugar.

My attempt didn’t go to plan and ended up simmering for a few hours. I began rapid boiling for 5 minutes, testing and reboiling for a further 5 minutes if it didnt look as if it was going to set. I tested the setting point but I really haven’t got the hang of it and boiled it for ages.

Early results are that DDJ whom I made it for doesn’t like it. I dont mind it but woudln’t rave about it. It’s pretty much citrusy like marmalade.

turkey curry

03/12/08

Made an ettempt at turkey curry – made lots of changes in last minute. Added 2 more tbsp mild curry powder, added 1 tsp cumin – will find recipe soon and post it

made mixed jam jam tarts and blueberry jam jam tarts with pastry made for pies on sunday

day 6 (&?) no hair washing. hair is so greasy it looks and feels wet. Have taken to wearing a wooly hat if I go out. Thank goodness it’s cold enough to wear one or I’d look a complete idiot. I still brush every day with a natural bristle brush but I am rapidly losing faith that this is going to work.

soap and toasted sandwiches

Made oats, milk & honey soap today

Walked up to asda in the freezing cold to fetch a sandwich toaster (£4.95) as DDj wants ham and red sauce toasted sandwiches for school. Made them all toasted sandwiches. DDJ had ham, DSK had liver sausage and DFS had corned beef

hens, greenhouse & rabbit

Sown perpetual spinach and white lisbon spring onions in 3in pots in the greenhouse

Fed hens very small amount of layers pellets, they’ve eaten some but not much

last night I “jointed” my first rabbit and left on low in the slow cooker with just enough water to cover. I’m hoping the meat will drop off the bones and I’ll be able to make a stew, or casserole or pie with it later today. I wonder if you can freeze it once it’s cooked.. hmmm…. yep I can. Cook it, allow it to cool, pack it, store it.

Mixed 1 dsp bicarb of soda with 1 dsp of water and applied to face. I read that it is good for acne. Left for about 5 minutes and rinsed off. Face felt a little sore and tingly but very clean. Need a moisturiser now.

Found these on Yahoo from Fabulously broke in the city:

Baking Soda Mask to Fight Acne
This is so easy to make and can work wonders if your skin likes it. (Remember, not every cause of acne is the same, so you need to try different remedies and masks until you find the ones that work for you.)
All you need are two ingredients. Baking Soda (ie bicarbonate of soda NOT baking powder) and water.
Mix a little together in your hands after washing your face with a mild cleanser and apply gently to your skin. Once you’ve coated your face with the baking soda and water mix, let it sit while you do other things around the house, or relax and read a book.
Rinse the baking soda film off your face and feel how soft and clear it feels. If your skin enjoys this recipe, and your acne improves, then you may try it several times a week to help clear your acne.

Egg White Mask
This is simple and quite frugal. There have been many instances of people reporting excellent results from trying it.
What is it? Egg white. Simple egg white.
All you need to do is separate the yolk from the egg whites. Then whip the egg whites until it is nice and frothy. Apply it to your clean face (using clean hands). Leave on for approximately 20 minutes and wash off with warm water.
The result? Tightening of the skin, clearing of red spots.
Possible side effects? If you’re allergic to eggs, of course, avoid this one.

Egg Yolk Mask
Egg Yolks contain Vitamin A which is good for scarring. To attempt this method of acne treatment, whip up an egg yolk, apply it to your skin for 20 minutes. Wash off.
There is some discussion as to whether or not you can catch salmonella from putting egg yolk on your skin. Do a little research before trying this one.

Acne Tonic with Basil
2 to 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 C. boiling water
Steep basil leaves in water for 10 to 20 minutes. Cool, then apply to face with a white cotton ball.

Blackhead Remover Mask
1/2 cup fuller’s earth
1 tsp. tincture of benzoin
distilled witch hazel
Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. Apply the mask to your skin. Let mask dry and harden – about 30-40 minutes. Soak a small hand towel in warm water and lay it across your face.
When the mask starts to soften up, gently rub it with the towel in a circular motion. Rinse with plenty of warm water.

Sea Salt or Table Salt Mask
Swim in the ocean (or buy sea salt and make a mask). Or just gently wash with salt & water mixed.

Oatmeal Mask
Another kitchen remedy. Blend some oatmeal with water and gently spread it onto your skin. Leave it until it dries (10-15 minutes). This mask is gentle and safe.

Made measuring stick for seed sowing. Used a broom stale and measure inches on one side and cm on the other. I coated the markings and numbers in clear nail varnish.