Thoughtful Bounty .... And making The Most Of It.

Summer .... however rubbish ... is rattling on ... and the Autumn almost upon us.... I know ... I know ...not had any summer yet ..an all that!

But I feel its more important than ever to harvest whatever we can ... save and store for the coming months ... 'things' are not getting any easier ..... and food is as expensive as ever.

So what a thoughtful boon.... a kindly gift ... a

 'Waste Not Want Not' 

kind of 

'Pass it On'.

I called ... as usual at 'Collin the Veg' for my weekly order of veggie goodies ...and it must be said his prices are very reasonable.

 As it was the end of the trading day (at the carboot/market) he said could I do 'anything' with some bananas and cooking apples ... they were okay ... just getting a bit over ripe ... and of course he could not sell them the following day ... so they would be thrown in the rubbish ....wasted.

 I said of course .... Yes Please.

Well .... he said.... I know you do all that proper cooking ... jam and cakes and stuff ... and will do something with them.

 

 And what bounty it was ..... a big box full of apples and bananas!

I set to as soon as we got home ... it was a very ripe boxful ... the whole van smelled like a banana.

I simply chopped all the apple and filled my trusty 'Big Pan' .... simmering them and putting them through a cloth to make some Apple Jelly.

 

I used 8 of the ripest bananas to make a batch of Banana Bread ...

It turned out really well ... I've not made it before ...I just got a recipe off the Internet .... modified it a bit to what ingredients I had in the cupboard. 

 Jelly turned out fine ... just a simple Apple Jelly ....I eat loads of it ... just love it with pork, or chicken ...or cheese ... or stirred into a sauce or stirfry .... Yum.

 It seems banana bread is a hit .... I made it yesterday and this is all that is left of a large loaf tin sized cake ...Hubby P has discovered it tastes just lovely slavered in butter .... 'keeps his strength up' ... or so he tells me.

Don't know why I bothered wrapping it in tinfoil ... telling myself 'well ... it says it will keep a good week ... and it is better ... is more moist ... after a day or two' ... fat chance in this household!

In the midst of the baking etc Hubby P walked in with a big bag of runner beans from a neighbour ... well they too needed to be sorted ... chopped, blanched and popped in the freezer for another day, a little work but so welcome to brighten our meals in the coming weeks.

 We had some for dinner with our pork steaks ... and a little apple jelly of course.

Still lots of bananas left here .... I've had bananas with my bran flakes, bananas and custard .... Richard has eaten a few .... Hubby P .... well .... I can only get fruit into him in the guise of cake/pudding etc ... so the banana bread is a good bet .... any good banana ideas? ..... anyone tried banana curry?

How is your harvesting going ...any ideas for interesting preserves? .... I'm getting a bit bored with the same old jams etc.

Bye for now x

Just How Many Courgettes Can A Girl Eat ?.........

Well what a glut .... I know we are very lucky to have plenty of food ...but just how many courgettes can a girl eat?

 

It seems everyday there are more and more of them .... they seem to be breeding in the fridge veggie box.

It was doing that 'rainy' thing again this morning so I resolved to deal with the fridge-y stuff.

I picked all the courgettes I could see ... even quite small ones .. I just know there will be heaps more in a day or two, and grabbed what was in the fridge.

 

 

Sliced um all up and put them on trays to open freeze ....then I can bag um up in large-ish bags/or tubs maybe ....so much easier when they are not all stuck together ...I can just get a few out for a stir fry or whatever.

 

Been getting rather a lot of cucumbers too .... so I made some of the cucumber and onion pickle .... we eat it by the ton ...so yummy.

Its just a case of slicing up some onion and cucumber and pouring over some malt vinegar... I add a bit of sugar. 

I keep a jar of it in the fridge and as we eat it I add more bits and pieces of cucumber and onion .... until the vinegar looks a bit cloudy ....then I start afresh.

 

Mushrooms looked a bit dodgy ... this humid weather everything goes off so quick, so I peeled them ...they looked a bit better.... chopped um up... rooted in the fridge for other 'need to be used up' stuff... and made a quiche-y thing for tea.

I filled the oven whilst it was on .... Hubby P appreciates the odd bit of home baking.

He always looks forward to his bit of 'Flypaper'.... anyone else know of 'flypaper'? 

Its how I use up the last little bit of pastry ....roll it out into a little square...spread a bit of butter on...a few sultanas....sprinkle of sugar....fold over... and lightly roll...to 'squash the flies'.

It was my Dad who called it Flypaper ....I've grown up with it ...Dad use to smear butter all over it too...but that's a bit too rich for me.

  

xx

Rain!.....Oh come on ....really.. its Summer for goodness sake!

Hello there....how is it with you ....don't tell me .... you have a drop of rain!

I'm tired of it ... just can't get any outside jobs done....

 The dogs are tired of it ... poor old girl.... Fly feels the damp in her old bones and really didn't want to leave her bed until I lit the fire and she could doze in front of it.

 

 Percy the Pigeon is tired of the rain .... he's taken to roosting in the woodshed at night and wandering the garden during the day.

He didn't want to leave his roost this morning in the downpour that was the daylong weather ... so Hubby P gave him breakfast in bed .... you can see the remains of the grain on the logs if you look carefully.

I think I have gone wrong somewhere ..... Can't say I remember when I last had breakfast in bed! 

 Even our comings and goings through the gate and Uncas ... 'Gate Guarding' as he does ...even in the rain/snow or whatever.. given the chance....couldn't shift Percy.

For those of you who have followed the saga of Percy ...he is a lot better and quite a happy chappy moochin about the garden, his wing seems to be stronger and he has an attempt at flying now and then but its not great. 

I don't know that we can do any more for him ... hopefully he is a little safer whilst he stays in the garden.

Even Hubby P is tired of the constant rain....he sits in the doorway ....his favourite spot....watching the rain ....

 He had company today ....one or two little birds sheltering under the apple tree .... and can you see him .... sat watching Hubby P ....as Hubby P sat watching him....

 Directly across in the tatty old tool shed.....

A little bird ... sheltering from the rain....

Well that's been my day .... to be honest not a lot done .....rain stops play as they say .... 

Any excitement in your lives ... what do you do these rainy days?

xx

 

Just a Catch Up....Chutneys..Jams..Cupboards & Stuff

How nice to see the sunshine .... hurrah ...lets make the most of it ...it warms me old bones just lovely!

Just a quick catch up ... and a few pic's ... we all like to have a look at a few pic's ... take an interest in others doings, at least I do. (well .. that's the polite way to put it..  he he)

 

Pretty flowers from the garden ... I know we moan about the rain, but everything is growing like fury.

I had another load of rhubarb the other day... and a bag full from a kind friend ... just how much rhubarb crumble can a girl eat? ...don't answer that 

...especially with cream

 .. or custard 

..how about raspberry ripple icecream

  .... oh yum yum

... enough  ... enough!

Anyway I got out the trusty Big Pan

Had a rummage in the freezer and to the rhubarb added some apple and gooseberries, good slosh of water and simmered /softened them... put them through a jelly cloth.

To each pint of juice I added 1lb of sugar and boiled it up.

Very slap dash and 'make it up as you go along' ... but you know what its the most yummy jam/jelly

...just didn't make enough if it!

 Waiting for the boiling jam to jell I stood gawking out of the kitchen window ... it must be the most 'looked at view' by the majority of womenfolk....

(Dont look at the mucky windows)

I'm lucky I have nice green space to look out on .... admittedly a lot of it is weed at the moment .. but its pretty weed ...and its my weed.

Hows your view? Do you too enjoy your weeds?

There should have been some photos of an enormous bag of beetroot here ...I knowww! 

I just so know how to tease you ...I really live it up here....

Unfortunately the camera was 'sick' ....something about having to reconfigure the card ... I don't really know ... Richard just 'fixed it'...I was supposed to be watching and learning ...but hey!

I know how to make Chutney and jam ...what more do they want?

The beetroot was given to me on Sunday afternoon....Colin 'the veg' (Greengrocer extraordinaire ....he has a stall at the carboot sale) was packing away as I sidled over to snaffle any bargains.

 I had bought my bag of bargain veg when he asked if I could 'do anything with' the beetroot....it had been bagged for sale and was sweating a bit in the bags and getting past its best. I took it thankfully and boiled it up Sunday evening in the Big Pan.

Next day I riffled the cupboards and freezer to find 'interesting' things to throw in to make a Fruity Spicy Beetroot Chutney, again...make it up as you go along.

It made a good 7 large jars...being chutney it needs to sit for a few weeks to develop its flavour ... so we will have a tasting in the Autumn with lots of tasty hotpots and shepherds pie.

Of course Colin ..'the veg' got his jar of chutney too.

 

Bit of a problem with the food situation in this house .... major problem has arisen since I have discovered Approved Foods ...I think I get a bit carried away ...we seem to have masses of 'bargain' food ....and no cupboard space.

Hubby P came home with this dinky little meatsafe/cupboard the other day ... 'just the thing' I thought ...and it will fit just nicely next to the other cupboard ...the one that is full to bursting with good bargain foods.

I gave it a good wash and a lick of paint ...and guess what ....it was sunshining, so it dried in no time.

 

Its ideal for storing jars of produce ...funnily enough I have one or two jars of chutney past me ... and some jam....and the way the garden is growing no doubt there will be more goodies to squirrel away for the cold winter months.

Is it just me or have you started your jams and jellies?

Bye for now ..... take care x 

Hanging Out With The Guys In The Evenings ...

Yes ....I know rain ...more rain...& rain and rain..

I'm heartily sick of it.... and now they say its to be a record breaking wet July too.

So much for the photo's of us enjoying our garden... Hubby P has taken to mooching about outside in the evenings....it seems to be dry then.
He has his little bunch of Guys to keep him company...

Remember Percy the pigeon ... well all his feathers grew back and his wing seemed a lot better so we released him from the cage... but he's still hanging around.
He has taken up residence behind the shed...and roosts on an old step ladder...coo-ing softly to us.

And another of the rascally gang....

 Can you see him?

Geoffrey the mouse .... coming out to play ....well feed actually.

On one of the less rainy days I had a good old weeding session...I cleared the garden bed around the apple tree. Its where we feed the birds so there is always lots of spilt seed and crumbs from the bird table, which often sprout into ....well quite tasty lookin weeds actually.

Now I have cleared the weeds anyone or 'anymouse'  ....'knockin about' ...can easily be seen .... not that Geoffrey is that bothered by us wandering about.

He sits happily chewing on a morsel...

........ and communes with Hubby P.

 

 Here's a random pic I had on the camera ...its the lovely bottles of Elderflower cordial... I must put some by for wintertime.

And something bright and pretty to cheer a Girl...

Do you like my new tin ....it has little handles and everything!

I think its just so cheery and pretty ....I shall keep my bits and bobs in it for the 'ongoing' quilt ...so handy on the windowsill ...it may inspire me to do a little each evening. 

Here is the 'ongoing' quilt ....as you can see it is quite large...and very random! 

I shall just keep plodding away with it ...after all there is no rush to finish it ...it just keeps my hands busy without me having to employ my brain very much.

As Gran use to say ...'The Devil makes work for idle hands'...

Anyway enough of me ...how are you? 

Keep warm.... keep dry... it sounds like winter..... roll on summer!

Take care xx

 

A Wild and Weedy Garden of Delights....

A lovely day today.. the wind did rage ..and ragg the trees but we seem to be in a sheltered spot...

 so it was nice to spend some time moochin in the garden.

Will picked a whole heap of Elderflowers ... they smell just so delicious...the air is scented with them.... they are just so 'Summer'.

Whilst I tackled the Gooseberries .... big.. fruity... juicy berries to give a zing to our pies and puddings!

 Hubby P espied me at my picking from his shed/oops sorry 'workshop'....and not wanting to be left out ... it is a very Summer-y thing... a nice 'Harvest Natures Bounty' kind a thing...he tackled the bushes with gusto!

He tells me he is a natural because he knows for a fact ...'He Was Found Under a Gooseberry Bush' .... its perfectly true his Mother said so!

As we picked I began to think that maybe it was a good idea to foster this 'picking the Gooseberries' being a manley ... 

rugged even...sort of thing to do...afterall the bushes were very, very prickly. If anyone was going to be scratched to death and have a bad back ....well... these manley sorts can bear it that bit better than me.

Of course I will make the puddings and pies!

 We had an awfully big dish full...

 Just look at this little lot ....they looked and smelled amazing ...such bounty ....we are so lucky to be able to step into our garden...our own little bit of Eden ....and harvest such wonders.

Whilst I wandered the garden ... and brushed past the plants the Lavender gave up its scent ....so strong in the fresh sun warmed air.

I couldn't resist a bunch for the house. 

The sound of a chainsaw shattered the fragrant stillness of the garden ....I went to investigate and found Will sawing logs ready for the fire.

Free wood! ... always a thrill...

Will had done a 'Tree Job' the other day and brought home some of the wood....the people whose trees were thinned don't have a wood burner ....and were happy to give the wood to Will... lucky for us.

I must say some of it was burnt tonight ...we are still lighting the woodburner ....its chilly in the evenings ... and it dries the washing. 

The wood is/was Ash ...it burns green.... doesn't have to be stored/seasoned/dried out. 

What did I do with my bounty?

Well the Elderflowers are at this moment turning themselves into Elderflower cordial...a wonderful fragrant drink ... It will keep well and give touch of summer in the dark cold months.

A cordial ... we dilute it with plain water, fizzy water, vodka if you like....or even poured over icecream....its lovely.

The Goosegogs I 'topped and tailed'...what a job...I did notice Hubby P managed to wriggle out of that one... very busy 'making a living' was his line..

Anyway they are in the freezer ready for future use ....I may make a bit of jam...and the rest will be used for fruit crumbles, pies and the like.

Anyway ....what have you been doing today? how is your garden growing...I noticed my Sprouts are doing well with all this rain ..

Do drop me a line/leave me a comment ... like to think I am not just babbling on to myself!..

Bye for now x

Finds ....Flowers ... and Craftiness...and A Surprise Visiter!

Hello ...

Just a few pic's of this weeks finds...I should have blogged/posted much earlier but I have spent lots of time sat on the bench outside watching the birds, and enjoying the sun.

I do hope the sunshine is here to stay for a while...

 

How do you like my new basket?....well its an old basket really...bit battered and little unravelled ....bit like me!

But I thought it a shame not to bring it home and enjoy it for a while....it can moulder its life away looking pretty with some of my vintage terracotta pots. 

And how about these vintage buckles for something amazing .... Hubby P found them in an old battered tin .... now there's an exciting project in the offing... what can I make that will show off their fabulous-ness?

 

 Hankies...who doesn't just love a nice crisp fresh hanky ....I found a pile of them in an old suitcase...bit musty....bit of a good old boil up in an old pan and they are just fine. There were very many of them so I have done the usual ...some for me and some on ebay to help restore the funds spent in buying them.

And a bit of Craftiness....

 Last week I had someone ask me if I had any pincushions for sale ...knowing I was a crafty-type person. 

Of course a body never has what one is asked for! ... so I thought I ought to make a couple...or three....just in case!

I just used some odd teacups and scraps of vintage fabric ... worked well I thought....quite pretty.

Sat in the garden...

...of which I have done a lot of today...lazy mare that I am ..the air was filled with the scent of Elderflowers...lovely.

 Great creamy ....frothy heads of flowers...the size of dinner plates.

I have the makings of Elderflower cordial ...just have to pick a few lower heads ....maybe tomorrow.

~~~~~

Well....Hubby P has just walked in with Happy News ...

Guess who's back?

...or should I say happy to stop have a chat and his picture taken.

Do you remember Geoffrey....and the Geoffrey family?

For those of you who don't have the plesure of the aquaintence of ...the Geoffrey's

...they are a family of mice who live quite happily, in the garden, under an old Belfast sink. They venture out of an evening to munch on any titbit's left by the birds in the birdhouse/feeding table. 

Hubby P spends many an evening chatting with them as they munch on varied delicacies (rice is a favourite) and he.... Hubby P has a cigarette. I think they know him from the smell of the cigarette smoke and are quite happy to go about their business.

Of course now we have no cat ...do you remember we lost Charlie Cat earlier this year...so maybe there are a lot more little Geoffrey's than in past years....I know we have lots more birds.

Anyway nice to see Geoffrey out and about again, and happy to be in the limelight!

Who knows we might get to meet some baby Geoffrey's soon....I'll keep you posted..

Bye for now x