Crab Apple Scrump

I visited a tree tonight that I have had my eye on for a while. Got everything I could without a ladder whilst in the dark. I now have around 5lb of crab apples... what to do with them?

I thought I would try one to gauge the taste/astringency. A lucky find it seems. Really good apple flavour and quite edible, still of course high on the "tart" scale. I think I would either like to make some crab apple brandy or crab apple cheese. Just found this image on flickr. If I can get some tasty hawthorn berries then I might go for this recipe.

I feel this weekend will involve some serious jar sterilisation.

Bobbins

I've been meaning to share with you some pictures of my lovely sewing machines.

I have two - my first came to me when I was little - because I wanted to use my mum's all the time and she got me this to distract me - what a lovely distraction!

I think it dates from 1907 (your Singer enthusiasts could tell me more!). That is what I worked out from the serial number anyway. There is a grapevine embossed on the metal plate. It comes in a case that locks with a key

I recently looked for a few extra spools that hold thread under the needle and amazed the gentleman in the shop that yes, I meant the OLD-style spool, which has this shuttle shape, rather than the round ones that sewing machines are all made with now.

Look at the lovely decoration on the top of the machine here too - what a beauty!

***

I was recently very lucky to recieve an electric sewing machine from a lovely lady on Freecycle. I've never been very confident with electrics, because I feel it will run away from me, but it's ok really, just need to be brave. This machine folds into an old Singer table and I can imagine them all lined up in a factory buzzing away.

It has a little drawer for bobbins

Which is sometimes raided by Tomas (we have enough problems baby-proofing regular drawers)

And here it is standing proud - a Cresta. Not so famous as Singer - but it does extra stiches, little tiny ones, long ones and zig-zag ones.

Tomatoes

Over the past few weeks we've been picking blackberries, bilberries, cowberries and cropping a few select things from our garden. We've had some good crumbles and our freezer is filling up nicely too.

I've been really enjoying feeding Tomas the odd handful of fruit as we pass down the garden path on our way out somewhere - blackberries and raspberries mainly. He pops them in like sweeties. And I was surprised one day to come home and find Tomas sat on the wall with James chewing the end of a spring onion like a pro!

Just been out in the garden to survey the tomatoes we are growing. I have now realised that the toms that I thought might be ripening and were stuck on yellow ('not enough sun to get them red' I thought) are actually supposed to be a yellow variety - and so I am a little late in getting to some of them, but there are loads on the vine yet to come, so I'm ok. They are tumbling toms for pots, and the plants are so tight and cabbage-y that the toms themselves are actually hard to pick because they are curled so snugly into the plant. I am definitely going to grow these again next year, they've been no trouble and look like producing a good harvest.

The purple variety are looking a lovely muddy red, which I expect to darken to purple over the next couple of weeks.

One of my plants has been knocked over by torrential rain - they are staked outside our door rather than being in a greenhouse, so that makes them a little bit vulnerable to whatever the weather throws at them. So I've some little green ones that need to be cuddled by a banana in a dark place to make them lovely.

And as for these oh-so-expensive seeds - they have come to pretty much nothing. Well, I've got about 20 teeny, tiny tomatoes on the plants, but the plants look yellow and sad, and nothing like the hundreds and thousands that they were supposed to produce. And ok, so we might not have watered them every day. Or given them a feed once a week. But basically, if you can't tough it out, then there is no place for you in our garden - we've not got the time for faffing!

Everywhere I walk or drive now I have one eye on the road ahead and one on the trees and hedgerows. Looking out for scrumping opportunities. And there are several, some crab apples and a couple of eaters. Do we just help ourselves to trees overhanging public places? Or knock on some doors and ask if the owners of trees plan on using them all? Or just wait until we can scrump my mum's Bramley and be legit?

Damson Delights

We headed to Hertfordshire a few weeks back to visit family. Walking into the local town we found that almost every path way was lined with damson trees, dropping their fruit all over the place. The forager in me could not be contained and I had to pick a few. Then a few more... then about 12lb later we stopped. Most of the fruits were red but below is a mixture of the colours we picked. They were about the size of a massive supermarket "best" cherry. So what to go with our glut?

The first thing I did was to make a cake with the initial pavement pickings. I simply cut some damsons in half and lay them at the bottom of a cake tin. I then made a basic Victoria sponge mix and poured it on top. Turned over the result was delicious. A simple way to take any fruit and make a easy and impressive cake! The final few from the first forage Laura made into jam. We added a couple of unripe damsons and these would contain more pectin and help it set.

The main 12lb horde was bagged and boxed and brought back home to Sheffield. The first thing I did was to make some damson gin. Just by chance I had half a bottle of Gordon's finest sitting in the drinks cabinet. So in went some sugar, say enough to fill half and inch at the bottom of the bottle, and the damsons. Now normally you should prick the damsons and let them infuse the gin, that's what all my books say. I wanted to use the existing bottle so I cut them in half so they could fit and the results look good. Recent checks in the quality of taste has proved positive ;) This is going to be a great tipple in the winter.

Next is Rumtopf. We love rum and we love soft fruits. So it is very important to combine the both and make trifle for Christmas with it. It tastes great and gets you rather drunk if you are not careful. So we cleaned out our one of our good old ceramic Rumtopf jars and poured a whole bottle of rum in. Then damsons - lots - but not too much so any fruit pokes above the liquid. Finally a good sprinkle of sugar.

We of course need to eat some damsons there and then. You can't store them all. So Laura made a sticky-crusty crumble to keep me happy. The way to a man's heart...

Next chutney. Why pay for chutney in my cheese sandwiches over the next year when I can make it. Onions are needed as a base for my recipe and these home-grown organic winter onions are perfect.

The recipe: 1.4kg (3lb) damsons, 675g (1.5lb) apples, 450g (1lb) onions, 450g (1lb) sultanas, 38g (1oz) salt, 225g (0.5lb) white sugar, 1.15l (2 pints) white vinegar, 1 teaspoon all spice, 0.5 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon ginger, 0.25 teaspoon cayenne, 0.25 teaspoon mace. Yield 5lbs.

I found this recipe had an excess of liquid and a pint or so had to be taken out as the chutney was very ready. Not sure why? Maybe some very juicy fruits.

Finally we ended up with many jars of chutney. Here are a few pictured with some of Laura's freshly baked bread. Yum!

Slinging

Wearing babies is nothing new, so really why it should get such funny looks I've no idea. But a pram is part of the new baby 'kit' and therefore difficult to avoid. And there is not much information out there about slings, whereas prams are EVERYWHERE!

So I got a pram. And a sling. It was a Baby Bjorn; babywearing devotees turn their noses up at it (I now know) because it does not hold the baby anatomically correctly. And it does hurt your back once they get heavy. But I loved it (until he got heavy, and my back hurt!). I remember walking around just me and my baby and it felt wonderful and snuggly and safe. And as a bonus he would often be asleep when I got home and I cold get a warm drink before he woke up.

Since then a friend converted me to the Ergo carrier. Which has the benefit of the Baby Bjorn - click-click and you can go. But it holds baby correctly, and can be used on the front, back and hip.

I also have a HotSling which is literally a hoop of fabric which baby can sit in on your hip when he is old enough to hold his head. It rolls up small. But is not great for long walks.

But for ages now I've had yearnings to try out a wrap. There are hundreds to choose from. And now I've found plenty of forums to get some advice. And today I got my hands on my first wrap. We love it.

There are numerous health benefits to babywearing - but taking the simple, practical basics - it leaves your hands free and you don't have to wrestle a pram over a style.

Mincemeat

I know that August is a little early to be getting excited about Christmas. But it seems that most of the family will be coming to ours to share in the twinkly joy with little Tomas, so I feel like I want to make a bit of a fuss. Obviously cooking for 8 and a half in a small kitchen in a small house will be fun, so my cunning plan is to prepare as much as possible in advance. Hence getting started in August. Hence the mincemeat.

I've a friend who is mad about Nigella Lawson's cooking. And I borrowed her book - Feast - a while back. And I've been planning some rhubarb vanilla mincemeat from it ever since. And finally made it at the weekend. The photos tell the story. I can't describe the taste in words. But surely as it made 3 jars I could be forgiven for opening one before Christmas, in perhaps late summer, just to see how it was maturing...?

First you have to chop loads of rhubarb and apple and mix in tons of dark brown sugar

One it has all cooked down a little you can add the barrel load of dried fruits, raisins, sultanas and currants. And spices - vanilla pods, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, coriander seeds and grate a little nutmeg over. Feeling Christmassy yet..?

Pretty soon the house fills with spicy scents. I challenge anyone to resist a sly spoonful while it bubbles for half an hour... Stir through the brandy, then the mincemeat can be bottled, with a little extra brandy on top. It is darker than this photo shows. Dark and spicy and waiting to be made into mince pies...

Onions

Currently sizzling on the hob are these onions

We grow good onions. Don't know how - but they like us and we like them. Especially in a little butter.

We've been so busy with work and the baby that the garden is looking a little neglected. But we've a long holiday coming up - so it is high time we dusted down the spade and got back to it!

Soil envy

In the spirit of 'making the best of what we've got' I decided to do a little research about our soil to nip a developing soil-envy in the bud!

Visiting family in the south I was so impressed by the beautiful soil they have (and take for granted). It is crumbly, brown, soft and everything seems to grow so well (including the weeds - ha ha!). It seems to be everything that soil should be.

By comparison our soil is rubbish. It is clay, rock hard when dry, soggy when wet - growing bulbs is impossible, root veg a dream, it takes forever to warm up in the spring and you can apparently even walk on it too much - making all the problems even worse.

So what is good about it? Well, as water doesn't drain out of it quickly, it holds moisture and nutrients well. Mix in a little organic material (compost, manure) and you have yourself a rich, healthy soil which will give good results.

I don't know how many times I have searched for 'clay' and 'shade' options in the BBC Plant Finder but there are a number of plants which really love our garden. And I love the rewards that a day of backbreaking digging brings. Who needs the easy option?

Go Go Goji

We already use a couple of window boxes to grow salad and tomatoes. In our effort to use all the available space in the garden we went out and bought a load of window boxes. Lined up they look quite good and have been seeded with many different types of salad, spinach and spring onion.

We have also bought and planted out three Wolfberry plants. These are commercially known as Goji berries and are meant to be a "superfood". We were given last Christmas some vouchers for a plant supplier and could not make a decision on what to buy. We chose these plants because they are something a little different and can survive down to -15ºC. It will be interesting to see what kind of crop we get.

Pondlife

When I am out in the garden I can get distracted by many different things. It is one of the joys of being outside after all. Our garden is only small, but by lifting a stone or turning a leaf you can encounter another animal's whole world. You can either be in the moment just enjoying whatever is going on around you or you can be in it for the long haul, planning what to grow and how it might turn out. One thing I love is watching Tomas calm down almost as soon as he is outdoors.

I found the perfect excuse to get distracted yesterday. And it was all about this little creature!

Yep! Our pond has newts! I love to think of them breezing down the back road looking for new opportunities - and they chose us! I used to have a pet newt (long story) when I was little. That was in the days before they were protected. As suitable habitats for amphibians are reduced newts find themselves at risk, so it is now illegal to move, sell or kill them. Like most amphibians they live in the water to breed and the rest of the year they hide out in the area around a pond which is usually a good place for stones, long grasses and therefore the small animals which they eat. I love the way they look primeval - like ancient creatures who got left behind.

It seems that out wildlife pond is starting to mature now for real, and we are both excited about it. James wrote earlier about watching damselflies, we have plenty of frogs, snails and now a newt. There is loads of advice out there about making your pond a good place for wildlife. The best thing to do is to leave nature to take its course - so, not too much gardening or management required. That kind of suits us! So our plan for the area has to be to leave well alone. The most we might do is add a wood pile.

I think the pond might become my new favourite place for watching the world go by.

Onion Patch

On Saturday we decided to put some more effort into the design of the garden. Remember, our idea is to make the most of what we have rather than dwell on what we don't. And one thing I do have a lot of is brick. When digging up the 13m length privet last Easter I found loads of bricks buried in the ground. A few of these have been used to boarder a patch we are going to use the grow some onions. I had to move a couple of compost bins to a new home and I still have some serious digging to do, but I think it looks good. We also headed to the DIY shop to buy some concrete slabs. One of these has been put down along with a brick path to the bins. I used some nice bricks that I got from freecycle that all have "Wombwell", a town only 10 miles away, stamped into them. I have another 5 slabs to put down and we are going to take up lots of our turf to extend the growing area.

Behind the onion patch we have got lots of window boxes to grow many salad vegetables which will use the tarmac area more efficiently. These were filled today, it started to pour with rain before I could get a photo.

Next to the pond, at the back of the garden, the last root of privet was too much of a challenge to remove. It still took a serious battering and a chainsaw through the top, but guess what, it is now growing back. What the heck am I going to do with this thing? I think an axe and some copper sulphate drilled into what is left is in order.

The most expensive seeds I ever planted...

Now, I love my tomatoes. I covet exotic sorts in the shops and moan that so many are flown in from Europe. Tomaotes go with every meal imaginable and as a snack straight from the vine. Growing odd varieties myself is the perfect solution. While I was pregnant last year I had a strange aversion to them - and many of the ones I grew went to waste as James doesn't like them at all. This year will be different...

Normally the seeds I buy come in at around £3 a pack for anywhere between 50-500 seeds. But the 100's and 1000's tomato seeds only have 8 in the pack - which made me treat them with a certain reverence. Reports suggest that you can crop over 2000 tomatoes from a single plant! They are tiny tomatoes, but numerous! By the way, I don't think I'll track their harvest fruit by fruit - but I might count how many bowlfulls we get.

I sowed and grew 2 plants. Today will be their first full day outdoors (I think it'll be a scorcher!). Last night I put them each in a hanging basket with plenty of homemade compost and some shop stuff. I'm not really very good at hanging baskets as they tend to dry out quickly and I get bored of watering them. So I lined the baskets with plastic to keep any mosture in. Once tomatoes are in fruit they don't appreciate getting dry. Trimming off the excess plastic liner was remeniscent of trimming pastry to make a flan case. Which makes me wonder what tasty food they will end up in.

A quick photo of strawberries, spinach and lettuce (haven't they done well!) and my cordon tomatoes (black cherry).

Seedlings moving into the garden remind me that summer is pretty much here. And blossom on autumn fruiting plants is just coming out. This blackberry is a crazy F1 that produces huge fruit. And it is the first in the row of fruit canes/bushes to even think about flowering. Isn't it pretty?

Tomorrow it is forecast for lots of thundery rain. Bring it on! Our water butt is almost empty. Bad weather tommorrow means that we should be out there right now making the most of today!

Large Red Damselfly

The pond is looking really healthy at the moment. Plenty of little frogs poking their heads out between the plants. And plenty of pond snails that seem to have bred so well. I was just outside topping the pond up with rain water when I spotted a damselfly.

By the time I went indoors to get my camera it had met up with a second and began to mate.

I am no dragonfly expert so I looked up the British Dragonfly Society to get my identification. This is the "Pyrrhosoma nymphula - Large Red Damselfly". There are only two red varieties in the UK. This is the common variety found over most of the country. The Small Red Damselfly, the other, is rare and not found up north but is easily differentiated by its reddish legs. I managed to get a photo of the pair in the wheel formation. What a nice find.

Hawthorn Booze

Now what did I do with the hawthorn blossom? Well it has been used to infuse some vodka and brandy and the results are quite nice.

On Sunday evening I put the blossom into some muslin cloth to make a teabag. I then looked at our drinks cupboard and found the dregs of some vodka and some brandy. I simply poured them into some kilner jars and shoved in the tea bag. A good shake, and a sniff, every day for four days and now I have something quite interesting.

The vodka (on the left) has really taken on a brown colour. The brandy started off much darker so no change there. Both smell strongly of a beautiful almond, almost marzipan, aroma. I then poured them back into their bottles. I had to give the teabag a good squeeze as a good percentage of the drink was absorbed into the cloth and blossom. The initial drink was clear but squeezing the teabag move some musty liquid into the mix.

Opening the teabag I can see that not all the blossom parted with its flavours. It must have been packed too tight. Next time I do this I will not use a teabag, I'll just pop the blossom in straight and filter it afterwards.

The real question is what does it taste like?! As I said before the smell is amazing which for any drink is important. I am not a vodka fan but the result was quite nice. There is a dry earthy taste on top of the almond taste. Just the same taste as if you eat the blossom straight from the tree, maybe not a surprise. The brandy however worked slightly differently. The brandy and almond combination was perfect. It took on a creamy taste that then disappeared to leave a more subtle earthy taste. I think I need to go and pick a lot more blossom and buy a new bottle of brandy...

Walking Weekend

Just had a fantastic weekend with a couple of friends. We went on two brilliant walks. With my inspired "wild food" head, out looking for some good finds.

The first walk on Saturday was around a local reservoir. We found a few hawthorn trees on the main route around, but surprisingly the blossom did not smell or taste that nice. In fact it had a slightly burnt taste. Half way around the reservoir we decided to extend the walk by heading into the woods. We found a little apple tree that may need another visit in the future. An enjoyable day but only 1/10 on the wild food Richter scale.

Now our Sunday walk was a different story. We headed to the moors and came across lots of bilberry bushes. There are acres around but these are the nearest to my house I have found yet, a good find. As we headed away from the open moorland and down towards a reservoir we found a hawthorn tree. Now this hawthorn was very different - strong, rich almond fragrances. In fact I have never smelt such a nice blossom. We collected some and they have gone to some good use... I will talk about that later this week.

The next stage of our walk was an eye-opener. We found the most amazing forest. The whole floor was covered in bluebells. I found loads of wild garlic, which made me very happy. And the biggest beech trees I have ever seen. Over 4m in circumference! I want to try and harvest these come autumn. I also found Yellow Archangel, part of the dead nettle family, which can be put in salads or stir-fried. I must remember to get a photo next time.

Heading home we found an area that looked like it was once an orchard. Two surviving apple trees may yield some nice fruit one day. I also spotted a tree I could not identify. I now know it is a Wych Elm. Several healthy specimens, a wonderful sight to see. What a great weekend.

Wild Foods - Part I - Trees

Last weekend's wild food walk was an amazing experience. I have now been through the photos and done a little extra research. We found quite a bit on a short walk around Sheffield. Here are details of the trees...

Cherry

The cherry tree is found on many a street corner around these parts. At this time of year the blossom is a good indicator of what trees to keep your eye on. Too much blossom and it is probably an ornamental variety. A more modest blossom volume may be a fruiter. I have spied several trees near me which I will be trying to harvest before the birds. In town though, at lower altitudes, this tree had finished with the blossom and already started to make fruit.

Beech

Beech nuts are something to look forward to in the future. Beech leaves can be eaten too. Now they are too tough. You need to pick them when they are younger and a lighter colour. Maybe next year I need to try Beech Leaf Gin.

Wild Service

The wild service tree was once quite common, but today you will be very lucky to spot one indeed. They have hawthorn-like leaves which turn yellow-orange through to brown or red. This specimen has been planted in a local community garden. The berries are edible.

Whitebeam

Whitebeam leaves are much lighter on their underside. This tree produces berries, all varieties of which are edible.

Silver Birch

Silver Birch Trunk

The young leaves of the Silver Birch are edible. We tried a few and they were quite nice. The most interesting source of nutrients though is the sap. The time has been and gone to tap the tree, but is sometime I wish to try next year.

Lyme

The Lyme tree has always been "that tree with the big leaves". I never knew the leaves where really tasty. A great wild replacement for salad leaves.

Hawthorn

Here is the Hawthorn. Usually seen with white blossom, here is the red variety. Just pick and nibble the blossom for a tasty snack. Everything can be eaten or processed. With a good sized tree at the bottom of our garden I can't wait to make some jam.

Elder

Elderflower juice is just lovely. Elderberry too. What a great plant. Hopefully more information soon as I go foraging for this over the next few weeks.

Sycamore (Great Maple)

Near the end of our walk we came across this Sycamore tree, aka the Great Maple. The buds where sprouting and are covered in sticky sap. We decided to try them. It was delicious. They were also covered in stuck-on greenfly too, so became a perfect sweetened protein snack. I have since found a recipe for Maple Schnapps. Maybe I should head back to that tree and crop some?