GD and I were at the allotment yesterday weighing down the polytunnel with filled watering cans, securing poles and generally making safe anything that could potentially fly off and cause damage in any winds from the storm we have been warned about, but in any case generally the winter winds down here can be stronger than me and GD knew in London and we need to respect her flexes and flares and make ready.
We picked our pears from the garden tree that encounters the brunt of wind that seems to tunnel across the field at the back stone wall and roll down our garden and then out across our neighbours, we have had a shed roof go and next door even had a chainsaw lifted up over their roof and deposited across the street a few years back.
Now we have a table and a cooker at the allotment we boiled our kettle and had our first fresh brew there, me having three ginger, tea, and GD of course his coffee. Afterwards we weeded and done some light digging, there is something so satisfying about working with the earth, as I work I can hear horses braying in the next field to us and birds calling, I see insects scurrying along as I disturb their earth, I apologize to them and carry on with my task.
Back at the house I make egg and chips, for GD, myself and our middle son and daughter in law, eggs from our lovely girl ‘Fae’ and potatoes from the allotment. I cooked the chips in the oven sprinkled with olive oil and a grinding of fresh sea salt, eggs fried in deodorised coconut oil sprinkled with ground black pepper and GD’s tomato sauce on the side delicious!.
Today it seems the danger from high winds has passed and we are fine.
Very happy our new dehydrator which arrived yesterday,
because today we can start on making apple rings from our little crop of ‘Howgate Wonder’ a cross between an eating apple and a cooking apple, we have had this tree for some years, a mothers day present from back in the old house, we have never seen a crop like this, she must like her new space.
Sprouting, I’v done some in the past occasionally, but I have a few jars of beans and pulses need using up, since I had them in quantity for making pulse and pasta craft. So I cut some muslin squares and popped some adzuki and some mung beans into a couple of screw top mason jars, covered them with the muslin squares and screwed the outer ring back over, left the the beans to soak in water for 12 hours then rinsed them through, apparently it should take 3-4 days for them to sprout and be ready, in the meantime I need to rinse them twice a day.
Today I need to make granola, http://cornwallnan.co.uk/2018/07/my-favorite-baked-granola/, I love this stuff, I feel so good on it and it sits so well in my tummy, I can even have a small bowl (up to an hour) before morning yoga and still feel light enough for headstands and deep abdominal twists.
Off now to check our bikes in for their annual check and pick up Mr Marley on the way back, who comes to us every weekday afternoon and stays until his mum and dad pick him up after work.
GD and I still have some swim tickets left so a lunch time dip in the pool today, I love to swim, I think if I wasn’t human I would love to be a dolphin, am so glad we are getting round to going.
After a lunch of hash browns using spuds and onion that we have grown, I make the granola, this is it ready to go in the oven at the first baking stage,
then we needed to get the passatta we made yesterday using up the last of the green toms mixed with red, jared up and hot bathed,
also the apple rings needed preparing for drying, here they are cored, cut into rings and soaked in lemon juice, these are going to be left now to dry for 8 hours at a 65 C setting.
September and October are full months for GD and I as we endeavour to process and preserve the plants, fruits, herbs and vegetables we have been growing, there is still much to do this week, rosehips are full and plentiful, rhubarb to be made into a chilli sauce, GD needs to rack his mead which means transfer or syphon from one demijohn to a new demijohn which is a 4.5 ltr or 8 pt glass jar, this is done to leave the sediment which gathers at the bottom behind which can spoil the taste of the mead. I can feel a post is needed on how to make mead (a honey beer).
Willow calls and invites GD and me for an evening walk up the lane,”oh come on then we say”.
are we going then? Willows parents and Willow