TARRAGON & THYME

Well its been a busy one and I was up early whether I wanted to be or not as a little dog decided that she was going to lick me to death to make me get up.  What ever happened to a lay in!  Seems to be a thing of the past since Missy moved in. I have been doing housework trying to get tidy but failing miserably as usual.  I haven't been to the veg shop today though as I have lots of stuff already and I want to get it all used up, so I can stock up fresh again next week.  There are some things I want to get sorted in the next few weeks predominantly to do with bottling and sauces and cordials n things and I need bottles and sauce bottles as I am running low. I sorted out the cherry plums this morning and have a load in the pan cooking gently then they are to be put through a jelly bag left overnight and then made up into wild cherry plum jelly sometime tomorrow. With the remnants I intend to make some wild plum cheese.  I also have some more wild cher...

I love foraging the hedgerows near to where we live when we take Missy for a walk and the hedgerows are burgeoning with bounty to come.  There will be a lot of elderberries and black gold, blackberries to gather in the coming weeks. In fact the elderberries will not be long they are already starting to turn black. Thats all good news for me as I intend to make the best of this bounty - I have agreed to gather a load for my mum to put in her freezer.  Every so often she does puddings  or baking for my brother and his family or for myself; which is very welcome as I personally always enjoy something that has been cooked for me. Since I found blackberries in the garden every two days or so I have been going into the garden and I am managing to pick this amount  (about 1/2 lb - so I am not doing too bad espcially as they are freebies.  I had just enough to make some blackberry and apple jam and this has been bubbling away in the jam pan It...

I still have loads of Wild Cherry plums to use up.  I have run out of preserving bottles the freezer is full so I have been scouring my books to see what else I can find.  I am rather partial to flavoured vinegars especially fruit ones served with goats cheese and salad.  I have found this recipe which is taken from Country Harvest by Linda Burgess and Rosamond Richardson ISBN 0-85223-891-6.  (If you haven't got this cookery book it is well worth looking out for it.  It has some cracking recipes in using much of what is available in the hedgerows). Anyway back to the recipe - the only reservation I have about this recipe is that it might be too highly spiced, the only way I will find out is to try it, and it might have to be adjusted a bit but it appears to be a versatile recipe utilising either the yellow/pinky plums (the ones that I have) or the purple bullace so you can choose your colour variation so to speak. Ingredients 1lb wild plum...

You don't often see Whitecurrants these days, but I was very lucky enough to pick up a batch of Whitecurrants and Redcurrants at the weekend.  What to do with them now I had got them.  So I went searching through my recipe books and found this recipe in Sloe Gin and Beeswax by Jane Newdick. ISBN 1-85238-333-X. The Whitecurrants themselves taste delicious but teamed with Nectarines I think this is going to be one yummy recipe. You Need 1.8 kg/4lb Whitecurrants 150ml/5 fl oz water Preserving Sugar Juice of 2 lemons 3 Nectarines Put the Whitecurrants into a large pan with the water, there is no need to strip them off their stems. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently until soft.  Tip the mixture into a jelly bag and leave to drain overnight.  Next day measure the juice.  To each 570ml/1 pint liquid measure 350g/12 oz preserving sugar and put this with the juice in a preserving pan.  Add the lemon juice.  Skin, stone and slice the Nectarin...

Ingredients 1 1/2lb dried apricots 4 pints water 4lb granulated or preserving sugar 2oz almonds (blanched and halved) Method Wash the apricots and leave to soak in 4 pints of water for 48 hours. (I would be inclined to cut into little pieces) Turn apricots and soaking liquor into a preserving pan then bring slowly to the boil; then add the warmed sugar.  Stir gently until the sugar has completely dissolved then boil hard for about an hour.   Test for set as per usual.  Add the almonds to the pan 10 minutes before the end of cooking time. Pour into warm dry jars cover and tiedown when cold. Recipe taken from Cordon Bleu Preserving Hope this helps Tricia xx

I have had a good day today.  It started early with the constitutional walk which when OH is about we usually do to let Missy help get rid of some pent up energy and steam and also to help supplement the pantry with all the wild offerings.  We gathered a few more plums today.  I seem to have been bitten by every insect going whilst picking the plums.  It seems I was lunch!  There are loads more to come on other trees near to where we pick but they are sour at the moment despite their flesh being tinged pink, we think they will be ready in a week or two.  We picked about 4lbs today and there are still lots more left on the tree we have been picking. We then came back I made a blackberry and Apple crumble in readiness to take to my Mum's to have as pudding, making the crumble by hand.   I then washed my extremely long hair and let it dry naturally before getting ready to go out. So I took my basket with the fruit crumble in, a big bunch ...

I found some nice new beetroot at the veg shop yesterday so I bought a couple of bunches back with me.  Some of it will have as is but the rest this time round I am going to just pickle with some vinegar. Its very simple to prepare.  I was always taught to cut the leaves off but leave a good 3 inches of the stem on the beetroot as if you take this off the beetroot will "bleed" all its colour from the beetroot itself and will be a very pale comparison to what it should be.  You then pop into a saucepan fill with cold water making sure the beetroot is submerged and then leave to cook on a low heat until the beetroot is cooked - I usually leave mine about an hour or so.  I then leave to cool in the saucepan.  Whilst the beetroot is cooling I put on another pan and put in some spiced vinegar.  I boil this up and then leave it to cool.  When cool I put in a colander and rub off all the excess skin (If you don't want pink hands at this point it might be wis...

Saturday morning started off with a nice leisurely stroll down by the river with Missy to let her run some steam off and for me to go and pick some more plums.  There are still loads left and hopefully will be able to get some more in the next few weeks in order that I can make some wild plum jelly, some spiced wild plum vinegar, some wild plum ketchup, wild plum butter,wild plum wine, some membrillo, wild plum cheese, some wild plum cordial.  I would also like to be able to put some of these fantastic little plums down in the freezer for plum pies and crumbles.  Today we picked 9lb of them.  I also noted that the wild blackberries are starting to darken - certainly round this area - still early but if this weather keeps up it won't be long before they are cropping.  I have lots of nice recipes for these as well. This evening I have started the Plum Cordial the juice retrieved is a lovely rosy red colour and it has sharp accent on the flavour....

I usually make a scuttle full of this every year as it is a good pickle to put into sarnies etc.  OH eats a lot of it put it that way.  Very simply the ingredients are: Ingredients: Cucumbers Salt Water Vinegar Before starting boil up vinegar of your choice or whatever you have available, you can use a cider vinegar; a wine vinegar a malt vinegar whatever takes your fancy. Sometimes if I haven't got enough cider vinegar I top up with wine vinegar and visa versa. Boil up this vinegar in a small pan and then leave to go cold covered with some cling film. You can add spices of your choice or you can buy it already spiced.  Yet again the choice is yours.  I am using a spiced Sarsons  Malt vinegar; or a clear malt spirit vinegar (white vinegar to show the cucumber off to best effect and to amplify the prettiness of the colour. First of all wash your cucumbers and then chop in nice sized slices not too thin and not too thick. Place into a bowl a few s...

Being as the wild plums have such a delicate flavour and being as I am experimenting with the jam pan for this recipe I decided to do as little as possible with them letting the natural flavours shine through.  Who would have thought that my plums which were bright yellow when picked would go to such a lovely colour  all with the aid of a banana. Ingredients 1 kg of fruit 300ml of water or a little more just to cover the plums in the pan 700g of sugar (normally I use equal weight for fruit but I didn't want to overpower this on the sugar front) and lose the flavour. Method Weigh out the required amount in plums Put in pan  or jam maker and add 300ml water Switch on machine and let the plums cook in the liquid until soft and starting to break up about 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently.  Let the plum stones rise to the top and then skim off with a slotted spoon. I then go through the bowl spooning out the mixture and taking the stones out and then run...

I didn't have many blackberries to play with so I have put what few I had into a sterilised preserving jar (I might add a few more tomorrow if there are any more ripe) and then  added about 1 oz of sugar then bunged in one eating apple and a cooking apple peeled and finely chopped up and topped all this up with a bottle of gin.  It is now standing on the shelf and the dark purple colour of the blackberries is now starting to seep into the gin.  All very organic and experimental at the moment; I haven't used apple in the macerating process of liqueur type drinks before so it is all very "suck it and see" at the moment.  But we all love the flavour of blackberry and apple the flavours compliment each other so well that far be it for me to interfere with this classic combination.  I hope it turns out well - it might need a little more sugar, but I would rather err on the side of caution with the sugar as you can always add it but can't always take it away.

We picked a load of wild plums the other day which were yellow with hardly any pink on them.  Shouldn't have picked them because they were not quite ripe - I beg to differ as you can easily ripen them off with the aid of a couple of bananas on a covered tray as per the photos below. They are now nearly all a lovely pink colour.  I think the jam pan is going on shortly to process some of natures bounty into home made wild plum preserve.  You can use the same method with ordinary plums, or to get tomatoes to ripen. And the fruit its absolutely delicious a completely underrated fruit.

Just a list of some of the things I have "Put Down" in the Pantry For the Winter Pantry and for Christmas and some ideas and outlines of what I would like to make - money allowing And what has been completed to date Items completed for this year's pantry, predominantly for Christmas are:- For the Pantry and Cellar (Not that I have a Cellar but metaphorically speaking) Bottled Fruit in Syrup 12 Bottles of "Stella" Cherries bottled in Syrup [completed] Bottled Mixed Fruit Salad /Compote- Red Fruits[completed] Bottled Mixed Fruit Salad - White Fruits Bottled Black Cherries Bottled Strawberries Bottled Apricots Bottled Peaches Bottled Pears [completed] Bottled Apples [completed] Bottled Pineapple Bottled Blueberries Bottled Wild Plums Bottled Blackberries [4 jars so far] Bottled Hedgepick fruits Bottled Raspberries Fruits in Spirit Rumptopf So far Cherries, Blueberries, Wild Cherry Plums, Redcurrants(WIP) 1 Large Preserving Jar of Ch...

Inhale - breathe in fill your lungs to the limit Then slowly and gently exhale in a measured fashion Counting slowly, holding as long as you can and then Breathe in; fill your body and your  aura with your intake of breath Explore, play, stretch those lungs as far as they go but overall please let me breathe - let me be me Do not dictate or restrict this restless soul Who quietly and passively complies with requests But do not assume that she is a passive child, far from it You may not think it - she hides it well, but sometimes, just sometimes She is fit to bust and explode like a catherine wheel in full pelt Because she feels breathless and strangled - you have stepped in her space You are trying to breathe for her - she needs to do this for herself Back off - keep your distance Let her BREATHE....... Naturally, unfettered as free as the wind; to breathe is to enjoy a gentleness A natural rythm - it stills us it consoles us encompasses and empowers us It ani...

Its been hot and sticky here today and I don't do hot and I don't do cold.  . I have been very headachey today as well as the arthritis playing up quite severely today. Because it is too warm in the house I have been wandering round the gaden and  ventured down to  the jungle at the bottom of the garden this evening and found some ripe blackberries.  They are not set plants, but ones that have sowed themselves.  So I think the start of autumn may be nearer than we think. I know that there would appear to be a lot of fruit sets on the plants.  So I have picked what few there are to put up until I have a few more.  If we are lucky and I manage to find some more wild fruits might make a summer/autumn pudding later in the week with some of the fruits I have already acquired.  So it might be worth keeping your eyes open, just in case there are some coming through in the wild, although I think we may be a little while yet from what I saw ...

Well I got the wild plums so now I need to use them to best effect and I think this is one recipe where the ingredients really do shine through. Ingredients Small wild plums 1 litre bottle of vodka Sugar for sweetening Method Choose a large glass jar with a sealable lid which will take a litre of vodka A quantity of wild plums Sterilise your chosen jar. To each wild plum using a cocktail stick pierce a couple of times per plum at least preferably more. Pop into your jar. Pour over spirit. You can at this point add sugar as well but I an conscious that I don't want anything too sweet with this mixture to start with as the plums are very sweet, so I thought I would let the plums steep and then taste after a couple of months steeping and then add the sugar.  Use the fruit drained and served with some ice cream or cream or coat in chocolate and eat as a sweetmeat. Enoy the liqueur and enjoy the fruit however you wish to serve it

I have had quite a busy day today.  It started off we took Missy Walkies and she met a new friend, another miniature Jack Russell called Daisy.  It was quite funny watching her little legs spin round in overdrive but a lovely little dog all the same.  Her owner was a bit nervous as there are a lot of rabbit holes where we take Missy  (and Daisy's owner takes her) for a good old run around, but being as she was playing nicely with Missy she let her off.  Unfortunately Daisy went down a rabbit hole and didn't come out.  I ended up in the bushes under the brambles as I could hear a little dog wuffing as though she was stuck.  She eventually came out saw me and went back in again but with a little gentle coaxing was able to get her out  and carried her and then returned her to her mum who by this time was extremly upset, but very relieved to see her little friend. I came out of the bushes slightly black.   We left her to go on with our ...

Since my OH has been out of work (and I know we are not the only ones) I have had to make adjustments to the way I shop and what I shop for. Gone are the days when I used to go to the supermarket once a month and stock up on stuff, just taking what I fancied with no real regard to cost.  In fact it is a rare occurence if I go to the supermarket these days at all for a proper shop.  I have more of an eye these days as to costs.  In fact it has bee a steep learning curve of a different kind and I don't think that I could go back to the way I used to do things even if I had the money, which I don't.  I have enjoyed the challenge of making the pennies stretch as far as I can and getting the best deal  I can for my money.  Taking advantage of bog-offs, Wilkinsons, pound stores, special offers, markets and smaller shops as well as cheaper stores like Lidl and Aldi and of course the market and my local veg shop. And above all I try and make as ...

Well its been a non committal sort of day.  We walked the dog earlier on and had a lovely peaceful walk and got some cherry plums (see previous post). When we came back I went to my weekly visit to the veg shop and came back with 8 trays of blueberries at £1 a tray, some fresh garden peas, bananas, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, plums raspberries pears, cucumber, beetroot.  I am trying to make the best of things that come my way at the moment, as well as hedgerow offering to offer variety as much as anything else, but not only that if extra is made can help with the Christmas present situation. I made some blackberry whisky last year and I must say it is particularly nice. We have a small piece of beef for dinner tomorrow which is also going to be done on the Roasting Spit.  We have had chicken done this way today and it was done in an hour and a half and oh so succulent.  We just had it warm on plates with fresh bread and butter and I had crab ...

My local veg shop has had some very nice pears in recent weeks namely the Fiorelli pears and because I love mulled pears especially in the winter months  served with a touch of cinnamon.  Delish with some vanilla ice cream or thick whipped cream.  I thought I would put a few bottles of this up doing a little each week so that we have some lovely goodies to indulge in when the weather is cold.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can serve the pears warm or leave them cold. A simple indulgence but very rich. Ingredients: 1 pint/600ml red wine 1lb /450g sugar 4 1/2lb/2 kg pears 2 cinnamon sticks Brandy Place the red wine and the sugar into a preserving pan and stir over a low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Peel quarter and cored the pears and add to the pan with the cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the pears for 5 to 10 minutes or until they are just tender. Take care not to overcook.  ...