TARRAGON & THYME

That says it all really - its really down to us and our own motivation !

I checked on the herbs yesterday and they have been very prolific.  I did take a photo of a Big bowl of herbs on my phone but for some unknown reason the photo has failed and by the time I had realised I had emptied the bowl.  Have since found it! The majority herb this year seems to be the mint not the normal  garden mint but Peppermint.  This batch is going up for drying to make peppermint tea (I have IBS and I thought it would make a nice soothing tisane).  There is still a lot left so I am going to put up some keeping mint sauce as well.   Yesterday I harvested Mint, Sage, Fennel, Parsley, more Oregano, Thyme, Bay leaves and there is still plenty more left to make herb jellies as well and maybe a dabble with some soap making.  I have also been on another raid on the Rosemary on the waste land near my home. I  sat for a little while stringing the herbs into bunches to hang off the dresser.   I normally make little collars o...

I have been poorly for most of the week with the most horrible of colds - something I have picked up from work!  It has been a horror and I have been in my bed for a lot of the time just sleeping and keeping warm.  It is still not clear and I am now left with the proverbial runny nose but I am a lot more comfortable than I have been  - I can breathe properly. As a result I am well behind with my planned preparations, but hopefully I shall be able to get caught up soon.  These things are sent to try us. I did however yesterday pick up some Victoria Plums 3kg and some Greengage plums 5kg.  Some cucumbers, which have been prepared for pickling together with, some more red cabbage, some shallots, (these are all being brined at the moment).  I have also harvested a load of herbs for drying (this batch) next batch will be for herb jellies and oils) and I have been on another foraging trip gathering more Rosemary which is now drying on the dresser.  ...

Greengages Yesterday I managed to get a 5kg box of greengage plums in order to process for the pantry.  I love greengage plums; I have done ever since I was a child. My mum used to get hold of fruit where she could and bottle fruit as did my Nan.  So I grew up with two important family members utilising this skill as a matter of course.  So I think the seeds for me were sown back then. I have found that a lot of our food staples revolve around tomatoes, plums, pears (other fruits although more seasonal) and apples.   The backbone of the pantry store as they are quite frequently used with other ingredients and preserved to give a slightly different product. Plums paid a big part in my growing up and in the run up to the fruit ripening my Nan would have us filling old jam jars up with a splodge of old jam with some water on top and then these jars used to be hung from the branches as traps for the wasps encouraging them to the jar rather than to attac...

Shssh don't tell near to where I live are some very large Rosemary bushes and the land on which they sit is currently derelict and going to be re-built on.  In the interim the Rosemary is growing tall and strong and has put on a lot of growth.  Once tended by a host of gardeners it is now left to its own devices and so in the spirit of waste not want not I have been doing small harvests for specific items.   The fist batch has been tied into little bundles and is currently hanging off my herb string on one of my dressers to dry naturally and then be popped up for use in cooking with roast lamb and with rosemary vinegar, rosemary oil for roast potatoes and salad dressings or massaging into lamb, rosemary jelly, rosemary sugar, Rosemary Focaccia some Christmas star decorations made from twigs some of which will make their way into Christmas parcels.  It is also used in the classic Four thieves vinegar.  The vinegar is reputed to have been used in the 17th ...

Christmas Hoarding covers a multitude of sins for me as I am ever on the look out for bits and bobs for presenting food on; and this morning on a foray to the charity shop I came up with a narrow white thin mirror edged in white with some gold decoration and a lovely cobalt blue cake stand that reminded me slightly of icicles and some Christmas baubles.  And there you are thinking she really has lost the plot this is about Christmas Hoarding putting food up  and making food up so that you have a wider scope of ingredients to work from and then thus have a bigger choice of recipes to actually make.  Well for me its a bit about everything - the word "hoarding" means literally putting by so anything that is put by for the Christmas season for me comes under the category of "hoarding" or purely in respect of food items that I have made "The Put Down". I spotted the cake stand first; cake stands of any description are a serious weakness with me and I have ...

After my earlier post we went out for a long walk with Missy in tow and went down towards the river. I was searching the hedge rows looking for elderberries but also for sea buckthorn.  I located both although not many bushes of sea buckthorn with fruit on.  However I have come home with half a large bag of elderberries. We had roast chicken for dinner.  This evening I have been sat down with a fork removing the berries from  the stems under the auspices of the boss (Molly who seems to like elderberries); whilst watching Downtown.  I have about three pounds or so of berries which is destined for some cordial and may be a little jelly.  This will do for starters; although if I get chance of some more I shall take the opportunity with both hands as ideally I would like to put down some wine and some more Pontack Sauce.  They are in the fridge waiting for processing. My cold has got worse with a terrible foggy head and a raging sore throat I feel...

This week I have bought a few little extras to ostensibly add to the Christmas Hoard but which in practice will go into the general pantry too. There is not a lot but what I could afford to do this week, but it is probably more than someone else has been able to do.  I know I am very lucky compared to some, and I just do what I can do, paying for it a little at a time  going without other things in an effort to have the ingredients available when I come to bake instead of having to run around ragged come Christmas trying to find ingredients in the melee of the Christmas rush.  I have done that been there and worn the sweatshirt these days I want more balance in my life so I try and do a bit at a time.   As I have indicated before I tend to actually make the bulk of stuff myself so therefore somewhere along the line you do have to have the basics already in or to just top up those items that you would normally readily have to hand.   This week I have pu...

Saturday Yesterday was a very busy day. Prior to going to my  mum's yesterday I went shopping for her starting at Wilkinsons where I could be found round the preserving jar section and where I broke into conversation with a lady called Pat who was looking for bottles in which to process some plums as she had recently been to a pick your own farm and was intent on putting some plums up for the winter months.  They had not got many jars available yesterday and so I asked her if she had tried Dunhelm or indeed Lakeland for jars.  From there we got into a very easy conversation and I passed on a couple of tips that I have come across along the way.  It is good to come across people of a like mind who are interested in food and want to do a little bit here and there to make their Pantry shelf that little bit different.   I then went on to Waitrose to gather together some other bits and bobs that mum was after and to pick up some fresh fish.  Once I had ...

Thank you for all you kind thoughts and support over the kittens it really did throw me as they were such beauitful pretty kittens.  I took Molly to the vets and she was given antibiotics which seem have helped  her a lot and she is returning to her normal self apart from one thing in particular.  Prior to her pregnancy she showed no enthusiasm for sleeping on the bed like the other two but since losing her babies she has slept with me every night without fail.  The first night was upsetting as she kept calling for them.  She is not keen on my partner either (he has Missy - she is not keen on poor Missy either) and so tends to go out of the way when I am not around OH does not see her but as soon as I come home she puts in an appearance and now comes and jumps on my lap for a bit of a fuss and some comfort. It has also been a busy week as I have bottomed out the lounge, washed the curtains (which said dry clean only but they have come up well) never mind th...

Well not strictly speaking Christmas Hoarding but part of it will go towards the Christmas stockpile in any event.  At times of celebration it is always good to have a choice of ingredients to use. Despite the upset and I have been terribly upset as has poor Molly (they say animals do not mourn but she has been calling for her kittens on and off all night);  it has been quite heart rending and  she has for the best part been cuddled up next to me.  Demetri and Squeak seem to have decamped downstairs for the time being. The antibiotics seem to have kicked in and her temperature is down which I am quite pleased about as that was what was concerning me most.  I would also like to thank you all for your kind comments and support during this difficult time. I am trying to keep myself busy as when I stop that is when I end up getting all upset.  Anyway back to the the Christmas Hoarding.  It would seem that we have about 15 weeks before Christmas....

I have just been in to my comments inbox and unfotunately pressed the wrong button before reading the comments  think there was about four.  Would whoever sent them please send them again so that I can post them.  So sorry. Thank you. Pattypan x

Sadly my three little kittens (who I had mentally called Nutmeg, Ginger and Mace) are no longer with us it would appear that Molly had picked up an infection which she had passed on to the poor little mites and with them being babies their immune system was not built up.  She is currently on antibiotics. It came so quick and the last little kitten was responding well to me feeding with a syringe then took a turn for the worse very quickly whilst snuggled up to Molly.  It was all very quick.  Needless to say I am very upset  as they were three beautiful kittens and to make things worse Molly is going round every so often calling for her kits (thats in between sleeping)  Lets hope she does in time and I hope she gets over this infection. Thank you everyone for your kind wishes and support and if you have any room for a quick prayer please send it up for Molly and hope she gets better soon. Tricia x

I went up to bed because of the migraine but found the kittens in some distress.  The eldest one my favourite had passed and his sister was not too clever;  they were extremely cold and the little female had segretated hereself off from the others and the blankets and towels.  When I found them I popped them on a hot water bottle wrapped in a clean towel and we decided to try and wean them as the little female seemed very thirsty; sadly she has since passed.  The middle one is still with us.  To say I am gutted is an understatement.  They were just developing their own personalities and letting me handle them and disastrously I did not get my photos.  They will always have their little paws wrapped round my heart.  I feel so responsible as I had not checked on them as much today as Molly seemed to be doing extremely well with them.  Pattypan x

Sods law soon as I relax something happens.   First day of my holiday as well. Have made 11 jars of jam though  5 of Victoria Plum Jam and 6 Gooseberry jam; however the migraine has kicked in full force I have had medication and it does not seem to be working so it looks as though it will be a dark room and under the covers for me to try and shake this holy horror its not just the migraine it also puts my system totally out of sync. I get them periodically - I wish I didn't.   I am hoping to get a long list of things done this week I use the word hoping as I am urging on the side of caution. Hopefully  I will be back tomorrow Take care Pattypan xx