TARRAGON & THYME

I came across this You Tube video simply by chance and found it quite informative.  Explains some of the background reasons why there are problems in the food chain and why some of the prices will not come down very quickly at all.  After reading this article I think it highlights the fact what a blooming mess the food chain really is in this country.   Think this excessively hot weather will not impact the food chain - then think again.  Under normal circumstances I always understood that the Farmers were always hopeful for a dry summer for harvest and would mean that they would not have to pay out to have the grain dried.  Wet weather would mean that the crop would have to be dried if a wet harvest was experienced.  I had not appreciated that too hot weather causes the grain to grow quickly and loose volume and protein which also in turn means earlier harvesting times than usual. It therefore looks as though prices are going to go up across the range...

I need to get back to the preserving as my stocks are now quite depleted to what they were.  Unfortunately I have not got the preserving that I had hoped to get done dealt with.  No matter what I have to start somewhere and get back into the habit and the process of preserving.  Something is always better than nothing. In the past ten days or so I have managed to get about 3 kilos of Blackberries which grew in my garden picked.  I have a few more to pick as yet. More Blackberries have gone into the freezer from the garden to provide the basis of either puddings for a Winter day and memories of a warm season or to use in jam.  I also intend to make a Blackberry Cheong (syrup).  I am also intent/am planning to go looking for the wild harvest as well in order that I can also bottle up some up Blackberries for later in the year.  The fruit yet again once strained can be used in puddings, the sugar syrup can be turned into a drink or reduced by heat and tur...

 on my To do List.  I intend to catch up on it again on Tuesday.  Tomorrow I have an appointment.  In the interim I have had a very lazy day for a change.  It was time to take some time for me.  However I have not been idle. We have been quite off our food this week - the hot weather always makes me the same.  I am quite partial to a salad here and there especially if it has a cooked sweet potato with it and coleslaw. G is not so inclined.  However he does not always get his own way on the food front. Today I had not taken anything out of the Freezer for dinner.  I was not really in the mood for cooking a full on joint.  I was also unsure exactly what to have for tea if I am honest.  However inspiration struck.   Pudding First I knew I had some puff pastry in the fridge which I tend to keep in there in any event as I have found it a good standby for either creating a pudding or using for tarts or indeed pastries such as Mi...

 Today, down below is the list of items that I wish to get through today if at all possible.  In reality this one could go into a second day as there is quite a bit t accomplish. On a bit of a sorting out, cleaning and tidying mode today.  Will see how things pan out: Continue on with the washing pile - well at least what is left; Get the washing done out on the line to dry; Make the yogurt I did not get to today.  Using some long-life milk as the base for this.  Wash out a big storage box and let it dry outside.  Once clean and aired will locate some of my bedding into this to go into the back bedroom. Sort out some storage boxes with kitchen items in them.  Make sure everything is there and no bits missing.  Wash out the boxes and the lids and air dry in the garden. Put away food items in the under-stair Pantry; Take any kitchen equipment out of the cupboard under the stairs - just want the food in there for the time being. Start tackling one of...

   Tons of Washing; Nearly done it all and got everything washed dried. Vanilla Pods have been decanted into a glass jar in readiness for making Vanilla Extract/Essence, Vanilla Sugar and possibly Vanilla paste.  Popped in a glass jar to preserve the flavour. The Beef got sliced up and popped into trays with lots of gravy. They have now been placed in the Freezer.  There are four packs which will feed 2 to 3 people.  Quite pleased about this as it means a meal can be made relatively quickly and a roast meal can be provided during the week.  That is therefore 6 good meals out of the piece of Beef.  We have not had Beef for such a long time. I managed to get out into the garden and pick what Blackberries I could.  Probably be another couple of days before anymore berries are available.  There are 4 x 500g bags that have been frozen today.  There is already a kilo in the freezer that I popped there the other day.  Approximately 3 kilos...

A lot of work to do this week.  Trying to break this down into segments that are more manageable and achievable.  The following need doing.  Tons of Washing; Get what done line-dried. Vanilla Pods have arrived - they smell wonderful.  Now need to get some Rum.  Vanilla pods in storage until then in a glass jar. Bought off of Ebay 20 pods for about £14.35 which includes postage  I received 30 pods as there was a delay in postage.  Seller is ladygaga on Ebay.  Pods are of excellent quality. I am going to be making vanilla essence.  Link here:  20 Gourmet Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Pods Beans | Premium Quality 15-18cm | eBay UK Package the remains of the Beef which was leftover from Sunday Dinner.  I had purchased a special offer Beef Silverside joint 2.25kg weight for £25.  Normally the Beef is £16.99 per kilo.  I bought  a larger joint than we actually needed with the intention of having at least two meals out of it an...

I still think it is terribly hot; too hot for me, but it is nearly always the humidity that comes with it a lot of the time or in the winter months the rain and damp which manages to seize me up.  That is what has happened in the last week when I was intent on doing all sorts of things.  Pivot it is then.  Not sure I like the term "pivot" but it is apt. I am having to do a bit of sorting in the back bedroom before I can get on with anything else.  There are items downstairs which need to come up.  Some box organising and tidying is also going on.  Things need to be sorted and organised - which for the best part they are, there are just pockets which are not and some boxes are not stacked as they should be.  More on this will be included in my next installment progress update of work that has been achieved moving forward. For now though, in this precise moment in  time, which we live through and which we cannot grasp, as it is like quicksilver slip...

I have Blackberries growing wild in the garden, planted by nature and which looks as though there is going to be quite a substantial amount of berries on this year.  Today I took first pickings and I have a good 1kg of lovely Blackberries, which are initially going into the freezer as I intend to use these towards jam and jelly.  At the moment I am not in the position to process the berries, and therefore storing them in the freezer will allow me the time to get ready and do this when time is not so tight.  Accumulating the berries will also mean that I will be able to make a bigger batch of jam.  I tend in any event to use 1kg of fruit to 1kg of sugar for anyone particular batch of jam. I am also planning on dehydrating some as well to add to Muesli or Granola for the Winter months. I also intend to go and see whether or not the Blackberries are ready in the Wild or whether I need to wait a little further before being able to go and gather and get them preserved in ...

Saturday Morning This morning was a morning for going to the proper bakery we use to obtain six crusty white buns, which we subsequently purchased, together with a couple of cakes, a couple of trifles and a Pork pie. The real reason for us going out though was because we had run out of bacon for G's breakfast, we therefore from the bakery ended up going to where we get a lot of our meat from on the other side of the City.  Came home with the pack of bacon, two Gammon steaks, a Chicken, 4 x Lemon Meringue Pie boxed mixes, a big pack of Ham, a pack of 6 cans of Barrs Ice Cream Soda and a frozen Half a Peking Duck with Hoisin sauce and pancakes planned for Sunday evening's tea for a change.     I did notice that they seemed to have more availability on small joints during the week at the Butchers.  I usually do one shop a month there as it is where we get the 2kg pack of Back Bacon either smoked or plain for about £13.  I shall start the meat collection f...

This post has had a bit of a hiatus/small intermission and as the best part of it had already been written, I decided to carry on with this post  with  a small Disclaimer carrying on from where I left off originally.  Putting it bluntly real life got in the way. It has not been a good week mostly due to the weather and I am still dealing with the side effects of the Shingles rash.  I am still itching all these weeks later and I also cannot feel in certain areas the top of my skin and so if I give myself an itch, I end up itching too much as I have no sensation at the moment in that particular area it is making things rather sore.  Am working on it, massaging the effected area and as my skin is still so dry moisturising where I can.  I am far better than I have been though and hopefully it is just a matter of time until I achieve some sense of normal again.  Whatever normal is to you as an individual. I therefore thought that I would start with a list o...