TARRAGON & THYME

I quite frequently manage to get bags of eating apples and/or cooking apples from my local veg shop at a reduced rate of 50 pence a bag. There is nothing wrong with them, perhaps just been too long on the stall and they don't like to leave things unnecessarily as they lose profit on them. My dehydrator went pop a few months ago and since then I have been researching ways to actually preserve the apples by drying without having to heat up something beforehand. Ideally one day I would like one of the posh Excalibur driers but that is a little way off yet. So needing to do something in the interim I have sort of made do with what's around me like the airing cupboard, bamboo canes, citric acid a little time and patience and have managed to process about 4lb of apples which is nicely esconced in the airing cupboard. For the pre-treatment of the apples so that they do not go brown I soaked them in an ascorbic acid and water mixture. I used 3 teaspoons of crystalline ascorbic acid to ...

The Airing cupobard apart from being a store for the family linen or cupboard (to make sure that the same is all aired) has quite a lot of potential for using as a warm spot either to raise bread in or to dry fruit and herbs in as well as a place to dry rose petals or other flowers for pot pourri to be used later on in the year. The airing cupboard in this house is in the centre of the house in my bedroom, but it is in fact the overhang on the stairs. It gets very warm in there and is a place that my cat Tyson likes to go in because he cannot be disturbed. It is dark and gets very warm. So rather than waste this little resource I have started using it for drying my apple rings, drying my rose petals, making my bread rise. It makes sense to try and use what you have. What also appeals to me is that I am not having to pay anything extra out in order to do this, but making use of a resource which is already there. Every house is different and reacts differently so you may not be able to t...

Ingredients: 2 large eggs 1 egg yolk 75g/3 oz unsalted butter diced 75g/3oz granulated sugar rind and juice of 1 small lemon rind and juice of 1 small orange flowers from a handful of elderflower heads Method Beat together the eggs and the egg yolk then strain into a bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water, add the butter, sugar and fruit rinds and juice. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves and the butter has melted. Add the elderflowers and cook stirring frequently until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain through a nylon sieve into warmed pots. Wipe the rims with a hot damp cloth then cover the surface of the curd with waxed discs, waxed sides down making sure they lie flat. Cover the tops of the pots immediately with dampened cellophane secured with string (or use jam jar lids). Label and store in a cool dark place for no more than a month or two.

Get the washing done and air dried on the line; Done Strip the bed, get the sheets washed and dried; Done Polish and hoover the bedroom out; Hoover the stairs; Sort out the dining room; Sort out the pantry; Make the Elderflower cordial; Make the Elderflower curd; Make Elderflower Champagne; Dry some Elderflowers; Dry stale bread for home made breadcrumbs; Make Pannacotta; Make Curd Cheese; Make Yoghurt; Make some Ice lollies for the freezer; Make some more bread buns; Make some pain au chocolat; Make some Croissants; Make some savoury and sweet puff pastries; Make Jelly; Make some Ice cream; Make Lemon Curd; Make Orange Curd; Get the ironing done; Sew some more seeds; Make some profiteroles Dry apple rings; Done Think I had better stop there before I get the better of myself. Hope your day is a productive one also. I am off to get on. Pattypan xx

I pottered in the garden this evening and found a lovely surprise. One of my David Austin Roses (have lost the label so don't know the name) is in bloom and I am really chuffed with it. It is quite a large bush and the first time I have had flowers on it, despite having the plant for just over a year or so; so double surprise really. I would really love a big rose garden where I can indulge in creating a rose garden containing old fashioned blooms, ones with scents intermingled with other scented flowers like honeysuckle and traditional english garden flowers, but unfortunately the garden is not big enough here. But hey its filed away in the memory store of things to do and if and when an opportunity presents itself will do something about it. In the interim I am content with natures bounty with the unexpected flowers that I will at least be able to enjoy for a few days or so. I will then probably dry the flowers for pot pourri later on in the year.

I really enjoyed this series with Alys Fowler and have been eyeing up the book but at about £15 I don't look as though am going to get this very soon. However whilst browsing, the Book People have this on Offer at the moment at £7.99. The also have the Grow Your Own Drugs book on offer for £4.99. Both of these are available at TheBookPeople.co.uk