TARRAGON & THYME

Am likely to be missing for a little while - due to family illness.  Will get back as soon as I can. Pattypan x

OH is at a works social this evening which has given me some personal free time just to be.  Its been my first week back at work and although a shock to the system on Monday I have slowly picked up momentum and speed as the week has gone on but I am grateful it is the weekend. I have had scampi and chips with Tartare sauce for tea and I have enjoyed every moment although the amount of scampi you get in the bags these days is getting less and less, but still tasty all the same. I went to the market at dinner time for a bit of a mooch around the plant stall and came back with four hanging strawberry planters that had been reduced down to £5 for two plants so since getting home I have been putting them in situ and watering up some of my other plants.  It has been threatening rain this evening but so far has not happened although we had a lot of rain mid afternoon but it soon dried up. I had ordered a little while ago some lavender plants but these have been delayed a...

Yesterday I paid a visit to Lakeland to follow up to see exactly which Ball jars they had in stock and planning which jars would be suitable for me to use for different projects i.e. the tiny ones for making home made cheeses (the fruit cheese) or membrillo, jam or equally for bottlin g blueberries and cranberries where only small amounts of fruit are needed.   I had become very excited about the Ball bottling jars and wondered whether or not this was a precursor of things to come and when I found the Ball Blue preserving book produced specifically for this country and had a look at the recipes I was filled with hope and got very excited about being able to produce such goodies in my own kitchen.  Recipes like bottled, crab, clams,chicken and beef.  Logic dictated to me that surely they were now going to stock Pressure Preservers or Pressure Canners otherwise the recipes in the book would be of no assistance to me at all.   However it is a beautiful book and only £5...

I thought about crafting last week but in the end did not get round to it.  There is always something to do craftwise but this week just was not the week for it more's the pity.  I hate wasting time or not doing anything but this week I have had to listen to my body.  I am a workaholic and don't know when to quit at the best of times so I think this latest episode  was a warning (we call it switching off in my family as basically my electrical system goes into overdrive and then fuses out.  Just before I go out I get what is called the aura which to me smells of burning cordite/rice cakes). I was diagnosed  with epilepsy at about 7.  The little girl who lived next door had whooping cough.  It was the one illnesses my mother was terrified we would get and we were marched off to the GP for the set of injections polio, diptheria and whooping cough I think were the illnesses covered as soon as she was diagnosed. We had not had them when we were y...

Mum gave me a load of these that she used to use when I was a child.  At the time that she gave them to me though you could not get the seals, although I have latterly used the Liefheit seals which fit these jars beautifully.  The rings are the original ones and I have decided that I am going to have the rings refurbished so that I can reuse the jars for bottling fruit.  They are a good size.  The other reason for considering this is that on my travels I have come across some Kilner Dual purpose jars for sale and I much prefer the size of these jars for storing fruit in.  They are more family sized.  So I am hoping this Saturday coming if they are still there manage to buy the jars -  there are six of them and I think they are about 3 to 4 pint sized.  I will post this post if and when I obtain them.  Even if I do not manage to get this lot I shall keep my eyes peeled as now I know the rings can be refurbished and the Liefheit sea...

Once upon a time I used to buy quite a lot of magazines per month but after OH lost his job I did not buy any for over three years but made use of those I already had. However recently I have been very taken with the Land Love and Landscape magazines.  Not only are they beautiful coffee table magazines and a visual feast of photography but they have to me some very different and lovely recipes as well as well written articles on seasonal items. I especially like the alternative recipes with what to do with foraged goodies.  These two magazines are my treat for the month together with the Home Farmer Magazine which also has some cracking articles and lovely recipes. I was very interested to see an article on using the compost heap to grow veggies on.  This is not something new to our family as my granddad always grew the rhubarb and the marrows out of the compost heap with nasturtiums in between.  Even the forced rhubarb with an old bucket upside down over the rhu...

Happy Solstice the longest day of the year from now on in the light gets shorter and shorter.  It is officially summer lets hope its a good one as last winter although not the coldest on record certainly was grey! However you celebrate may blessings be upon you and yours . The wheel moves ever onwards we know not where but it moves. Pattypan x