Poppies, Puds and Toys

November, the month of remembrance, when we give thanks to those who gave their lives for us. We must never forget.

The year is winding to a close but there’s work to be done before a new year begins. Christmas preparations are underway so it’s a busy time for many of us and outdoor work still needs to be done.

This month the Acers put on a fabulous show with their autumn colours and the falling leaves are beautiful as they settle on the ground.

I found a lovely assortment of leaves lying in a puddle on the paving. So pretty.

Not many flowers blooming now but my white Asters and a Cosmos are still looking lovely. I brought in a selection of white and silver flowers and stems to enjoy in the house while the rain poured down.

A solitary Nasturtium poked its pretty head up through the raindrops and a yellow rosebud stood tall against the fence. Fuchsias are still holding out against the wet weather.

There are still textures and berries to enjoy here and there. The Garrya eliptica is growing its long tassels for a Spring show. The black grass Ophiopogon is always lovely at any time of year and the Viburnam and Skimmia have vibrant red berries.

In the vegetable garden, I still have a few carrots. I’ve pulled most of the big ones but the smaller ones are still delicious and very welcome. The garlic is growing well in the polytunnel and the broad bean seeds have germinated and are coming along nicely on the greenhouse bench.

I will plant out the broad beans when they grow a bit bigger and while the weather is not too cold and frosty. They are hardy plants and will grow slowly until early Spring when they will put on a spurt. Beans will be ready to enjoy in late May or June.

Indoors it’s time to make Christmas puddings and cake. I will be doing these over the next two weeks. A nice Christmas activity, with delicious aromas and a festive atmosphere.

If you would love to make Christmas pudding but find all that steaming and condensation too much of a hassle, try my recipe. It makes individual puds which steam under foil coverings in the oven. No steamy kitchen or watching that the pan doesn’t boil dry.

The puddings are fruitier and more open-textured than bought ones. Very simple and the results are tasty, freeze well and heat for just one minute each in the microwave oven, straight from the freezer. We eat these throughout the year when a quick pudding makes a meal that bit more special.

Here’s my recipe. It’s also in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook which you can find with this link. https://geni.us/eANQu

You will need wide foil, a large, deep roasting tin and about ten individual pudding bowls. My bowls are aluminium and fit nicely in the roasting tin.

Individual Christmas Puddings

200g Self-raising Flour
2 teaspoons Spice (I mix cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves)
pinch of Salt
150g Breadcrumbs
50g chopped Pecans
2 Cooking or sharp Apples, chopped small or grated
300g Raisins
300g Sultanas
80g approx. mixture of chopped Stem Ginger, grated Orange and Lemon peel and Candied Peel
4 large Eggs
Juice of 2 Lemons
2 tablespoons Black Treacle
350g Dark Sugar
150g Butter
4 tablespoons of Rum or Brandy (or a mixture of both)

Finely chop stem ginger and candied peel.
Zest the orange and 1 lemon. Mix with the ginger and candied peel to make approximately 80g.  
Put into a large mixing bowl. Grind or chop the pecans and add to bowl.
Add raisins and sultanas.
Mix flour, spices, salt and breadcrumbs and add to bowl.
Beat eggs. Add the black treacle and juice of both lemons.
Melt the butter and stir in sugar. Add to the bowl with the egg mixture. 
Add rum and/or brandy.
Stir well and leave to stand for 30 minutes or longer. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan oven.
Stir mixture again and spoon into greased individual pudding tins.
Stand the tins in a deep roasting tin and cover each bowl with foil.
Boil a full kettle and pour the boiling water around the tins to about a third of their height. 
Cover the top of the roaster with a large piece of foil, tucking it well around the edges.
Carry carefully to the oven to prevent the hot water from splashing out.
Bake for 2 hours.
When time is up remove carefully from the oven and allow to cool before removing foil.
Lift puddings out of the water. When they're cool remove foil and slide a knife around them to loosen and tip out.
Freeze when completely cool and reheat for serving.
I serve these with Rum Sauce. (Recipe in my cookbook).

It might sound like a lot of work but it’s really simple once the chopping and grating are done. It helps to organise ingredients beforehand so there’s not too much fetching and carrying. Creative processes are always satisfying with their reward at the end.

Talking of creative processes I have knitted another toy rabbit. A little bit more work to this one and it was tricky to sew together but I’m pleased with the end result. These little toys make use of oddments of yarn leftover from bigger projects and bags of mixed colours bought for this purpose.

Again, I used Val Pierce’s book “Knitted Rabbits”. Very easy and clever patterns which don’t take long to knit.

I just need to find homes now for the teddies and rabbits. I’ll ask local charities if they know of children who might need them.

Now it’s time to think about other Christmas activities. Food, gifts and making a card for family and friends will occupy my thoughts over the next few weeks.

Of course good food should be enjoyed every day and I like to have a stash of cake in the freezer, so I baked my Ginger Squares. This is delicious cake with flavours of golden syrup and ground ginger. Easy to make and even easier to eat. Also makes a lovely pudding. Cold with custard or cream, warm with vanilla ice cream. The recipe is in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook along with other sweet treats and practical, homely meals.

That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy your own festive creativity to compensate for the colder weeks ahead. Bye for now. With you again in a couple of weeks.