Seed Sowing, Topping Trees and Coffee Cakes

Although I don’t want the year to rush by I’m really glad it’s March. In a couple of weeks Spring will be in full flow and the drabness of winter will burst into colour.

Time for using up the winter supplies and make way for fresh new vegetables. I’ve almost finished off the parsnips and celeriac. The winter squash which I kept stored in the house were delicious but the last one has been eaten and enjoyed. Roasted in my little airfryer for a few minutes, the orange flesh was sweet, tender and tasty.

New parsnips have been sown in the polytunnel ready to start them again for next winter. They need a long growing season. Not sure if they’ll germinate as I had the packet of seeds for a while. I’ll wait and see but parsnips don’t always do well with old seed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Now enjoying the cauliflowers. They don’t look posh but they taste wonderful, full of flavour and very good steamed. Spring cabbages are not far behind. Peas are about an inch high so will be a while yet. The new shoots look promising.

I sowed tomato seeds in trays of my own sowing medium, made from leafmould and homemade compost. They’re now tiny plants and have just developed their true leaves. Time to pot them individually in small pots and will keep them warm in the house until the risk of frost is over. “Roma”, my favourite, on the left and “Sugar Italian Plum”, a new one for me, on the right.

A few pretty flowers are giving me pleasure here and there in the garden. Lovely soft pink bellis daisies, vibrant crocuses, cherry blossom, hellebores as black as night, the creamy bells of clematis cirrhosa and delightful corydalis.

Some lovely fat rose hips are hanging from my “Handel” climbing rose among the winter clematis. At last the frogs have spawned and I found a lovely magpie feather on the grass.

We have two enormous conifers. We were afraid they might topple onto a neighbour’s house in a storm, so reluctantly we had them cut back. Very pleased with the job done by a local tree surgeon and his assistant. Best tidying up afterwards we’ve ever had.

Saddens me to think of what the birds will make of it but it had to be done. A weight off our minds.

While I’m not busy in the garden I love to bake. I have a new recipe to share. Here is my version of coffee and walnut cake. You will need a large baking tin. I use a roaster, 30 x 25cm (12 x 10 inches).

Coffee and Walnut Squares

50g Walnut pieces
1 heaped tablespoon Instant Coffee granules
175g Demerara Sugar
4 large Eggs
200g Self-raising Flour
2 rounded teaspoons Baking Powder
20g Bran
200g Sunflower Oil
2 tablespoons Milk

Grind the walnuts in a food processor or nut mill.
Mix the coffee with 2 tablespoons of boiled water.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven.
Grease a large baking tin.
Put all ingredients including the made coffee and ground walnuts into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
Spread the mixture in the greased tin.
Bake for about 20 minutes or a minute or two longer.
Press the centre to see if it springs back. If it does, it's done.
Allow to cool.
Cut into squares and ice.
To make the icing: 
In a jug or bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of coffee granules with a few drops of hot water until dissolved. Add icing sugar until it forms a thick but spreadable icing.
Spread on squares and top with a walnut half.

Lovely crumbly texture, taste good and very more-ish. Add this one to my cookbook if you have it and let me know what you think if you try it.

I’m experimenting with making yoghurt. My first attempt was a bit runny but tasted good. Doing a bit more research I realised that I hadn’t heated the milk to the correct temperature so it hadn’t set properly. I’ve since bought a food thermometer and I intend to try again. I’m using organic whole milk and organic yoghurt as a starter. It has to have live culture to activate the process. I don’t want to buy a yoghurt maker with more plastic and another gadget to store in the kitchen. I intend to use very clean, hot jars and my thermal cooker to keep them warm. The cooker doesn’t heat up, it just maintains the temperature. I’ll let you know whether I succeed or not.

All the joy of Spring is ahead of us. I hope you’re enjoying daffodils and sunny days wherever you are. Bye for now. With you again in a couple of weeks.