Author Archives: Earthy Homemaker

At Christmas I always buy angelica to decorate little iced cakes. It has become a tradition. Now I have an angelica plant which is maturing nicely and I have always wanted to try candying my own. So I have been doing just that. Because the plant has some lovely flowers developing I didn’t want toContinue reading “Candying Angelica and Painting a Picture.”

Some ribbons for wrapping gifts. They look so pretty even as a jumble in the box. It doesn’t take much to please me! Talking of pleasing me … Sometimes when I can’t sleep I like to invent new recipes. Occasionally, I find it stimulating to read a cookbook to stir my imagination and then makeContinue reading “Sweet Treats and Sunsets”

With the hope of family get-togethers possible again soon I baked a pecan pie and stashed it away in the freezer. It’s a family favourite; wickedly rich, sweet and satisfying. It always looks special and tastes divine. It takes about 250g of pecans and I find it best to empty the packet into a dishContinue reading “Pecan Pie and Painting”

It’s been very cold, wet and windy so I have been reluctant to venture out. The house is snug and warm and the garden will wait. Nice inside the greenhouse and polytunnels though and things are growing well. The lettuces are showing promise and I’m already using the spring onions and radishes. The peas willContinue reading “Cabbages and Wine”

The pear blossom was lovely but it’s fading fast. The petals are scattering around the garden like confetti at a wedding. The apple blossom will be lovely for a few more days and looking fabulous right now. Delicate pink petals, rosy buds and fresh green leaves are filling out the trees with all the promiseContinue reading “Crab Apples and a Country Scene”

The winter lettuce has finished but I’ve started on the cabbage I’ve been growing over the last few months. Sure sign that Spring is well and truly underway. I cut off a large fresh and juicy head and steamed it with diced apple and leek. It was delicious with a spoonful of soured cream andContinue reading “Banana Loaf and Apple Blossom”

This is the time of year gardeners call “The Hungry Gap”. That is, the gap between last year’s crops and this year’s new ones. With a bit of management though we can spread a few things over the gap so there is always something fresh from the garden. Last October I planted lettuces in theContinue reading “The Hungry Gap”

I’ve been writing my blog for 6 months now. My hope was that my experience was worth sharing and that I might encourage others to have a go at the little things which bring satisfaction and meaning to our lives. It must be obvious to anyone who reads my blog regularly that I’m very muchContinue reading “The Ups and Downs of Spring”

The weather is being very unkind. I’m not a cold weather person. I want the gentle Spring sun on my back as I work in the garden. Can’t be too long now though. Give it a week and hopefully we’ll all be basking again. The newly opened plum blossom is lovely. We have one bigContinue reading “Savoury Sausages and a Sweet Little Doll”

The Easter weather has been kind to us. Plenty of gardening and some sitting on the bench in the sun enjoying a beer. The Pulsatilla, or Pasque flower to give it it’s Easter meaning, opened its first bloom right on cue for Easter weekend. I used to have a few of these but the plantsContinue reading “Easter Flowers and Knitted Toys”