It was a very wet, stormy weekend. I trekked down the garden this morning, taking care on the slippy paths, for some vegs to make chicken soup.
I like to make soup in my thermal cooker. It’s a favourite bit of equipment. Really, all it is is a large vacuum flask with a pan inside. You put the ingredients into the pan and start cooking on the stove, then after the chosen time (just minutes) you place the pan inside the thermal flask, snap the lid shut and leave it to continue cooking without any need for electricity.
It’s a great energy saver and means you can leave the food for hours without worrying about checking it, knowing that it will be perfectly cooked when you’re ready for it.
I use it for soups, stews, rice puddings and joints of meat. Instead of hours in the oven or on the hob it cooks thoroughly after a short preparatory simmer in the pan. Meat is tender and moist and I have lots of tasty stock for making soup.
It was quite expensive but must have saved me lots of money since I had it. Wouldn’t be without it now.
As you may have gathered by now I’m very happy in my kitchen. I love cooking, baking and preserving and I even love the equipment I use. There is something very pleasing about dishes, wooden spoons and preserving jars.
I have even painted kitchen things. Here’s a Still Life I did a while ago, painted with gouache.
I have been busy baking again. If you like ginger why not try my Ginger Sponge. It’s so easy to mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or food processor with some chopped stem ginger added at the last minute. Light and delicious, it also makes a lovely pudding with some greek yoghurt.
I use one layer and freeze the other but if you want a big cake you can sandwich them together with buttercream.
200g Caster Sugar 200g Self-raising Flour 2 heaped teaspoons of Baking Powder 4 large Eggs 200g Sunflower Oil 1 tablespoon of Ginger Syrup 2 or 3 knobs of Stem Ginger
Put all ingredients except the stem ginger into the food processor. Whizz for a minute to combine well. Chop the stem ginger and add to the mixture. Very briefly whizz to combine but not to chop.
Put the mixture into two greased 8″ cake tins and bake for 23 – 25 minutes at 180C/ fan oven 160C. Test with a skewer. If you haven’t got a skewer press the cake and it should spring back if cooked.
I’ve knitted two of the Christmas crackers from the pattern in Landscape magazine and decorated them with felt holly leaves and berries. They have a toilet roll tube inside them so I can add a small gift.
Stay safe everyone and fill your time with satisfying home crafts.
It’s been too wet and windy for gardening except for gathering fallen leaves. The polytunnels and the greenhouse are refuges on days like these so a bit of work has been possible under cover. I removed the dead basil plants and weeded the garlic which are growing nicely. There are plenty of carrots, parsnips and leeks to keep us going for a while.
I bought some winter lettuce from Delfland Nurseries online and planted them in the greenhouse border. Delfland supply good organic plants which are in good condition on delivery and very reasonably priced.
Nice little plants called Winter Density. Not grown this variety before but I have had winter lettuces in the past and they do very well. Although the greenhouse is unheated these are hardy enough to grow steadily through the winter and provide us with plenty of leaves. No need to pull up a whole lettuce. I just take the leaves from the outside, discarding any big rough ones and leaving the heart leaves to continue growing. They will also grow outdoors with a bit of protection but there are advantages to growing under cover. They’re not torn by the wind, shrivelled by frost or splashed with mud. A cold greenhouse or tunnel is ideal.
The rain has been lashing the windows and leaves have been flying everywhere. When the sun breaks through it lights up the leaves which are still clinging on. It reminds me of a poem I wrote a few years ago when I saw this effect one day.
LEAVES ON A WINDY DAY
Leaves transferred to crystal drops
By Autumn's sunny spells,
Suffused by fleeting rays of light
As sunshine ebbs and swells.
Rotating, rustling in the wind
Like bright medallions all aglint,
Or waves upon the rippling seas -
Cause me to pause and squint
And gorge myself upon the feast.
The sight will never be the same -
Some leaves gone or changed in shape,
Like fire's ever-changing flame.
Yet, caught in the attic of my mind,
Lying silent in the dust
(Except when other treasures topple in
Succumbing to my hoarder's lust),
The picture will stay, caught and held
Till some moment of nostalgic thirst
Will open the attic door and there I'll find it
As tantalising as it ever was at first.
With these wet days my thought turn to indoor hobbies. I’ve been knitting Christmas crackers. The pattern is in the November issue of Landscape magazine. It’s such a simple pattern. I’m enjoying doing them. For a while now I’ve been worried about the waste and plastic tat we throw away from Christmas crackers. Yes, I know they’re fun but we all need to be thinking about reducing waste. So when I saw this pattern I thought it was a nice alternative. I shall decorate them with some shapes cut out of felt, probably holly leaves and berries.
Last Christmas I made tiny felt Christmas stockings and wrote a short limerick for everyone and popped them inside. It was a laugh for them and I enjoyed the creativity. Here are my little felt boots.
Hoping the weather will buck up for all of us but lots to do if it doesn’t. Cheers.
Yesterday was a horrible, wet stormy day in our neck of the woods. I haven’t been able to do any gardening. I need to remove the basil from the polytunnel and do some weeding around the garlic but it was just not inviting.
The garden looks a bit sadder every day but there are berries to cheer the wintry days to come.
The leaves were flying off the fruit trees and the hawthorns. There will be mounds to sweep up as soon as we can go out again. We put them in the leaf bin to make leafmould, a valuable resource in the garden. I use it for mulching, mixing with compost when I’m planting and to use in seed trays in Spring.
A leaf bin is easy to make. Just drive four posts into the ground in a spare spot and fix wire netting around the sides to make a square container. The rain, frost and bacteria break down the leaves until there is a fine crumbly, sweet smelling substance in a few months time. I have tried putting leaves in polythene bags and piercing holes in them but I never found they work as well and I’m trying to reduce my use of plastic.
When it’s a horrible day I usually like to bake. The other day I made my super- quick brownies. If you like chocolate cake, you will like these and they’re so easy.
4 large eggs 200g Caster Sugar 200g Self-raising Flour
2 heaped teaspoons Baking Powder 2 and a half heaped tablespoons Cocoa Powder
3 tablespoons of Milk (I use Oatly but dairy is ok) 200g Sunflower Oil
Heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan oven. Whizz all ingredients in a food processor or with a hand mixer. (You can use a wooden spoon, but beat well). Grease a large baking tin. I use a roasting tin measuring approx. 30 x 26 cm and about 5cm deep. Spread the mixture in the tin and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Test the middle with a skewer. If it comes out clean it’s done. If you haven’t got a skewer press the cake gently and it should spring back. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.
Good as they are but if you want a sweeter treat or a fancier brownie try one of these:
Spread with jam. Cherry jam is good for a Black Forest taste; or make buttercream topping and sprinkle with nuts; or use glace icing ( just icing sugar mixed with a drop of water) with or without nuts; or melted chocolate drizzled on top.
Hoping to get out into the garden soon but if not I’m fancying a bit of knitting. Landscape magazine has some nice knitted Christmas crackers to make. Might have a go.
Earlier in the year I crocheted two small blankets for winter naps. I bought a large pack of yarn ages ago and decided to use them at last. I just did simple stripes in a range of colours. They’re so cheerful.
Hello I'm Freda, the Earthy Homemaker.
I have been running a home for 55 years and I'm married with a wonderful husband, son and daughter. We moved around a fair bit when we were younger and I gained a lot of experience along the way.
I've had lots of different jobs - worked in a computer factory, sold Tupperware, been a dental nurse, hospital nurse, receptionist, university lecturer and researcher - to name a few. Since having children I only worked part-time in paid employment because my domestic life is more important to me than money or a career. Retirement has been a joy for me. Never too many hours in a day.
I strongly believe that home life is the key to happiness. Time spent preparing tasty, nutritious meals, growing some of your own food, making things, is time well spent. It gives more tranquility to our lives, time to breathe, to listen and be more independent. Also time to be ourselves.
My blog is all about satisfying our inner needs - food, home comforts and creativity in ways that are easy and pleasurable. I'm not in the business of making you say ("Ooh, I could never do that!")("Oh, that's too complicated - can't be bothered!"). If you're looking for down-to-earth creative ideas and tips to smooth your way then look no further.
I love to paint, garden and bake and I occasionally crochet, knit or sew but I don't believe these things need to be complicated, over fancy or time-consuming. Instead I hope to inspire you with my own way of doing these things, simply, satisfyingly and happily.
Oh, by the way, I also love to scribble, so here's a little poem I created to get us started:
A happy home is one where time dwells
Where tantalising aromas fill the kitchen
Where jars of pickles fill the shelves
And heads can rest on home-made cushions.
The clock ticks but no-one minds.
It beats a gentle rhythm as we bake
And arrange our pre-loved finds
Of pretty china to hold our cake.
The pleasure of a carrot grown at home
A pudding to ward off the winter's chill,
The artistry when you're in the zone
And paint a picture. What a thrill!
It's home we love, where minds can grow
And nimble fingers create beautiful things.
Join me on my quest to show
The satisfaction self-sufficiency brings.
Here's a little painting I've just been working on.
It’s going to be cold and wet for a while now. If you need an easy, warming and satisfying meal, why not try this? It’s my alternative to fish cakes. If you like fish cakes but find they’re a faff to make try this easy version. If you’ve been to work they don’t make much time and you will have the ingredients to hand most probably.
Easy Fish Cake
For two people: 2 medium potatoes, I tin of salmon, mackerel or sardines, salt and pepper
Boil potatoes, then mash them. Drain the can of fish and mash into the potatoes with a fork. Add salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, then add the mash to the pan and flatten out. Let it sizzle until it is browning underneath then turn it over. Doesn’t matter if it breaks up. When both sides are well browned, serve with peas or a side-salad and some chutney, picalilli or your favourite sauce.
You can add snipped or chopped parsley, dried dill and /or lemon juice at the mashing stage, if you want to tart it up, but it isn’t necessary. This is a nutritious, tasty and appetizing meal which costs very little.
Here’s to happy days in a warm kitchen. More to come.
The garden is fading fast. There are some asters still flowering and an odd rose or two but it’s summer glory has all but disappeared.
As you can see there are some little pleasures still to be found though.
The ground is covered in leaves. Their damp fragrance scents the air and makes the paths slippy on wet days. As fast as we sweep them they reappear. I love the leaves. The acers are changing colour – red, yellow, orange – and the crab-apple has golden leaves.
We love the trees behind our garden. We’re lucky to have that backdrop. You can see a photo of them above.
Creatures are finding winter homes among the leaves, log piles and crevices. I don’t keep a perfect garden. I encourage wildlife and an organic system which maintains a balance between pests and predators, so a few scruffy bits here and there don’t matter. Better for the wildlife and definitely better for my back.
The veg garden is still in full swing though. In the polytunnels I have leeks, parsnips, turnips, kohl rabi, carrots, spring onions and salad leaves. Kohl rabi are sweeter and more tender than turnips and look fabulous with their odd shape. The second sowing are beginning to swell now. I use them while they are small and sweet.
The purple kohl rabi lose their colour when cooked but they’re delicious and grow very quickly.
Under the cover of the tunnels I also have spring cabbages. These will grow slowly through the winter and provide a welcome veg in April. I grow one called Spring Hero which , as far as I know, is the only spring cabbage which forms a ball head.
When they’re ready I either steam them or make a lovely salad. I discovered that if I shred them finely then add salt and pepper and a little drizzle of ginger syrup, it makes a really tasty salad to have with a ham or cooked meat sandwich. I often make my own preserved ginger and use the syrup for this but stem ginger from the shops is perfect. I will post another time about how to make your own stem ginger. Easy and delicious.
Living a contented creative life. 