Living a contented creative life.

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.

A few years ago, my daughter Samantha persuaded me to write a blog. Sounded scary and far too technical for me but eventually I gave it a try and this month marks the third anniversary of those first steps.

I’m so grateful for the lovely responses from my readers. Without them it would be a pointless exercise. The pleasure of sharing my thoughts, photos and crafts with others is still fresh and I hope to continue for as long as I’m able.

This year is passing swiftly and Autumn is well under way. Wet leaves cover the garden. The scent of damp earth and fallen leaves is a pleasure even though the garden looks untidy. The paths are slippy with velvet moss and moisture and I have to tread carefully.

Most of the leaves will be stored in the leaf-bin to make valuable leaf-mould. When it’s fully broken down to a dark crumbly texture I can use it to make seed compost and add to the garden where the soil needs humus. The bin is a simple structure of four posts with wire netting sides. Does a perfect job as it allows the rain, wind and frost to do their work.

The flowers are fading now and I treasure any lingering blooms. Here are some still catching my eye.

I’ve replaced the pelargoniums with winter pansies. Last year I bought the big pansies and was disappointed by their performance. They flopped in the rain and didn’t please me. I resolved not to buy them again but forgot when I visited the nursery. However, later, I needed a few more and this time I remembered and bought the little violas. So pretty, delicate looking but stand up well to winter conditions.

Mellow tones of faded beauty are appearing here and there. The silver Artemisia is looking pretty with its seedheads. Leaves are changing colour and raindrops enhance whatever they fall upon.

In the vegetable garden, I transplanted the kale from the polytunnel to an outside bed. They’re winter hardy and sometimes they develop powdery mildew if I leave them in the tunnel, so I prefer them outside. They will have more room and the rain will do the watering. Next to them the sprouts are coming along. Only tiny sprouts on the plants yet but I hope to have a few for my festive flan at Christmas.

I haven’t grown red cabbage for years but I fancied pickling some. I love pickles and I enjoy making them. It’s really easy to do. So I bought a head from the supermarket . Not as fresh and organic as it would be from the garden but tasty.

I just peeled away the outer layer of cabbage, sliced it, cutting away any of the thick white parts and placed it in a bowl. Sprinkled sea-salt over it and left it for an hour or two, then drained it. Meanwhile, I heated some well-washed and rinsed jars in a cool oven and brought malt vinegar to boiling point with a good pinch of pickling spice. I filled the hot jars with cabbage, packing it down well and with a plastic sieve placed over a funnel I poured the vinegar in. I left a gap at the top and screwed the lids on immediately so the cooling vinegar would seal the jars.

It will soften if left for a few weeks but then it takes on a stronger vinegar taste. I prefer it freshly made and slightly crunchy. Probably the easiest pickle to do and in my opinion very satisfying.

This week was oven-cleaning time. For this job I save fine wood-ash from the log stove. It works like magic to remove grease. Although I don’t do roasts any more I do find that baking anything coats the oven walls with a greasy film. The ash is alkali and quickly dissolves the greasy residues. Plus, any little stubborn specks on the glass doors rub off in a trice. I also use fine wood-ash to clean the electric hob. Sprinkled on and moistened, then left for a few minutes to react, it easily cleans the surface. I keep a jar-full so it’s handy when I need it.

We haven’t had a log fire yet. It hasn’t been cold enough and we’re saving the wood for winter. Our supplier is having trouble with his stock so we are waiting for more before we use the fire. There is some doubt now about the use of wood fires and I can see the sense in that. However, we’ve only got electricity and if there’s a power-cut we’re left without heat of any kind. There is something wonderful about a real fire on a winter’s night. There’s nothing quite like it for comfort and contentment.

I like making up the fire, with kindling from our own garden, paper and logs, with a small amount of ash and charcoal underneath. Putting a match to it on a cold night and watching it burst into life is very satisfying.

Knitting is ongoing now that the garden is winding down. I’ve made another small teddy. He’s a bit fatter than his brother because I probably was carried away with the stuffing. Extra cuddly! I’ve also knitted a rabbit. It doesn’t look very rabbity except for the tail but I’m sure some little person will find it acceptable as a little friend.

I used Val Pierce’s book, “Knitted Rabbits”. Easy patterns, quick to knit and enjoyable but I always find the hardest part of toy-making is stitching a face. Took three attempts with the rabbit.

That’s all for this week. I hope you’re finding pleasure in falling leaves and Autumn pastimes. Bye for now.

October. Time for misty mornings and the sound of rustling leaves as Autumn sweeps in. The garden is winding down and other activities fill my thoughts as Christmas edges nearer.

Before the festive season occupies my time though I have jobs to do in the garden. I have kale to plant out and broad bean seeds to sow. Bare soil needs to be covered and leaves to be swept up and stored for leafmould.

I picked the last of the tomatoes. A few were ripe and I found some large green “Roma” ones to bring in to store in a basket. They will slowly turn red in a cool room.

Then I removed the tomato plants and composted them. I spread a little fresh homemade compost on the greenhouse bed and planted winter lettuce.

Behind the tomato plants I found some fascinating fungi. I looked them up and I think they’re Coral Fungi, possibly Ochre Coral. A bit unusual, it seems.

I’ve planted garlic cloves in the tunnel. These need the cold months of winter and will be harvested in late May or June. I will need to protect them from Allium Leaf Miner with fine mesh cloches around the end of February. I’ve lost two leek crops previously to this new pest in our area so I hope I can prevent them from ruining the garlic which is also an allium. Homegrown garlic is so delicious. Well worth growing.

I’ve planted the onions I grew from seed in an outside bed. These will be vulnerable to allium leaf miner as well so I’ll protect them later on.

The Cabbage White butterflies have finished their reproductive cycle at last. I’ve been able to expose the sprouts and feed them with some chicken manure pellets. These are very stinky but are a good source of the nitrogen which green leafy vegetables need. The rain at the beginning of the month has washed it into the soil and tiny sprouts are forming.

Aphids have been a serious problem this year. They can damage plants if left alone. I just squash them as soon as I find them because they reproduce rapidly. You can see them on my photo of the growing sprouts.

The fruit-cage has been dismantled and most of the old blueberry bushes removed. This part of the garden will be used for something else next year. Lots of weeds to remove first and the soil replenished with compost.

The roses have had their late summer show but a few pretty flowers continue to give me pleasure. The asters have been wonderful this year. They seem to have benefited from the wet July. Fuchsias are also lovely at this time of year.

This warm damp weather has confused some plants. They’re reacting to Spring-like conditions. For example, I found a crocus flowering.

A few months ago I planted a few Nerine bulbs. Sadly, only one has produced a flower stem. But what a beauty!

Some lovely leaves are falling. Pleasing shapes, like a fig leaf and an acer leaf which fell on the wet stones, and others showing their autumn colours.

Indoors, when it was too wet to work in the garden I did some knitting. I’m making toys again to give away at Christmas. I’ve made a small teddy and I intend to do a few more.

The pattern is from Val Pierce’s book “Dressed Up Bears”. It’s very easy. Worked in garter stitch throughout and really simple to make.

Food is always on my mind and I’m keen to keep experimenting with my airfryer. My recipe for a delicious parsnip flan is included in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook but was intended to be baked in a conventional oven. I wanted to try it in the airfryer but as mine is so small I wasn’t confident. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

I reduced the amounts of ingredients and used a little flan tin which luckily just fitted into the airfryer basket. I realised it would be difficult to lift out the hot tin after baking so I put a folded sheet of aluminium foil underneath with flaps to hold onto. That worked well. I baked the flan at 167C for about 23 minutes. It was a great success although the pastry was a bit pale.

In my original recipe I used creme fraiche. I hadn’t any handy so I used a spoonful of oat cream. A dash of milk would probably have done as well. It was so tasty and the filling set perfectly.

If you have a big airfryer which would take a normal sized flan tin, you could follow my recipe and cook it for about 25 to 30 minutes instead of the 40 minutes in the conventional oven.

Here are my original ingredients.

Creamy Parsnip Flan.
Pastry for a flan dish approximately 8 inches/22.5 cm in diameter.
Approx. 500g Parsnips
80g Cashews
1 small Onion
1 Vegetable Stock Cube (I use Kallo)
1 large Egg
half to a whole small red Chilli or Chilli Powder
Salt and Pepper
2 heaped tablespoons Creme Fraiche

Line the flan tin with pastry.
Wash, peel and slice parsnips. Cook in a little water for about 10 minutes.
Drain and cool the parsnips and put into a food processor. Add nuts, egg, crumbled stock cube, sliced onion, creme fraiche, chopped chilli or chilli powder, (quantity according to how hot you want it), and salt and pepper. Combine well on high speed. 
Fill the pastry case. 
Preheat the airfryer to about 167C on Bake setting. 
Add the flan when airfryer is ready and bake for about 25 minutes.
Very satisfying and goes well with a good home-made chutney. A lovely Autumn meal.

Seasonal changes always make me reflect. Often I’m inspired to write a poem. Here’s one about October which I composed a couple of years ago.

October Days

Sunny spells and sudden rain.
Rustling leaves and drooping flowers.
That time of year is here again
With daylight's fleeting hours.

Spider webs are glistening wet.
The moss is emerald green.
Sombre clouds, a constant threat
And whipping winds are keen.

Then the sun bursts through again,
Golden light upon the wall,
Glowing on the windowpane
Where the raindrops fall.

Scents of earth fill the air.
Damp morning mists arise.
Trees are almost bare
As the restless wind sighs.

Darker days lie just ahead
And though Winter may be cruel
We need not fear or dread
As we plan for Spring's renewal.

Bye for now. I hope you enjoy the changing season. With you again soon.

It feels more like Autumn now that October has begun. A mellow atmosphere in the air and hints of colour in the leaves. Time to think ahead in the garden for winter food and hardy flowers.

For us, the last days of September were sunny and warm. The garden was full of bees and butterflies. There was a blur of movement on a group of asters in a sunny spot. Red Admirals and Commas flitted and mingled as they sipped nectar from these lovely flowers.

The garden is looking a bit dishevelled at the moment. Some changes have been necessary. Inevitably that’s caused disruption and we need to make adjustments.

We had a magnolia taken out.

It was a lovely tree but the roots were threatening to invade drains and it made a lot of work for us. Although we’ve planted two small shrubs, the area looks very scruffy and needs help. A project for the next few weeks.

We also decided to remove the fruit cage and the old blueberry bushes which lived inside it. It had been repaired so often and the bushes aren’t as productive, so it’s time to change that area of the garden. Sad in a way because the fruit cage was homemade and had served its purpose very well. The blueberries had been truly delicious and up until three years ago had produced kilos of fruit.

Time to move on though. Nothing stands still in a garden.

I’ve removed the pelargoniums from the pots and planted lovely pansies. Soon they will fill out and make a fine display through the colder months.

I ‘ve had three lovely sage bushes for the last few years but they’re coming to the end of their best display. One has almost died and looks very bedraggled so I took cuttings from them. I tried the recommended method of placing a polythene bag over two of the pots to retain moisture and left one open. I kept a covered one in the greenhouse and stood the other two outside the green house door in the open air. The two in polythene bags didn’t do as well as the open one standing outdoors so I won’t cover them in future.

A few other lovely things caught my eye this week.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes are still ripening. I leave them until frost threatens. Then I bring in any remaining tomatoes to keep in a basket in a cool room. Green ones will slowly turn red. No need for paper bags, bananas or other tricks. It will happen naturally. I’ve often kept tomatoes like this until the new year.

When the tomatoes come out I’ll put winter lettuce into the greenhouse bed. Now the plants are well established and ready for transplanting soon.

Time to remove the runner bean plants before the Autumn gales knock them over. A few tender pods pop up now and then but most are too mature to eat. I left some to go crisp and dry so I could save seed for next year. The beans inside were hard and shiny. Absolutely perfect for keeping. I haven’t bought runner bean seeds for years. These “Scarlet Emperor” always grow well.

This is the perfect time for planting most Spring bulbs. Daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths will get off to a good start if they’re planted this month but tulips shouldn’t be planted before November. Tulips planted earlier are vulnerable to a virus called “tulip fire”.

A general rule is that bulbs should be planted about three times deeper than their length from the pointy top to the flatter base. Daffodils particularly need depth to flower well year on year.

As the nights draw in my mind turns to crafty pastimes like knitting. I’m going to make some toys again to give away at Christmas. I made a tiny mouse just for starters but I intend to make some bigger toys. The mouse has been added to my little collection of toys which keep us amused.

The colder months call for more substantial meals. Simple cooking saves fuel and can often make the most satisfying food to please the palate. Although I try to use fresh, healthy ingredients I sometimes need to cut corners. At the weekend I needed to rustle up a meal for a surprise family visit. It was easy to do and everyone enjoyed it.

I cooked sausages in my airfryer. While they were cooking I put a little water, some crushed garlic, half a crumbled vegetable stock cube and some frozen peas into a large pan. I simmered these, then added a can of organic sweetcorn and a small chopped red chilli pepper. I heated two sachets of frozen rice in the microwave, for four minutes each, then added them to the pan. I sliced the sausages into chunks and added those. Stirred it all together. It took about twenty minutes to cook and was delicious. It looked appetising too and I wish I’d taken a photo.

That’s all for this time. I hope you enjoy good food and all that Autumn offers. With you again in a couple of weeks. Bye for now.

Halfway through September and the mood has changed in the garden. Leaves litter the paths and sunny spells are followed by damp mornings. A sense of winding down pervades the air.

The asters are putting on their early autumn show. Their lovely shades of colour, from softest lilac to deep purple, make them some of my favourite flowers.

The rudbeckias glow even on the dullest day. A few have drooping petals after heavy downpours but this highlights their beautiful seed cones.

The roses are producing some blossom as a last fling before frost begins. In our poor, sandy soil, roses struggle and never flower generously so I cherish the few which appear.

A garden is not just a collection of plants. Bees and other insects have flourished among the flowers. Of course the vegetables have had their share of visitors as well.

Birds have been very active around the garden. We spotted a sparrowhawk on the path outside the window. It was hunting a small bird which was hiding inside a bush. I managed to snap a couple of shots before the hawk disappeared.

Feathers lying about are evidence of other visits perhaps, although birds do drop them naturally from time to time..

Little tiny frogs are jumping about the garden but it’s interesting to see that there are still tadpoles in the pond. They seem to develop at different rates. Some are still small and others have their tiny frog legs but not quite there yet.

Although Summer is over, there is still much to do in the vegetable garden. I sowed seeds for winter lettuce, spring cabbages, kale and cauliflowers a few weeks ago and now they’re ready for planting.

Sadly my entire leek crop has been wiped out again. This time it was Leek Moth. For the last two years they were affected by Allium Leaf Miner so I doubly protected them with a fine mesh covering inside the polytunnel. Somehow, despite my careful efforts, a Leek Moth must have got in. The leaves turned to mush and when I cut open a couple of leeks I could see the tiny pale cream caterpillars. Had to throw them all away.

Gardening is always a gamble. You win some and you lose some. When you succeed it’s wonderfully satisfying but the wildlife in a garden has to eat, just as we do. Lots to be thankful for though so I never give up.

The carrots have been so good this year. I sow small amounts every few weeks so I don’t need to pull them all up at once. I simply take what I need and the rest stay in the ground. That way I have fresh carrots for most of the year.

The last two squashes had their stems nibbled so I protected them with “popsocks”. This worked well. I finally brought them into the greenhouse to firm up their skins so they will store for a couple of months Then I will bring them into the house and keep them for winter meals.

This month, with an abundance of food, it’s an ideal time to preserve the harvest. Pickles, chutney, jams and jellies, freezing and canning are good ways to save the goodies that the garden has produced.

These are not difficult things to do but I have to admit it does require some hard work. It helps to be as organised as possible and to have the tools to make it easier.

Any kind of jar in perfect condition with a screw-on lid will do for jams, pickles and chutney. It’s important to only use lids in the best condition. Plastic lined lids are best for pickles and chutney because vinegar will react with bare metal and corrode the lid. It’s a good idea to save any jars throughout the year so plenty are available when preserving.

Jars should be washed and rinsed when the chutney or jam is being cooked, placed without drying them in a cool oven and heated at a low temperature until they’re needed. If the jars are filled while they’re hot, one at a time, using a funnel to keep the rims clean, and the dried lids screwed on immediately, they will seal. The jam or chutney should not quite fill the jar, leaving a gap at the top. There’s a popping sound as they cool which proves it’s sealed.

Jam making is easy. The fruit is washed, weighed, prepared and stewed in a little water, then an equal amount of sugar is added, stirred to dissolve, then brought to the boil. The mixture is boiled hard until a drop put onto a cold plate will wrinkle. That shows it’s at setting point.

I save any bits of surplus fruit during the summer and freeze them, then I make mixed fruit jam on a cold winter’s day. Snug in the kitchen, it’s a nice way to pass the time and homemade jam is so delicious on hot buttered toast.

Lots more tips and instructions in my cookbook with two recipes for chutney and picallili.

I always feel slightly sad that Summer is over but when I look ahead I know that there will be pleasures from the garden even in winter. I was inspired to write another poem.

September's Song

September's song is in the air.
A melancholy melody of loss,
Of fading light and wear and tear,
And Spring's promise turned to dross.

A gentle melancholy, all the same,
Not lacking optimism or hope,
Without the bitterness of blame
To limit Nature's scope.

September's song is in the air
As early Autumn's mellow mood begins.
No time for sadness or despair,
The beauty of the season wins.

We look ahead with every falling leaf
While gathering harvest's welcome yield,
Reassured as usual by our belief
The world will once again be healed.

So we savour golden days,
Smell the dampened earth's sweet heady scent
And glory in the fiery blaze
Until at last the show is spent.

With you again in a couple of weeks. Enjoy all that September offers. Bye for now.

September already. A mellow month full of fruity scents and a feeling of change in the air.

The aroma of apples is wonderful when they’re gathered in the shed. The perfume is heady as you open the door and the delicious smell fills your nose. I’ve already used windfalls in my apple and cinnamon squares and chutney, and I’ve stewed and frozen some for a rainy day. Now the rest of the crop are ready for harvesting. Some have been picked and others will be done soon.

The runner beans are still generously growing. I prefer to eat them very small while they’re tender but when they grow too big I cook the kidney beans from inside the pods. These are nutritious and flavourful. They lose their lovely pink colour in the pan but still make a tasty meal.

I have some new French beans coming along as well. I haven’t tried this variety before. Not sure what they will be like but the plants look healthy and the little pods are just beginning to poke out.

I was a bit slow to resow the “Little Gem” lettuces so there’s been a gap but I have a few small ones growing now. The same with radishes but they grow rapidly and I should be able to produce some more before the weather turns cold. I love “French Breakfast”. So sweet and tender! The spring onions have grown well and keep providing a juicy kick to a sandwich.

I have a few peas growing. The flowers are beginning to fade and leave behind their little pods. I had the seeds from the Heritage Seed Library at Garden Organic and I think they’re called “Witham”. Not a name I know but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Carrots have been wonderful. They’re protected in the polytunnels from the devastating carrot fly. I sow every few weeks so the supply is ongoing. I never grow a big crop which needs to be harvested all at once. Small amounts sown every few weeks keep me supplied with enough vegetables for our needs and they’re always fresh. Parsnips will be ready soon but I leave them until it’s frosty. Apparently it improves their flavour although I’m not sure if that’s really true. I would need to compare.

Wild fruits grow here and there in the garden. They look very decorative although they’re essentially weeds. The wild strawberries are nice to eat but you need a lot to gain a helping of them so I leave them for the blackbirds and mice. Blackberries are a nuisance with their thorns and their spreading habit but I must admit they look lovely and they feed the creatures who live in the garden.

September flowers are singing out for attention with their bright colours.

Indoors I’ve not been as busy as usual. The cucumbers and courgettes haven’t produced enough to make a lot of pickles. I was also hoping to preserve some tomatoes but the crop hasn’t been substantial. Enough for plenty of good meals but not a surplus. By October I usually have a satisfying cupboard full of preserves but less of everything this year. That’s the way with a garden. Weather, pests and the gardener’s own efforts make it a chancy business. Great when it succeeds though.

I hadn’t made a fruit cake for a long time. My own recipe is a favourite with the family and I thought it was about time I got going. I always make two because it’s not worth putting the oven on for a single cake. They freeze well and it’s nice to have something tucked away.

A satisfying cake full of fruit and spices, it also makes a delicious pudding with custard or Greek yoghurt.

Fruit Cake (Makes two)

400g Dates
300g Raisins or Sultanas or a mixture of both
1 Orange
6 large Eggs
250g Muscovado Sugar
540g Self-raising Flour
60g Bran
300g Sunflower Oil
1 heaped teaspoon Cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon ground Ginger
1 level teaspoon ground Cloves

Stone and chop the dates. Put into a heatproof jug with the raisins and/or sultanas. Pour boiling water about three quarters of the way up the fruit and leave to soak.
Scrub the orange and grate the peel. Add it to the fruit in the jug.
Heat the oven to 180C or 160C fan oven.
Beat the eggs and sugar together. 
Add other ingredients including the slightly cooled fruit and liquid.
Mix thoroughly and put into cake tins. (I use cake liners.)
Bake for 45 minutes.
Test centre with a skewer. If it's sticky put it back for a couple more minutes.
It will look very brown on top but that's alright.
Takes a while to cool on a wire rack.
Freeze one when they're completely cold.

This and other cake recipes, including my apple and cinnamon squares, are in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook. You can find it with this link,

https://geni.us/eANQu

I also have one-pan meals, vegetarian meals, cheese and chutney recipes and plenty of tips to make your cooking easy.

I might decide to write my blog fortnightly instead of every week. A week flies by and although I always have something to say I don’t want readers to grow tired. We all have busy lives. I have some very loyal readers who give me the most lovely compliments but my numbers have fallen considerably over the Summer. I will think about what to do. It’s a lovely hobby and I’ve loved doing it but perhaps it’s time to change my approach.

Bye for now. Enjoy the best of the weather and when it’s wet try my fruit cake recipe for a sweet treat.

Almost the end of August. Making the most of the last Summer days and the benefits of the season.

The rudbeckias are glowing, fuchsias are gracefully showing their frilly petals, the asters are beginning to open their lovely daisy flowers and the veronicas have pretty spikes of pink and mauve.

It’s good to see the wildlife thriving in the garden. Grasshoppers are abundant this year. One obligingly posed for me on the polytunnel door.

I think the bluetits have been busy on the poppy seed heads. Occasionally I see them gripping a stem and pecking holes to reach the seeds. I discovered some seedheads with completely stripped tops. Just delicate skeletons remained where the seed capsules had been. So lovely to see.

The cooking apples are ready for harvesting. Best done on a dry day so that the perfect ones can be stored for winter use. I used to wrap them in newspaper but I discovered it’s easier to spot any spoiled ones if they’re left bare. For years I kept them successfully in our frost-free shed but during the last two winters mice and then rats found them. They managed to get in and caused problems. Fingers crossed for this year! It’s good to have fresh apples to use during the cold months.

The remaining two squashes still growing on the plants had their stems nibbled by snails. The stem needs to be left on for storage so this was a problem. I found two “popsox” and used them to enclose the squashes and their stems. Snugly wrapped but able to expand they should be fine now and will be ready for harvesting soon.

My little bell peppers are red and ready to use. A bit of a funny shape but that doesn’t matter. They’ve been grown naturally and are full of goodness and flavour. The chillies are ready as well. Not very hot but that’s fine for us.

It’s funny how little coincidences happen in life. There is a Facebook group for my old school and people were reminiscing about a sewing project we did in our first year. It was a small felt book made to keep needles in. I knew I had mine but wasn’t sure where. When I decided to photograph some of my boxes for the blog, I opened my old sewing box and there it was. A bit shabby now but it’s sixty-four years old! Not surprising really. Here are my photos of it.

I have several boxes. Some are made of wood, simple classic box-shaped or round and lidded . Others are metal and a bit more elaborate. A few are made of pottery. Some of my boxes were crafted by my husband so have special significance.

Little treasures live in them and it’s lovely to find them again when the boxes are opened.

Interesting bits live in a few. This one has a seahorse skeleton and a shark tooth with some pretty shells.

Another contains a tiny musical movement which plays Brahms lullaby. Reminds me of my sisters singing me to sleep when I was very young.

Pottery ones made by my husband are small but beautiful.

These old and well-loved objects are what make a house a home. They make a certain amount of clutter and housework but I wouldn’t be without them. Every home is unique and reflects the owner’s personality. At least, that’s how it seems to me. I’m a creative type of person so I gather things which are either useful or beautiful. Habits of a lifetime!

That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoy the last few days of Summer and the beginning of September with it’s fruity and earthy fragrances. With you again soon. Bye for now.

Hello everyone. August is galloping by. Won’t be long until the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” begins.

As you can see from my apples I already have some mellow fruitfulness. These aren’t very sweet apples but I shall cook them in various ways. My green cooking apples are falling in the wind and will soon be ready for harvesting. I’ve already used plenty for puddings, cakes and chutney. They are so delicious stewed, stuffed, or baked in my apple and cinnamon squares.

Plums are gradually ripening but won’t be available until early October. Looking lovely on the tree with a slight blush of colour. They’ll be deep purple when they’re ready.

End of summer flowers are pleasing with their lovely colours. Cosmos, phlox, Japanese anemones, rudbeckias and a few late roses.

Wild flowers and weeds creep in and give their own beauty to the garden at this time of year.

I thought the squashes were ready early because the plants appeared to be dying. Just three managed to grow. A wet July and the gnawing attentions of mice put paid to several others. Only one seemed to be ripe and it was bigger than the other two. I cut it free from the plant and put it in the greenhouse to harden up the skin for winter storage. The smaller two need a little longer before I cut them off.

Runner beans, true to their name, are running away with me. So generous that I can’t keep picking before they grow too big. It’s not a problem though because when they swell I remove the kidney beans from the pods and cook those. Although the beans lose their beautiful pink colour when they’re cooked they are really tasty and full of goodness.

The tomatoes are ripe. I was hoping to preserve some in kilner jars but I don’t think there will be enough. I needed some for chutney. They have done well without any problems but the crop isn’t huge. They’re big and beautiful, full of juicy flavour.

At the weekend I made my Dark and Sweet Chutney. This will keep for months so I make plenty. It’s my husband’s favourite. I prefer my Courgette Chutney. A lot of chopping of vegetables but otherwise very easy to make. Both recipes are in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook. There’s also my recipe for piccalilli. Here is the link if you’d like to take a look.

https://geni.us/eANQu

If you only want one recipe, let me know and I will see what I can do.

Time to think ahead in the garden, so I’ve sown cauliflowers, winter lettuce , onions and spring Cabbage. The seeds have germinated and are just poking out of the seed compost.

When they’re ready I will put them into plugs until they’re big enough to plant out in the garden or polytunnel. These onions are very hardy so they’ll be fine outdoors. The lettuce will be in the greenhouse and the caulis and Spring cabbages will be snug in the polytunnel. They’ll grow slowly until February when the days lengthen, then they’ll put on a spurt and be useable a few weeks later.

Indoors I’ve finally got round to doing some painting. I finished my little picture of a neighbour’s tiny Pekin cockerel. It’s nice to hear him showing off to his girls. I managed to snap the photo while he was crowing, showing his open beak. It was difficult to capture the beauty of his silvery feathers. I drew the outline with pencil and pen then coloured the details by painting with gouache.

That’s all for this week. With you again soon. Enjoy the summer while it lasts. Bye for now.

I’m taking a break from my blog this week. Hope to be with you again soon.

Whatever happened to our English Summer? I don’t mind some rain but desperate now for a bit more sunshine. Most of the flowers seem to be thriving though. This time last year the phlox had brown crispy leaves but now they’re green and healthy. The cosmos have grown to an enormous height and their lovely flowers glow in the dull light.

Whenever the sun does peep from behind the clouds I walk around the garden and enjoy whatever it has to offer.

The lavender smells wonderful and the bees are ever busy among the scented flowers. It splays over the paving and never looks tidy but I love it so much that it really doesn’t matter.

The red salvia has been a treasure. I planted it about four years ago and its scarlet flowers please me every year. I just give the woody shrub a light prune in Spring after frost has finished and it becomes a beauty. I should take some cuttings to replace it when its lifespan is over.

The campanulas are having a second show. I deadheaded them in July and the stems produced more buds. One of my favourite flowers which self-seed around the garden and please themselves where they’re going to grow. Pleases me too.

Nice little cucumbers are ready most days and my four dwarf bean plants are still producing copious amounts of yellow beans. The chillies are ripening and I’ve picked two. They look almost black before they turn red but once they’re ripe they are a brilliant colour.

The runner beans are growing too fast in the rain. I can’t keep up! I don’t like them too big and I’ve frozen a lot already. The freezer is already bulging. I shall be making chutney soon so I can use some in that. I’m waiting for the courgettes which, sadly, aren’t doing too well. The outdoor ones haven’t grown and something keeps eating the flowers so no fruit can form. The one in the tunnel looks healthy but the small courgettes keep withering. Frustrating. I love courgette pickles and they’re really good in my chutney recipe but things aren’t looking promising yet. I live in hope for some sunshine to buck them up.

I’ve used a few windfall apples. They’re very sour at this stage but have a lovely flavour. I mix them into my bread puddings with plenty of sugar and some sultanas. Delicious and so easy to bake in my airfryer.

The “Roma” tomatoes are almost ready and I’m using the St. Marzano ones. Sweet and juicy. I thought I’d make some tomato and basil scones with my airfryer-baked cheese scone recipe. The cheese ones are very nice but I wanted to experiment with them. I tried it out and was really pleased with the result. Here’s my recipe.

Airfryer-baked Cheese and Tomato Scones
Makes four

1 cup Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
half teaspoon Salt
40g Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil
half cup of Milk
1 medium or two small Tomatoes
Basil, approx. 3 large leaves 

Grate the cheese. Cut tomato into small pieces. Tear the basil into little bits.
Combine all ingredients.
Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Mixture will be a bit stiff but that's ok.
Grease a doubled piece of foil.
Form the mixture into roughly equal scones and place on greased foil.
Press any exposed tomato into the mixture.
Place in the airfyer.
Set on bake at 170C for 7 minutes.
After 7 minutes carefully turn them over and cook again on the same setting for another 7 minutes.
Good hot or cold.

With all this rain I’ve been thinking about knitting and it reminded me of my vintage pattern books. The older one is from the 1940s and another one is slightly later. They’re absolutely fascinating but I confess I wouldn’t have the patience to make a lot of the patterns. They include delicate lacy full-length night-dresses, bra and pants sets, silk stockings and some crazy hats. Here are some photos I snapped from the books to give you an idea.

How about that hat? Perhaps the style will become popular again. Who knows?

At the back of the books are instructions for “make-do and mend”. How to unravel worn out jumpers and reshape them into something else. I’m not sure most of us would want to do that nowadays but they’re really interesting and practical ideas.

I hope you’re finding lots of ways to beat the rain and looking on the bright side. Bye for now. With you again soon.