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Showing posts with label Apples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apples. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Around an about

We decided to have a wander, followed by a pub stop, near Burford at the weekend.

Starting at Great Barrington, through Honey Bush (what!) and Sheep Dip following the little river Windrush to the village of Windrush and stopping at a brilliant pub named The Fox for refreshment! 

Then on to Little Barrington, crossing the river at Barrington Mill and back to the Landy waiting patently for us at Great Barrington. 
As you can see we started under blue skies, bryony adorning the hedgerows.
I could hardly believe these daisies are still flowering on this cold November day.


Spindle fruit is the most wonderful colour, the raspberry pink fruit splits open to reveal luscious orange seeds. They look delicious, I wonder if they're edible?


What a tenacious grip on life these trees have. Here at Mill Copse amongst all the tumbled down stone, they perch, splendidly moss covered.
And at the end of an unmade road stands Manor Farm, with these very picturesque out buildings


We discovered this feral apple tree at Windrush Mill, looking wonderfully red and gold but sadly too high for me to reach more than one delish specimen. 


And in any case Chris carries the back pack so I could hardly have persuaded him to join me in a spot of apple scrumping.


Hawthorn berries, called haws, are edible and were commonly made into jellies, jams, syrups and used to make wine, or to add flavour to brandy, rather than eaten fresh. 


And (so my mother once told me) the young leaves taste good in sandwiches!

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

Preserving the bounty

Picking raspberries (again!) in sunlight with bees busy in the last of the flowers, disturbing overlarge spiders grown fat for winter. My plans for the freezer thwarted, therein lies number 2 son's stash - pizza and milk.

Raspberry Vinegar
500ml cider vinegar
1.5kg raspberries
Sugar
Put raspberries and vinegar in a bowl and leave for 3 days, stirring occasionally. Mash well and strain through a jelly bag. Allow 450g sugar to each 500ml of liquid, mix together and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil slowly, stirring well, then simmer for 20 minutes. Skim and leave until cold, pour into screw top bottles and seal


A teaspoon of raspberry vinegar in a glass of water, recommended as a cooling drink to sooth a cold or fever (Mary Norwak 1978 Book of home preserving)




Bonfires and picking apples, disturbing earwigs and looking out for angry wasps












All this bounty makes work. It's satisfying when everything starts growing and I gaze proudly at our garden, then reality hits, either I let the fruit rot or I preserve it . . . NOW! 


It just won't wait for me. On the other hand I could just grow flowers and get down to the supermarket and buy stuff.


Apple Chutney
2lb apples
1lb onions
*1 lg red pepper
3/4lb sugar
1/2pt vinegar
**1-2 tsp ground ginger


Slice onions finely. Peel, core and chop apples (but not too small), place in a pan with the vinegar and bring to the boil. Add sugar and spice and stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to stand for 4 or 5 hours (or overnight). Bring to the boil again, keep stirring, before pouring into clean Kilner or screw top jars. Leave for two weeks before eating.


*yellow and orange are also fine
** any pickle spice can be used.




A quick scout along the drunken hedge means we'll have plenty of sloe gin for winter, ummm










The weather has been all over the place this week, rain, sun, grey skies and now bathed in sunlight. It makes the colours in the garden look spectacular.






Today I have a little shadow, she scratches about my feet searching out tasty morsels


Friday, 1 October 2010

Hello Autumn

Was this only last weekend? Low sun slanting through windows, Bonobo playing. . . .  a meditation while shelling beans in the kitchen. 





Picking the remaining apples, all very bucolic!