Hi sorry I have not posted on here as much but I have been busy turning the harvest into things .
This weekend I was steam juicing the apples that I collected from off the plot I have not been down the local lanes as yet but one of the Wood turners (Trev) said I could harvest his if I wanted I will have to see if I have the bottles and space.
The freezer is full so I was making fruit leathers with the pulp I have been looking at buying some bottles or using beer bottles to see if they work to keep the apple juice in..
The shooting season has Started and I was beating on Saturday near Boston on Wack and Jays shoot.
I brought a Brace of pheasants home I must say that only 27 lots of game were shot and a lot of them were pigeons and a few hares.
I am off on one on Saturday but I will take both dogs I just hope blue behaves his self.
I have this Friday off so back to normal I have been in the office most of the week but out first thing tomorrow at Frithville near Boston then in the office paper work who needs it.
I have picked all the pears off the trees on the plot and in my garden they will be next for the steam juicer and dryer.
The pears don't keep too long and soon go soft I like them hard .
Still finding the odd mushroom on my walks but have hardly dried any this year so I will have to keep my eye on the market and super markets for offers.
The garage needs more shelving so I can spread into there with my bottles and Jars.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Sunday, 10 October 2010
A trip to Fulstow brewery at Louth
The lincolnshire smallholders and self sufficiency Club had a visit to Fulstow Brewery at Louth today, Barbara said it was not her cup of tea so I went on my own and had a half of IPA before the tour the beer was very good .
As I was driving It was tea for the rest of the afternoon.
The brewery is run by a very nice husband and wife team and is small scale but makes some nice beer I brought some bottles home with me.
There is a small pub on site that the owners are making out of part of the building .
The beer is sent out in 9 gallon casks or you can order 4.5gallon casks for party's at home.
I am having Friday and Monday off this weekend it makes a break and at the moment I need a break from work as last Monday we were told we had a meeting from 8.00am, so as not to be late I left early when we were all there the company had decided to test everyone for drugs and alcohol now this is OK but I have worked for this company for 6 months and now I have lost all trust and have no loyalty to this company.
Now as a professional person to treat me like that I find that disgusting.
And on Saturday I received a letter tell me I had passed all tests and thanking me.
They will when I hand in my notice as I have not been happy with the way they treat the staff.
My colleague was told on Friday that no one fail any tests.
Any way rant over so much for the simple life.
I have had a booking for next year at the WI in the next village so who knows, So look out Mr Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall .
I have decided to call it a night as I hear a bottle of Fulstows Village Life. calling.
As I was driving It was tea for the rest of the afternoon.
The brewery is run by a very nice husband and wife team and is small scale but makes some nice beer I brought some bottles home with me.
There is a small pub on site that the owners are making out of part of the building .
The beer is sent out in 9 gallon casks or you can order 4.5gallon casks for party's at home.
I am having Friday and Monday off this weekend it makes a break and at the moment I need a break from work as last Monday we were told we had a meeting from 8.00am, so as not to be late I left early when we were all there the company had decided to test everyone for drugs and alcohol now this is OK but I have worked for this company for 6 months and now I have lost all trust and have no loyalty to this company.
Now as a professional person to treat me like that I find that disgusting.
And on Saturday I received a letter tell me I had passed all tests and thanking me.
They will when I hand in my notice as I have not been happy with the way they treat the staff.
My colleague was told on Friday that no one fail any tests.
Any way rant over so much for the simple life.
I have had a booking for next year at the WI in the next village so who knows, So look out Mr Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall .
I have decided to call it a night as I hear a bottle of Fulstows Village Life. calling.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Mushrooms and fungi in October
This is a selection of fungi that I have found along the river bank while out with the dogs.
This is yellow through all of the Fungi I have no Idea what sort it is/
There were 4 of these large brown ones down the Ponds these were found in around 6 silver birch trees they are called LECCINUM SCABRUM (brown Birch Bolete ) I think and as the books say it is edible but the colour would put me off.
Some were badly eat on by Slugs but this one is not to bad.
This photo below is a good example of Fungi.
I gave a talk at the local WI the other night GUERRILLA HARVESTING or Hedgerow foraging
This is yellow through all of the Fungi I have no Idea what sort it is/
There were 4 of these large brown ones down the Ponds these were found in around 6 silver birch trees they are called LECCINUM SCABRUM (brown Birch Bolete ) I think and as the books say it is edible but the colour would put me off.
Some were badly eat on by Slugs but this one is not to bad.
This photo below is a good example of Fungi.
I gave a talk at the local WI the other night GUERRILLA HARVESTING or Hedgerow foraging
It went down well and I have had enquires about next year.
The homemade wine went down well and the chili dipping sauce.
I have been dehydrating Pears to day with all 9 trays full.
and picking the last of the crops off the trees on the plot over the road.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
wet weekend
I went out Saturday with the dogs wrapped up in my water proofs on the way back we came through a village where the trees where over the lane I had to stop as in the middle of the road were 3 pigeons well I thought they were all pigeons but when i got near i realised it was 2 pigeon's an a hawk.
The hawk was pinning down 1 pigeon and the other was pretending to be injured to distract him from his mate the hawk managed to get to the side of the road with his catch and I drove on and left nature to get on with life. Now some people would have intervened but I felt that was wrong.
On Sunday we were down the drain (river) and I had my camera with me when some plane were flying down a long the river and when they were near they banked off towards the Lincoln direction it was the red arrows so by the time that I had got my camera out of its case they were like dots in the sky. so no photos but it looked great in formation.
Monday I had to be up at 5am to catch the transport from Sleaford to Leeds for work it was a long day by the time I got home .
Barbara has bought me a new book called The complete Guide to edible wild plants,Mushrooms, Fruits,and Nuts. By Katie Letcher Lyle
It looks a good book I will let you know later.
The hawk was pinning down 1 pigeon and the other was pretending to be injured to distract him from his mate the hawk managed to get to the side of the road with his catch and I drove on and left nature to get on with life. Now some people would have intervened but I felt that was wrong.
On Sunday we were down the drain (river) and I had my camera with me when some plane were flying down a long the river and when they were near they banked off towards the Lincoln direction it was the red arrows so by the time that I had got my camera out of its case they were like dots in the sky. so no photos but it looked great in formation.
Monday I had to be up at 5am to catch the transport from Sleaford to Leeds for work it was a long day by the time I got home .
Barbara has bought me a new book called The complete Guide to edible wild plants,Mushrooms, Fruits,and Nuts. By Katie Letcher Lyle
It looks a good book I will let you know later.
Friday, 24 September 2010
Jam making in a bread maker
I have been busy since my last post I have harvested plums,Blackberries, Apples, Elderberries,
and Pears, then turning them into Jams and chutneys, Wine,syrups, cordials and freezing any spare in the freezer.
The freezer is now full so it will have to be Wines,syrups,jams, chutneys,and dehydrate and store in airtight jars.
We have had shelving put up in the back toilet so we can see all the jars and bottles as when we had them in a cupboard we could not see what we had and some got over looked.
The jams in the picture below are from left to right Nectarine and mango, Strawberry, both made in the bread maker, and finally chili pepper jelly made on the stove.
To make jam in the bread maker I put in 2 cup full of Fruit which has been squashed with a potatoes masher or food processor the colour stays and doesn't go dark like it would when its been cooked on the stove.
recipe for making jam in a bread maker.
I hope not to leave it so long before I post.
and Pears, then turning them into Jams and chutneys, Wine,syrups, cordials and freezing any spare in the freezer.
The freezer is now full so it will have to be Wines,syrups,jams, chutneys,and dehydrate and store in airtight jars.
We have had shelving put up in the back toilet so we can see all the jars and bottles as when we had them in a cupboard we could not see what we had and some got over looked.
The jams in the picture below are from left to right Nectarine and mango, Strawberry, both made in the bread maker, and finally chili pepper jelly made on the stove.
To make jam in the bread maker I put in 2 cup full of Fruit which has been squashed with a potatoes masher or food processor the colour stays and doesn't go dark like it would when its been cooked on the stove.recipe for making jam in a bread maker.
Fruit 2 cups full of fruit mashed or blitzed in the food processor.
3 cups of sugar with added pectin.
If you cant get sugar with added pectin then use 3 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Put in the bread maker and set to jam program. my bread maker takes 1hour 20Min's.
Still picking the odd Field mushrooms when out with the dogs but not enough to dry in large lots.
Barbara is at work tomorrow so I will take over the Kitchen after taking the dogs out in the morning and wine bottling in the afternoon.
I have a recipe for tomatoes jam from a friend I have lots of tomatoes so I may have a go at making some.
I hope not to leave it so long before I post.
Monday, 23 August 2010
The kitchen beckons
I have been busy in the kitchen in the last 2 weeks this weekend I had the steam juicer going and made 4.5pints of Apple juice I bottled 4pints and put the .5 in the fridge for breakfast.
It keeps well if you leave the bottles on the side and put in the fridge when you open.
The steam juicer I have was made in Sweden and i use it to make juice it is easy to keep in bottles and saves room in the freezer.
apples, blackberries, any fruit that is spare you can always add apple and blackberry and sugar to make a jelly, Blackberry will make a nice syrup if sugar is added.
The basket will hold 11pounds of fruit just wash and chop apples leave the cores and pips and all you are left with is a cooked pulp.
I found my first field mushrooms of the year this weekend and tonight I found a lot more it may be a good year this year.
I had a day Bottling wine 18 bottles of Dandelion flower and 11 bottles of Parsnip of course I tried the half bottles just to see if they would pass the test and they did.
It keeps well if you leave the bottles on the side and put in the fridge when you open.
The steam juicer I have was made in Sweden and i use it to make juice it is easy to keep in bottles and saves room in the freezer.apples, blackberries, any fruit that is spare you can always add apple and blackberry and sugar to make a jelly, Blackberry will make a nice syrup if sugar is added.
The basket will hold 11pounds of fruit just wash and chop apples leave the cores and pips and all you are left with is a cooked pulp.
I found my first field mushrooms of the year this weekend and tonight I found a lot more it may be a good year this year.
I had a day Bottling wine 18 bottles of Dandelion flower and 11 bottles of Parsnip of course I tried the half bottles just to see if they would pass the test and they did. The parsnip is on the left and the dandelion is on the right.
These are dandelion I made 3 gallon this year and i must say its very good. these six bottles are the first to be bottled.
For a simple life I find it hard to find the time at the moment with making things in the kitchen and wine and things but it will get better when I start to fill the freezer.
These are dandelion I made 3 gallon this year and i must say its very good. these six bottles are the first to be bottled.
For a simple life I find it hard to find the time at the moment with making things in the kitchen and wine and things but it will get better when I start to fill the freezer.on the way out of work tonight Kaz gave me what i thought was 1 marrow but it turned out to be 3 so Barbara will have to see it her dog walking friends will take 1 each.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Combines are working overtime to bring in the harvest
The walks have seemed to have run into each other just lately the last 2 weekends and a few nights the combines have been working long hours where ever you look the fields are alive with the farmers hard at work they have been working day and nights with the lights flashing away on the combines.
I went down to the wind turbines last Saturday for a change the sunshine reflected on the turbines.
This is what it looks like standing under the blades of the turbines above your head massive lumps of blades coming round and they don't look very high above the ground when you stand still.
The combines are no sooner out of the field and the balers are baling up the straw ready for the crew yards for winter bedding for the cows.
The river board have been out with the weed cutters these 2 were moored near the new concrete steps that were built in the spring.
Mind the teeth toffee as they will cut dogs as well as reeds and weeds.
One is a cutter the other has a scoop for clearing the weeds each one is man by one person.
The dust rises as the combines work away to bring in the harvest.
The other Saturday as I walked the dogs 2 men in a boat passed I never got the name but it looked so relaxing and later when we came home the 2 gents were just coming back from lunch at the pub.
Tonight when we went down the drain bank the hares were running along the track they must have come out of the fields because of the work going on with combines and balers I counted 6 on the track .
I went down to the wind turbines last Saturday for a change the sunshine reflected on the turbines.
This is what it looks like standing under the blades of the turbines above your head massive lumps of blades coming round and they don't look very high above the ground when you stand still.
The combines are no sooner out of the field and the balers are baling up the straw ready for the crew yards for winter bedding for the cows.
The fields will soon be ploughed ready for the next crop.
The river board have been out with the weed cutters these 2 were moored near the new concrete steps that were built in the spring.
Mind the teeth toffee as they will cut dogs as well as reeds and weeds.
One is a cutter the other has a scoop for clearing the weeds each one is man by one person.
The dust rises as the combines work away to bring in the harvest.
The other Saturday as I walked the dogs 2 men in a boat passed I never got the name but it looked so relaxing and later when we came home the 2 gents were just coming back from lunch at the pub.
They looked happy and relaxed what a life away from the rat race it will be better when this credit crunch ends. Ha ha
Tonight when we went down the drain bank the hares were running along the track they must have come out of the fields because of the work going on with combines and balers I counted 6 on the track .On the way back a muntjac deer came out of the long grass and wandered across the track and into the woodland and near the farm yard small rabbits as well as hares were running all over the place.
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