A fruit a month (AFAM) event. April 2008.
I had just finished my post for this evening – April flowers from the garden and was planning to drift upstairs to bed and the solace of clean sheets and a Min Pin or three, when Margot from Coffee & Vanilla invited me to the A Fruit a Month blogging event that she is hosting. Last day today. Blogging events are good news. They open up the blogging world, introduce people to new blogs and ideas and a whole lot more. It’s easy to slip into the rut of writing a post, chatting to virtual friends and rarely leaving home. I...
read moreHow to save money in 2008: April review
The best bicycle that I ever owned was my first one. A red fairy cycle with creamy white wheels and the promise of freedom and speed. My mother didn’t believe in fitting stabilisers. She ran behind the bike holding onto the saddle. I was impressed that she could run so fast. One day we seemed to be moving at an unbelievable speed. I glanced round and spotted her tiny in the distance. She had let go. The shock of realising that I was actually cycling solo was so great that I immediately fell off. I can remember lying in the grass and...
read moreIndulgent spinach, bacon, cheese and potato frittata recipe
Frittata. The word used to freeze me to the core. It meant nasty, yellow rubbery slabs. Now the suggestion is welcomed with open arms since we were introduced to Anna’s brilliant potato frittata. We’ve guzzled them every week since then. A great way of using up a glut of eggs as well as being true instant comfort food. If you are prepared, a tasty frittata will be on the table in 20 minutes. (If Someone Else lays the table, polishes the glasses, prepares the salad and opens the wine). Last week I was determined to use up the last...
read moreForget-me-not. Myosotis
Forget-me-nots really come into their own when they self seed. They just don’t seem to work when they are sown and transplanted. They need to find their own place and more often than not appear beside a perfect companion and astonish me. If you don’t have any, scatter some seed around your garden and they should grow. Within a couple of years they will surprise you. They are part of large Boraginaceae family. This includes Pulminaria, Borage, Helitorope and Comfrey to name just a few. Most of this family share the same attribute...
read moreLow Fat Cooking: Baked tomatoes stuffed with Soya mince and tantalising flavours
My mum tried Soya mince once and never again. I can still remember the shriek. Danny’s mum also tried it once. Perhaps they read they same article. About a month ago I was tootling around the Daily Bread Cooperative with my mum. I spotted a shelf of Soya products and was about to accelerate past when I thought I’d stop and investigate. Soya is gluten free and packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. It’s a high yield product, so it’s cheap. They were offering Soya mince and chunks (these seemed to look a bit like dog...
read moreThe Emerald Castle: update on Mrs Boss sitting on the Indian Runner duck eggs
Last year Mrs Boss was the heroine of the Farming Friends and Cottage Smallholder Interblog breeding event. Four of her keets matured to replenish our local breeding stock, adding some good Yorkshire grit to our East Anglian strains. For the first time in years Mrs Boss was a happy bantam hen, absorbed by her flock and no longer bullied. She rose from the bottom of the pecking order to a place where she didn’t care if she was pecked. She was so distracted by her adopted brood that she ignored the taunts. After a while the pecking and...
read moreThe salami project: part 3
We had the day marked clearly on the calendar when we could sample our salami. 14 days since they were first hung in the larder to cure. Apparently you can taste them just to see how they are getting on and seal the cut end with a piece of lard. Generally, salami take between 4 and 10 weeks to mature completely. They have hung in the larder, smelling delicious and getting thinner and knobblier by the day. “What exactly are we eating?” D was dubious as I sliced through the long immature salami. “Cured meat and garlic and...
read moreA wonderful combination
Shopping with my mum is fun. Jalopy has a well deserved rest and we venture forth every other weekend in Danny’s company car. With her special badge we can glide into the spaces right beside the supermarket doors. When I spring out of the driver’s seat passers by look angry but when I open the passenger door and they see the waking stick and my mum, they relax. My mum is no dinosaur. It’s the walking stick that’s the green light. And we’re grateful to be able to nose into the easy access bays. After a big shop...
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