The Cottage Smallholder


stumbling self sufficiency in a small space


Hampton Court Flower Show 2009. A great day out.

Posted in Flowers, Reviews | 9 comments

Hampton Court Flower Show 2009. A great day out.

Although it’s almost a twelve hour round trip, I wouldn’t want to miss the final day of the Hampton Court Flower Show. Danny always gives me two tickets as a Valentine’s Day present. Fills his company car with diesel and happily waves me goodbye for the day. He doesn’t do shows. I have tried taking him but within 20 minutes he is back in the car with a newspaper. He’s happy for about an hour overall and then he gets dramatically restive. He might not even survive a visit to the Hampton Court Flower Show. It’s a great day out if you...

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We have plans for our pair of guinea fowl

Posted in Guinea Fowl, Wildlife | 4 comments

We have plans for our pair of guinea fowl

I love our guinea fowl. Particularly Cloud, the sweet natured Stepford wife who doesn’t appear to notice her husband’s rages or his need to cosy up to Carol, our Maran hen.  Carol is not keen on this type of speed dating so rebuffs his advances. But I know that Thunder rattles her. Often I find her feeding with the younger chicken when I toss them mixed wild bird seed in the morning. Both guineas love these treats and don’t want to share.   The rest of the flock are frightened by his mighty pecks. Thank goodness we have an arrangement...

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Hessian sacks, traditional English sack and three legged racing

Posted in General care | 7 comments

Hessian sacks, traditional English sack and three legged racing

I’ve been storing the paper sacks from our chicken feed to house Danny’s spuds (if they sail through). I mentioned this to him last night. “I’d prefer hessian sacks, ideally.” A couple of years ago I’d found hessian sacks on the Isle of Wight garlic farm site. This morning I drew a blank. There is no search facility on the site. Perhaps they still sell them, I just don’t know. I motored over to Cambridge to visit my mum and on the way home I decided to drop into Notcutts, Horningsea. We needed short bamboo stakes to support our...

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Last day

Posted in Cottage tales | 15 comments

Last day

“Hello. This is John. I’ll talk to you later” John Coe isn’t keen on ansaphones. I dialled his number and his wife Maureen answered. “John isn’t coming today. His knees have given up. But he’ll be with you next week for sure.” “Only if he’s feeling 100% better. Meanwhile we’ll mow and hoe so he doesn’t come back to a jungle.” I had a sense that this might be the beginning of the end. On Sunday we beavered away. Danny mowed the lawns whilst I hoed the kitchen garden. John is so quick and efficient. He has worked for...

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Flowers from the garden: July 2009

Posted in Flowers, Save Money | 5 comments

Flowers from the garden: July 2009

With all the palaver of sick laptops and not being well lately, I missed flowers from the garden for June. So I’ve jumped in early this July. Things are turning around quickly in the herbaceous borders now. The rain has tempted more flowers to open and shine but most of the June roses and lupins have taken their final bow. I oiled my secateurs before I stepped out this morning and dead headed for half an hour. I picked this little posy of frothy cottage flowers when I had finished. As always, they lit up the kitchen in a way that bought...

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Joanna’s food: Lemony courgette salad recipe review

Posted in Reviews, Vegetarian | 13 comments

Joanna’s food: Lemony courgette salad recipe review

I harvested our first courgette of the year this morning. We have several courgette plants growing in large pots and a few scattered at the corners of borders in the kitchen garden. I’m not very keen on courgettes per se but have discovered that they are great added to a slow cooked spaghetti sauce or the filling for a Cottage or Shepherd’s pie. So this year we are growing them in earnest. They can be blanched/cooked and frozen for use during the winter months. Courgettes are quite pricey so we’re longing for a glut. I have been planning...

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Finally I’m back with a slinky shiny silver beast

Posted in Cottage tales | 8 comments

Finally I’m back with a slinky shiny silver beast

Danny has bought me a new notebook. 50 birthday presents rolled into one. My new friend is slim, silver and finally rearing to go. Most of today was spent creating restore disks and updating windows Vista. Finally we are up and running and shaking off the dew that Microsoft probably sprinkles when a new user has just completed the set up. I can now read the weather forecast online. Essential for those working out doors.  And review the changes that D has made to the website. And check my emails without asking, “Could I borrow your laptop...

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Mixed soft fruit vodka liqueur recipe. Harlequin grog.

Posted in Liqueurs | 21 comments

Mixed soft fruit vodka liqueur recipe. Harlequin grog.

Tiny hands clapped with glee when we surveyed our potential black, red and white currant harvest back in the spring. The gooseberries looked promising too. “We can make loads of schnapps and finally our own red currant jelly. This year I’ll make some gooseberry sauce for Christmas and some gooseberry vodka with the dessert gooseberries.” “The gooseberry vodka didn’t last long. When you made it last year.” “I only had a couple of shot glasses. This year I’m going to hide it away.” The sawfly must have been...

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