The Cottage Smallholder

Photo: Home grown veg in a trug

It all started with The Gaia Book of Organic Gardening by Patrick Holden and Cindy Engel. The Chicken Lady gave me this book for Christmas. I absorbed every page. It’s packed with ideas on how to improve the soil in your garden without the need for chemical fertilisers and very useful information and pointers to make a garden more self sustainable. Exactly the book that I needed, as I’ve become obsessed with improving our kitchen garden soil.

Then I started to read more widely and discovered that biodynamic gardening is like organic gardening with knobs on. Apparently it increases yields, improves flavour, and flowers and vegetables stay fresh longer when harvested. As I’m planning to sell fresh flowers and organic veg on the stand – it seemed a system worth investigating.

As with any new project I immersed myself in the subject. There’s not a massive amount of information on the Internet. But if you are interested the Lunar Organics site is a great place to start. Here the basic principles are laid out very clearly with links to related sites of interest. I have one of their lunar calendars apart from being very beautiful to look at it is very easy to use. It stands beside my bed and every morning I unroll it feeling like a mediaeval farmer and plot and plan. The little book that accompanies the calendar is great too – including loads of tips for complimentary planting, organic pest control and much, much more.

I bought my biodynamic seeds from this site. They arrived very quickly and were accompanied by another little book with clear instructions for sowing, tending and harvesting. These booklets lie beside my bed too. I can highly recommend them and the Lunar Organics calendar for the beginner in biodynamic gardening.

As you know I also have Maria Thun’s The Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar 2010 this lives on the kitchen table and it not quite as easy to use as the Lunar Organics calendar.

Another good site for getting to grips with the techniques and methods is the Biodynamic Agricultural Association site. I bought my preparations from there.

It’s interesting that a lot of people are practicing composting principles similar to the biodynamic ones. The allotment blogger recommended this book for instructions on how to speed up composting. The components are the same as those in the biodynamic preparations for composting.

Meanwhile we are already getting good results. Our seed germination has been amazing. Much faster than usual with sturdy healthy seedlings. The cottage windowsills hold tiny modules of strawberries, tomatoes, parsley (yes they germinated for me for the first time!), thyme, and cosmos. As each batch germinates they are removed from the heated propagator and the space is filled with new seeds that match the day according to the lunar calendar. There are four types of days – fruit, flower, root and leaf. There are also other things to take into account as well such as a waxing/waning moon and an ascending/descending moon.

Our first February Cottage Smallholder gardening competition is going to be sponsored and co judged by Lunar Organics. We will announce the theme tomorrow!

Photo: Seville oranges and lemons

When I was a decorator I’d often dream about decorating as it was an integral part of my life. I’d often wake exhausted in the morning having been ‘decorating’ all night. Decorating was the backbone to all these dreams overlaid with the classic dramas. Anxiety dreams – would I finish painting the room in the allotted time? Adventure dreams – scaling roofs and walls with a pot of paint and a brush. Travel dreams – decorating around the world. Even frightening dreams – decorating alone in a haunted house.

The decorating dreams stopped a few months ago. They have been replaced with gardening and cooking dreams. And more recently the gate side stand has started to make an appearance. No dramas here though – to date the stand has a passive benevolent role. I woke just now having dreamt that I was pottering in the front garden and a man bought some marmalade and murmured his thanks as he dropped a pound into the cash box. The coin fell onto a pile of other cash with a sonorous thud. A happy sound.

The gate side stand has become a focus for my day. Planning, planting and making new lines. In the spring I will sell baby vegetable plants, herbs and vegetables from the garden. I’m also going to make some greetings cards – these can be made from my bed. The focus now is on marmalade and Valentines Day.

As I wanted a range of marmalade on the stand I thought it would be fun to make a three fruit marmalade. Even though this recipe only includes one ruby grapefruit there is a superb grapefruity edge to this marmalade. I included the rind of all the fruit which means that the shreds are three slightly different colours and look pretty when spread on toast.

Simple Seville orange, ruby grapefruit and lemon marmalade recipe

Ingredients:

3lbs/1.3 kilos of Seville oranges
12.5ozs/360g of ruby grapefruit/1 large grapefruit
9.5ozs/275g of lemons/2 small lemons
8lbs 8ozs/3.870 white granulated sugar/ratio of 2:1 to the fruit
Water to cover the fruit – mine was 6 pints/3.4 litres
Method:
Scrub the oranges and lemons to remove any wax. Put the fruit in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and cover with the water. Put the lid on and bring to simmering point. Then turn the heat down very low and slip a piece of aluminium foil under the lid to ensure a good seal. Simmer very gently for 3 hours until the fruit is soft.  Allow to cool overnight in the poaching liquid.
The next day cut the oranges and lemons in half and scoop out the flesh and pips into a separate saucepan. Add about a pint/570 millilitres of the poaching juice and simmer gently for at least half an hour and then pour into a sieve lined with muslin set over a bowl.
Cut the halves of oranges, lemons and grapefruit in half again and remove the pith by scraping with the edge of a metal spoon. When this is done rinse the peel and cut into fine strips. I set the skins in blocks cutting about 8 skins at a time.
By this stage the pulp liquid will have almost dripped through but it’s worth giving it an extra squeeze. Knot the muslin and pass two wooden spoons (juxtaposed) beneath the knots turn the spoons against each other which will squeeze out any remaining juice with little effort.
Add enough poaching liquid to the pectin rich juice and check that you still have 6 pints/3.4 litres of juice. Top it up with cold water if necessary.
Bring the peel gently to simmering point in the poaching liquid add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Taste the mixture – if it’s too tart for your taste add a little more sugar stirring again until it is completely dissolved. Then bring the marmalade to a rolling boil.
After 15 minutes test for a set (see Tips and Tricks below). If the marmalade is not set bring back to a rolling boil and test every five minutes or so. Just before the marmalade reaches setting point it moves from forming thousands if tiny bubbles to a much more gloopy boil.
Using a ladle and a funnel pour into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately. Leave to stand overnight and label the next day.
If your peel wants to rise to the top of the jars keep on turning the jars every ten minutes or so and the peel will settle evenly distributed within the jar.
Tips and tricks:
Marmalade “set” or “setting point”:
Getting the right set can be tricky. I have tried using a jam thermometer but find it easier to use the following method. Before you start to make the marmalade, put a couple of plates in the fridge so that the warm marmalade can be drizzled onto a cold plate (when we make marmalade we often forget to return the plate to the fridge between tests, using two plates means that you have a spare cold plate). Return the plate to the fridge to cool for approx two minutes. It has set when you run your finger through it and leave a crinkly track mark. If after two minutes the cooled jam is too liquid, continue to boil the marmalade, testing it every few minutes until you have the right set. The marmalade is far more delicious if it is slightly runny.
Sterilising the jars:
We collect jars all year round for our jelly, chutney and jam making sessions. I try to soak off labels and store the clean jars and metal plastic coated screw-top lids in an accessible place. The sterilising method that we used is simple. Just before making the jam, I quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c/140c for fan assisted. When the oven has reached the right temperature I turn off the heat. The jars will stay warm for quite a while. I only use plastic lined lids for preserves as the all-metal lids can go rusty. I boil these for five minutes in water to sterilise them. If I use Le Parfait jars, I do the same with the rubber rings.

Photo: Chitting seed potatoes

I never in my craziest dreams thought I’d be writing this post. As my fingers fly across the keyboard it’s sleeting outside. 

I’ve planted some Swift (First Early potatoes) in a potato bag in the greenhouse. If all goes well they should produce a crop by the end of March. This is not a moment of Cottage Smallholder madness, I found the advice on the Harrod Hoticultural site. John Harrison has written a series of great monthly grow your own articles for this site.  He is the author of Vegetable Growing Month by Month and also writes the comprehensive site Allotment Growing with his wife Jan.

The bubble wrap insulation inside the greenhouse is working a treat. Even when snow lies thick on the ground I only need to provide a small amount of extra heat to keep the temperature above zero inside the bubble wrapped walls. With the prospect of our very own new potatoes in March, Danny is now taking a keen interest in the weather forecast.

I also thought that I’ve give Paula’s idea a test run. This was one of her entries for our last gardening competition. She had an organic gardening friend who used leaves instead of soil in his potato growing containers with spectacular results. As you know, I have loads of leaves. Unlike compost these are free. Assuming that his spuds were initially set on soil, I put a six inch layer of damp potting compost at the bottom of the bag and a handful of organic bonemeal. Then I set 5 seed potatoes in the compost followed by a four inch layer of leaves. I planted the seed potatoes on a root day according to biodynamic principles.

I can’t wait to see the first shoots peeping through.

Photo: Goose, red pepper and tarragon risotto

“Would you like goose risotto tonight?”
“Oh yes please!”
We eat a lot of risotto at the cottage. The perfect easy comfort food.

What I didn’t mention was the age of the goose. I’d found some last week in our freezer left over from Christmas 2008. It looked a bit stringy and unappetising so I hid it from Danny as it defrosted. Leftover goose – even if it’s been lingering in the freezer for months makes a risotto to die for. It smelt and tasted fine and once it was chopped up and stirred into the risotto it transformed the dish into a rich deluxe moreish meal.

Somehow the sweetness of the red peppers perfectly matched the rich goose meat. Even I had seconds and wanted thirds but someone had just pipped me to the post.

Spectacular goose, red pepper and tarragon risotto
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 large red pepper (deseeded and chopped)
1 fat clove of garlic (chopped fine)
400g of Arborio rice
1 litre of stock (I used 500ml of chicken stock and 500ml of vegetable stock made with two tsp of Marigold stock powder.)
1 tsp of dried tarragon or 1 tbsp of fresh chopped tarragon
7 tbsp of finely grated parmesan
2 large handfuls of chopped goose meat from the carcass
1 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley to serve
Method:
Over a low heat add the chopped onions to the olive oil and cook until soft and translucent (lid on).
Add the rice and another tablespoonful of oil if the mixture seems a bit dry. Toss the rice in the onion and oil mix until all the grains are coated.
Add the garlic. Add 250ml of stock and stir to absorb. Add the red pepper and tarragon.
Keep on adding the stock and stirring, letting the rice absorb the moisture.
When the rice has softened but still has a bite (20 mins approx) add three tablespoons of parmesan and the chopped goose meat and remove from the heat.
Stir the meat well into the risotto. Put the lid on and leave for five minutes. Scatter with a dessertspoon of fresh parsley and the rest of the parmesan.

Image by: John Good - NPS Photo

I’ve been busy tackling the mystery of what was eating my pea shoots. These peas were planted in October under fleece. They germinated well and were at the stage where they needed to be supported by twigs. At first I suspected slugs. My open beer traps didn’t attract a single slug. Then Cath gave me the tip that traps need to be covered and I remembered that years ago my mum gave me the ultimate in slug traps. I found it in the greenhouse and set it up with a trill. But even the mighty Slug X beer fest didn’t attract a single  mollusc reveller.

Also there are a lot of tasty pak choi and lettuce seedlings under cloches and these haven’t been touched.

Meanwhile Jo from Little Ffarm Dairy suggested mice. I thought mice were only a danger at the seed sowing stage. Even though my patch of peas is just a few feet away from a mouse hotel – I’ve seen them playing when the Min Pins are indoors – the seeds didn’t appear to attract mice before they germinated.

I like mice but I love peas.

Feeling a bit of a pig, I set two traps in the giant cloche – perhaps mice like their five a day too? Yesterday morning the cheese had been gently eased off one trap.
“Ah ha!” I thought. “It’s just a matter of time until I catch my suspects.”
This morning I found a dead mouse in the other trap. So mice like eating pea shoots. I wonder if they ate the carrot seed?

I have set both traps again. Although the dead mouse was very plump it couldn’t have eaten so many shoots on its own. So I’m expecting more visitors who would welcome a little cheese with their pea shoots.

Image by: John Good – NPS Photo