Category: Cooking

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JAM

I have just made some nectarine jam – at foirst it did not set properly but hopefully another blast on the heat will do the trick. It tastes rather wonderful! I. might make some lemon thin biscuits, or scones to have it on later. I will also make some more baguettes – I will just spray a little water as the last ones were tasting a bit waterery. I have just ordered olive oil from CrowdFarming – I love the fact they pront a label with JamJam on ot for the tins and whilst just over £10 ltr is expensive it seems ok for organic and kniwing all the dosh goes straight to the farmer – in this case Finca Bardomus, Fernando Agramunt. I guess I need to make some more strawberry jam – the last lot was rubbish, did not set and I used it to flavour home made yoghurt and oat cookies. I have noticed the abscence of insects whilst making jam – which is good but a little concerning.

I have also just received a box of lemons from Carmen Valasco at El Carrascal with a winter varieties called fino and primofiori. Organic which means the zest can be used. More baking stimulated, and also aioli on salads.

Neighbour cutting grass I am hemmed in but across the road 3 neighbours have let trhe vetch flower and two have let ragwort and chicory flower, it would be so nice to see wildlife return to the sterile lawns – although I accept that some birds such as green woodpeckers and corvids like the lawns! Like everything a mix and diversity is good.

Tomatoes are coming on 670g so far but this should escalate next week as the plum tomatoes and striped ones and normal ones ripen. I think/hope 10kg should be possible this year. Most mints are doing great – basil seems to be bolting a bit (hopefully as I use more with the tomatoes, it will bush out a bit). Mints are blooming and I will dry some more to make herbal teas. Flame lily continues to astound. Lime and lemon by front door looking good. New apricot tree seems to be getting established ok and the grape vine that I thought I had killed by lack of care seems to have new leaves and forgiven me after Martin moved it to make it easier to water.

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COUNTRY PRESERVING

Things to make this month.

Apricot jam: Apricot chutney: Strawberry Jam: Tomato Preserve: Tomato Sauce: Spiced Cherry Tomatoes: Hungarian Pickled Peppers: Minted Apple Jelly: Piccalilli: Blueberry Jam: Raspberry Jam (frozen fruit?): Dried Herbs: Dark Spicy Mustard: Chilli Oil: Biltong. Looks like I will be busy!

Starting today with dried herbs.

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CIABATTA

I think I have nearly sussed out the recipe. Make the poolish 200gm each water and strong flour plus yeasdt and 7g yeast, mixc and cover overnight, then I add 200g flour and 140g water and tsp salt and I add some yeast. Mix for 1 min on minimum, then up a notch for another min and then up again for 4 mins. I then transfer to a mixing bowl and leave for an hour and a half. It should then be rather like pliable chewing gum, withwet hands fold over itself a few times and repeat this two more times at 45min intervals. Then shape the dough into 1 or2 loaves. Plenty of flough but do not squash or touch the top. Leave for 30 mins. Thn pop into oven with 210C fan assisted with a squirt of water (I pour some into a tray at base of oven. 20/25 minutes. I am getting there!

Next up I will try with dried basil?

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IDEAL MEAL

I love cook books! And have over 100! After a super birthday meal with the family I was thinking about another one. Everyone gets on well. There is a super park over the road for the girls. What about I give them all £50 to bring up ingredients (thinking fish from Looe! Speciality stuff Bristol. Then everyone mucks in and makes things like Meze and Tapas – BBQ stuff too. maybe put up £??? for accomodation? Everryone has to contribute something?

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BREAKFAST RECIPE

Make the day before – can be frozen?

Make a cookie – 100g each of butter, honey, wholemeal flour, oats and mixed nuts and maybe a couple of sheets of gelatin and some cinnamon (depending on time of year?). Mix and cook for 15-20 min at 180C. cool and cut into bars. Dunk into strawberry yoghurt and leave for 12-36 hours until dry. Voila!

I am also making bean sprouts and maybe some elderflower cordial if the sun comes out this afternoon.

Flame lily now by front door – I hope it likes it there? The herbs and mints mostly look good! Recipe experiments to follow! Should I dry some mint? And if so mixed or by type? I will ask Holly! Purple loosestrife to plant out today – more tomato plants to pot up.

I will make some cheese thins latter.

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70th BIRTHDAY

Lovely to have children and grandchildren together at the ROTH in Bruton. A lovely setting with nice garden, superb shop and lovely restaurant, although to be honest I was not that impressed with the food. The company however was excellent. Erin and Adam are developing into witty nice adults, I mean nice in rthe nicest way – they interact fantastically with Corinne and Ottilie. These two are just a bundle of fun with smiles never far from their faces. So well behaved despite a long wait for lunch and also in the car on the hour long journey. Felix step son of sorts was also cahtty although I knew nothing about his immense knowledge of gaming and computers and cartoons/films.

The parents, my offspring were lovely as were their partners. It was lovely to see them all interacting so well together. No bitching or point scoring – just genuine friendship. Where to go next year? Or later this summer?

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GARDEN 20MAY 2023

First day of real warmth at 9am. Tomatoes in greenhouse begining to flower, chillies looking good and red peppers are coming on. Basils are doing ok. Most mints have survived and some of the thyme I thought was dead is showing signs of life. Apricot and lemon and lime trees are all looking good. Wisteria and honeysuckle are again amazing – scent should be bottled! Last year on this date I picked elderflowers to make a cordial – it will be. few days yet this year.

Making ciabatta and some chocolate ginger cookies later.

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FOOD

Food inflation of 19% does not affect the rich. It is the poor who find that reserves of carefully maintained savings are eaten away, luxuries abstained, even small pleasures like a 6 monthly visit to a cinema or restaurant forsaken. And what does the government do – as usual absolutely nothing. It is obvious to all (apart from JR-M and co) that Brexit has broken the system. Other world events such as Ukraine and climate change have also had an impact. However the policy of blame does not solve the problem. A friend who supplies shops with crisps says that demand has soared recently, at the same time a local food bank refused to take potatoes as they would “go off”!

Mire expensive food drives the demand for quality down, and thus the cost to the NHS up. This is a full blown crisis that should reslut in a COBRA meeting to bring all relevant parties to sit around a table and thrash out a sustainable future.

My invite list would include NFU,organic farming reps, food manufacturers, Jamie Oliver, Marcus Rashford, McDonalds (or similar), NHS nutritionists and clinicians. I am sure there are others worthy of inclusion. Perhaps on the supply chain issues?