November 2009

1 Mmmm,  I had plans to venture into the garden today to chop down my dying jerusalem artichoke stalks and weed around the gooseberry bush, but the weather has conspired against me - perhaps on Tuesday?  So, stuck in the kitchen again, (dare I say it) doing my last batch of preserving ...
The best eating apples and last 3 pears  are stored in the fridge for eating fresh.
Preserving:  4lb frozen unsweetened plum puree, 4 jars of eating apples in orange syrup
2 The antibiotics from the dentist didn't do the job so I called in today, after the gym, thinking he would want to give me more pills to clear up any infection before he would touch my tooth.  Luckily?!? there had been a cancellation so he said "Shall I take it out now?".  Gulp, "OK" I replied.  So the tooth has gone and I'm now on soft foods for a couple of days.
Poor, poor me  ;-)
3 Well, that's really it, I've actually put my cauldron (preserving pan) away for the year.  Still got a few cooking apples stored, but hopefully they should keep well for some time, so I can use them "naturally". 
Didn't think I was going to make it out into the garden today as there were heavy showers all morning, but I grabbed a chance when the sun came out later.  The ground was soaked but that suited my task.  I have a gooseberry bush in a massive pot and as it has grown one part of it has reached the ground and rooted there, producing a nice new little bush.  However, the ground around was completely covered in weeds and a mystery lemon balm.  Now, the weeds and lemon balm are all gone, but not until I uttered a few screams and curses as the gooseberry thorns stabbed at me.  Ouch!
Meanwhile, the 10-12 foot high jerusalem artichoke stalks have all died, so Crow chopped them down to make the place look a whole lot tidier.
4 Busy day at the gym, then attending my course.  Luckily I had remembered to retrieve dinner from the freezer, in the form of a frozen green tomato & vegetable curry which I made in August.  I cheated with shop bought peshwari naan to accompany it.
5 Part of my action plan this week is to get this much neglected website up to date, so that's what I'm doing right now, publishing for November 2009.  I'm horrified to see that it's February since the neglect started.  Where has the year gone?
6 A long overdue visit to mum-in-law's. Crow has been several times without me for medical & shopping visits, but I haven't seen her for some weeks as we have both had spells of being unwell.   She cooked us a lovely dinner of steak with roast potatoes, roast parsnips and mixed veg, followed by trifle.  I just love a day off from cooking.  My tooth, or rather my gap, coped with this, so I guess I can come off soft foods now.
7 Extremely heavy rain yesterday evening - had to drive back home in it - the pond is showing slight signs of improvement in depth but I think I need my water lilies some way under water before a severe frost hits.
Spent some time in my net tunnel harvesting, clearing beds and weeding.  A nice surprise - I found an unexpected, beautiful cauliflower.
Harvest:  last lettuce, mizuna, last 2 red cabbages, 59 oz beetroot, 7 oz baby carrots, 1 cucumber
8 Indoor jobs today, all that washing and bed changing, eBay sales packing (only 7 items this weekend), cooking, card making, 'phoning two friends, quick Tesco visit and chicken tending (yes, that one was outdoors, although Pepper did visit me in the kitchen earlier).
9 Spong mincerOxo cube holderA couple of weeks ago, I discovered a new word on eBay.  "Kitchenalia" seems to be used to describe "thing's you might have found in your grandmother's kitchen".  There's a dedicated section for it on eBay. 

There seems to be a current fashion for retro and country kitchens.  I recently sold a Spong mincer that I had never used and currently I have bids on my hanging wooden oxo cube holder.
10 I picked my surprise cauliflower today along with another which wasn't in such prime condition.  We had cauliflower cheese, spiced up with the other half of my sun-dried mixed veg with chilli (see variation in October's recipe) alongside roast potatoes and pork escalopes.
Harvest:  2 cauliflowers
11 We had no electricity today - scheduled maintenance on a local junction box from 09:00 to 17:00.  It went off on the dot of 09:00 but was back at 14:30.  Had to dig out our little portable gas stove - just a single ring - so that we could still have tea and coffee.  I was out most of the day anyway, at the gym and my course, but I was very glad to see lights & heating already on when I returned at 16:45 as it was already dark.
12 Well, I've just read an article on the Guardian website about restaurants which offer to barter.  For instance, they will swap home-grown produce for a free glass of wine, then incorporate your produce into your meal (which you pay for, of course).  One accepted jerusalem artichokes which went "straight into one of Gear's signature dishes: jerusalem artichoke mousse with hazelnut sponge, brown butter sorbet and toasted hazelnuts".  I definitely need a restaurant like this near to us!  Click here to see the full story.
13 I've been having a look at my broad bean patch planted last month and I'm very pleased to see that several seeds are pushing their first leaves above the soil.
Would you believe I sold my oxo cube holder for over £10?
14 Girly shopping trip today with my best friend Sue.  Great time, but I'm worn out....
15 Choosing your turkey for Xmas?  Well did you know that...
A good-quality fresh turkey cannot be beaten on taste. However, when comparing fresh and frozen birds, a lot depends on the preparation. A well-hung turkey that has been frozen will be nicer than a fresh turkey that hasn't been hung. This is because hung meat contains less moisture, so expands less during freezing, which prevents the fibres from tearing.
So girls, ask your butcher how well-hung his turkeys are - and try not to blush!!
16 I sold my old red duffle coat on eBay for £21.  That was a big surprise as I usually except second hand clothing to sell at 99p.
17 I've been trying to tidy up my craft room recently as it's was so messy I couldn't sit down and make cards and I really need to get serious about making my Xmas cards.  The tidy-up is not finished (will it really ever be?) but the floor is cleared of all odd bits and I have clear space at my desk to start crafting again.
18 I'm reading an unusual book - The Other Hand by Chris Cleave.  It's an interesting story about two woman who meet under very difficult circumstances and then meet again two years on.  I won't say any more in case you buy it or borrow it from the library.
19 Lovely one hour swim today as I missed gym yesterday, then back to list ever more items on eBay - I'm up to 140 now - but it will never make me rich!
20 We've just finished a week where we have had some dreadful winds and rain, but at least our pond is looking healthy now, in terms of water level.  The North West and Cumbria have had the very worst of this weather (reported as 341mm of rain in 24 hours - the most ever recorded) and my heart goes out to all the people in Cockermouth who are flooded out.
21 pied wagtailI'm so glad to see little birds back in the garden.  They've been missing for such a long time this year.  I guess the extra mild weather has meant lots of natural food for longer.  They looked at a mouldy old fat ball left in the feeder, so I had to rush out and replace it with two fresh ones.  I especially like to see the black & white Pied Wagtail - a ground feeder with a beautiful long bobbing tail - and one of those visited today too.
22 It's so marvellous to still be eating my home-grown fresh tomatoes & cucumber so late in the year.  The cucumber is courtesy of an everlasting plant in the potting shed and the tomatoes I picked green some time ago and I've been gently ripening them on the kitchen windowsill.  That's it now though - all gone.
Better late than never (or is it just in time?) I've started making my Xmas cards.  I always promise myself I'll make four each month to avoid a mad rush, but I never do.
Harvest:  the last cucumber
23 Gosh, it's our 5th wedding anniversary today.  Where have the last five years gone?  They've certainly been packed with ups & downs.  We were going to sample a local pub for dinner, but we went to Mum's instead and she cooked us a marvellous meal.  You just can't beat good home cooking.
24 I've been picking up leaves from our patio and the back garden.  It is hard work and such a thankless task.  When I get up in the morning, it will be as if I did nothing.
25 It was the last day of my course.  How quickly the six weeks have passed.  We've got a reunion in January and we've made promises to keep in touch.  I hope it's not like a holiday promise where you make friends and then never follow up.
26 I'm crocheting a Xmas present at the moment - a set of four place mats, coasters & napkin rings.
27 Good friends around for dinner this evening.  Everyone seemed to enjoy my menu of homemade red pepper hummus with soda bread, followed by fish pie with roast vegetables, followed by pears (ours , that I bottled) with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce topped with chopped nuts, followed by the cheese board.  Wonderful evening!
28 First time in ages for me, we've been out geocaching for 3 hours this afternoon.  I didn't do very well, only found one of the seven.  I must be out of practice.
29 I was looking at our pond yesterday which, due to the extreme amount of rain we have had in the last two weeks, had regained a healthy depth.  Only 4 or 5 inches of liner showing.  It started raining (again) at about 5pm yesterday evening, really tipping it down.  It has just stopped now at 11am this morning and our pond is full.  No liner in sight.
It's noon and there's yet more steady rain.
12:30 Rained stopped, sun shining and our garden and paddock is teaming with wildlife, alongside my 6 hens, 3 moorhens, a blackbird, several small birds on the feeder, a flock of small birds in the paddock with a magpie and 2 pheasants...  I guess the rain has brought the worms and insects to the surface.  No rabbits right now, but they'll be out shortly.
14:15  I'm grabbing some fresh air in the garden, harvesting my last cauliflowers and some gone-to-seed chard for the chicks, plus minor garden chores.
15:30 and Victor Meldrew is here.  Yes, "I don't belieeeve it", it's pouring with rain again.
Harvest: 1 large & 1 small cauliflowers, pak choi.
30 Our day lilies really, really don't know whether it's Christmas or Easter.  We've had such a mild autumn that they have started re-growing, something that doesn't normally happen until springtime.
Another good eBay weekend, with 12 items selling.  And I forgot to tell you, last weekend I got over £60 for 12 x 1950 issues of Motor Sort magazine - wow!