New projects for the (forthcoming) New year ...

I love the approach of a New Year. Since I love making lists, I always enjoy thinking over what I have acheived in the last year....and what I want to do next.

One thing I am determined to do in 2013 is to slow down more and spend more time in the outdoors really seeing what is going on around me. I have read some wonderful books over the last 12 months, and I can't help noticing a common thread emerging... and that is my interest in other people who have slowed down and really look at the natural world, or their everyday lives.

Recent examples of this are - Otter country by Miriam Darlington, which is the year long account of a woman who is fascinated by otters. It is beautifully written and truly observant. A second book, which is one I've gone back to many times is Better off by Eric Brende. This is the story of a young couple who go to live for a period in an Amish type community, without connection to the grid, and many modern conveniences. This calls me back time and again, because this gives them more time to observe the world around them, and appreciate the everyday.

These are things I want to achieve in my own live...so I keep reading, hoping to be inspired.

A thought that came to me yesterday was that I could start to keep a photographic record of my walks along the river. I walk there at least two or three times a week with the dog. This could be a start, an exercise in observance.

So today....

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 We took a chilly winter walk. No frost or snow...but we found ice, forming swirling patterns on the ponds; the last remaining Hawthorn berries on lichen crusted branches; and low winter sun shining through the trees on our return.

 

..and today back to work..

The sun continued to shine this morning, so I got to work in the garden. I've started with clearing the two beds in front of the polytunnel...the left hand side one needs some brambles/couch grass and Buttercups digging out as I'd foolishly left it to it's own devices for too long.


The seeds I sowed before we went away have all come through. These included some modular sown Boltardy Beetroot and Snowball Turnip. I will simply plant these out as clumps. I tried this last year and found it worked very well. It seems to be less work overall than sowing and then thinning....you just need to plant out the clumps a little further apart.

I'd also sown a pot of Salad Leaves Speedy (from Thompson & Morgan). They seem to be a mix of Mizuna (red and green) with other Oriental leaves. These will probably not be terribly long lived at this time of year....but I'm hoping to get some salads from the plants and then no doubt the hens will enjoy them too. They have now been pricked out into a modular tray.


Sweet Aji Peppers, Red Russian Kale and Little Gem Lettuce have also been pricked out into a modular tray. This year inspired by Charles Dowding I'm planning to use modular trays more...and to use trays with more modules per tray. I noticed while reading his new "Vegetable Course" book that he seems to use these smaller modules with perhaps 60 to a tray to get plants to planting out stage. I'm guessing by doing this you get more plants from a smaller amount of compost. This has got to be a good plan. Cheaper overall...and anything to save lugging heavy stuff about!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the blossom on the Peach tree in a friends greenhouse...

Spring holidays

Yesterday we arrived home after a week's holiday on the Northumberland Coast. Amazingly the sun shone every day - so we didn't go very far - we made the most of the sunshine just enjoying the beautiful beaches around Bamburgh.

The cottage we stayed in looked directly onto the sand dunes....


and from there it was a five minute walk to the beach....


looking toward the Farne Islands......


and Bamburgh Castle........

There are plenty of interesting rocks...

...and rock pools for us all to explore...

I think Becky enjoyed herself!

A frosty day and Apricot preserves

Very cold this morning - as was yesterday - woke to a hard frost, that didn't shift all day. We went for a walk up the hill to one of our favourite woods. Beautiful and bright - but we were glad to head for home and home made Lemon Cupcakes after a while.

After lunch I was happy to settle down in the kitchen, warmed by the woodstove and get on with some preserving. I bought 1 kg of Apricots in the market for £1....as I've been wanting to try a recipe for Apricot Jam.

The recipe starts by preparing the fruit the night before. Halve and take out the stones, which need to be reserved. I then cut the apricots into quarters and mix them in a preserving pan with the same weight in sugar. Then leave overnight for the juices to be drawn out.

Today I put the pan on the heat and let it simmer until all the sugar had dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil for about 20 minutes. While that is happening use nutcrackers to remove half of the kernels from their shelss, then pour boiling water on the kernels. After a minute or so sking them and cut in half and add to jam.

Test for setting point and when the jam is ready take it off the heat and leave for 15 minutes to settle. Then pour into a jug, and fill your scalded jars.

I paid around £2.50 in total for ingredients. £1 for fruit, 25 p for Lemon, and £1.25 for sugar. I wouldn't even have got two good quality jars for that price ....so I'm very pleased with the results....which taste absolutely delicious and were literally childs play to make....and they the colour is gorgeous in the winter sunlight.

Purple Sprouting and maintenance work

It was a beatiful afternoon here yesterday. Blue sky and sunshine. Fairly mild too, almost feels as though Spring is on the way. A batch of polytunnel repair tape I'd ordered arrived during the week, so I got the ladders out and repaired the plastic, where it was beginning to tear.

This cover has been on the polytunnel for 11 years now and looks as though it will see out the coming season too. We bought the tunnel from a firm called Citadel and they I must say though it was expensive we've never regretted it. (see http://www.citadelpolytunnels.com/ )The size is roughly 30 feet by 20 feet, and as it has straight sides all of that is usable space.

I can't imagine living without all that covered growing space now....especially here in the often chilly North East of England.

Inspired by the mild weather I sowed some Lettuce in a modular tray when I got home, Morton's Secret Mix (Real Seeds) and Little Gem (Wilkos). For now they are sheltered inside a plastic bag in the kitchen window. To move to the polytunnel as soon as they emerge.

After a good day's work we enjoyed some Purple Sprouting Brocolli for our dinner, curtesy of a neighbouring allotment holder.