Saturday 16 March 2024

Six on Saturday

The days are whizzing by and we have longer days here in the UK.  Time to link into Jim's Garden Ruminations to share six from the garden.

1. This week's instant gratification: Hyacinth Yellowstone.  It is ages since I planted hyacinths in any garden.  We stopped at B & Q to buy some new kitchen cupboard shelves, there were none in stock, and I took consolation in these.  The colour is is soft yellow very similar to wild primroses and they work nicely in the the sort of gloomy weather we have been having this week.

2. I despair: this is just one of the examples of the devastation by slugs this spring. Would the RHS have us only grow plants that slugs and snails don't touch?

Slug nibbled narcissi

From a headline in yesterday paper:  ‘It’s patronising to say that all slugs are friends – the RHS treats gardeners as nincompoops’...A new campaign by the RHS and the Wildlife Trusts is encouraging us to appreciate the garden pests – but not all horticulturists are keen.

3. For several years I had admired a yellow rambling rose along a friend's fence, and last year I had permission to take some cuttings.  I have three good rooted cuttings, and this week at the same time as planting out the hyacinths, these were planted  all along the south facing fence.  Let us hope it won't be too many years before they are flowering. Hopefully someone will be able to identify it once they are in flower, and in my dreams the fence is festooned with roses.


4. A new Rhubarb addition to the garden just could not wait any longer to be planted. Again another plant for which harvest will only be possible in a year or two: Rhubarb Timperley Early


5. Another pest has started on its spring attack both on the acer and for some reason on this Chrysanthemum Chatsworth.  By coincidence I read this week, that chrysanthemums should be stopped, but whether this applies to this variety I am unsure, maybe the squirrel has taken over garden duties? It is the second time in just a few weeks.


6. I am delighted that the division of Primula 'Blue Horizon' has paid off, of course it may be that wet winters suit it.

Not so much 'instant gratification' but planned ones await me at the Rare Plant Fair at the Bishop's Palace this coming Sunday, as I have put in 'pre-orders' from two growers! 

At Christmas one of our SOS members showed Christmas baubles on the gardening theme, just as shout out for my thoughtful son, here is the fun plant themed Mother's Day: I am in his eyes a 'Plantastic Mum'.  Of course on a art wireworkshop my efforts moved to plants....





Friday 15 March 2024

No Knead Zaatar Flatbreads

 I treated myself to a month's subscription when I read there was an offer in January for a first month for free, after two months I realised that I would enjoy this and therefore went in for the year!  Today I attempted the February bake of No Knead Zaatar Flatbreads.


I've followed Jack with his weekly YouTube sessions almost from the start, but these demonstrations on the Homebakers' Club are something else!  I watched the video once and now having tried the flatbreads for the first time will watch it again.  It really does only take 2 minutes in the pan and 2 under the grill.  The first two I made were a little scorched, so next time, I shall place the breads a little further away from the elements.  They would go marvellously well with sometime like a tagine and were very close to a good nan which I am always partial to when we go out for a curry. The flatbreads were deliciously light, fluffy and tasty!

I usually cook my own chickpeas in the pressure cooker, but picked up a couple of tins of chickpeas early in the day, as I had not pre soaked the pulses. The tinned version were excellent. 


Wednesday 13 March 2024

Honey and Spice Cake

Fancying a spicy bake, and having resolved to work towards the one out, and then a little more space, I leafed through Exceptional Cakes by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington. I've had this book since 2011 and it is time to move it on.  Before that I thought I would try the Honey and Spice Cake.


Thanks to a search on Google I found that my original post dated 2014 after I had finished baking this.  What a coincidence, however this time I divided the dough into 2 x 500g tins.  I had forgotten that I had baked this, as the book was not marked, and isn't it strange that I was drawn to the same recipe. The book will now be passed on, and next time I shall try a different version Dan Lepard's Honey and Treacle Cake .

Tonight's pudding:  a slice of warmed up cake, a drizzle of honey and a little custard.

Thursday 7 March 2024

Lemon and Ginger Teacakes

Friday bun day has been a tradition for quite a few years now.  It used to be some afternoon tea time treat, but these days it has migrated to a breakfast treat instead.  I usually make a batch of enriched buns and freeze most of the batch to use on the following Fridays.

Lemon and ginger teacakes

It can't be far off the twentieth time I have baked these tea cakes, the recipe is still on its Waitrose paper, cut out and stapled in my Bread Baking note book.  Although I can easily access the recipe on line, I am holding onto the paper copy, as one can never tell if it will fall off the listing on line!

As there were no buns for Friday Bun Breakfast tomorrow, this morning a nice batch was made.  This time I used some fresh yeast which I picked up yesterday morning from the baker at Morrison's fresh bread counter, and many of  the techniques I have learnt from Bake with Jack, and they came up as the best batch ever.  

PS Having eaten them for Friday breakfast I realised I forgot the mixed spice, they are OK list this but they are definitely a lesser bun! 

Monday 4 March 2024

In a Vase on Monday - Continuing the Mustard Theme

 A couple of weeks ago, I started to play a sort of 'domino' game via the In a Vase on Monday, with Cathy and this week, I am following on the Mustard Theme. I especially love condiments whether it is a fresh fruity sauce such as cranberry sauce, a chutney, salt and freshly ground pepper of course, or mustard. 


The middle of the stone table where we enjoy eating many of our meals hold a slate Lazy Susan, and on this stands today's vase, together with Salt and Pepper Grinders and a pot of ready made English Mustard.

Over on the back garden wall the Corydalis cheilanthifolia is slowly migrating upwards, most probably by ants moving the seed into crevices. As we sat eating lunch yesterday the sun caught the flowers, and being a pale mustard colour, suddenly the recent theme of Cathy's post and these flowers inspired me to include them in today's arrangement.

I've included some of the Corydalis's fern life leaves, a couple of leaves of the early flowering Geranium malviflorum, with a stem of a dark red polyanthus.

Yes, we have some powdered Colman's mustard which is essential in some cooked sauces and chutneys and pickles, but in recent years, I enjoyed a pot of ready made English Mustard in the fridge which is so easy to use for adding to sandwiches, rather than making up some fresh and ending up throwing the greater part which became dried up in the bottom on the small mustard pot.  I had found Colman's ready made English Mustard using 21% mustard a little bland compared with my home made version, and since it also contains flour which would not be usable by a couple of friends who are coeliac, I went back to mixing my own from mustard powder .  Once when we were eating out in Wiltshire, on the table of the restaurant was a jar of Tracklements English Mustard, and that certainly cuts the mustard: 39% mustard and no flour! 

Did any of your mothers used to admonish people who left mustard on the side of the plate?  I had thought that my mother saying "The Colman's got rich on the mustard people left on the side of their plate" quite amusing.  In the age of the internet I made an enquiry about this and spent some time yesterday reading a very interesting article about how the Colemans set up business near Norwich and the development of the company to this day., and an updated version.

This week, Cathy who hosts anyone who would like to join in, rules on her blog, has an intriguing Title Measure for Measure, which I shall try to follow on with next week.