Between the celebratory bookends of Christmas Day/Boxing Day and Hogmanay/New Year’s Day I have successfully rebooted the Ruthven system by switching myself off and then on again. Several days of barely cooking have passed and, somewhat astonishingly, the leftovers from the gargantuan turkey and slightly more reasonably sized ham are largely all used up. AsideContinue reading “Rebooting”
Tag Archives: preserving
Self Preservation
The skies are intense at the moment. This morning there was a darkly luminous grey. A few days ago there was a dawn of the most startling fuchsia which had me prancing around the garden in my dressing gown. When I wake in the wee small hours I find stars so startlingly bright that IContinue reading “Self Preservation”
Four go to the seaside
Last Sunday we had our first meal out for eons! We pootled along the back lanes past Holy Island to Bamburgh. Other than a late night drive through when we came to the Mizzen Head for dinner a couple of years ago, I don’t think I have ever been to Bamburgh. It is a lovelyContinue reading “Four go to the seaside”
The Press Gang
With the latest lockdown rules prohibiting our usual apple juicing squad from visiting, we have been somewhat tardy in getting going this year. However, with the apples determined to demonstrate the effects of gravity, we pulled ourselves together on Wednesday and dragged the apple press out. Lachlan and I had collected the apples in theContinue reading “The Press Gang”
The crabapple challenge continues
Day two of my crabapple challenge saw a further load of the orange lads, and also a first pick of the little yellow ones, despatched. As a starting point I separated out the particularly attractive crabapples from my first picking. It was brutal. One small brown spot or an asymmetrical bulge and they were choppedContinue reading “The crabapple challenge continues”
Crabby, moi?
We have two crabapple trees in the orchard and this year they are festooned. The first to ripen has long, reddy orange fruits which are perfectly edible raw – I think they have a tang of lychees – but which cook up beautifully. They generally crop well and every year brings the crabapple challenge. LyraContinue reading “Crabby, moi?”
Pick of the crop
Harvest time is in full swing on the Ruthven homestead. We have moved on from Lavender to soft fruit. The strawberries were lovely but we (and Squirrel Nutkin) simply scoffed them all. Our gooseberries were somewhat underwhelming – only enough for 6 fools (I shan’t name them – it would be unkind). Luckily, Anne nextContinue reading “Pick of the crop”
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