A Different Way: July 2013

Tuesday 30 July 2013

First Harvest

Heading out to my veggie patch, trug in hand I go in search of home grown produce.....

With recent sunny weather and a sprinkling of rain, things are certainly moving! The runner beans are actually running now, though they weren't helped by the munchings of a herd of deer last week!! Leeks have been transplanted and a new row of carrots and beetroots have been sown.

The cabbages look sadly skeletal, it seems the local pheasant population have been feasting on them and I noticed the cabbage white butterflies were at the party yesterday, so I doubt Savoy will be part of our Christmas dinner :-(

Veggie gardening is a bit of a learning curve for me, hopefully next year I will have a bit more of a clue! However, there have been some successes. Carrots, beetroot and courgette from outside. Cucumber, chilli pepper, lettuce and raddish from inside. Tomatoes, aubergines, potatoes, parsnips and sweet peppers on the way. It makes me happy to be picking and eating our own fresh veg. Nothing is wasted, the chickens enjoy the beetroot and carrot tops.

Collect up your courgette flowers and fry them in some coconut oil, they are (suprisingly) delish!!

What's cooking?

Onion Tart

This is always a favourite and compliments salad dishes perfectly. Making a crust without wheat flour to hold it together can be challenging, but this works pretty well and tastes scrummy!

Crust

4 oz Buckwheat Flour

2 oz Oatbran

2 oz Beef Dripping

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

½ tsp Salt

Mix buckwheat flour and oatbran in a bowl and add salt. Rub in dripping first and then lightly rub in coconut oil. Add enough cold water to form a dough. Press in to flan dish.

Filling

3 White Onions

3 Red Onions

Bunch of Spring Onions

Coconut Oil for frying

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the onions and fry them in a pan with a tablespoon of coconut oil. When onions have softened put them in to crust case and bake at 180 for approx 25 mins.

Sunday 28 July 2013

Pig in a Poke

Well you need bacon to go with your eggs!!

I've always loved pigs and have wanted to keep them for as long as I can remember so when the opportunity arose I didn't hesitate. After much research and advice from a knowledgeable father in law, I set about registering the holding and obtaining a herd number. Hubs and No 1 son fenced off the pig pen and made a shelter and after the purchase of some food, straw and a heavy weight water trough we were ready. With the Animal Movement Licence firmly in my grasp I set off to fetch my piglets home. We had two the first time, Big Pig and Little Pig. We were careful not to name them, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel when it was time for them to go and didn't want to get too attached. They thrived despite the wet summer and I knew that they had had the best and healthiest life possible.

We ran out of bacon part way through the year so this time we have three pigs, Big Pig, Middle Pig and Little Pig and aside from an escape act on the first day, seem to have settled really well.