Another harvest

Mid November, and yes, there are still a few things out there to forage.

I trimmed some wild rose bushes that were reaching over the riding ring fence, so while I was at it I picked the fruits off. I got this idea from Rima (you have to scroll down a bit) that I wanted to try – didn’t pick all that many as it was a bit awkward cutting with my left hand, but enough to give it a go I hope. Scratchy work too without gloves, but I can’t feel what I’m doing if I wear them, the downside being that you feel rather too much when you don’t 😉 I also put some of them in a stew that evening because I’d forgotten to buy mushrooms, but frankly I got impatient with scooping the seeds out, so I’m unsure if they actually added to the taste. Will try with bigger ones next year if this turns out like it’s supposed to – I’m wondering if it won’t all just mold. I’ve done it with fruit, sugar and rum, but never just sugar.

after cutting - but not quite done jar of sugar and rosehips

I also picked a tiny batch of woad to get more colour onto the fleece I dyed a couple of weeks ago, it still works fine, if not as strong as in summer. Some of the locks were so pale they were almost grey, but now at least they’re more like faded jeans.

Got the reddest of the apples off the lawn, made G peel them and yes, managed to get my winter supply of apple sauce done (I like it on oatmeal instead of sugar – and I have a great recipe for marzipan/apple sauce buns too). Only had two vanilla pods, but it turned out fine. I put the jars in the oven afterwards, the canning procedure means it can last for years just in a cool cupboard. I don’t use pretty photogenic jars, I just recycle whatever we buy. My kitchen is far from pretty either, more like shabby 70’s homemade. But you can cook in it and I have a new drumcarder!

canned apple sauce woad dyed fleece

The kale is of course fine in the cold, I use it both in salads and warm, sometimes I make pesto. Hopefully the caterpillars are done nibbling their portion? New recipes are welcome if you have any favourites.

Dug up the last potatoes, well, G did, and while there are not a lot I think it was a fine harvest from 9 plants, and a good size too. 3-4 kg at least.

endnov06

I’ve been pressing leaves to use in collages, they got squished a bit more than I planned, paper thin and brittle, but at least they are bone dry. I hope they regain some colour if I cover them in acrylic medium, much like varnishing rocks does.

And now I think I can safely say that we’re moving into winter soon… There’s blue on the temperature curve for next week!

vejret2

Sen høstdanish

Her lige inden efteråret slutter, er der stadig et par ting at hente i naturen. Hyben – som jeg vil prøve at råsylte til saft ved at lade dem stå i et glas nogen måneder. Jeg tænker mug, men læste om det et sted; og da jeg alligevel skulle befri min ridebane for vildtvoksende rosengrene så blev det sådan.

Jeg fandt også en lillebitte smule vaid til min råuld, ikke helt så god mere, men virkede dog godt nok til at give mere end gråt.

Æblemos af nedfaldæbler, manden fik lov at skrælle. Jeg kommer godt med ægte vanilje i, det smager super på havregrød. Eller i familiens marcipanboller, som jeg ikke kan spise fordi de ikke bliver gode med glutenfri mel.

Gravet kartofler op har han også, næsten en hel murerspand af bare 9 nedlagte kartofler, og pænt store også, det er da ok udbytte. Grønkålen trives jo i kulden – nogen opskrifter I har lyst til at dele? Bruger det både i salater, som pesto eller varmt.

Og så har jeg presset blade til collager, de blev lidt fladere end jeg ønskede, papirtynde og skrøbelige, men i det mindste knastørre så de ikke rådner. Jeg håber farverne liver lidt op igen når de får en gang malemedium på toppen.

interesting new growth in the horse paddock

20 thoughts on “Another harvest

  1. Well done…can’t wait to hear more about the drum carder. I was so excited for you when you got it. And now I have one too. I got it in an auction a couple of weeks ago and am having a great time using it.

  2. Min yndlingsopskrift med kål er den japanske ret okonomiyaki (betyder “stegt yndlingsmad”). Det er svært at lave autentisk, men det smager også fantastisk i en dansk efterligning. http://justhungry.com/okonomiyaki-osaka-style har den perfekte japanske. Jeg begår vold på opskriften ved at erstatte nagaimo med fintrevne rå kartofler, dashi med fiskebouillon og beni shouga med meget fink hakket rød peber. Enhver japaner har lov til at overfalde mig ved dette barbari, men jeg bor desværre langt ude på landet i Danmark, og kan ikke købe nagaimo, dashi, bonito, ume boshi eller nogle af de andre vidunderlige japanske ting uden at rejse meget langt. Heldigvis går der jo en japansk madbølge over landet for øjeblikket 😀 Og så bruger jeg speltmel … Tenkasu er derimod uundværlige. Dem laver jeg efter Makikos snydemåde fra denne opskrift. Velbekomme.

    1. Tak, det lyder anderledes og spændende! Vi kan heller ikke købe smarte ting herude, men der er vel plads til kreativitet.

    1. Yeah, getting nippy! But better that and no rain. Endless mud is just unbearable. Washing the dog 4 times a day is really not a lot of fun.

    1. Hardly busy I think, just stirring a couple of pots with apples! 😉 But it’s good to get it done, leaves the mind free to pursue other things without “guilt”.

  3. I love apple sauce. I get appelmoos from the Holland at Home site. They have all sorts of goodies that I remember eating as a child. My mother was Dutch.

    1. It’s funny with Dutch – it’s such a wonderful mix of German, Scandinavian and other languages, it’s nearly understandable to me at least in writing. In Danish, the word is aeblemos!

      1. There you go! almost identical. When I was little I spent a lot of time in Holland with my mother and I picked up a lot of Dutch through listening to adult conversation. I got to the point where I could understand most of what was said. However! speaking it is a different matter. My brain always seemed too slow to take part in a conversation and also I was a bit shy. I still love listening to it though because it reminds me of days gone by and being with my mum in her original environment.
        In England we don’t eat applemoos in large quantities. We usually have just a dollop of it on the plate next to a pork chop but my mum always liked a bowlful! LOL

  4. so much for taking it easy! Those mushrooms in that last photo – amazing.

    I do believe the sugar actually acts as a preservative, strangely. Jam, for example, made without sugar goes moldy really quickly, even in the fridge, but jams and preserves made with sugar last for ages, so hopefully you will be okay.

    1. Well, if you noticed, I didn’t really do much of the physical stuff. And I sincerely hope nobody plans to visit, because the house, oh dear…

      I could clean today I suppose, I’m fresh out of sticks for the glue gun in the middle of a project. But do I want to? 😉

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