A pinny full

In that pinny pocket, about 1.5dozen eggs, and a dozen Feijoa!  what a great saunter round the land this afternoon :-)

Insulating/Double Glazing windows "on the cheap"

I just read this really interesting article (link below) on how to provide a short term double glazing to your windows.  If, like me,you live in one of NZ's older style houses, with single glazed windows this could be the answer to condensing windows, and cold rooms!

Buy a large 1m wide roll of bubble wrap.  The bigger the bubble the better (for seeing out of).  I got mine from OfficeMax, 60 metre long roll for about $40.00.  Just make sure you dont get 30cm wide or something like that, as you want the wrap to be wide enough to fit across your window without joins.

step 1: Cut a piece of bubble wrap the size of your window.
step 2: Spray the window lightly with water, or brush with a wet pastry brush
step 3: Stick the bubble wrap, bubbles towards the window, starting at the top and smoothing with your hand as you go.
step 4: relax !

This is only a temporary solution, but as we are renting, and I dont think I am allowed to use the shrinkwrap stuff which needs double sided tape stuck to the frames, this is probably the best way for us to go.

Only downside is on the windows where you want a clear view of some lovely mountain or garden.  So its ideal for laundries, bathrooms, toilets, hallways etc.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm

Jack Frost has arrived with a vengance.  He ran around on the back lawn and left white, stiff grass, and he ran around on the front lawn and left icy drifts.  It's the third day in a row we have had a big one.

Luckily I remembered to cover the lemon trees in their pots, and as my Mother in Law pointed out, it is time I pulled them in under the veranda to save them from the worst of the weather.  It's just I am not good at remember to water them, and they risk drying out.

Somehow the big lemon tree in the garden, which is now covered with small, green lemons awaiting ripening, has survived frosts, snow, and goodness knows how many hailstorms.  It just keeps on flowering, fruiting and being a darling.  Maybe it is a different, more hardy variety, who knows?

I have garlic ready to go in, and some sweet peas, which I am ashamed to say I did not grow from seed myself.

There's only a few things left in the garden now from summer...I have perpetual spinach, carrots, potatoes and parsley and that's about it.

On the weekend we had a morning of lovely sunny weather and I dug over part of the garden which really needed an overhaul.  It looks ready to plant winter veges into.  I put in a row of broadbeans and contemplated where to plant my garlic.  Traditionally garlic is planted on the shortest day, which is coming up.  You can try planting the garlic that you buy to eat, but often it has been treated with chemicals to stop them sprouting while on the shop shelf, and you can have a lot of difficulty getting a good crop.  I do buy my garlic for planting from a garden centre and it is much more successful.

On another note, I finished my teatowel quilt! yay  I am really pleased with it, a lot of recycled materials and a nice easy pattern resulting in a good effect.

Teatowel Quilting, a quilt in a week

It was going to be a quilt in a day, but I had to revise that... It would have been do-able, but life got in the way, as it does hahaha.   I started with 9 teatowels, which I sewed into strips of three, then I cut each strip in half.  I have now sewn them all together and am in the process of quilting them up.  Photo of the finished product to come soon.

Crabapple Tree is Heaving

Bent down over the hedge at the front of our property is the most amazingly laden crabapple tree.  I picked half a bucket full, and made this beautiful shiny, clear apple jelly.  One has some mint stirred in, as a mint jelly which is divine on roast lamb.

Recipe: Pick your apples, I just grab them off the tree, and pull the leaves and things off.  Don't bother removing stalks or washing, or anything.  Just chuck them in a jam pan with only enough water to cover.  Bring to a simmer and simmer till all apples are pulped.  Put in a jelly bag, or if you are like me and don't have a jelly bag, a piece of old sheeting or something will do. Dangle over a bowl so the juice can drip in. I tuck the material under the pot I am straining into so that the pulp doesnt sink down into the juice you are straining.  DO NOT SQUEEZE, or stir or mash or anything.  If you do that your jelly won't be nice and bright but cloudy.

Once it has drained for about 4hrs or so, throw out the pulp (there will be lots left over) and measure the liquid.  You get a surprisingly small amount of liquid....Put the juice into a pot and bring to the boil, boil 5 mins or so, then add equal amount of sugar.  So if you measured 2 cups of juice now you would add 2 cups of sugar.  Boil briskly, this is the trick!

To test, put a little on a saucer (like a teaspoon full) and pop into the fridge for a minute.  If it has started to set, when you push with your finger it should be quite stiff, it is ready.  Pour into steralised jars and seal.

To add mint, chop the mint finely.  Do not seal the jar.  As the jelly cools and starts to set and the mint and stir in gently.  If it rises up, just stir a little again later.  Once the mint is evenly distributed and stays that way you can then seal up.

Happy eating on scones!

Homemade Water Biscuits, Cheap and wonderfully moreish

These are a tasty treat for the lunchbox, and easily made with very little expense.  The only fiddle is rolling out and cutting, but that is easily done quickly.

In a bowl put 1.5c of flour, rub in 50-100g butter (depending on how "short" you like them), and add enough cold water to make a soft dough.

Roll our super thin, wafer thin.

Brush with a little oil  and shake on some salt or other flavours, then cut into shapes and bake in a hot oven(180-200C) for about 10mins till browned slightly.

Flavours:  salt, chickenstock, beefstock, dried herbs, dried onion.

They stay crispy in an airtight container, but I really love them hot from the oven.

Great spread with homemade pate.