I'm Jamming! I hope you like Jamming too!

I am all schnappsed out! So jam it is.  There is nothing like making a cake and using your own jam for the filling.  I like it because I can make the jam a little tarter, not so sweet.  The recipes normally say, same weight of fruit with sugar but I don't I guess and lick! But hold on don't just go dipping your finger into the mix unless you want a trip to A & E, so you can explain you wanted to make sure your jam was tart! No, no I whip the wooden spoon out wave it a little and stick my finger on it. 

Today I have made pipless raspberry jam as well as with pips. To do pipless ( if that the correct term, which I am sure it's not but I am sure you are with me) you need to sieve the raspberries half way through before you add the sugar.  I use the back of a good old soup spoon to push the fruit through.  

Don't push too hard and put a hole in your sieve! 

 The clearer the jam the less pith, you push through. Ha ha are you still pipping pith me?  You then boil up and add sugar, I use jam sugar with low pectin as the raspberries are high in pectin.  

I have a thermometer but you can tell when its ready as the jam gets darker and the bubbles get more molten, I always think if it looks like a jam tart out of the oven and you think 'oh my I eat that it will stick to the roof of my mouth and hurt like hell', well then its done.  I don't do the plate in the freezer test, I go for hit or miss if it is too runny and doesn't set you can put it in the pan and boil again or you can say,  'Whatever its only for me on my toast'. I can tell you runny jam oozing into a Victoria sponge is nicer than jam you need a plaster float to trowl it on.  

Jam is so easy, if you haven't you should have a try.  

I knew a lovely, lovely lady who showed me how to make jam in a microwave, its really that simple boil until its ready, she would make scones and say,  'would you like a scone'? 'I will just whip up a bit of jam'.

Lemon Drizzle Tray Bake

Thank you Mary Berry for your delicious Lemon Drizzle tray bake recipe. Or as I call her Merry Berry! I got the recipe from her autobiography 'Recipe for Life'. I have had lemon drizzle cake for breakfast and lunch today! I wont tell you what page it was on, as I think you should buy a copy and enjoy the read.

Yum!

Raspberry with a kick!

The bees have been busy all over the raspberry flowers and now the raspberries are turning red.  We normally get 25 lb each summer.  The year before last I said, 'I am fed up of picking them and what shall I do with all these raspberries'?  But when they got a disease, I panicked and took it all back.  This year as well as jam I am going to do raspberry gin and raspberry schnapps.  I am going to do them for Christmas.  1 litre bottle from IKEA £2.25 and a 1 litre bottle of schnapps from Tecso is £8.00, which will be enough to make two bottles.  I have done half raspberries topped up with schnapps or you can use gin or vodka, prick the fruit to let booze in, or half raspberries, I did half and half.  Add sugar, I used caster sugar.  I read a recipe that said use same weight of sugar to raspberries, but I just pour it and guess.  I know the more you use the stronger the drink is and thicker and more syrupy it is, so is better, but its personal choice.  Place it in a dark place and turn it every week, in 6 months it is yum.

 Blackcurrants too!

Broad Bean and Pea Rissoto

We picked our first, Peas and Broad beans his week and for Sunday tea we had broad bean and pea rissoto, with pine nuts and choritzo.  Yum!

 Peas

Broad Beans

Podded and ready to cook

What a lovely tea, thank you Mr W x

Allotment

I blogged on the 24/03/15 about the allotment that we had and that I was 4th on the list for the local allotments, I promised I would keep you updated so the news is that we are now 1st on the list and have been offered a choice of two.  One is on a hill by the woods and doesn't get much light and I expect is a bit of a pond in the winter, the other is at the side of the allotments in full sun and comes with a shed!! Well what do you think??  So plot 12 in the sun it is!  Yay!  What about relaxing after work in the garden with a glass of wine and not having to go to the allotment to water, I hear you cry! yeah yeah well if I don't take it now they will put me to the bottom of the list and I could be waiting another 10 years! And then they might only offer me the pond by the woods and I will never get one.  So much thinking to do, exciting!  I would like it to be different from my last allotment, I haven't decided much more than that, I will leave the planning up to my dreams at night.  The site the allotments are on is so different to my last, it certainingly isn't tidy and the paths are uneven and the grass is not cut.  I may even join in and have a rambling allotment, some where to hide and sunbathe, maybe as it is close to home I will walk up with my glass of wine after work!

 Here is the allotment, our new plot 12, as you can see it doesn't look anything like our last one and it needs a lot of work, but we can do it, the last one was chest high with brambles and I had to get a tractor to flail it and even then I couldn't put a fork in it!

I'm thinking Victoria Plums and blueberries

Flowers, onions and potatoes

What do you think?  Do you have an allotment?  Do you have any advise, would love to hear it?  If you are unable to leave a comment email me at kraftywindsor@gmail.com

My old allotment

Our old scarecrow Gloria
Ummm!  We will need one of these, yay how exciting!
Can't wait to here your allotment advise!
Laters peeps x

Blue Crochet Blanket

I finished the blue crochet blanket I was doing on holiday, and how please am I!  I love it.  I have finished it off with a scalloped edge.  I had to run it through the wash as I got a few tea stains on it when I was crocheting in the beach hut.  I used those new unstoppable balls, that you put in the washing machine, the pink ones, they smell so lovely.  They smell like Tom the cat as I wash all the blankets with them that he sleeps on, which means, Tom thinks every blanket I have is his.

Pam's new friend!

On the 3rd March I blogged about Pam our chicken and that she was crowing at 4am!  Yes a chicken crowing like a cockeral!  We thought that it might be because she was lovely and promised Pam a friend in the warmer weather.  Well warmer weather is here so we popped to see Chicken Stu's farm and came home with a friend for Pam.  I chose her because I loved her dark tail feathers.  For the first few days she was terrified of Pam and hid under the bushes and didn't move.  But I knew they would be great friends and a few days late they were led next to each other sunbathing.  So our new chicken is called Gertie!  I thought that's it, no more 4am wake up calls as she isn't lonely anymore. And I was right, as it didn't start at 4am it was 4:45am!!!!! Pam - cocker doddle do! And Gertie joined in with buck buck buck buccccker! Noisy little cluckers!

 Gertie!  She is friendly and a lovely looking girl, we haven't had any eggs yet.  Come on Gertie

Pam, waiting for a wild strawberry.

Summer Garden

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow, with silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row row row and pretty maids all in a row!

I love this nursery rhyme and you can often hear me singing it whilst in the garden.  When I had the allotment, I had cockle shells and silver bells hanging from the shed window, made from old bakewell tart tins, ummm yum I could eat one now!    But I never had a row of pretty maids!

This is my garden a week ago.

Tonight we will have pea and broad beans risotto! Ha ha I might even post a picture of my tea!  

Fruit bushes, I have raspberries, black currants, apple, figs and blueberries.  This year I will try raspberry gin!  I will let you know how I get on and post a receipe!

The pink peonies have been a wonder show this year and they smell so lovely.  We have been lucky with the weather as if it rains heavy when the peonies come out they wont last long and the petals will drop, but this year they have lasted.

Four Leaf Clover

Good Luck, thats what I needed the other week and so I busied myself with crocheting four leaf clovers.  I had an interview and everything depended on it, so I got my hook out and started crocheting, why I thought making dozens of shamrocks would help I don't know but it kept me from biting my nails.  I even found two four leaf clovers in the garden, oh yes I did!  When I was weeding in amongst the sweet peas, it was a plant, with mostly 3 leaves, but I found one with 3 and a half leaves as a slug had, had a nibble and a defiantly four leaf.  Now I am explaining this like I am, as the fact it is a clover is in some doubt with some people, mind you they haven't even seen it yet!  I quickly pressed it and I will show you a photo so you can decide.

The pattern is 4 ch, (every stitch is worked in first ch) 2 dtr in first ch, 3 ch, and dc into first chain, next petal * 3 ch, 2 dtr in first ch, 3 ch, and dc into first chain, repeat from * two more times.  For the stem ch about 10 and fasten off.

If it was the crocheted clover or the real one, or just good old fashioned luck!  It all went well and turned out good x

Watching the day Dawn!

I don't have a clue why, but this morning I am sat in my craft room watching the day start.  It wasn't in my plan to not sleep until 1.30am and wake at 4am!  But do you know listening to the dawn chorus and watching the sky change with every second is so beautiful.  I would say why don't I do this more often but I shall try not to make a habit of it!  Now who has heard of the saying, red sky at night shepherds delight, red sky in the morning shepherds warning, now that was definitely a red sky this morning so I have checked the weather forecast and unless it is telling me porkies, it is going to be a lovely sunny day, which will be good as I can hide my black tired eyes under sunglasses!  

Good morning everyone have a lovely day x

Is there anybody out there??????

I have been blogging since February and I do hope you are enjoying reading my posts.  I have enjoyed looking at the different countries people live in that are reading my blog.  Ireland, Russia, United States, China, Ukraine and jolly, United Kingdom to mention just a few.  But sadly no comments. Please leave a comment I would love to here from you.
Lou x

Wild Garlic Pesto

If only I could show you my lovely dinner!  

Whilst I was sat crocheting the scallop around my blue blanket, lovely Mr W was making dinner.  I feel like one of those Facebook people that report what they have had for Tea.

This is however a receipe, oh and we love it!

Wild Garlic Pesto.

I am afraid it may come a little late for you to be foraging in the woods, as the last time I went out for some was mid May.  You can't miss it as you can smell it.  So if you are about in the wood today.... Have a look for it.

It grows like a blanket in the woods.  I remember once when I was a Venture Scout, we went camping, pitching our tent on wild garlic and what a night we had, it was so strong and pretty unbareable.  I can't remember if my parents said anything when I got home, but I must of stank!

Well from camping on it to eating it.

My cousin wilts it like spinach and cooks it in quiches, yum but my favourite so far it Pesto.

100g of fresh wild garlic leaves

50g of pine nuts

200ml of olive oil

75g cheddar cheese

Good pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Blend together to a fine paste.  I make it and freeze it.  Then when you want to use it, we cook pasta, chicken and toast pine nuts.

Make sure you don't have a leaky blender like I did, its nice but not that I wanted to be showered in it!

Week at the Seaside (Take Two!)

Take two, as my iPad won't allow me to scroll up and down, very boring so I won't go into it.

This wasn't the one we hired.  I have beach hut envy!

Cuppa from Rinky Tinks Cafe and Crochet in the hut.

Views from the hut.

Back to the apartment from the wind.

A stormy day

 My pale feet at the beginning of the week and sun tanned by the end.

What a wonderful time had by all, back home to collect Tom and Gerry from their Luxury Cat Hotel.  Check on Pam and the garden. Back to it....for now!

Week at the Seaside

Last week we were having a great time by the sea.  We had a mix bag of weather.  But when the sun comes out it was beautiful.  We hired a beach hut for the week, which was a lovely base to sit and crochet in.  I brought my blue granny blanket crochet but ran out of wool, which was a shame as I was really getting into it.  I started this blanket last year, as it is one colour I got so bored, I left it to one side but after a craft room tidy up, I decided it would come away with me.  I have also crocheted these lovely little brooches, the pattern is here.
Posy Blossoms by June Gilbank

I used dk wool and size 3mm hook

And here is my blue blanket!

We rented an apartment and we had a beautiful view of the sea.  We can also see some roof tops and the nesting seagulls.

This seagull is keeping three small brown fluffy babies warm.