Sunday 19 September 2010

Trying Self-Sufficiency! ...

Every where I go and every blog I read, seems to be full of folk using the produce of their garden, allotment or smallholding and baking, preserving or freezing that produce to ward off the frugalities of winter!
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Thought I would give it a shot. Not done anything like this for years and years. Not since I made copious jars of Seville Orange Marmalade for the WI in about 1980!
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It was an act of dedication to make the Rosehip Marmalade. I got the recipe from the St David's Wild Food Show and picked all the rosehips I could find in the garden. I didn't realise how long it would take to cut each small rosehip open, (try to) take out all the pips and wash them before even beginning to add the other ingredients - 3 days!!! As you can see I made half a jar. Not tasted it yet. Will report back later!
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The beetroot was very easy by contrast. Easy to grow, pick, cut the tops off, boil for an hour or thereabouts depending on their size. Peel, cut up, put in the jar and top up with ready spiced vinegar.
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Plenty of raspberries, blackberries and apples still to go. So far made blackberry and apple crumble and two lots of mixed berries with sherry and served with yoghurt marmalade. The apples will need storing if we are to have any hope of eating them all, there are so many. I have memories of my Grandpa wrapping our London garden apples singly in newspaper and storing them in the chest of drawers in the bedroom that I shared with two of my younger sisters. Good gracious, that must have been just after WW2. Ours will have to go in the garage!
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We have also had rhubarb, spinach, red and yellow chard, tomatoes (still green even now) - I've told you all this already I think. I hope your self-sufficiency is going well too.
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