The unsung pickle.

                                 

Back in the UK, in my native Surrey, we had a small Walnut tree that regularly had a good crop. As Walnuts had difficulty ripening in Surrey, and to prevent them being eaten by Squirrels, the crop was invariably picked early, and pickled.

It is said by epicureans the world over, that the finest accompaniment to a really good mature Cheddar Cheese is a pickled Walnut; and I must agree.

The making of these pickles is a very simple, but lengthy, affair; you will probably not be sampling them for up to two years; by which time they will be superb. The ones below are from 2018.

                                       

It's not complicated. They must be gathered before any wood begins to form inside. Now is ideal, as long as they are of a decent size. Traditionally in the South of England we would pick them during Goodwood Week; but I expect that's been cancelled this year.

Firstly they are trimmed of their stems, etc (topped and tailed), and any blemishes removed, each nut must then be pierced a couple of times with a stainless blade; at the same time ensuring that no wood has started to form.

They are then bathed in brine for two weeks (changing the salt/water every so often), drained, then put out in the sun for a couple of days until they turn jet black. Then they are packed into sterilised jars, and covered with either malt or red wine vinegar, a reasonable amount of sugar, and a few peppercorns. The Walnuts should be totally covered, and left for up to two years before eating (one year is OK).

None of the details is exact... just use your instinct (or consult a pukka recipe, such as the one below).

https://honest-food.net/pickled-walnuts-recipe/

Danger. A drink with a kick.

It's been 10 days since I made my Elderflower Champagne, and already I've lost one bottle.

The bottles need to be TOUGH. They need clip-on tops, and to be made of good solid glass. Unfortunately I have used a few old Fischer Beer bottles, and others that looked OK, but weren't. Below is one example of the latter which exploded last night..

Anyway, this is also a sign that the alchemy has worked, and I have the product I was after. A very pleasant sparkling drink that is both refreshing and delicious. There's nothing worse than finding your Champagne has no fizz.

Before next year, I really must obtain a lot more bottles like the above. They do the job, and can take the pressure. It's a terrible waste to have them explode!

A bit of a moan!

The Chestnut trees are about to flower, and in readiness the local beekeepers have brought in their hives.

The problem is that the hive owners never think to supply their Bees with water, and as everyone knows; BEES NEED WATER.

As a result, every year the same thing happens; the Bees make a Bee-line for our old fountain (above) where we always keep water for the birds. They then take over, and use it as their personal water supply. I don't know if you can see in my photo, but they arrive in their scores; you may need to enlarge it.

The fountain is just at the north end of our pool, and frankly the amount of Bees permanently buzzing around is a bloody nuisance.

So please, you beekeepers, would you in future supply water when you bring your hives. We have taken up water to where they are positioned, but now that they know that our water is available, no doubt they will continue to come here. 

It wouldn't take much, and a small amount of consideration on your behalf would makes our summer swimming much more pleasant. Thank you.

(They don't even give us any bloody honey!!!)

Globe Artichokes.

Reminder to self: I must put-in more Artichoke plants at Haddock's!

I'm wondering what trouble I'll get myself into today; but here goes anyway. My fingers are crossed!

The Artichoke is a very sophisticated little beast. It attracts Ants, and their slavish aphids, by the thousand, its sharp spikes at the end each flower 'petal' are vicious, and the little darlings are very time-consuming to prepare.

But all this is worthwhile. When prepared and cooked they are delicious. Served with a garlicky vinaigrette, they are a perfect addition to a lunchtime snack. 

I was once served a very large uncooked Artichoke in a restaurant as an entrée. I had no idea what to do with it, having always eaten them cooked; I still wouldn't know today! I sent it back and asked for something else.

I also buy canned or bottled Artichoke hearts as a standby, but there's nothing like having them fresh.

As you might see from my photo, I grow the very spiky variety. I really must buy some plants of the much bigger round type.

Lady M is not 100% convinced about them.... more for me! 

Waiting for the all-clear siren.

I've said in the past that I seem to spend an awful lot of time simply 'waiting'.

Whether it be waiting for plaster or cement to dry, for Lady M to get to the car so we can go somewhere, or for Spring/Summer to arrive; I'm always waiting for something, and if I moan about it I'm told not to be impatient!

Well, I am impatient. Any time spent waiting, is time wasted. It's in-between-time; time that can't be used to do other things, time that is possibly quite short, but seems like ages.

Many now anxiously wait for each evening's details of deaths, new infections, and new restrictions or liberties. Personally I don't.

Mostly, of course, we are waiting for things to return to 'normal'; which may never happen. Some are desperately waiting for science to develop a jab that will make the world immune, others are just waiting for all the shops to re-open. Everyone is waiting for the whole pandemic to become no more than a nasty memory.

One day a siren will sound, and we'll all come up from our temporary homes in The Underworld, and blink in the sunshine. Churchill will declare it to be safe to breathe again, and Vera Lynn will sing patriotic songs.

Carry on waiting; it may be some while.

No More Soup!

It was a mutual decision; soup is no longer being served at lunchtimes, and won't be at least until next Autumn/Winter.

In its place comes salads. From simple soups to simple salads; in the above case yesterday, with a lump of Feta. Very Greek.

Of course for the moment we are having to put-up with totally tasteless Tomatoes, but before too long (fingers crossed) we'll have our own homegrown. I can hardly wait to taste pukka Tomatoes again.

Temperatures are now regularly in the mid to high 20's C, and the pool is being regularly used. One of the pleasures of having it open (even if we don't swim) is sitting there in the early evening with our apéritifs; discussing the events of the day.

June is less than a couple of weeks away, and that means Summer. I've already been wearing just T shirt and shorts for the past month or more, and I'm now looking forward to dispensing with the duvet at nights. I find sleeping without any covers much more pleasant.

Salad days are much more my style.

The Garden in Late May.

May is probably the best month in many gardens; it certainly is here.

This never-fail rose was given to me by a gardener friend. He called it 'Pink Pixie', but I have a feeling he made-up the name.

The pool is now open, clean, and in daily use (weather permitting).

I particularly like this tiny spot in the garden. It's the steps down to our pool's pump house, and has more different plants per square foot than any other area. At the moment it is extremely aromatic.

With afternoon temperatures reaching 28 C, our au vent is being used a lot. A nice spot to relax, eat lunch, or take our evening apéritif. It's our outdoor haven, with its own 'daybed', and fridge. The nearby sound of the pool's moving water is very relaxing; perfect for that afternoon 'power nap'. 

And finally, we are short of places to plant these days, but this spot became available last year as the result of our Lavatera having died. It's a very pale pink Rose with a wonderful scent. It's called André le Nôtre. I'm hoping it'll grow to fill the space well.

That's it, I'm now off to Haddock's; my proper garden!