Splendid Sumac.

The Sumacs are showing their colours. They must be the most flamboyant of Autumn's frippery.

I always use ground Sumac on my home-made Houmous, and would love to make my own.

Does anyone grind their own Sumac powder? Any tips?

The Evil Sugar.

The well-meaning, as well as government departments, have been constantly warning us of the dangers of over-consumption of sugar. It makes us obese, possibly causes Diabetes, and shortens our life expectancy.

                          

I was amused (and somewhat horrified) to see recently that a bag of bio, healthy, artisan-made, throat pastilles, apparently including honey made by 'free-range' Bees on the Bio Mont Ventoux, are basically 99.99999% Sugar. 

Sugar (the main ingredient) is of course Sugar. Glucose Syrup is Sugar. And Honey, which is basically a combination of Fructose and Glucose, is also Sugar.

So, 200 gms of Sugar, dressed-up as healthy throat pastilles (and costing €4.30 no less), turns out to be just as unhealthy, and obesity inducing, as a cup full of granulated sugar; with a tiny, tiny, bit of Honey flavouring.

Could you honestly imagine yourself filling a cup with 90% sugar, and 10% honey, and eating it to soothe a sore throat? No, nor would I.

No wonder the Sugar industry is fighting back.

Two fousand five undrid.

You may need to enlarge this.

Satan 2.

                             

This monstrous military object is Putin's new RS-28 Surmat Missile; also known as Satan 2.

It is a 40 Megaton weapon, 2000 times more powerful than the bombs that fell on Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

It travels at 7 km per second, and has a range of 10,000 kms.

Putin is moving these things up towards the Polish border. If aimed (and fired) at London, it would wipe out all of England and Wales, plus a lot of Northern France, Belgium, and Holland.

If fired into central France, it would destroy the whole country.

I just though I'd let you know what he's got pointing at us.

The only solace in this whole tawdry affair, is that, if he did press that button, so many similar Missiles would rain down on Russia that Putin's teeth would melt.

p.s. The distance between Moscow and Washington DC is about 7,900 kms; also well within range! You'd have less than half an hour to dig a bunker.

Playing Cat-n-Mouse.

It's early Autumn, and Mice are have been looking for somewhere warm to spend Winter.

Both here, and up at the barn, there's been a sudden invasion of Mice; they've been arriving like Swallows in Spring.

I like Mice, but not in the house. There's the whole of France out there for them to squat in, but not here thank you!

Freddie (Cat) does his bit to reduce the population, but my preferred method of eradication is the simple Mouse trap, baited with cheese. It is almost 100% successful, and does the job with unerring precision.

Wills and Kellogg, however, don't like killing the beasts (they're veggie/vegans), so have installed several 'humane' traps which have worked quite well, and the Mice released far away.

                            

I've also tried scaring the blighters witless, and have made this wooden cut-out of a Cat..... Success as yet unknown, but probably nil.

The New Stuff.

Only a few weeks ago, this was still hanging in bunches on the vines; now it's in my glass.

There's something magical about the process of wine making. There's something even more magical about my Vigneronne giving me a 1.5 litre plastic bottle of new wine; straight off the press (if you know what I mean).

I've been buying my wine at the same vineyard for the past 5 or 6 years, and each year I'm presented with a free sample of the new. What lovely folk.

We chat about the weather, about the pro's and con's of bread, about whatever harvest has just been brought in. We get on very well; she gives me huge Pumpkins, I give her Fererro Rocher Chocolates. We have an understanding between supplier and client that is exactly how it should be.

My car mechanic informed me last week that he will be retiring in March 2017. I just hope my Vigneronne doesn't contemplate something as thoroughly stupid.

The Rush Is On.

Haddock's has a serious surfeit of green Tomatoes (as well as green Peppers, and Chillies); so, what to do with them all.

I don't usually bother with Chutneys, but this year I've gone against my better judgement, and made one specifically for accompanying curries, rather than cheese (If I say this, it gets eaten. If I don't, it doesn't).

It's a James Martin recipe, in whom I have some faith.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/green_tomato_chutney_41573

We tested it last night with Rick Stein's Chettinad Chicken curry; it was perfect.

We also have so many green Peppers that I'm stuffing them 'à la Provençal' on a regular basis. I don't really know what else to do with them. They need to be used-up before any serious frost ruins them!