Yesterday ended up being a total 'scorcha' so I spent most of it inside cooking (ironic as the oven isn't exactingly cool) So we made some granola and then once the afternoon arrived it was cool enough to get stuck into the glass house which has become rather scraggly, and clean out all the sad looking cherry tomato plants. I wasn't expecting this many! So today is cook up tomatoes and pop in the freezer for sum winter sustenance! Hope you are all enjoying the summer bounty?

Fleur and I had a fossik in the garden and discovered that our first corn of the year was ready! So second breakfast it was. Yum.

Now were cooking up the blackberry haul, inspired by this great book called 'fruits of the earth', Gloria Nicol. A beautiful book which has many old fashioned and hedgerow inspired recipes for jam's chutney's etc....and a section on cordials which is what were making today.

Blackberry Cordial:

900gms of ripe blackberries

Sugar.

Place blackberries on a bowl with 100mls of water and boil in a double boiler for an hour breaking them up with a spoon as you go. Strain through a sieve and add 450gms of sugar for every 600mls of juice. Put this on the heat and bring JUST to the boil, remove and bottle in sterilized bottles or freeze.

I used to make a similar mix with black Doris plums which was heaven after a hot day in the garden mixed with soda water. I guess you could use this recipe as a standard for any berry cordial.

Results: bliss

The air had a crisp subtlety to it this morning..a hint of witchy autumn..Not that I don't love the sun, when we get it! but there is something so...so...well comforting about the first hints of winter.
The creative juices have been flowing this week and I have been mounted to the soap pot and sewing machine ready for the march Martinborough fair. Routine is slowing clicking into place now that school is back. I don't think I got a single thing I intended to 'get done' over the holidays!

Turning a new leaf

Well this is my first post of the year on my sparkly new blog!

I've been away from the land of inspirational blogging for over 6 mths and feel refreshed and inspired now that I am re-connected. The last 6 mths have been some what of a roller coaster, and now I am starting to feel like my feet are 'nearly' touching the ground once again. Vege's are in fruition which I appreciate so much more now after moving here in July to a barren waste land. Chookies..Finnis, Ferb and Dorris are happy, fat and laying which is heaven on toast...or in muffins...perhaps a pie even lol!
The babies..Alex 10...Anya 6 and Fleur 2 (pop) Are settling into their new school (well not Pop although she thinks she should be!) And the last 2 weeks I have been happily bottling, spring cleaning and generally re-organizing. Inspiration is abundant and the creative cloud in moving in...thank the Goddess alive!
Well off to bed for dreams of felted pizza and pickled zucchinis....Bless