Noisy, mischievous rascals - here are the four geese who came to live with us a few weeks ago. Granddaughter Charly and I spent an afternoon observing them with a view to giving each a name suited to its character. One of the boys, whose eyes that day were black as night- he was appropriately … Continue reading The Geese who Came to Stay

I was given a couple of buckets of strained off fresh raspberry pips, a by-product of a food business' making coulis. In actuality it was destined for the menagerie here, or the compost heap A few hours afterwards I noticed a smallish amount of luscious scarlet liquid had risen to the top of the pips. … Continue reading Raspberry Pips? Yes Please!!

Plum royalty - more than 20kg greengages fresh picked from daughter Stephanie's tree. There were pears too (also organically grown), a gift from a friend of a friend - about 10 kilos in all. A day of fast track and intense bottling ensued in the cooking school kitchen, but well worth the effort. All are … Continue reading Plum Royalty – Greengages!

Wednesday morning tea platter, a slice from the cake of yesterday. It kind of evolved as it came together. It could best be described, I guess, as a chocolate strawberry "poke" cake. The chocolate butter cake base was indented (with the rounded end of a wooden spoon handle) and strawberries poached in Morello cherry juice … Continue reading Chocolate and Strawberry Cake Invention

The pickling of onions saga continued today...... vinegar spiced, boiled briefly and then cooled. I made two different types - one with Tasmanian Pepperberries added and one batch without. The Pepperberry version is my favourite - beautiful colour. I guess that will mean pink pickled onions. While the vinegar cooled and the onions were drained … Continue reading Cherry Juice and Onions

Yesterday we were able to find a 20kg bag of best quality Tasmanian pickling onions. So today Robert is at his self-appointed task of peeling them all. A ghastly chore I think, but he sets himself up well so the worst of the fumes are blown away in the breeze. In a few minutes I'll … Continue reading Pickling Onions Time Again

It's that time of year again - just look at these beautiful scarlet jewels, Morello cherries. Because we are a little later picking this year, they are bursting with flavour and juice. These were picked today at the property of lovely friends.So ripe and luscious - perfect to be preserved for pies and tarts.

Wednesday morning tea offering today. An experimental banana caramel upside down cake - thankfully it worked out just fine and used up over a kilo of very ripe bananas. For the next course was a Strawberry Chantilly Ice Cream Cake, which I'd made a day or two ago especially to serve as a treat today. … Continue reading Wednesday morning tea platter offerings

When we run a Bottling the fruits of the season class here, as we did yesterday, I always get carried away with shopping for produce in the days beforehand. Once I see those beautiful summer fruits, I simply can't resist buying by the boxful where, quite frankly, a few kilos would have sufficed. Hence, the … Continue reading Bottling the Fruits of the Season class

I know it's a bit early for an afternoon tipple, but it's still 38 degrees here so a little indulgence is in order. An oat stout for me (I like it served in a wine glass) and a blackcurrant beer for Robert. He brewed them himself incidentally, and they are both jolly good.