When a friend gives you about 700g fresh picked blackberries (yesterday) what do you do? This person was coming for dinner the next day, so I made him a blackberry mousse cake for dessert - very filling, no more than one piece per person so there's still lots to share with anyone who drops in … Continue reading Blackberries – plus recipe for Blackberry Mousse Cake

I've put no posts up for a while, due to a little op on the eye. Although reading was a bit of an issue for a few days, there's no need nor time to be idle. A gift of red plums were swiftly bottled. I mistook the variety, not realising that they were large cherry … Continue reading Cherry plums and cherries – and recipe for cherry teacake slice

Here are the recipes as promised from the ABC cooking talkback this morning - cumquat cordial and marmalade and spiced cherries for using unripe cherries: Cumquat Cordial Recipe from “A Year on the Farm” (ABC Books/HarperCollins Publishers) This cordial has wonderful colour and flavor.  Serve one part cordial syrup with 4 parts chilled water or … Continue reading ABC RADIO HOBART talkback recipes – cumquat cordial and marmalade, and spiced cherries

From this evening's discussion on ABC Sydney Evenings, with Lisa Pelligrino: Peaches or nectarines can be used instead of the apricots. Apricot Chutney Recipe from "A Year in a Bottle" by ABC Books 1.5 kg apricots (weight with stones removed) chopped 500g onions, peeled and chopped 500ml white or cider vinegar 750g sugar 1 teaspoon … Continue reading Apricot Chutney and Berry Jam

It's been one of those idyllic summer days. Early this morning with a picnic hamper packed, we headed out on a fresh produce hunt, with apricots top of mind. First stop was Lowdina Orchards, where we bought 40 kilos of Moor Park apricots, excellent quality. Most of these we will bottle, halves in light syrup. … Continue reading Summer Days Fruit Hunt

Today I was given two exceptional gifts. First (thanks Andrea) for a price so neglible it was practically free, an electric preserver. Jars, lids, rings and clips were also part of the package. Second, from our daughter's garden, a large bucket of beautiful apricots (which we transferred to the preserver to transport home). The ripest … Continue reading Perfect gifts – preserver and apricots!

Blackcurrant season, fantastic! Several kilos picked here today, not by myself but rather the man of the house. There's at least as many again to be picked tomorrow before they shrivel on the bushes from the heat of the past couple of days. My part is easier by far - to convert these to blackcurrant … Continue reading Blackcurrants and white

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, there's plenty to do. More than 12 kilos of redcurrants need to be made into jelly. Plus the generosity of the lemon and lime trees is staggering. I'm trialling a sparkling lime drink, and then there's a double batch of lemon/lime cordial steeping. And I've barely made a dent in … Continue reading Redcurrants

Gathering in the hay in our bottom paddock this morning, a combined effort of friends and neighbours. Simply idyllic.

Hmm. I had planned to do whipper snipping today but I saw the rhubarb patch badly needed harvesting. Seems it appreciates the TLC I've bestowed on it these past months. This is no small wheelbarrow and as you can see, it's well loaded. This is the second picking over the last couple of weeks. There … Continue reading Rhubarb abundance