Hello everyone

As it says in Ecclestiastes 3 'For everything there is a season'*, reiterated by by the Byrds in their well-known song**.

Now that the children have grown up and left home I miss the rhythm of the year being divided into school terms and holidays.  


The days roll on the same now that we've retired (no days off once you give up work!)  The days are more leisurely and tend to start later but they still tend to involve 'jobs'.

So these days I'm very keen on the rhythm of the seasons. It gives a structure to the year.  We recently had Halloween (or like me ignored it), followed by Bonfire Night, then Remembrance Day, 11 November.

So now it's time to start thinking about Christmas, although I do prefer to keep Christmas to December.

November is the month for starting to write Christmas cards as it makes a job which could become tedious into more of a pleasure.

Looking at the back of the cupboard this week I found an enormous jar of made mincemeat.  I'm looking forward to making some mince pies, come December.  And Jamie Oliver has just come to the rescue with his recipe for pastry.  
I've been making pastry of all types for years but thought perhaps it was time for a refresher, and here are his ideas for pastry-making:  http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/ultimate-guide-to-pastry-puff-recipe/#pgbQQqhswhJtxU3f.97.

Then, coming on to mince pies themselves, here's Jamie's page: http://www.jamieoliver.com/search/?s=mince+pies

I hope to put more Christmas ideas on here soon, especially in December, when Christmas really starts ..........


* https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3&version=KJV
** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4

Ideas of finger food


Angels on horseback

Devils on horseback

Pigs in blankets

Cheese straws
Roll out puff paste thinly. Sprinkle parmesan or similar cheese all over. Fold it in half. Roll into thickness of a £ coin.  Cut into strips, twist them. Sprinkle some cheddar on top and a little paprika or cayenne. Cook at No 7 about 10 mins or so.

Crudities with a dip
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/dip/summer-crudites-with-three-dips.html
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crudites-and-dips-235647
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/3286/crudit-s-with-three-dips.aspx
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/crudite-crudites-beautiful-photos_n_4302956.html

I've just found a leaflet 'The last hedgehog in Derbyshire?' issued by Love Derbyshire, Love Wildlife, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.


"Snuffling in the hedgerows, scurrying across the back lawn. Hedgehogs have fascinated and inspired us for generations.  But ask yourself a question; When was the last time you saw one?  Only one in five people in the UK has ever seen a hedgehog in their garden, and no wonder.

Sadly, the hedgehog is declining rapidly. We've lost 95% of our hedgehogs since the 1950s, and some people say they're disappearing faster than the tiger.  If we don't do something now, this lovable, secretive creature will vanish for ever.

There are lots of reasons why the hedgehog is disappearing so rapidly.  Pastures and fields that used to provide food and shelter have been ploughed up.  Hedgerows have been removed to create larger fields. Pesticides have killed off insects and often kill hedgehogs too.  Even our own British gardens are contributing to the decline, as we're making them just too tidy for the shelter-loving hedgehog. 

But there is something we can do.  With your help, this could be a story with a happy ending.

Hedgehogs flourish in landscapes like this .....

• Woodlands and meadows to forage in
• Gardens that are easy to wander through on the search for food.
• Hedgerows for shelter that link habitats.
• Plenty of insects and slugs to feed on.

...... But this is what hedgehogs face today:

• Roads that divide habitats and put hedgehogs at risk
• Impenetratable gardens with high fences and walls
• Patios, concrete and gravel, with no space for insects to live.
• Fewer insects and invertebrates, illed by pesticides.
• Gadens laden with slug pellets.
• 50% of hedgerows lost in the last 60 years.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust believes that this doesn't have to be the end of the story for hedgehogs in Derbyshire.

We know that, given the right conditions, wildlife can bounce back from adversity.  A landscape with healthy, joined-up wildlife habitats is the essential first step.

We can save Derbyshire's hedgehogs. But we can't do it alone.  to succeed, we need your support now more than ever."

What they would like is donations, so that they can, for instance:

1. pay towards the management of Derbyshire woodland edge habitat to benefit hedgehogs.
2. pay towards their work with Derbyshire schools to inspire children by creating hedgehog friendly habitats with them.
3. pay towards spreading the word throughout Derbyshire on making gardens more hedgehog friendly.

See: http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/species/hedgehog


See also, 'The hedgehog friendly garden': http://thehedgehog.co.uk/how-to-help-hedgehogs/garden/


Event - 23 October - Wildlife Gardening Workshop.  
"join us to make a hedgehog hibernation home and find out what else we can do in our gardens to help hibernating animals over winter.

At Whistlestop Centre, Matlock Bath Railway Station, DE4 3PT

Booking is essential as numbers are limited. Tel 01773 881188
see: 1025: http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2015/10/23/wildlife-gardening-workshop-helping-hedgehog

Autumn Recipes

It's now time to pick the last of our crop - the runner beans are nearly finished, ditto the courgettes and beetroot.   We didn't grow a great deal this year as it's our first summer since David built the veggy raised bed.  It's 3 metres by 8 metres, so a pretty good size.

We also grew some spinach which has been good but the broccoli were taken over by the cabbage white butterfly caterpillars before I got round to netting them.

I've picked the last of the tomatoes which are still green, and we're rather short of chutney so this year will make chutney.  Last I fried them to have as an accompaniment to our meals.
We haven't grown any pumpkins or plums but have included recipes here as there such a mark of the passing of the seasons.  It's lovely to buy a couple of large pumpkins before they're all removed from the shops after Halloween.


Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin recipes from Jamie Oliver:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/search/?s=pumpkin
Baked Pumpkin
1 kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunky slices
3 medium onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
black pepper
2 tbsp flour
150 ml olive oil

Heat oven to 200/6.
Arrange pumpkin sliced in greased roasting tin.
In large bowl massage the salt into the sliced onions with your hands.
Mix in the tomato paste, pepper and flour.
Scatter over the pumpkin.
Drizzle with oil and bake 30 - 40 mins until onions are starting to brown and pumpkin is tender.
Serve hot or warm.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11840276/Baked-pumpkin-with-sun-dried-tomato-paste-and-crispy-onions-recipe.html

Pumpkin and Ginger Teabread
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1018/pumpkin-and-ginger-teabread
Green tomato Chutney
250g green tomatoes, sliced
100g onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
500g sultanas
500g cooking apples
500g light muscavado sugar
1.14 litre jar spiced pickling vinegar

1. Slice the tomatoes (you can skin them if you want, but I don’t usually bother). Finely chop the onions. Layer both in a large bowl with the salt. Leave overnight.
2. Next day, chop the sultanas using a large, sharp knife, then peel, core and chop theapples. Put the sugar and vinegar into a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the sultanas and apples and simmer for 10 mins. Strain the tomatoes and onions in a colander (but don’t rinse), then tip into the pan and return to the boil.
3. Simmer for about 1 hr, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and pulpy. Transfer to warmed jars (see Know-how, below) and cover with lids.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2865/green-tomato-chutney



Plum Liqueur
750g plums
3.5 cups gin
400g caster sugar

Put plums into freezer overnight to soften.
Defrost. Put in large container along with the rest of the ingredients.
Leave two to three months.
Strain and bottle.

I'm looking forward to trying this one!

And here's a recipe for plums with vodka and vanilla which also sounds good.
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/21971/plum-liqueur.aspx

Birthday cakes 

As far as I'm concerned, it isn't a cake if it isn't chocolate - with perhaps some fruit to balance the rich flavour - such as these excellent examples ....


More chocolate and less cream seems to work the best.  

I also have a theory that it doesn't matter what a cake looks like, so long as it tastes good.  

However, I'm not sure if I'd feel the same if my birthday cake had been decorated by one of the people pictured on this website "some people really shouldn't decorate birthday cakes" - http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/24-people-who-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-decorate-cakes#.cv3yNvl95k