Sunday 21 October 2012

A little bit of everything

Welcome to my new follower The Gardening Shoe and also a new comment leaver Hazel. Glad to see you both. Hazel, I was going to give you a really useful budget food link, but unfortunately, the blog owner Anne-Marie, has taken it off line. A shame really as it was really useful and the recipes were sheer bliss!

Anyway, not a lot happening today. About 3 weeks ago I sowed some hardy stir fry vegetables in a pot and have finally remembered to pot them on. They look a little weedy but we'll see if they survive, especially as the early part of their life will be in my little greenhouse.

Have pulled the last few bunches of runner beans off my wilting plants. Hopefully, they will be okay and not too tough. I had previously brought in my peppers, chillies and tomatoes. They are now going red so some are in the oven roasting ready to make a soup for lunch and tomorrow. It really is soup weather at the moment.

The weather here in Norfolk is damp, grey and cold so don't think my washing will dry. As we haven't got our heating on yet or the wood burner on often, it will have to take its chances in the conservatory for a few days.

The thing I have noticed about frugal laundry liquid (and using white vinegar as a conditioner) is that the clothes do not readily seem to pick up a musty smell – which is useful.

Bought a half price gammon yesterday. It has soaked overnight and will be boiled ready for tea tonight. It weighs 6lb so that will really give us lots to slice and freeze in 1/2lb bags.

11 comments:

  1. We have depressing grey and chilli weather here, too. I usually make soups for Saturday lunch times. The soup in your picture looks very tasty! Having a small gammon plus 2 little pousins for our Sunday dinner tonight. I will serve some with butternut squash, curley cale kohlrabi, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and gravy. A small feast on a dull and damp Sunday night. This shall be followed by a plum crumble. I used my oaty flour mix to make the crumble topping. The plum crumble can be served with home made vanilla ice cream. Utterly delicious!

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    1. Well, I boiled my gammon, then roasted it for half an hour. Whilst it was roasting, I did some potatoes in with it and boiled all the beans I picked this afternoon. The roasting ham provided a little sweet and sticky sauce (honey and mustard on its fat). Afterwards, we had some old pears diced up with some custard and one slice of victoria sandwich cake chopped in. Mmmm.

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  2. I need to buy a ham this next week for the baby shower for ham and mustard sandwiches. Fingers crossed I can buy one cheap like you. I cook mine in the slow cooker, it makes it very moist.

    Gill in Canada

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  3. I do like Gill and whenever I can fit a ham in the slow cooker I let it do the work.

    I automatically cut off up to 1/3 of the ham and cube it. I put it in small bags in the freezer. We never miss it from the main meal and I have ham bits for potato soup, split pea soup, etc.

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  4. Gill and Shara. It is amazing what you can do with a cooked joint isn't it. Will have to slice and freeze it tomorrow as today has just whizzed past.

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    1. It really is quite versatile and the cost is still far more reasonable in my area. Of course, I do read of impending pork shortages...sigh.

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  5. We were so lucky - we had a sunny day on Sunday - that made it 3 days in a row! Love the sound of your tea on Sunday.

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    1. Well, I for one won't begrudge you your 3 sunny days as more often than not, you seem to have dull days. We on the other hand are usually the reverse but this time, are having 4/5 days of dull, cloudy, misty and foggy weather. Roll on the cold Friday I say when some sunshine might arrive!

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  6. Damp and dismal here too, though it is supposed to brighten up later in the week only to get really cold! Your soup looks lovely and you are right, it is definitely soup weather x

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    1. Looking forward to the end of the week when we might get the sun. Was given some golden beetroot. Providing they are not too woody, will make a one off golden version of my beetroot soup. They are so pricey in the shops this year that they may well be the only beetroot soup we have. :o(

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  7. A big pan of fragrant, bubbling soup is one of my favourite things about autumn! Trying to get the laundry dry is one of my least favourite :-(

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