Sewing the Garden…..

by Karen B

Garden Quilt 013 (2)

Swept up and cast aside by the sparkle of Christmas and washed away by months of rain I slither and slide down the slippery path of the New Year into my waterlogged garden. Seeing all my sad and sodden potted Primulas and Cowslips, I gather them up lovingly and head for the greenhouse. Surely these poor, neglected plants must be wondering why I have allowed so much water to soak them day after day? Inside the pots their roots are tightly bound, their soil cold and wet and their leaves all gone. I settle myself in the greenhouse to re-pot each suffering fragment of sorry plant into dry soil.  I swear that I can almost feel their sense of relief and comfort, knowing that rescue is here at last.

Over- wintering plants or autumn sown hardy annuals suit a belt and braces kind of gal like me. I have plants in pots under glass, outside in cold frames, in the open ground, under cloches and under fleece. Every day I check that they are not too dry, too wet, or too cold. I cover them, uncover them, circulate the air around them, prevent slug attacks and try to prevent mildew and them rotting off. Ordinarily, plants like the Cowslips should have been fine outside in pots, but nothing about the excessive amounts of rain we have had this Winter have been ordinary.

So long as I can nurture and protect my plants and my hands can connect with the healing power of the soil, then I am content. But what is a garden-loving gal to do when it just rains and rains?  I just can’t wait for the rain to stop and for the sunshine to return to the garden, so that I, just like my flowers, can open up my petals towards the sun. But until then, I have an idea. Yes, I will sew my garden!

This work in progress is appliquéd and every little flower or detail is cut out of vintage fabric and Liberty prints. It is not until each piece is properly stitched on that a more three dimensional look is achieved. It is painstakingly slow work, but work that I love. Lastly, when the picture is complete I will add embroidered stems for each flower and finally turn the fabric picture into a quilt. It will include all the cats I have loved and lost: Sergei, Nina, Grey Cat, Ossie and Otto.  Like me, they will be so happy amongst the flowers….. would you like to take a look?

When properly sewn on and the tacking stitches are removed, each little flower plumps up and begins to look more real.
Sewing a rabbit-proof fence
Applique work comes alive when embroidered leaves and tendrils are added
A work in progress, with many pins and tacking still in place
A darling box of tiny flowers ready to make a garden

 

 

Call me Dr Dolittle…..

by Karen B

Diminutive, hardworking and the only person I meet on my morning walk whose Chihuahua rides on the back of a horse; Christine is totally devoted to her horse and dogs. So enchanted was I by the bond between this lovely lady and her band of animals and the sparkiness and ease with which her tiny dog would ride, bare-back across the moorland, that I recklessly offered to take some photographs.

Now I have a still-life approach to photography and flowers and vegetables are, on the whole, fairly sedentary. But on the morning we arrange to meet up for our little photo-shoot, Dippy, the horse thought he heard the hounds (hunting for foxes) and immediately became spooked. Because Dippy was upset, Mutley, the Chihuahua did not feel safe and Nirvana the puppy wondered what on earth was going on and looked as though she wanted to go home to her basket! The two Lurchers circled around our feet as Dippy reversed and threatened to jettison any number of small dogs into the air or, worst of all, onto the ground. How could this possibly be a good idea? And surely the photos would be disastrously bad?

But Christine and I talked, soothed and cajoled in each language, Chihuahua, horse and puppy. Christine, for all her small stature, behaved in proper leader of the pack style and did a fair bit of shouting as well. And it seemed to work; because once I printed the photos on some glossy photographic paper they looked ok.

But the real joy, for me, came later when I gave them to Christine, for she LOVED  these little mementos of her love for her cherished animal family. I don’t think I have ever done anything before which has ever made someone so happy. And I get such a wonderful feeling inside every time I think of it.

Would you like to take a look?

 

 

 

 

 

Nasturtium Butter…..

by Karen B

My pre-breakfast morning walk is a push for power; for a fast-paced, heart-pumping, energizing surge where battling against the wind and weather helps me to reclaim some of the adrenalin driven lifestyle I once had. Yes, I rise when the bats are still following their flight paths home to roost and with a torch strapped to my wrist I meet the day, head-on with music streaming into my unconscious through the headphones of my iPod. I don’t do gentle on this walk, I choose rousing, rhythmic music by the Chemical Brothers, oh, and I walk with David Bowie a lot.

Except today, my iPod won’t work. No sound will come out, nothing. Baffled for a moment as to how I will set my pace without the aid of “Hey girl, hey boy” I try to sing the music in my head. But gradually something else takes over, as my creativity kicks in and shifts and tumbles and multiplies and shifts again as idea after idea comes into my mind. By the time I get home my virtual world has gone into overdrive. In my head I have made a Nasturtium butter, launched a club, designed aprons, pickled nasturtium seeds, made jam, harvested carrots, styled some photos, created a guest list for my Swedish style Little Christmas Eve Party……. the list goes on and on. Trust me; no one day will ever be long enough to achieve all these things. So, here is the question; is being creative a blessing or a curse? Yes, I get lots of things done each day, but there are always so, so many things which remain undone.

One of the lovely things  I did get to do was the Nasturtium Butter, it’s quick and easy to make and can be frozen so that you can slice some off when you want to toss some onto some pasta or when you are pan frying  chicken. I use an Alice Waters recipe and you can’t really do any better than that, can you? The flavour is subtle, but you get to harvest and preserve the colour and mildly peppery flavour of one of the most lovely, gem-like, prolifically flowering plants; the Nasturtium. The mild Autumn here means that there are still flowers left to pick. Please don’t let them go to waste.

 

NASTURTIUM BUTTER

2 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme

2 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian Parsley

2 Shallots

18-20 Nasturtiums

4 tablespoons unsalted butter- soft

METHOD

  1. Chop all the herbs very fine. Dice the shallots very small.
  2. Separate the Nasturtiums from the stems ( checking for insects as you go). Chop the flowers
  3. Blend butter, herbs and shallot and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Roll the butter into a sausage shape between some tin foil and place in the freezer.

 

 

My little Halloween Party…

by Karen B

The meadow and moors beyond the Cottage Garden are damp and hazy with mist, as the Blackbirds swoop down to peck at fallen apples amongst the piles of rustling autumn leaves. A sudden blustery wind swirls around the house, making the cockerel weather-vane spin, and tugs at the branches of the oak tree, helping it to graciously let go of another flurry of dried, papery leaves. Something about this makes me feel excited and I stand underneath the tree feeling the leaves brush past my face as they fall. The tree is shaking off the old, helping us to prepare for a new season.

It is the time for collecting conkers, for building bonfires and lighting fireworks and firstly, for Halloween. I love styling the house for seasonal events and last weekend I wanted it to feel magical here because I had some really special guests coming around.

Creating décor and working to suit a theme for me is like giving candy to a baby! I had such fun! Then when the guests arrived, we drank Black Velvet cocktails, played old 78’s on my wind-up gramophone and later dined under the toile-like skull lanterns. And my friends loved it!

I so wish that you could have been there. Why not open the door and have a peep inside?

Halloween Supper Menu

An appetiser of Pumpkin soup with Pumpkin oil

…..

An individual tart of caramelised Onions

 with Thyme, Olives and Anchovies

…..

Chicken with Charlotte potatoes,

 Prunes and Pomegranate molasses

…..

Bread and Butter pudding

The skull lanterns came from an amazing pop-up Halloween shop called ‘Halloween on 31st Street’ in Exeter.

The fabulous paper table mats were purchased from a shop called ‘Prey’ in Milsom Place in Bath. The mats come in the form of a  tear-off pad and there is a space to write your guests names on them.

And this is no ordinary design. Just take a closer look at the modern twist they have incorporated in their totally original Toile!

Josef the cat is not just for Halloween but is loved and cherished all year round and he only sat on the table when the meal was over (naughty Josef). “No live pumpkins were harmed in the making of this room setting”, although I did use one in the soup 🙂

My Pumpkins are Invincible!

by Karen B

Seduced by the beauty of their ghostly, pale, grey-green skins and the plump rounded curves concealing burnt orange flesh beneath, I have left several of my ‘Invincible’ Pumpkins untouched because they are simply too beautiful to eat! But  this season’s crop is starting to plump up in the Kitchen Garden  and it really is time to cook and enjoy last years harvest.

I cut into one and experience such a powerful rush of pleasure as I see the warm orange edged by the narrow slither of cool green skin on every slice. This Pumpkin is still amazingly fresh and good!

There is something so totally wholesome and pleasurable about growing and eating your own, home grown Pumpkin or Squash. I want to make something which celebrates its fabulous colour and flavour and, in the case of my one year old pumpkins, their longevity!

I make a salad dish which includes-‘Yellowstone’ Carrot puree,  Cauliflower puree, roasted ‘Invincible’ Pumpkin and roasted ‘ Marmande’ Tomatoes, Spiced chickpea salad, all garnished with ‘Graffiti’ Cauliflower, Thyme flowers and drizzled with a golden rapeseed oil vinaigrette.

Happy Birthday INVINCIBLE PUMPKIN and thank you for being such a long keeper!

This dish would be quite daunting to make if you had to create all the various components on the same day. So I always prepare my purees in advance and keep them in the freezer. Once you have roasted the Pumpkin and Tomatoes they keep very well in the fridge and the Chickpea salad is very quick to make and uses tinned ingredients. Please do not worry if your roasted vegetables take longer to cook than the times stated in the recipes. I had to cover my my carrots with foil and add a little stock at the beginning of their cooking time to encorage them to cook through.

You will be rewarded by fabulous flavour, amazing colour and lots of compliments when you serve this dish…I promise!

 RECIPES

 Spicy Chickpea Salad

1 x 400 gram tin of Chickpeas (drained)

½ x 400 gram tin of Lentils (drained)

200 grams of cooked Basmati Rice

2 tsp Tomato puree

3 tblsp Rapeseed Oil

2 tsp Lemon juice

½ tsp ground Turmeric

½ tsp ground Cinnamon

½ tsp ground Ginger

½ tsp Cumin Seed

½ tsp ground Cumin

½ tsp ground Star Anise

 

Method

Simply mix together and serve

 

 

Roasted Carrot Puree

2lbs /1 kg vegetables

1 Onion or a handful of shallots peeled and cut into chunks

2 tblsp oil

1 tblsp chopped fresh Thyme

Salt and Pepper

Vegetable or chicken stock

Method

  1. Chop the vegetables into 1 inch chunks and toss in the oil
  2. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the Thyme
  3. Place in a roasting pan and roast in the oven 425 F or 220 C for about 45 minutes
  4. Puree in a food processor with a little stock and a knob of butter until smooth.
  5. Taste and correct seasoning
  6. Keep in the refrigerator or freeze.

Cauliflower Puree

Simply cook Cauliflower florets in chicken stock until tender. Then puree in a processor with salt and pepper and a few knobs of butter.

 

Roasted Pumpkin and Tomatoes

Simply cut the Pumpkin into thick slices and the Tomatoes in half, horizontally. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Caraway and Cumin seed and drizzle with oil.

Roast at 425 F or 220 C or until tender.

 

Vinaigrette

5 tblsp Rapeseed Oil

I tblsp White wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

 

Method

Simply whisk together

 

Making Hay…….

by Karen B

One of my most treasured flea market-finds is this signed artist’s proof of a painting called ‘ The Valley Farm’, by Gerald Cooper R.A. 1898-1975.

Days and days of burnished, golden, Indian Summer sunshine sees the late autumn flowers blooming for the bees and my skin turning a pale caramel. This sublime, mellow weather with its misty mornings clearing to deep azure skies and a honeyed, warming light, brings with it a feeling of calmness and contentment which runs very deep within me. It is as if I have received a very special blessing or gift and it feels so personal; as though the sun shines just for me.

In this languid, contented state, as I weed and sow, I hear the sound of farmer Colin Friend’s tractor in the field. Few things in life evoke as much heartfelt joy for me than seeing my meadow being cut for hay. Preserving the grass for winter feed requires a week of good weather and as I garden over the next few days I see the tractor many times. And all the while the mowing, raking and the windrows of drying grass perfume the air with its sweet scent, filling me with happiness.

On the 7th day, the bales are taken away just before the weather breaks. And I think of the cattle and the joy they have to come when they eat my meadow grass full of deliciously scented wild flowers and I am glad that all the hay was safely gathered in.

 

 

Dartmoor Jewels…..

by Karen B

The low clouds, heavy and weary with rain, sink lower still to smother gigantic Tors, whilst warm, peat-scented mist rolls over ancient granite and streams. This is Dartmoor; high ground where we live and breathe humid, nebulous air, moistened with gentle drizzle and where for days on end we view the world as if through a dampened veil. In this land of rugged beauty, a place full of green, cushion like hills and lush pasture we see twice the annual rainfall of our county falling on the uplands. But something magical can happen when sweet rain falls; when droplets gathers in the cobwebs laced across the prickly Gorse, crafting sparkling jewels of crystal clear water, when its softness bathes my early-morning, out-of-doors face and when I splash through the puddles in my wellington boots!

Up here on the moor I feel as free as the Stonechats who flitter from scrappy bush to stream. Solitary and secure, I plod onwards on my morning walk. Knees wet and cold I cheer myself by practising some real Devonshire dialect. Rolling my r’s around ‘rainin strames’, ‘fair ammering eeet down’ and lashins o’ rain’, I start to giggle out loud and startle some rabbits. Despite the chilly air, just ‘spuddling’ about in  the Dartmoor rain is still  the most joyous way of starting a new day!

 

Old Fashioned Raspberry Vinegar…..

by Karen B

Many, many days from now, when the spiteful rain beats sharply on the window panes, the cold wind rattles all the sash windows and when someone you love has a cold, you will be so pleased that you have a bottle of this magical, pure and natural potion in your store cupboard. Raspberry Vinegar and hot water soothes a sore throat and helps a tickly cough and brings with it a loving comfort which ordinary warm drinks can not match. And in the meantime…it brings a fabulous tangy freshness and piquancy when poured over ice cream; it can be used to deglaze a pan when cooking meat and is prefect in salad dressings. Why not give it a try?

  • 2 lb (900 g) raspberries
  • 1 pint (570 ml) white wine vinegar
  • Sugar

Method

  1. Put the raspberries into a wide-mouthed jar and crush them lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Cover with cold vinegar.
  2. Tightly cover and leave for 7 days, shaking occasionally.
  3. Strain through muslin or through a jelly bag, squeezing out as much juice as possible.
  4. Measure the juice and transfer to a pan.
  5. Add 4 ozs(112 g) to 12 ozs (337 g) of sugar per pint of juice extracted, according to taste.
  6. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to the boil.
  7. Boil for 10 minutes and pour into hot, sterilized bottles or jars and seal.

Note: You can omit any sugar if you want but this vinegar still needs to be brought to the boil for 10 minutes before final bottling.

Makes about 1½ pints (870 ml) of Raspberry Vinegar.

I usually make a batch using 6 ozs of sugar per pint of juice to use for vinaigrette, but for a cold remedy I always add a lot more sugar- usually 10 oz per pint of juice.

My Fabulous Pop-Up Shop!

by Karen B

Well…it’s a roadside stall really. Just a little wonky table and some shelves painted the colour of a blackbird’s egg. But when the Sweet Peas and scented Sweet Williams and old fashioned Pinks are picked and the baby carrots are bunched and tied and the Rhubarb is piled high, my little stand becomes a natural, Kitchen Garden produce emporium. Passers by, holiday makers and locals alike all visit and buy and tell me how they love that what they buy is real, natural, that the flowers are from a cottage garden, or potager, where the flowers, vegetables and plants grow alongside each other as true companions.

Proud to be able to say that what I sell is ‘GROWN NOT FLOWN’ my flowers and vegetables and plants have travelled only a few yards from their growing place to my gate. And although, like any other home grown goods, they have been watered and tended from seedlings to picking my plants have also been fed with bucket loads of love. And I think that makes a big difference.