Gardening Monthly - November

It’s late in the season to finish up with autumn digging but there you have it, the last week of November and my final allotment bed has just been dug. Whether due to miserable weather or conflicting plans I just haven’t been able to get up and finish the job. But even gale-force winds couldn’t stop me this week and I tackled my furthest bed with a garden fork, a thermos of hot tea and a firmly anchored safety line so the gusts wouldn’t carry me off the side of the hill. Well maybe not the safety line, but I certainly could have used one!

Though it’s less than a month away from official winter, I do have quite a bit of veg still standing up against the elements. Brussels sprouts and Purple Sprouting Broccoli are holding up well as is the Kale which has been very handy as a late season green. Some of the Perpetual Spinach and Swiss Chard are also trucking along and two rows of Kohlrabi are sitting nicely and just waiting to be snapped up for hearty December meals. All in all quite a good amount of veg to keep us happy, healthy and involved in the garden over the cold months ahead.

Even so, most of my beds have now been cleared and forked over and they’ll be lying quiet under their blankets of seaweed or manure until late March. Four months seems like such a long time but thoughts of next year’s planting season and harvest are already on my mind, even more so with the dangerous pile of seed catalogues on my desk. It’s scarily easy to spend a small fortune on seeds and sundries, and looking at my current seed inventory I know that I need to create a solid growing plan for next year and make sure that I use as much of what I already have before making more purchases.

The best way for me to get my head around the next year’s planting is to review the last harvest – thinking about what grew well, what we enjoyed eating, and if there was anything new that I’d like to try out. I then move on to actually drawing out my allotment beds and planning what I want to put where, also considering crop rotations, crop height and position of the sun. This way it makes my garden much easier to visualise and keeps the amount I want to grow more realistic. My plan might be revised two, three, or a dozen times over the winter but at least I have an initial idea and can work on from there.

CW from top left: Pink Fir Apple Potatoes, French Bean Cosse Violette, Quinoa Temuco and Spaghetti Squash

My best vegetables this summer were the ones that thrived in damp and cooler temperatures. While the rest of the UK seems to have had a few heat waves, we on the Isle of Man enjoyed highs of about 15°C. Needless to say, some of my crops didn’t do so well. Sweet -corn and tomatoes performed miserably and my climbing French beans didn’t even begin producing until early September. I figure that the only thing you can do is trudge on and wish for better weather next year – and perhaps research some hardier varieties, just in case.

This year I tried several new types of fruit and veg, some of which were real winners. I was very impressed with Quinoa ‘Temuco’ and found that it does quite well in wet and windy weather, though it’s really meant to grow in a warmer environment. It’s a grain we’ve come to use regularly so it’s definitely made the cut. I'm also crossing my fingers that my three Cape Gooseberry bushes will survive the winter. Though they didn’t produce many ripe berries this year, I’m hoping they’ll do much better in some proper summer sunshine. Other successes were Spaghetti Squash which grew mountains of delicious golden fruit, Gherkins which made crisp pickles, and Brussels Sprouts which I was surprised to find really tasty. But experimenting sometimes leads to crops which you’re happy to have tried out but not planning on growing again. Such is my experience with Strawberry Spinach, an unusual green related to wild plants such as Lambs Quarter. It’s unique and grows prolifically but I found the thick stems and small leaves too fiddly, and its spinach-flavoured strawberries not the most palatable of fruits.

Some new varieties of plants that I’d like to try growing in 2012 are actually not for eating but rather for naturally colouring my soaps. I’ve begun using both woad and madder root powder for blue, green and pink colours and want to have a go at growing and processing these botanicals myself. I have a good sized bed behind the house that I’m setting aside for them and with any luck will be able to self-source most of the product I’ll need for next year. And as for new veg, I’ve decided to give up my ordinary green beans and go with a purple-podded variety whose pods will be easier for me to spot against dense green foliage. I’ve also tried some strange and knobbly potatoes given to me by a friend this summer and am officially converted. So it’s out with the King Edwards as main-crops and in with Pink Fir Apples.

With the wind whipping outside and the rain beating against the house it’s hard to imagine days of soft golden light and green leaves pushing up from the soil. But winter is really just a blink of the eye and I know that spring planting will be here sooner than I can imagine. Because I’m the type of person who enjoys an organised garden, growing new plants and saving money I’ll be spending these cold and dark days continuing to reflect on my past growing year and planning for the next. Come warmer days I’ll be prepared and excited to dig in for another bountiful year at the allotment.

Home Economy: Wine Making

I've siphoned and corked twenty-four bottles of wine this week - twelve of blackcurrant, six of rhubarb and six of elderflower. It's hard to decide which of the three is my favourite but if I had to I'd choose the Elderflower. An open glass of it will waft the aroma of June blossoms from across the room and the taste is as crisp as an autumn morning - a delicious combination to say the least. While the blackcurrant was always going to be a winner the rhubarb also turned out to be surprisingly tasty. The smell and flavour is reminiscent of rhubarb and there's a little oxalic acid kick in the after taste just as you would have with eating a rhubarb crumble. My husband suggested putting sugar in it to make a drink - not a bad idea I think. A bit of mulled rhubarb wine anyone?

Though I do admit to enjoying a nice glass of shop-purchased Malbec from time to time I have to say that I enjoy my country wines just as much. The flavours are unique, rarely to be found commercially and the pleasure of making it myself adds to the enjoyment I feel when having a glass. But another added benefit is cost.

On average we probably go through about a bottle of wine a week...sometimes more and sometimes less depending on time of the year. At between £5.50-7.99 per bottle that totals up to a considerable £350 ($545US) per year. Ouch! So I wanted to work out exactly how much it costs me to make a bottle of wine myself and compare it to the cost of puchasing bottles at the shop. By costing out the equipment I use I hope to also help those of you who are interested in taking up wine making yourselves. The costings below are for standard home production of wine using glass demi-johns, which hold approximately six bottles of wine each. Though I already had some of the things I've listed below, I've added in their prices as if I were starting off this year with all new equipment. There are quite a few more ingredients and pieces of kit that are nice to have but not essential - these include hydrometers, wine thiefs, wine finings, professional wine labels, wine presses, and so much more.


A Basic Yearly Wine-making Budget

Glass demi-johns - free; scavenged from the amenity site and can be used many times over. If you can't find any of these for free then they can also be purchased from wine-making suppliers for around £7.
Plastic airlock - £0.80 X 2 = £1.60
Bung for airlock - £0.40 X 2 = £0.80
Bung for after fermentation - £0.40 X 3 = £1.20
Yeast Nutrient - £2.70; Vitamins and minerals that wine yeast needs to survive. Most country wine bases don't have enough to keep them happy so you'll need to add a bit of this at the beginning of fermentation.
Packets of yeast - £1.05 X 9 = £9.45
Siphoning Hose: £4.95
Corker: £16.99
Corks: £8.00; £4 for 30 at my local health food store but you can find them slightly cheaper online.
Bulk white sugar - £14.79 for 12.5kg at the local cash-and-carry. Prices will vary depending on whether it buy it online or at a shop.
Pectolase: £2.20; This removes the pectin from your wine which is important in wines that include fruit like apple and blackcurrant. Without it your wine will be opaque and a bit more like cider. I'm including this because I think it's important for wine but I can also see the argument that it's not essential.
Fruit, Veggies and Berries - £29.75; Some of mine came free since I either grew or foraged it but I did spend some money on the blackcurrants I picked from a PYO farm (£10), Ginger (£0.50), Apples (£4), Melon (£0.75) Pears (£1), Lemons (£3), pure Grape juice (£6) and Pineapple Juice (£4.50). The amount you'll spend in this area will vary depending on what types of wine you choose to make and if you have your own produce to use. I also like to scout the discount veggie display at my local grocery store for deals - over-ripe fruit is perfect for wine making. This year I've made the following types: Apple, Apple and Pear, Blackcurrant, Elderflower, Grape, Melon and Ginger, Parsnip, Pineapple and Rhubarb.

There are various other bits of kit that I used as well but am not counting them since I already had them and am sure you will probably have too: funnel, large spoons, cutting boards, knives, pans, fine-mesh strainer, tubs, cloth kitchen towels.

So let's say in total I've spent £92.43 this year on wine-making supplies. £92.43 divided by the number of bottles of wine I'll have (54) is £1.71 per bottle - opposed to the average of about £6.50 in the shop.

Taking into account the purchase of equipment this year, which will serve you well for years to come, the cost of making wine goes down to $66.89. This will work out to about £1.24 per bottle of wine - which I'm actually paying myself. And if you are able to source all your own fruit, berries and vegetables your cost will go down to an astounding £0.69 per bottle. You can't beat that! But as mentioned before, wine making is a fun hobby and one that you can chat to others about, refine over years and enjoy with friends. Let me tell you that anyone who makes their own booze is going to be the star of the party :)

Isle of Man Beekeepers - 2011 Honey Show

The Isle of Man Beekeepers hosted their annual Honey Show last weekend and there was no way that I was going to miss it. Though I haven't yet acquired a hive of my own, I'm keen to gather advice and ideas before I begin next spring. There are a few younger members in the association but the people most involved in events such as the Honey Show are beekeepers with years, if not decades, of experience - both in handling honey-bees but also in making useful products out of the three main hive products: Honey, Beeswax and Propolis.

The main product exhibited at the Honey Show was obviously honey...lots of honey. Rows of it in varying shades of amber and gold were proudly displayed for the benefit of both judge and peers. These jars of liquid sunshine represent the culmination of a full year's work - from keeping the bees well taken care of over winter, feeding them when their food stores were low, inspecting and managing the hive over the spring and summer and finally uncapping the comb and extracting the honey in the autumn.

It's fascinating to note how different some of the shades of honey there were and to know that it's primarily to do with their forage. For example, pollen and nectar collected from heather tend to give honey a much darker colour and thicker consistency from honey which comes from the forage of mixed flowers and trees. And while honey from hives placed in rapeseed fields is generally of a lighter colour anyway, it also tends to go opaque and almost white since this type of honey crystallises easily. This tendency to crystallise can also make it difficult for beekeepers to extract since it can harden in the comb - I've even heard a beekeeper once expressing gratitude that we have very few rapeseed fields on the island.

Golden jars of delicious Manx honey

First prize for a display of 12 1lb jars of honey

But honey that crystallises in the jar is not an issue at all and actually quite nice to eat. It's very spreadable in that state and can also be returned to a clear and runny version of itself by placing the jar in a warm place such as a window sill or even a cardboard box with a lightbulb inside - a tactic that one of our local beekeepers employs. I'm sure that there are people out there who have probably come across crystallised honey in a shop or even in their own cupboards and thought that it's gone off. But do stop before passing it by or throwing it out! Honey has one of the longest shelf lives of all foods and apparently pots of it found in ancient Egyptian tombs have been found to still be edible after thousands of years. And if you're skeptical of that factoid, do note that the conventional expiration date of pure honey can be 20+ years.

Crystallised honey

But the show didn't stop at honey - there are so many things that you can make with hive products and many of them were there on display. Beeswax candles, furniture polish and even paintings had their own categories as did honey-based cough syrups, wines and confectionery. You could also expand out into creating all sorts of useful household and beauty products which include soap, creams, crayons, cordials and propolis tincture, which is a little-known and expensive health product which is used in the treatment of colds, flus, sore-throats and mouth ulcers. Though I hope to experiment with my own products when the time comes, I'm really very interested in using beeswax in handmade and unscented soap. Beeswax has such a lovely natural honey colour and smell but it also has qualities that help to create a harder and longer lasting bar.

Some of the many products which can be made from your hive harvest

A beautiful display of natural beeswax

Honey can also be used as a sugar replacement in most foods - even when making jams and jellies. Though pure honey is expensive in the shop, it's relatively inexpensive to produce if you are keen on keeping bees. Just imagine what you'd be able to cook on a regular basis with an average of about fifty pounds of honey a year per hive: honey cakes, candies, cough-drops, bread, cordials, dressings, marinates... all of course leaving plenty of honey for toast and tea. There were a variety of dishes presented at the show but the one which caught my eye was Janet Thompson's Honey Ginger cake, it really made my mouth water! I had to leave shortly after the awards ceremony so I'm still wondering if I missed out on tasting it with the drinks that were being prepared as I left. But in any case, I've definitely been inspired to try making one myself!

Baked goods made with honey

Preserves made with honey

In all it was a wonderful show filled with so many interesting personalities...from the polished politician to the quirky grandpa of a beekeeper. The energy was high and it was clear that everyone was having a marvelous time, this being definitely one of the most anticipated beekeeping events of the season. It was also lovely seeing all my instructors from the beekeeping course and to see them all do so well in each competition - Cilla Platt and Janet Thompson well deservedly won time and again for their entries. My interest and enthusiasm in sorting out my equipment to begin next year was renewed and promises of instruction in the fine art of beeswax cleaning and even possible sites for hive placement have sweetened the deal. I hope that by this time next year I'll also be entering my honey into the show...as well as my handmade soaps :)

Mr. Mills showing off his gorgeous honey-comb...there's about four pounds of honey in that frame!

One of those Weeks...

Ever had one of those weeks that you just couldn't pull away from paperwork and drudgery? That pretty much sums up this last one for me... The good news is that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I'm so happy that I'll be able to get away from my computer this weekend and finally be able to spend some time outside. We've got a few things planned but the highlight will be the chance of buying a couple of bee hives from a retiring beekeeper tomorrow. It's a shame when someone has to give up one of their passions, but at the same time I look forward to walking into some good quality equipment at hopefully bargain prices.

The other exciting bit of news this week is another one of my 'finds' - a very solid wood desk that I found down at the amenity site last weekend. We've been looking for a garage work bench for awhile now but the shops I've approached have given me prices ranging from £60 to over £100 for their least expensive options. Seeing as we were hoping to pay less than £50, this desk is not only well under our budget (being free!) but sturdy enough to provide years of use. Maybe I'll have my chicken coop finished by spring after all :)

Homemade Sourdough

The sourdough starter I made back in June is still going strong, even with a couple of long stints of living at the back of the fridge. The smell has definitely matured into what I'd describe as a warm yeasty wine and the flavour has only grown more delicous as time has gone on. I'm feeding my starter about once a week now - either directly after using some of it for bread-making or sometimes by just replacing half of it with new feed (whole-meal flour and water). When I'm planning on not using it for awhile I put the starter into the fridge where the yeast's metabolism will slow down and I'm able to leave it for up to a couple of weeks.

Sourdough bread is a great alternative to conventional bread for a number of reasons: firstly, the wild yeast and bacteria that make up your sourdough starter create a bread that's more nutrient rich and digestible than bread made from ordinary dry yeast. Sourdough is also a cost-effective option since if you treat it well, you can keep the same batch going for life thus saving money spent on store-bought yeast. Sourdough bread also has a unique tangy flavour and chewy texture that goes well on its own but is even better when used to make a sandwich or as a base for bruschetta.

The one real downside of sourdough is the time it takes you to make a loaf of bread. Making a loaf using dry yeast purchased at the shop takes approximately three to four hours start to finish. Sourdough yeast works at a much slower rate and so a finished loaf will need about twenty-four hours in total. But don't let that put you off! Most of that time can be spent sleeping or engaged in other activities. When I'm making bread I plan on staying home and catching up on folding laundry, bottling wine or any number of other things on my to-do list.

Sourdough Starter


Sourdough Bread
Makes two loaves

To make the sponge:
1 ladle (about 1/2 cup) Sourdough Starter
625 ml warm water
500g Strong Bread Flour

To make the dough:
The sponge you made overnight
600g Strong Bread Flour
25g Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Olive oil

The first step in making a loaf of sourdough takes place the day before you plan to bake it. You measure 500 grams of bread flour with 625 grams of warm water along with a ladle full of your sourdough starter into a bowl. Then mix it well, cover the bowl with an air-permeable layer, such as a cloth, and leave it in a warm place overnight. While you're sleeping the yeast will be actively multiplying and by the time you wake up the entire mixture will essentially be a fresh batch of sourdough starter - technically called a sourdough sponge.

The Sourdough Sponge...after sitting in a warm place overnight

You then mix into this sponge 600 grams more flour as well as the sea salt and olive oil which will then transform it into a dough. Knead it as you would any other bread dough - the only difference between this dough and others is that it is much wetter so flouring your hands and work surface are important. But after the kneading is complete the dough should be elastic, shiny and pliable and can be fairly manageable without leaving your hands covered in goo. Now form your dough into a round ball, tucking any loose ends underneath; pour about a half teaspoon of olive oil on top and gently rub it all over the surface of your dough - this will help keep the dough from drying out.

The wetter than usual dough

Kneading the dough

Rinse out your mixing bowl and fill it with hot water - leave it for a few minutes or until the heat has been absorbed by the bowl. Pour out the water, wipe the bowl down with a clean kitchen rag and oil the bowl with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Put your dough inside the bowl and place a damp kitchen rag over the top before placing it in a warm area of the house and allowing the dough to rise. After an hour, dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and punch it down flat with your fingertips. Form it back into a ball and place it back into the bowl with the damp cloth over it - leave it to rise for another hour before punching the gas out again. You'll need to repeat this step four times.

Allowing the dough to rise

After the fourth rising and punching is complete, take your dough out of the bowl and divide it in two. There are numerous ways to shape a loaf but sourdough generally doesn't have the strength to hold itself up that well so I personally wouldn't bother trying to do anything elaborate. This time I simply rolled one piece up into a ball and put it into an oiled bowl. The other I flattened and rolled up like a swiss roll, pinching the seam together and pulling the ends under the loaf before placing it into an oiled baking tin. Now put both of these containers of dough into a plastic bag, which helps keep the dough moist, and place them back into that warm part of the house to rise. This final rise will take anywhere from four to eight hours depending on a number of factors but mainly on the temperature of your home, how active the yeast is and how large you want the holes inside the bread to be. Ideally you want the dough to at least double in size.

Dividing the dough and moving to smaller supporting containers

How the dough looks after it's final rise

When you think the dough is nearly ready, pre-heat your oven, a baking tin and a shallow pan placed at the bottom of your oven to 250°C/480°F. You'll also need get about a cup of water boiling in the kettle and fill a clean food-safe spray bottle up with some cool water. When the oven has reached the correct temperature, slash the top of the dough in the tin a few times - this will allow it to expand easier when it's baking. Now take the pre-heated tin out of the oven and up-end the dough from the bowl on top. It's quite possible that the dough will flop out and go relatively flat - don't worry about this at all. Slash the top of this dough as well but rather than parallel lines cut a single shallow square into the top as this will help keep the loaf in a rounder shape. Now place the bread tin on top of this baking tin, spray both loaves lightly with water and put the whole thing into the oven. Pour the boiling water into the pan you set at the bottom of the oven then close the oven up and bake for ten minutes. The steam from the water will help set the crust and keep your loaves moist as they bake. After ten minutes, turn the temperature down to 180°C/350°F and keep baking for another 35 minutes. Take the bread out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

~ Enjoy

Sourdough made in a bread tin; check out the top-most image for how a freestyle loaf looks

Yorkshire Puddings

What Sunday roast would be complete without light as air, gravy smothered Yorkshire Puddings? A British favourite, they are created from a basic batter which when baked at high heat expand up into crispy puff-ball like side dishes complete with a hollow centre. Traditionally served with roast beef or lamb and with accompanying gravy, they are a staple of the British weekend experience. Though many people opt to buy them frozen and heat them up in the oven they're really very easy to make and I really encourage everyone to try it at least once. I guarantee that if you try the recipe below you'll be not only astounded at their simplicity but also their divine taste. As with anything these days, shop bought is generally lower in quality and flavour than anything you can make at home!

Though essentially simple to make, it literally took me several years to discover what I consider to be the easiest and best recipe for Yorshire puddings. And to be perfectly honest, my first couple of tries were disasters - though I blame my old oven for that! I've found that the important tricks of the trade are in the pan you choose to make your puddings in, the correct ratio of ingredients, having a very hot oven and being quick in filling the pans.

Though other Yorkshire Puddings you might have had or seen resemble perfect little cups, you'll notice that mine are much puffier and somewhat asymmetrical. No matter that, they are absolutely delicious and in my opinion unequaled in flavour and texture.

Yorkshire Puddings
Serves 4-5

4 Eggs
Equal volume of flour to eggs
Equal volume of milk to eggs
Pinch to 1/4 tsp Sea Salt - depending on preference
2 Tbsp Roast drippings or Olive Oil

1. Though many people will want to accompany their Yorkshire Puddings with roast, it is very easy to make a vegetarian version using olive oil and serve them up with a lovely mushroom gravy. For those who are making the carnivorous version, the first step you'll need to do is prepare your meat and begin roasting it in the oven.

2. Crack your eggs into a glass measuring cup and measure the volume - in this case my four eggs equal about 3/4 of a cup. Eggs come in many different sizes so measuring them initially will ensure that you have the proper amounts of flour and milk in your recipe.

3. Now place your eggs with equal volume of milk (3/4 cup in this case) into a mixing bowl and add the sea salt. Whisk thoroughly and then leave to stand for ten minutes.

4. Gradually add the same volume of flour (3/4 cup in this case) into the mixing bowl and beat again until the batter resembles thick cream. If there are any lumps remaining that you really can't get out then pass the batter through a fine-mesh strainer/sieve. Now leave the batter to rest at room temperature for at least thirty minutes - longer if possible.

5. When your roast has hit about 60-65°C/140-150°F, take it out of the oven, pour off the drippings and then insulate the roast with tin foil. It's residual heat will continue cooking it for the next ten-twenty minutes out of the oven and will also give you time to prepare your gravy and Yorkshire Puddings.

6. Crank the heat up on your oven to 230°C/450°F - but no hotter since the fat might burn at higher temperatures.

7. Using an ordinary muffin tin, pour about 1/4 tsp of fat or oil into each cavity. If you only have enough drippings left to make the gravy then just use olive oil like I've done this time. When the oven has hit the desired temperature, place this pan into the oven to get the fat/oil super hot and slightly smoking. It will take around a minute or two so hang around the oven and keep an eye on it.

8. When the oil is smoking hot, quickly, but safely, take the pan out of the oven and fill each cavity about 1/3 of the way full with your batter and quickly place the pan back in the oven. If you're taking pictures like I have for this blog post you really have to move like superwoman!

9. Leave the batter to cook and puff up for about twenty minutes using a conventional oven or as little as ten to fifteen minutes with a fan assisted oven. They should be deep golden brown on top and not deflate so much when taken away from the heat. And while they're in the oven you should have enough time to whip up a rich gravy and steamed veggies and towards the end of the time you can slice your roast as well.

10. Serve the puddings up on a plate with slices of roast, veggies of your choice and with a rich gravy over the top ~ Enjoy :)

Preparing the roast with herbs and a bit of olive oil if the cut is lean

Ingredients for the Yorkshire Pudding batter

Leaving the batter to sit for 30+ minutes

The finished roast...and drippings

Filling the muffin tin with oil and/or fat

Pouring batter into the hot and smoking oil

The result: a dozen Yorkshire Puddings

Colouring Soap Naturally: Woad & Madder Root

When making soap I like to keep the ingredients as natural, local and earth-friendly as possible. I generally choose to use essential oils rather than fragrance oils and try to source local products such as rapeseed oil and herbs. Though one of my greatest challenges is finding natural ways to colour my soaps without using artificial ingredients.

Conventional soaps are coloured with an assortment of chemicals - even some which are coloured "naturally" are often tinted with pigments such as oxide powders which are created in the laboratory rather than mined from the earth. I'm not sure which one of those sources is worse though! Other conventional colouring methods include the use of liquid dyes, micas and even food colouring - all of which can produce lovely soaps but are not necessarily ingredients you want to put on your skin.

There are lovely herbal and flower infusions (teas) that can help give colour to your soap base though: I use goldenrod and calendula for yellows and alkanet for violets. Honey added into your lye water can give a warm camel brown and chai tea leaves can bleed into beautiful brown specks throughout your bars. But the biggest challenges for me are are blues and reds.

This week I've experimented with two new natural colours which haven't quite given me the tints I was originally after but still led to shades which I think are beautiful. The two new ingredients are woad and madder root powder.

Woad and Madder Root powders

Woad has been used for hundreds of years in the dyeing of cloth and wool and even in native British tribal decoration. Remember when Mel Gibson painted his face blue in Braveheart? That's woad! It keeps secret its vibrant blue personality as a plant though - it looks rather like goldenrod and extracting the blue powder is a time-intensive process. Even so, a textile artist in our allotment grows some on her plot and I've already purchased seeds to grow my own next year. For the soap, I added about 1/8tsp of woad powder to a 400g recipe which uses oils that are primarily yellow. Though I'd hoped to get a blue out of that I was instead rewarded with a gorgeous green-blue - obviously due to my oil colour. The soap that I allowed to go through gel phase turned out much deeper in colour than the non-gelled but I think I can find purposes for both shades. To get a more blue colour I imagine that I'll just need to up the amount of woad powder.

Madder has also been traditionally used in the dyeing of wool, but in achieving a crimson red. I have some seeds for this plant as well but am a wee bit hesitant about sowing it in my garden due to tales of its invasive habits. The roots of the plant are what provide the colour and when ground up they can either be used to infuse oils or be added in to the soap recipe directly. I opted for the second method in my experiment and ended up with a soft feminine pink for the un-gelled soap and a deep salmon colour for the gelled. This time I used 1/4 tsp of the powder and added it to the soap before trace. Though the un-gelled soap was a bit sticky in getting out of the mould, if I'd have left it another day or two it would have come out whole.

I'm quite happy with the results of both these natural ingredients and will definitely be adding them to my must-haves for soap making. If you come across any and want to give it a go I'd love to hear about your experiences as well.

Woad and Madder plants

Woad Soap available in my online shop: 
http://lovelygreens-shop.com/shop/may-chang-soap/

Early November in the Allotment

Today's clear sunny skies meant that I just couldn't wait to get up to the allotment and do some work. With my trip to London last week and fairly constant rain over the last couple of months it's meant that only about three-quarters of my plot has been dug and prepared for winter. The other quarter still has a bit of veg growing on it or represents the bottom bed which was taken over by Jerusalem Artichokes. My main tasks of the day were to dig out as many of these roots as possible in my effort to eradicate them completely and to plant next year's garlic crop.

Over the weekend I bought six garlic bulbs which will hopefully grow steadily throughout the next eight months and bless me with about fifty of the same by about next July. Three of the bulbs were of the Marco soft-neck variety, which is known for its distinctive strong flavour and great storage capacity. The other three are the hard-neck French Thermidrome, which is a bit milder in flavour but has much larger cloves which will be great for roasting.

Garlic Marco and Garlic French Thermidrome

Garlic can be planted out either in autumn before the first frost, or in spring after the last. It's best to plant it in the autumn if you live in colder climates so the garlic has a head start on growth and can be harvested earlier in the year. The Isle of Man has a very mild climate and so planting directly into the soil is the best option for me. But if you tend to get a lot of sub-zero temperatures you might be better off growing it in modules in a greenhouse or a cool room in the house. Come spring, these can then be transplanted outside into the garden.

To plant garlic, break the seed bulb into individual cloves and plant these an inch deep into well-drained soil. Cloves should be spaced about four inches apart, with the tapered end pointed up, and in rows at least six inches apart - wide enough to get your hoe through to weed them. Before a few weeks are out, the garlic will put up small green leaves rather like a spring onion. These leaves will stay quite small until the warmer days of spring arrive when they will shoot up quickly. Garlic, like all Alliums, does especially well if top dressed with wood ash so save it up over the winter and sprinkle it lightly over the soil in early spring. Garlic is ready to harvest when the green leaves begin to die back and at this point carefully dig them up and allow them to dry in the sun for a couple of days before bringing them inside.

Spacing the garlic cloves out in their rows

If you've ever tried Jerusalem Artichokes, also known as Sunchokes in the States, you'll be amazed at how such a delicious and nutty flavour can come from such a knobby and humble root. I love them made into a rich, creamy soup but they are also great roasted or even mashed in with potato or swedes for a lovely side-dish. So I should be happy that they've invaded a bottom bed in my allotment, right? Well I would be if it weren't for their rather noxious effect on my digestive system which results in my husband's preference to sleep on the sofa rather than endure methane-enhanced sleep!

All kidding aside, they can give you quite uncomfortable and appalling gas so if you've never tried them before, don't even consider it on a first date or before going to your child's flute recital or even worse, a job interview. While there are people who can easily process the Jerusalem Artichoke's carbohydrate, called inulin, it is a bit like Russian Roulette so try it at your own peril.

So it is with sadness that I'm giving up on growing this delicious tuber altogether and today I spent a good couple of hours digging this year's crop up and sifting tiny pieces of tuber out of the soil. Guaranteed I haven't gotten it all but once any remaining roots begin to sprout next year I'll locate and destroy them. In the meantime I have two huge carrier bags bursting with tubers and I seriously have no idea what to do with them. I'd LOVE to eat them but I'm not even going to go there unless I somehow find a way to limit the windy weather.

If you have any suggestions on I'd love to hear back from you :)

Jerusalem Artichoke tubers at the base of the plant

Some of today's Jerusalem Artichoke harvest

Homemade Kefir

Yesterday a friend passed on to me half of his Tibetan Milk Mushroom, otherwise known as Kefir or milk grains. This fungus is the basis for the creation of the Kefir drink, a type of lightly carbonated and tangy fermented milk which can be found in many health food stores. Most people have heard of it or tried it before, whether it was in a bottled drink from the shop or from a mango lassi at your local Indian or Middle-Eastern restaurant.

Kefir is probably the easiest and most inexpensive probiotic food to make at home and I'm so glad that I was fortunate to know someone who could pass me on some of their milk grains. Being that it is a live organism makes it relatively difficult to transport or to buy online. But since the fungus will double in size every twenty days it's quite easy to pass it on to a friend each month. I have a couple of people in mind whom I think would really enjoy making Kefir themselves and I look forward to sharing it with one of them in a few weeks.

So other than as a culinary treat would anyone ever regularly drink Kefir? As I found out, there are numerous health benefits of incorporating it into your diet which include boosting the immune system and helping the body to fight off allergies and food intolerances. It's also used in the treatment of metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, cancer, poor digestion, candidiasis, osteoporosis, hypertension, HIV and heart disease (link). The main way it works is by increasing the amounts of beneficial flora in your stomach and intestinal tract which in turn enable better digestion and better disease resistance. Did you know that 80% of your immune system is in your guts? This means that by eating healthily, lowering the acidity of your body and taking care of your intestinal flora you are helping to beat off most of those nasty diseases and viruses before they have a chance to make you sick.

What's also interesting is that the fungus converts the sugars (lactose) in the milk into lactic acid, making the resulting thick drink easily digestible to those who are lactose intolerant. You can't beat having such an delicious and healthy drink to keep you fit and active throughout the year, especially during the winter when so many people come down with colds and flus.

How to Make Kefir

Ingredients: Kefir Fungus and whole milk. The milk can be of any variety really and while my friend makes his with cow milk I've just made my first batch with goats.

Kefir is made in a fermentation process that takes up to twenty-four hours. You start with your approximately half to 3/4 a cup of fungus thoroughly rinsed with clean cool water. Though many people use tap water it's probably better to use filtered or spring water since the chlorine in municipal water won't be that great for your little fungus friend.

Never allow the fungus to touch metal - it will kill it. So always use plastic or glass containers, strainers and implements when handling it.

Place your fungus, which will now resemble cooked cauliflower, into a clean container and pour whole milk over it - use between half a pint and a quart. Now cover it with an air-permeable layer, such as a cloth or even a fine-mesh plastic strainer, and place it in a relatively warm place in the house. After twenty-four hours the fermentation should be complete.

Now using your fine-mesh plastic strainer, separate the curd from the liquidy and thickened milk drink. Set your drink aside and then rinse your fungus again and repeat the same process. Doing this you can have fresh Kefir everyday! And not only can you drink it straight, which is probably the most healthy way to take it, but you can also use your remainder in cooking and as a basis for smoothies.

The Kefir after the twenty-four hour fermentation process

Straining the milk from the fungus

The strained but un-rinsed Kefir fungus

The fungus placed back with new milk for tomorrow's Kefir

Ancient Homemaking...at the British Museum

 

I've come to realise something this week: the so called drudgery of modern housekeeping is nothing compared to the real physical labour endured by people in the past. And I'm not even speaking of people from the 19th century, who I think must have had it easy in comparison, but to those living a thousand or even more years ago. Some of us look back in horror at a time when electricity had yet to be discovered and homes weren't equipped with running water or modern appliances. But just try to imagine growing low-yield grain and then grinding it into flour with stones or to have to make your own needles before you even got to sewing. Or just think that the only place you could store your food was in ceramic or wooden containers or in small pits in the ground. Life in those times must have been exceedingly difficult and after a visit last week to the British Museum my respect for our ancestors has definitely been raised a notch.

1st Century Roman Britain: Three pins and four needles, made of bone and bronze

The British Museum contains ancient yet ordinary household items ranging from a 1.8 million year old stone chopping tool to medieval bowls and gardening implements. But probably the most prolific items come from the Roman occupation of Britain in the first to fourth centuries. Comparisons can easily be drawn between the introduction of new technology and culture to Britain by the Romans and a similar process that occurred when European settlers began the colonisation of the Americas. In pre-Roman times, people lived in round, single-roomed shelters, used bronze and bone for tool-making and primarily ate roasted meat and coarse grains and breads. Though things didn't change overnight for most of Britain's people, the Romans were the ones who initially introduced them to iron tools, exotic spices, olive oil, fine wines and even advanced construction and engineering.

Though the conquest and occupation must have been a terrible experience for ordinary individuals, the overall effect of it on a cultural scale was one that probably made life easier. While metals before the occupation, such as bronze and gold, were used in the creation of status and religious objects, the introduction of iron by the Romans provided a new medium for the creation of superior tools and implements. The Romans even brought with them different styles of cooking, such as using a grid-iron, new utensils and cookware and even higher yielding crops which enabled better nutrition.

200 BC - 50 AD Britain: Mystical Celtic objects including a 'mirror' and divining spoons

9500-9000 BC Syria: Grinding Stone

But I wonder how much the average 'house-wife' and farmer, or slave for that matter, truly benefited from all this new technology. Did it cut down on the hours they spent on tasks or did it actually create more time for even more work? And while some might argue that on a modern level we've only increased our work load with household gadgets, you have to admit that our type of house work is probably a lot less strenuous than its equivalent in the first century. Researching further, it comes as no surprise to me that the average life expectancy during this period in time was only twenty-six years.

1st-4th Century Roman Britain: Iron Knife, Pestle, Emmer Wheat, Mortaria and Oyster Shells

All of this leads me to thoughts about modern 'Self-Sufficiency' and the ideals and dreams of living a more traditional lifestyle. But what does that really mean? As far as I can tell, most families who decide to go this direction find out that it's a lot harder work than they could have ever imagined - even though most of us haven't given up on electric powered grain mills or petrol powered automobiles just yet. It's fascinating that so many people, myself included, are interested in reviving parts of the lifestyle that our grandparents, great-grandparents and ancestors gave up so willingly. It's such a paradox that people in the past seemed to always look to new materials, new ideas and new technologies to better their lives where the current trend is to down-size, simplify and cleanse our lives of 'things'. Whether it's a reaction to financial collapse and unemployment, a rejection of the 8-6 work day or the beginning of a Post-Consumerist (or Post-Petroleum) era, people and families around the western world are looking to the past for a better life and perhaps even a way to survive.

Close-up of Emmer, an ancient form of wheat

Visiting the British Museum was an amazing way to spend a morning, not only for the enjoyment of looking at wonderful and beautiful objects but also because a look around can also help us to understand our past. Spending time examining artifacts without the voice of a a documentary narrator taking away from a personal experience really helps you to think about what you're seeing. And it also makes it easier to draw your own conclusions about what they mean to yourself, the world around you and to humanity past and present. While the objects contained in a museum can't tell us exactly what life was like in the past they can give us a glimpse of bygone eras and even the people who lived in them. And maybe sometimes they can also tell us whether we're making the same mistakes made in the past or perhaps choosing to better our lives by trying something different.

1st-3rd Century England: Spoons and knives

1st Century Roman Britain: Farming tools including hoe and clamp-on horse shoes

75-25 BC Britain: Bronze pan which may have been used to prepare wine

1090-900 BC Ireland: Flesh hook; 800-650 BC England: Sheet-Bronze Cauldron

50 BC - 50 AD Britain: Shears (Scissors)

4th Century Roman Britain: Grid-iron which was used over hot coals

3rd-4th Century AD Roman Britain: Food storage container (Amphora)