International edible gardening

I am completely indifferent to climate change. Like aging it is written in stone. If mankind wishes to have a population of 7.4 billion, soon rising to 9 billion, then all kinds of things are going to happen.

Mole, said Longtail, “There is nothing, absolutely nothing so much worth doing as messing around in boats.”

My favorite part in 'Wind in the Willows' is Piper at the Gates of Dawn - although the current mess of self hating secular humanist atheists would have it blacked out if they could as being way too theistic; but it maybe would fit in with the Manx pantheistic, pagan, heritage too, I imagine.

We are the highway of migrations here, the coast where all North to South, East to West, happens and the Monarch butterfly has almost disappeared. Normally one would be splatting them on the truck grill in numbers in October - but none last year! The Gulf Fritillary migration is greatly reduced - honey bees exceedingly scarce...... Although those are nothing to do with local stuff I think. It is a very chemical world out there and habitat destruction is the curse of efficient agriculture and forest/garden/roadside maintenance.

Here is todays picture, taken January 27, 2014, the library hill looking down to the pond. Just last year most of the pond area was scorched earth - the pond being older but only dug deeper then. This year the terraces were put up on both ends, and most of the plants on the pond bank installed. You can see the canna lilies, and the 2 Kioa blackberries and a plum tree (died and now is a crab apple) were put in the summer previous (note the individual boxes - they were there prior to the full terracing), and 1 Prime Jan blackberry, the rest put in just this year - and tomorrow I will post a picture of it now with all the berries in rows on high wire trellises, strawberries in the rest, basil, peppers, fennel, thyme...... The difference is surprising.



And as soon as my wife gets home I am off to get the paper for taking my dreaded big machine in for manufacturer warranty - about why it throws the belt every time (I am certain it is the belt guide being installed in the wrong place at the factory!) And I will stop off and buy a .410 shotgun for snakes - I want to be much more lethal after the one a couple days ago got away. (It was about 4 foot long and as big around as my wrist. - I normally see very few of them but this wet year has brought them out - and I am outside all the time so will find them if they are there - I have never seen a big one here before.) I had winged it and was sure I would find it by now from the smell if it did die, but now think it survived. A .22 pistol is not really the right weapon for them in the forest where one gets quick shots amongst the brush - and chasing after them means going through a web of tough, thorny vines.

 

I liked your quote from Wind in the Willows, it's a very long time since I read that book, perhaps it's time to do so again.

Did you find the key to your machine?

 

`It's gone!' sighed the Rat, sinking back in his seat again. `So beautiful and strange and new. Since it was to end so soon, I almost wish I had never heard it. For it has roused a longing in me that is pain, and nothing seems worth while but just to hear that sound once more and go on listening to it for ever. No! There it is again!' he cried, alert once more. Entranced, he was silent for a long space, spellbound.
`Now it passes on and I begin to lose it,' he said presently. `O Mole! the beauty of it! The merry bubble and joy, the thin, clear, happy call of the distant piping! Such music I never dreamed of, and the call in it is stronger even than the music is sweet! Row on, Mole, row! For the music and the call must be for us.'
The Mole, greatly wondering, obeyed. `I hear nothing myself,' he said, `but the wind playing in the reeds and rushes and osiers.'
The Rat never answered, if indeed he heard. Rapt, transported, trembling, he was possessed in all his senses by this new divine thing that caught up his helpless soul and swung and dandled it, a powerless but happy infant in a strong sustaining grasp.
In silence Mole rowed steadily, and soon they came to a point where the river divided, a long backwater branching off to one side. With a slight movement of his head Rat, who had long dropped the rudder-lines, directed the rower to take the backwater. The creeping tide of light gained and gained, and now they could see the colour of the flowers that gemmed the water's edge.
`Clearer and nearer still,' cried the Rat joyously. `Now you must surely hear it! Ah--at last--I see you do!'
Breathless and transfixed the Mole stopped rowing as the liquid run of that glad piping broke on him like a wave, caught him up, and possessed him utterly. He saw the tears on his comrade's cheeks, and bowed his head and understood. For a space they hung there, brushed by the purple loose-strife that fringed the bank; then the clear imperious summons that marched hand-in-hand with the intoxicating melody imposed its will on Mole, and mechanically he bent to his oars again. And the light grew steadily stronger, but no birds sang as they were wont to do at the approach of dawn; and but for the heavenly music all was marvellously still.


Sheal, did you ever read Gavin Maxwell? His wonderful book 'A Reed Shaken By The Wind' of his travels in the great Iraqi Marshes with Wilfred Thesiger (the last of the high Edwardian, Eaton/Oxford, warrior, Orientalist, explorers - 'Arabian Sands') and 'Ring of Bright Water' where he talks of his main passion - otters. (Maxwell and Thesiger were SAS in WWII) But the title of his book is from his human love's poen - (unrequited, Gavin being Gay) - Kathlene Raine which went something like: "and why did you come to this hard and distant place? to see a reed shaken by the wind?

I remember the feel sometimes, of places way back, remote, where I felt deep nature for a moment. In my daily life where all is nailed down and everything solid and mundane, I still can weakly recall the power of nature when one glimpsed it; and it is not this tame thing our senses tell us it is. Anny Dillard, the 1970's nature philosopher called it - when nature has let one of her veils slip - and for an instant you see behind. I have spent years solitary in wilderness over my life. Once I was alone in the remote wild places, with my dog, for five months and started to go a bit nuts - solitary and wilderness being a trying combination - but one can think and see a lot when undistracted by everyday travails and entertainments. I suppose it was the solitary aesthetic moments that had me waste my life by running off to different pointless travels. Tedium and discomfort were not something that bothered me enough to force me to settle down till I was forty and got my first proper job. I just would keep going off to the wilderness - it was a bad idea, but that is what I was drawn to. I see a bit why The Desert Fathers went - but of course I am a complete dilatant to them - but kind of see where they were at. Almost everything important is hidden.

It was those desert Fathers who, coming together in small communities created Monasticism - the rules and reasons of monasticism were their creation - And so the Christian Church; which carried learning, intellectual discipline, philosophy, and bureaucracy through the Dark Ages and Medieval ages to give the west the scholasticism and intellectual drive was the foundation of all the benefits The West made, and gave to the world. There is a pantheistic, or raw nature element even to Christianity.

Here is where I was born - in one of those buildings. My father took this picture, climbing up to the antenna on this hill - it has been an odd trip.

 

Is it possible that the Vikings, the folks known for egalitarian arrangements, are behind feudalism- ie: kings being the chiefest instigator of foreign conquest, while the nobles are rewarded friends & family, and the serfs being the conquered hoards. It worked for the Normans, who were vikings once removed. I thought of Colne's land dispute and then of Hamlet and his pining to be like Fortenbras, & like his dad, in "quarreling over straws", in risking life over a tiny bit of earth. It is in the genes, and so a state of quarreling conquest makes for feudalism: all forts, all knights.

 

I had a funny experience in London. The Young Vic had a walk through of a play called the Valley of Astonishment by Peter Brook, and he had suddenly decided to have passerbys to come in and see it, so they gave me a ticket, free, and I got to hear and see this real master of modern stage. It was based a bit on a Sufi Fable called Conferance of the Birds, with a lot of material from Oliver Sacks, the neurologist. It ended with a musician walking center stage and playing a bamboo flute. I think your quote and the flute both allude to Song of the Reed by Rumi. The reed is a soul, broken from the reed bed, and lamenting his separation from the beloved, God, "the Friend".
The reed’s cry is fire … its not wind!
Whoever doesn’t have this fire, may be nothing!

It is the fire of Love that fell into the reed.
It is the ferment of Love that fell into the wine.

The reed is the companion of anyone who was severed from a friend’
Its melodies tore our veils.

 

No I haven't read the above books, call me insular if you like! My interest is mainly connected to British history, though strangely I hated history at school and my worst nightmare within the subject was the Romans, I found them very boring! I rarely read any books outside the genre unless something catches my eye. Romance I hate with a passion with the exception of one novel....a classic.....'Lorna Doone' by R.D. Blackmore and first published in 1869. I bought the novel whilst visiting the area it is set in, Exmoor in the south-west of England. It really is a beautiful read and not a sloppy romance as such, it conjures up wonderful pictures in the minds eye right from the start. I still have it and still read it from time to time.

I like the picture above of the place you were born. Where is it please?

Colne, I like wandering in the wilderness too. My wilderness, when I can get there, being the highlands of Scotland and the area of Glen Orchy in particular. I feel as if I belong there.

Sesame....

To a certain degree I think but not directly. There were so many different 'tribes' raiding Britain back then that I think a combination of aspects contributed to it and not necessarily one race.

 

They are certainly a reason for feudalism in that they stopped small kingdoms of independent men being viable with their raiding. A strong central power with a - essentially - standing army was needed to combat them. But to belabor the reed analogy - a single community was helpless in the face of pillagers - and like a single reed is soon broken - a bunch tied together make an unbreakable unit. (wasn't that from Romulus and Remus? - and the Roman fascis as the symbol of legitimate power.)

Rollo was the Viking king who was deeded Normandy post Charlemagne, after Charlemagne's empire was carved into squabbling factions - in exchange for Rollo not raiding the French anymore. His kingdom became Normandy and William the conqueror his descendant.

Man, who can quote Rumi? or مولانا جلال الدین محمد رومی

Good job there sesame, I bet you are the first to do so on a mainstream gardening website, I give it a thumbs up.



And I am working on what is called a 'take off' or the list of materials to build a building. I have the lumber prices and am doing a quick design and materials list. I hope to build a cottage on that property I am clearing - and will finish when I get my machine back from the licensed mechanic who is working on it under manufacturing warranty.

Today the gardening job is to take cuttings off the best tomatoes to root for the fall tomato season - now it is too hot at nights for tomatoes to set fruit so we go through a tomato free spell - then in September the fall tomatoes should come (and the hurricanes). I will root my cherry tomatoes, both round red and yellow pear. My beefsteak tomatos were amazing, sweet like fruit when fully ripe. Also the better boy. the creatures ate 95% of the tomatoes, so no canning surplus as I had expected - but we had all we could eat by the couple sheltered plants inside a fence and by the house. (although they had most of those too. All had to be picked yellow to orange and ripened inside, but still are fine - ten times better than a bought tomato.

John Denver 'Only two things money can't buy - true love and home grown tomatoes'.

 

This was good last year Colne,

OxfordNick said: ↑
I use this recipe for Indian style Tomato chutney - also makes an excellent curry sauce base once blended.
Click to expand...

↑

What a great recipe link Nick. I may have to scale down the chilli input but the rest of the ingredients look top notch. I can't wait for Autumn when my big tomtoes from Bulgaria, Fuerteventura and Turkey will be ripe and ready for harvesting. This looks the business.. and it was fun reading the comments from people who have made it too,

Jenny
Click to expand...
Today, I made some of your chutney with the last 3 lbs of my big tomatoes Nick. I substituted a Pancha Phoran seed mix for the fried seeds at the beginning of your recipe, added a couple of finely chopped fresh red chillie peppers and some chillie flakes. It simmered for ages and ages 'cos I didn't want it to burn. It finally reduced down into these 2 jars; very concentrated but so very Bangladeshi. I'm gonna love putting some of this in my minced beef or lamb and rice this Winter,

Jenny
​

 

Jenny, thank you for the recipe, unfortunately I would have to go to New Orleans for the spices I do not have. The Indian population on the Coast here is still small but I will give it a shot if we get tomatoes. My wife is insisting I cage in the canning tomato bed for the fall crop - thanks for this, I do love to make this sort of thing - and naturally have curries regularly. (stuff bought in London and brought back here usually, but not going soon.)

And here is the picture of the hill side now - the berries all pruned back from fruiting, but coming back. (about 6 post above is this scene on Jan 27) These berries will really fill out by next spring - and the prime Jan plant (Top row, left - on the bamboo trellis) has fruit forming now, they are the only one which fruits twice a year)



The dogs asleep - they often sleep on their backs - Flora is in the mirror reflection.



Jenny, do you know of any green tomato chutneys? I have those enough to make a batch.

 

Thats just taken me back and remember that fabulous film.."Fried Green Tomatoes"
Sorry,off topic but its a must see
Off to order the dvd x
http://msjeannieology.com/2012/03/0...eorgia-film-location-of-fried-green-tomatoes/

 

1) Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookery reprinted 1969:
Ingredients

3lb green tomatoes 1/2 oz root ginger
1b sour apples 1 teasp salt
3/4lb stoned dates 1/4 pint malt vinegar
1/4lb onions 1/4 lb sugar
2 oz sultanas

Method
Skin the tomatoes. Peel and core the apples and cut into very small pieces with the dates.
Chop the onions. Tie the ginger in a muslin bag. place all the ingredients in a large saucepan , bring to boil and simmer until soft and off a thick consistency. Remove ginger. Put into warmed jars and seal.
**************************************************************************************
2) Mamta Gupta January 4th 2004
Ingredients

500 gram green tomatoes - quartered, 2 or 3 green chillies - finely chopped ( adjust to taste).
1 tablesp oil, 1 level teasp cumin seeds and 1 level teasp fennel seeds, 1/2 teasp turmeric powder, 1 teasp salt, 1/2 teasp chilli powder ( adjust to taste), 120 ml malt vinegar, 2 tablesp brown sugar or jiggery,120 ml water or less for a thick, spreadable consistency, 1 tablesp fresh coriander leaves but do not add these if freezing.

Method
heat oil in a pan, add cumin and fennel seeds, as they turn brown add tomatoes, all spices and salt. Stir well, add vinegar and water. Bring to the boil, lower heat and allow to simmer, covered for 15 minutes or longer if preferred. Add the sugar and adjust seasonings to taste. it is now ready to serve.
NOTE It can be kept in the fridge but has no shelf life as such. If you prepare in bulk, you can freeze it in small containers.

Jenny
My Mum used the Mrs Beetons recipe

 

Jenny, did you use Beeton's chutney for curries. I would be a bit worried about the low acidity for canning to keep on the shelf if it was not well proved for long life. Would it be less good if the vinegar was upped 50%? Do you make this anymore? Was it stable to be kept on the shelf for a year? Also I think upping the ginger to 2 oz would be fun. I need to make some chutneys.

How would some mongrel of the red tomato chutney posted earlier and the green one above be? I have a mix of green and red.......... Give an idea of where you would go with that, if you were to do so.

So my garden walk through. A very annoying 12 minutes of rat on acid cinematography - I did not know I had it partially zoomed so the focus is too close and all motion is fuzzy - in full daylight where I began you cannot see the little screen so just shot it by pointing.

But for the ones with time to burn......



And I am off to give the chickens pogy bread and veg peelings.

 

I found these in our Recipes forum Colne that may be useful.

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/green-tomato-idea.54065/

 

So how about this recipe? With green tomatoes instead of apples - and then messed about with all the things you posted? From Canada Living

Tomato Apple Chutney
Wonderfully chunky and rich in flavour, this chutney is delicious with meats, and bread and cheese.
By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

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Recipe5 out of 5 based on 5 ratings.

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• Portion size12 cups (3 L)

Ingredients

• 12 cups 12cups(2.8 L) (2.8 L) chopped peeled tomatotomatoes
• 8 cups 8cups(2 L) (2 L) chopped peeled appleapples
• 4 cups 4cups(1 L) (1 L) packed brown sugar
• 3 cups 3cups(750 mL) (750 mL) chopped oniononions
• 2 cups 2cups(500 mL) (500 mL) cider vinegar
• 1 cup 1cup(250 mL) (250 mL) currantcurrants
• 2 tbsp 2tbsp(30 mL) (30 mL) minced gingerroot
• 2 2large clove garliccloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp 2tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) salt
• 1 tsp 1tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) dry mustard
• 1 tsp 1tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) mustard seeds
• 1 tsp 1tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp 1/2tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp 1/2tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) allspice

To change the number of servings, enter the number, then press "calculate". Serving Calculator Calculate or reset
This recipe's ingredients have been scaled and recalculated for your automated grocery list. The method still refers to the original recipe amounts. RECIPES HAVE BEEN TESTED USING ORIGINAL AMOUNTS ONLY, AND SCALED RESULTS MAY VARY. Click here to learn more about scaling Canadian Living recipes.
Preparation
In large heavy saucepan, bring to boil over medium-high heat tomatoes, apples, sugar, onions, vinegar, currants, ginger, garlic, salt, mustard, mustard seeds, hot pepper flakes, cinnamon and allspice. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring often, for about 2 hours or until thickened. Fill and seal jars; process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.


I need some chutney. I think canned in Quart jars because I have tons of them, and it is just a try anyway. Then I think 10 pounds of blackberries made into the syrup I did earlier (2.5 quarts) - love that and we are getting through it - using it on all kinds of cut up fruits for desserts. I will then can up the pulp for my wife to have on her granola/yogurt breakfast, she loves it, seeds and all (in pint jars). Today I need to buy 10 lbs of sugar ($5 - cheap! how do they make it for that?) A couple apples too - I have the rest.

And off to prune my fruit trees - summer pruning to control shape and size. The trees are from last year: a peach, a stunted plum and a nice plum, couple mulberries and a pear. Planted this year: 2 apricots, 1 plucot, 3 plums, 4 apples, 2 crab apples, a peach. The stone fruit went is as sticks about pencil sized and 6 foot tall - I cut them down to a bare, single, stick about 18 inches tall. The apples I had to keep bigger because 2 were grafted - 5 varieties on one, trees ($5 each, not in very good shape - but thriving so far) so had to leave the branches on, the others seemed too big to whack so brutally. The citrus, figs, and grapes, persimmons, papaya, banana, will not be dealt with today - and need very little. I already did the blackberries and they are loving it. The grapes I snip as I walk about.

One of the big needs of this summer pruning is to stop the leaves outgrowing the roots. They were planted 'dry rooted' with essentially no roots at all, a couple limp thread roots 6 inches long at best, and the main roots cut off at 2 - 6 inches. These are really low quality trees, $4 each; I believe a good tree can be had from them but the first year one must be very brutal as a root system develops because they will green out massively using the stored vigor in the trunk - but that plays out as soon as dry heat gets going well and they die. I know this from buying them once before and every one looked great till July and then died completely - so read up on it a bit and thought about it (and so the couple doing well from last year when I tried this violent pruning method).



So a guy we know, a major gardener, has this goat he wants to sell for $100. How about it? My wife wants to get it but for some reason I seem to not be really into the whole thing - I know my wife would not help much with the butchering and I would do all of it. The goat has to go though, and the price is good - it is a meat goat kept essentially as a lawnmower and it is time for the next goat to replace it. I suspect the goat is a bit old, but I would not mind it being a little tough because it would either be minced (USA, ground) or stew meat - most minced if my old , hand cranked, machine is still sharp enough that it is not a big task.

 

That recipe seems OK but I would substitute sultanas for currants personally. Our climate lends itself better to longer term storing as our Summers are short and rarely hot and our Winters are long.... and often dreary....
That goat will be tough I'm sure but the Nepalese eat a lot of curried goa tand there's nowt wrong with their teeth! ( betel nut notwithstanding),
Jenny