Autumn again

After three seasons of trying, I managed a good crop of tomatillos.  I now have several pots of roast tomatillo salsa in the freezer.  It makes a great base for a "Guatemalan chicken stew" (found the recipe on the internet), we love it - incredibly easy to make, tasty and low in calories.

The last of the maincrop potatoes are in (desiree), and they also did very well - some of them are huge!  And they should last us for months, by the look of them (I haven't weighed them yet.)

The hops also did splendidly.  I have dried them and I will soon start brewing some beer for Christmas, now that the weather is a little cooler.  I have to rely on the outside temperature as I have lost the spare fridge.  I kept it in the garage for my bacon experiments, and to keep my beer whilst it matures in bottles.  A mouse made a nest inside!  It brought dry leaves and newspaper and shredded it to form a cosy nest.  It was with some trepidation that I disturbed it, as I didn't fancy having to deal with a bunch a baby mice, but fortunately the nest was empty by the time I found it.  I didn't  like the idea of using the fridge after that, though, so I had to dispose of it, which was a shame.
Here is a picture of the hops.  I will be back with a post on my beer brewing, to justify my title of Alewife!

Call myself a Blogger?

It's been such a long time I have looked at my blog!  My new year's resolutions include posting regularly, starting today!  This blog, however, doesn't deserve its title, as no ale has been brewed for a long time.  The reason being that I have had to cut down on the old calories, and I can't make beer and not drink it, can I?

News from the old homestead:  I am thinking of growing rice, as the garden is flooded.  The chicken is depressed.  Her tail has grown longer and curving at the end - could she be turning into a cockerel?  Is that even possible?  Talking of being depressed, my last visit to the allotment left me very deflated:  I worked so hard last year to get it ship shaped, but it is now a see of mud.  The bags of compost I stacked there ready to put on the beds in early spring have been visited by rodents from the railway embankment.  What did they want with it?  They punctured the bags and made a right mess.

Still I mustn't let it get me down.  It is sunny today - long may it last!  All I need is a few days of settled weather to cheer me up, not much to ask, is it?

I am on a mission to use up the odds and ends of food in the cupboards, fridge and freezer.  Last night I improvised a salmon starter which went down well and used up some leftovers.  Here is the recipe:

1 fillet  cooked salmon, about 100g
1 good tablespoon mayonnaise
1 good tablespoon cream cheese
lemon juice and seasoning to taste
1 handful chopped fresh dill
a blob of tomato paste, for colour.

All thoroughly whizzed up in the blender, served for starter, chilled with home made melba toast.

For dessert I used up some whizzed up strawberries that were languishing in the freezer.  I mixed the fruit puree with the contents of an opened tub of double cream, whipped, some icing sugar and the juice of half a lemon.  I divided the mixture between 4 wine glasses and left it overnight in the fridge, where it set due to the lemon juice.  To go with this I made some meringues, which used up some egg whites - I always have lots of egg whites in the freezer.

I am pleased with the results of my experiments so far, I hope the ideas keep coming!