Bathing in autumn sunshine

Happy autumn equinox people! It's miserable weather today so I thought I'd share some autumnal pictures from last weekend instead.

We went for a walk in the nature reserve at the edge of the city last weekend with some friends. It was a beautiful day full of autumn sunshine, with just a taste of winter in the air.

 

I spotted some hops growing over a doorway.

Our friends spotted some Siberian chipmonks stocking up for winter.

We tasted some small and very bitter wild apples.

We spotted some unidentified berries, which we didn't taste!

Unfortunately, there was a distinct lack of blackberries, which were our main target - they were all small, shrivelled and dried out. I did however pick some acorns to have a go at making acorn coffee...

The Difference A Week Makes

Title shamelessly stolen from Carole Matthews' book, 'The Difference A Day Makes', which I recommend to anyone out there as a book to curl up with for some me-time and a cup of tea in front of a fire under a homespun blanket. Failing that, under the covers on a grey Saturday.

So last Tuesday I planted some seeds and seedlings in various places. And lo! they have grown! I feel like a child, giddy with excitement. They've GROWN! That may sound obvious, but I haven't done any gardening before, pretty much ever. The seedlings have got so big I'm going to have to move them to bigger containers (which the Mother Goddess of Noobie Gardeners has provided for me. In the basement.) I'm thinking I'll be able to start harvesting yummy salads from them very shortly.

The seeds have sprouted, and are nearly ready to be planted up into bigger pots. (I'm using pots made from newspaper, for which I shall provide instructions at a later stage.) I put them in my bedroom cupboard to germinate, it being warm and dark in there, and I was really surprised by (a) how quickly they grew and (b) how quickly they turned green once brought out onto the windowsill. It took a matter of hours. This morning they're already looking lush.

So I've located some containers - notably the boxes you get wine bottles in, as my landlord buys a lot of wine and never seems to throw away the boxes. He has kindly donated a couple to the cause of a fruitful-looking terrace. I've still got to get some potting compost, but I've found a really cheap source, so that looks like it might still be doable. And I think I might let myself get tempted into buying some rocket seedlings, if any look nice. Given that seedlings are €1,10 for six, and the last bunch have flourished like nothing you've ever seen before. I might, in fact, be able to have a proper salad garden this year. I wonder how much a tomato plant costs...

For future reference, I think it is probably advisable for people in my position to buy seeds of things you want multiples of (salad leaves, carrots in my case) and young plants of things you only want one of (herb plants) as I now have about ten very small oregano plantlings, but still no usable oregano. But, going by the miracle of recent growth, it may not be long before I've got more than I know what to do with. How do you go about drying herbs, I wonder? And what crafty things can I get up to with oregano? Hmm...

Jam - or something related to it

So yesterday was jam-making day. Berries duly collected and debugged (the insects are different here than in the UK. Bigger and creepier. I don't really do bugs. Ugh!). Removing the berries from the stalks took so long and was so boring. For future reference: bring a friend for this process. Also, I was going for jam but given how difficult it was to get all the stalks out and how persistant the various insects were, I'd go for jelly if you've got the time and the muslin cloth. You see, how I learn all these things by trial and error? In another twenty years or so, I'll be an expert at jams and jellies of all sorts and running workshops for the local WI. (Can I insert an evil cackle here?)

Then came the stewing to draw out juices, the addition of cooked apple for pectin and sugar, and finally the boiling. This used to be my favourite part of jam-making when 'helping' my mum, and I still love the colours, smells, and the translucent sheen on the boiling fruit. My problem? I still don't really know what I'm doing. Maybe not enough apple/pectin, maybe not enough acid/cider vinegar, maybe not enough sugar. But not enough of something, because I boiled it for nearly an hour yesterday, finally gave up and potted it, and it still hasn't set. I did test it repeatedly, but no discernible progress was made. So I have four pots of elderberry and apple coulis, which may not last as I did not have the wax discs and cellophane covers favoured by my mother. I left a half-inch or so gap, tightened the lids and hoped that as the jam cooled, this would create a bit of a vacuum. Not sure if it worked, but hey.

Which brings me to my final concern. I'm not actually certain that they are elderberries. When one of my housemates asked where I got them, and I explained where the tree was, he looked at me with such horror and fear that I called my parents and googled frantically. I've looked at several hundred pictures of elderberries online, and they all look exactly like the fruit I picked. I'm as sure as someone who has never before visually identified an elder tree could possibly be. Watch this space - I want to check this out before I actually eat the jam/coulis/soup.

So now I have jelly with is overset and jam which is underset. A healthy balance, then. :D

Wibble Wobble, Wibble Wobble, Jelly on a Plate...

Yesterday, I went exploring. I was hunting for my nearest Brico (chain of DIY and gardening stores), which is allegedly 15 minutes' walk away but of course I got lost, ended up walking 2 communes too far, and eventually arrived an hour later. I did find it however, and on my way spotted a number of berries which looked suspiciously edible. Research on the web when I got home suggested to me that they are elderberries. There's loads of them by the side of the road, and no one else seems to want them, so...

Of course, my first thought is jam/jellies. I have often dreamed of the traditional Edwardian housekeeper's office, with its shelves of jellies, jams, chutneys and cheeses all lined up... I'm the kind of person who would put little gingham circles over the lids and tie them with raffia or ribbon, just to make them look pretty. However, my first step into the world of fruit-preservation was not an out-and-out success.

About 3-4 weeks ago, I turned my hand to making crab apple jelly. It was the first time anyone has touched the crab apple tree in my parents' garden, and they moved in 15 years ago (picture of the tree above, taken Spring 2008). The poor overlooked apples needed some attention, thought I. An unused jelly bag was excavated from my mother's kitchen, and I carefully collected, chopped, simmered and strained the fruit. It smelt delicious and the juice came out this beautiful shade of pink. (Pictures will follow when I get the link between camera and computer up and running again). Sadly, I simmered the juice and sugar for too long and the jelly went way past the setting point. It's crab apple glue, rather than crab apple jelly. Tastes nice, but a challenge to spread on your toast. However, with the elderberries I am limited by the fact that I only have one empty jar on this side of the Sleeve, and that's probably just as well. (Although I have also found a recipe for elderberry and apple jam online, and am toying with that idea too. Saves me the trouble of using an old pillowcase as a jelly-bag!)

So, as I can only make one jar's worth, I plan to eat some with porridge and with my now-traditional Sunday morning drop scones, and maybe make a smoothie/milkshake thing. I would welcome any suggestions of other uses to put them to. My options are rather limited by the fact that my Belgian bank has seen fit to freeze my account this week (naturally the week my rent is due), leaving me to rely on my emergency fund (traveller's cheques) until they start talking sense again. I see from the Barefoot Gypsy Blog that you can dry them. This sounds like a fantastic idea, although I'm wondering whether you just lay them out on kitchen towel in a cool, dark place, or if it's more complicated than that. Any ideas?

This is of course assuming they are elderberries and not deadly nightshade or something...