South Street Sparrows

I am away from home this week at my Dad’s and it has been quite rainy here in South Street. Dad and I have been feasting on charcuterie from Trealy Farm which I brought with me and goat cheeses from Somerset. We have had smoked salmon carbonara macaroni based on a Carl Legge recipe and beetroot soup and far too much cake. We have been spoiling ourselves.

I made an attempt at some sourdough loaves. I brought my starter with me, and bannetons and a razor blade. But I only had a small oven tray and the two loaves got cosy while they were baking. Oops!

Rainy and damp but still beautiful. Life goes on.

sparrows squabble
scattering damp cake crumbs
spillled over stone flags
soft rain moistens mouse whiskers
his tail blinks over bright green moss

x Joanna

PS. Those loaves? They came out like this

Friday’s Frittata

A simple Frittata made by Brian using cooked potatoes, smoked salmon, mushrooms, courgettes – infinitely variable to suit what you have in the house and what you like to eat. We didn’t put any cheese in this one, though they are very good with crumbled fetta cheese and dill – might make another one tonight come to think of it.

Use a pan that you can put in the oven. This is a cast iron one about 10 inches across.

Brian’s Friday Frittata

8 medium eggs
1 medium onion, chopped and softened by cooking in a tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 large clove of finely chopped garlic also softened along with the onion
and
50 g of courgette sticks (julienne style) also in with the onion
100 g of smoked salmon chopped up
150 grams of cooked new potatoes with their skins on, sliced
100 g of chestnut sliced chestnut mushrooms (go in raw)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 180 C about Gas Mark 4.

Beat eggs lightly with a fork in a bowl and season to taste. Then set aside while you…

…Chop onions, garlic and courgettes and cook for a few minutes on a low heat till soft but not coloured in a little vegetable oil in your pan.

Tip the cooked veggies, uncooked veggies, salmon bits etc into the egg mixture and mix in gently.

Return to the hob and cook on a low heat without messing about with it so that the bottom is set and the top still wet and eggy looking.

Then pop it in the oven to finish cooking. Some people put them under the grill which might be easier and give a browner top. Remember to use oven gloves to take this out and move it about!

You want to leave the middle just a touch runny as it will carry on cooking after you take it out. If you are very anxious about eggs then cook it till you are happy of course.

Serves 4

What do you put in your Frittata?

How to Dry Vegetable Seeds at home by The Real Seed Catalogue

Real Seeds 'Trail of Tears' Cherokee beans

I am copying and pasting this here into a blog post in case any of you are trying to save home grown vegetable seeds and to get the knowledge out there in my own small way. My bean seeds are still being artistic on the window sill, but I am now going to go and heat up some rice and try and dry them out properly!

I didn’t know this and it makes a lot of sense. Thank you The Real Seed Catalogue for making this document available to share. I bought some of their seed last year and I like their ethos very much, encouraging their customers to save and share their own seed. Their seed is pretty good too!

Now to read the new catalogue and dream about what to grow next year ! I am eying up Pink Chard and Aztec Broccoli….

Part 2 of How to Dry Vegetable Seeds (heh)

I thought I had better actually try this so here goes:

1. Tights ? Do I have such a thing? I am an ankle sock sort of woman these days. I threw open many drawers and eventually found some elderly black stockings, probably my last attempt at being ladylike, circa 1985. Did I mention I hate tights? (pantyhose for my American friends).

2. Snip snip….

3. De shell beans. Inspect beans, throw away little wizened sad ones.

4. Find rice and tray, now what temperature? I think I’d better just guess on this one. Presumably something where it won’t burn… doing well so far, the first lot was not quite enough so I am baking up a bit more.

5. Rubber band? the ones I pick up from where the postperson kindly strews them in his wake outside the front door are all too big and long so I have used the small klippits which are nearly always too small to be useful. That is quite pleasing.

6. The one bit I can manage is an airtight jar! Oh Yes! Result!

Still LIfe with Beans and Black Tights aka oh no I have forgotten to feed the Kombucha again….

7. Attempt to photo for your delight. Camera not keen on photographing black lumps of stuff.

8. Now just waiting for the rice to cool before flinging black stocking feet into jar for the fortnight of dessication.

9. I suppose I could have used that stuff that photographers use to keep their camera kit dry but I would have had to have blagged it from Brian and I think it is expensive….. maybe that is too much information, maybe I should stop talking and take the dogs out… bye!