however that would be totally against the principle of living well for less. Actually it is more a case of so many different things going on....summer gardening and produce, foraging, visitors and socializing!!!
- We also bought a rowing boat!...just for messing about on the Charente. Whilst we were buying our local organic honey from Chris Luck in Blanzay we spotted it amongst the long grass on his domain. Chris lives some way from the river so I was intrigued as to why he had one. Admitting it had lain there for years and as he hadn't got round to getting anywhere near a river with it he was willing to sell it to us for a very reasonable price. We are looking forward to trying it out....once the cows in the meadow between us and the river move on!! Both them and the chickens seem to be very interested in our new addition!!!
Its now mid of November. We had a few days of dull drizzly weather but we are now having what could be called an Indian summer. Lovely sunny days even if they start and end on the chilly side. . I am holding off putting the heating on....due to our huge unexpected contribution to the coffers of EDF this year. Despite our best efforts to be economical, our electric heaters are not the cheapest form of energy..We rarely used them but we did need to put them on in the visitors quarters and as they are not on a timer they tend to stay on longer than they should be. Add into that the amount of power tool recharging by workmen, necessary use of a dehumidifier, installation of an above ground pool and a tumble drier that doesn't seem to dry in a short time....we found ourselves recovering from the shock of the bill over a bottle of wine!!! I do find after a few glasses that you really don't feel the cold and is much more enjoyable as well as cost effective method of chauffage than putting on the heaters.
Needless to say we will, this year, try to keep within a healthy budget...whilst all the time fighting the rising costs of power in general.
Our winter preparations began during the summer so we happily have a good supply of wood from the trees we had to cut down in the garden along with home made paper briquettes to use in our wood burner.
This is a good time of year to reflect back on the success of your garden produce and plan for the following year.
For me I have had a great supply of beetroots from which I have cooked and frozen and made chutney . Although the potato crop was poor I have a few months supply in the freezer. I will still plant the same type.. Binjte ..and hope that it was down to our constant hot weather that they were somewhat smaller than expected.
I will still plant onions as an essential even though the crop was not so good this year..again probably due to the weather. I had great success with celery, butternut squash, carrots, tomatoes and peppers All of which I use on a regular basis and are easily preserved.
Despite the fruit trees being old it has been a great year for plums, pears and apples. The apples became a bit of a pain....I ran out of things to make...and space to put them anyway!! Once the cows were out of the field at the bottom f the garden we had no one to give them to. Even the goats and pig round the corner had had enough of them. I was collecting 5 bucketsful of windfall every day!!!
I did make some cider......a waste of time.....it was far too rough..besides which I don't even like it.
I think the trees will need some heavy pruning!!!
With each year you learn from your mistakes.....and will discover what is and isn't worth growing or preparing.
so NEXT YEAR
I will make more elderflower champagne......elder flowers are free and this was delicious and useful!
I will make elderberry cordial....elderberries are also free and plentiful.... but I must remember to make it in small bottles. Once it is open it only lasts a few weeks in the fridge. We don't drink cordial but our visitors do....however they never manage to get through a whole big bottle so smaller bottles will mean less waste.
Elderflower cordial. I did make this in small bottles and it is really refreshing on a hot summers day.
It can also be added to lemonade to make a champagne type, alcohol free drink.
I will not take off the bird netting from over the blueberries. Free feed for them this year from my mistake. I had no blueberries whatsoever.
I don't feel I have made too many mistakes this year and have 3 freezers full of soups, puddings, sauces, gratins and lasagnas as well as shelves full of jams, chutneys and tomato ketchup.
INVESTMENT for next year will be a DEHYDRATOR. I have read so much this year about how useful they are. At first I felt that there wasn't really anything that I would use dried but on reflection and research I find there would be many occasions when I could make good use of this machine
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WATCH THIS SPACE
FORAGING IN CHARENTE
There are many berries, nuts and weeds that can be used but these some of my favourites..
My top foraging tips for the late summer months are.........
BERRIES
.Blackberries .....just open freeze for an hour then put them keep in a container. These are easy to pick on daily walks.ideal for puddings, syrups, smoothies, ice cream
Rose hips.....excellent for making syrups(use small bottles) to give you your vitamin c in the winter and for making rose hip oil which you can use as a moisturiser,cleanser or in your bath.
NUTS
A great source of protein and easily stored over the winter to just add to meals, salads, muesli or to just snack on.
HAZELNUTS....not always easy to find...we are lucky to have two trees in the garden and the squirrels left us plenty this year
CHESTNUTS.....nice just roasted or made into a kind of spread. Quite an earthy taste. Make sure you pick the sweet chestnut and not the horse chestnut or you will end up with a very dodgy tummy!!
WALNUTS......on walks around this area you are tripping over fallen walnuts. Best to pick them off the ground as they only drop off the tree when they are ready. Avoid any with black outer shells.they are probably damp. Dry them in the sun..then either just store them as they are or shell and store ready for use. If they are not completely dry they will go off!
MUSHROOMS
Always a bit of an issue here...and rightly so.....poison from mushrooms can at least give you a dodgy tummy...lead to organ failure....and in worst cases death!!
Not something to mess about with.
In France you can consult your local chemist who can advise if they are edible.Information in books can be confusing as some types are very similar yet one can be poisonous whilst the other is fine.
I rarely pick mushrooms when out walking ...I don't often see them on my routes. I do however get a good supply of field mushrooms from the garden..these tend to grow where trees have been cut down.
Last year we just ate them as they came up. This year, I was going away on holiday as they came up so we only had a couple of meals made with them. I did however pick them all and dry them. I am not sure how cost effective it was as I had to do them in the oven...the sun not being obliging at the time. However I am happy they did not go to waste and look forward to adding them to stews.
Its a good idea to attend local exhibitions.....I went to this one
NETTLES
There are lots of big nettles which are great for the compost heap.Just wet them and add to the heap...especially after a dry summer. I tend not to cook with autumn nettles as I prefer the fresh spring ones.
So here I am looking forward to a quiet few months to get some r and r and make new plans for the Spring!!!
the sum total of my potatoes....from which I made 6 dauphinoise portions, , 8 bags of frozen chips and 8 bags of smaller potatoes,
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