Bottles, Beans and Bounty

The weather this week has been very mixed but it stayed fine on Sunday for a farm walk at Dolphenby farm at Edenhall near Penrith. Here they have a milking parlour that takes 80 cows. The cows are a cross between Friesian and Jersey so they vary in colour but all seem to have the classic big eyes of the Jersey breed.

Cows gathering to be milked

The milking process

The farm is part of the Edenhall estate.The house was demolished in 1934 and these gateposts are all that remain of it's former glory. Their style in intriguing. 

Musgrave family coat of arms?

I found this pretty broken blue bird's egg in the flower border.

Dainty bird's egg

The bronze fennel in the Artful Garden looks very dramatic.

Bronze fennel with dragonfly

Tansy is bright yellow with very tight pompom flowerheads.

Vibrant tansy

Yellow pompoms

This lovage I found in the Physic Garden near Corbridge in Northumberland.

Lovage seed heads

The vibrant red of the cuckoo pint found in the verge.

Red for danger

The peacock butterflies and bees were going frantic for this plant.

Beautiful peacock butterfly

Wonderful wing patterns

These wooden sculptures that were also in the Physic Garden are great fun.

Dragon

Wood man

This pretty penstemon is in the Artful Garden.

Purple bonnets

This pretty blue harebell is along the lonning from my house.

Dainty blue fairy bonnets

This is a selection of the wild flowers that I have grown. The colours are stunning.

Vibrant

When digging a border in the orchard in the Artful Garden I dug up two old bottles. The inscription on the clear bottle is' Glassons Penrith Breweries' and on the green bottle 'H. W. Bartley, Penrith.' 

Drink and be merry

Crazy Maisie has seen been reading Glamour magazine. I am not sure if this is where she got her gold hair extensions of not.

Golden goddess?

The Bottle Boys had a trip to the Barbers shop. They decided to be more adventurous with their mustaches and this is the result.

Mustache styles, Walrus, Stud and Banker

I found this pretty china jam pot at a car boot sale. I will use it for my homemade jams.

A lovely pattern  

This is one of my most popular recipes and is an excellent way of using an overload of runner beans.

Runner Bean Pickle

Runner Bean Pickle - Makes 2 x 450 kg jars

Recipe taken from 'Preserves' by Pam Corbin ISBN 978074759532810987, published in 2008 (part of the River Cottage Handbook series.)

1 kg of young runner beans
Salt
300 ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
100 ml water
300 g  granulated sugar
1 teasp ground allspice
1 teasp coarsely ground black pepper
6 juniper berries

Trim the ends off the runner beans. If the beans are young they should be no need to string them. Cut the beans into short lengths (remember they will need to fit onto a serving spoon)

Put the vinegar,water, sugar, all spice, ground pepper and juniper berries into a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for a couple of minutes.
Also put the beans into a steamer and steam for about 5 minutes (do not over cook.)
When cooked add the runner beans to the spiced vinegar mixture and simmer for 4 - 5 minutes. Strain the vinegar mixture into a smaller saucepan. Pack the beans into warm sterilised jars pushing the beans down into the jar.

Return the spiced vinegar to the boil then pour it over the tightly packed beans. Cap immediately with a vinegar- proof lid.

Store in a cool dark space and leave for several weeks until the pickle matures. Use within 12 months.

Show Time

I went to Cockermouth Country Show last Saturday.This is a traditional English show with livestock competitions, terrier racing, gymkhana, Cumberland wrestling, transport displays and a craft and industrial competition tent. This included homemade cakes, decorated buns, sponge cakes, flower arranging, and children's competitions.

Ayrshire cows are a traditional breed and the amount of brown on their hides varies.

Ayrshire cow

Jersey cattle with their big eyes are always appealing. 

Jersey cow waiting to be milked

There was a cacophony of crowing in the poultry tent. You could not believe how loud some birds could crow. The birds on display had some beautiful plumage and there was one breed that could only just fit into the cage.

Beautiful feathers

I loved the white duck doing his stretching exercises.

Think big

There is a big variation in sheep breeds.

A Herdwick ewe

Jacob's sheep

Swaledales

Hello everyone I'm a Zwartbles. Check out my white socks, only one pair on my back legs

There was a sheep shearing demonstration that attracted a large crowd.

Before shearing

The shearing process

A number 1 cut

It only take a few weeks for the fleece to regrow

There was a Cumberland wresting competition.The traditional outfit is white long johns with shorts embroidered on the back by the mother or sweetheart of the competitor.

It's all about balance

Various old vehicles were on display.

How many Oxo cubes could you get into this van?

Look at the number plate

This James Bond, car shaken not stirred.

Is that James looking at the car?

These petrol cans have seen some mileage.

Petrol heads

Butchery deliveries in times gone by.

 Cumberland sausage anyone?

This old stationary engine was made in Carlisle.

These engines were used to drive farm equipment

This is an example of a basket used to broadcast seed.

This process would take a long time

An early seed drill.

This replaced hand broadcasting

The monkshood in in shades of blue and white.

Monkshood with dragonfly

The borage has bonny blue flowers that are edible.

Star shaped flowers

The laurel is in full flower and is attracting the butterflies.

A butterfly magnet

I have started to harvest fruit and veg. 

Homegrown onions and garlic

Carrots grown in a growbag in the greenhouse to avoid carrot root fly and sweet homegrown peas.

Black Bute blackberries- scrumptious

A very tasty pickle

I made piccalilli using all my garden produce, except for the peppers which are not yet ready to harvest.

Piccalilli Recipe

Recipe taken from 'Preserves' by Pam Corbin ISBN 978074759532810987, published in  2008 (part of the River Cottage Handbook series.

1kg of washed/peeled vegetables - select 5 or 6 from the following:
cauliflower, green beans, cucumber, courgettes, tomatoes,  carrots, small silverskin onions or shallots, peppers, shallots, nasturtium seed pods

500g fine salt
30g cornflour
10 g ground tumermic
10 g English mustard powder
15 g yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
600 ml cider vinegar
150 g granulated sugar
50 g honey

Cut the vegetable into small even sized pieces (so they will fit onto a serving spoon.) Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the veg with ice cold water and drain thoroughly.

Blend the cornflour, turmeric, mustard powder mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Put the rest of the vinegar in a saucepan with the sugar and honey and bring to the boil. Pour a little of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste, stir well and return to the pan. Bring gently to the boil. Boil for 3 - 4 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the well drained vegetables into the hot spicy sauce. Pack the pickle into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately with vinegar- proof lids. Leave for 4 - 6 weeks before opening and eat within a year.
Very tasty.


At the end of a dull dark day there was this lovely rainbow.

A complete arc