Catch ’em while you can!
And I’m not talking fish this week… though there is a fishy link further down!
This week is one of the first of the long-awaited and short-lived Seville orange season…. So get them in, boil them up, drip, chop, boil and pot!
Of course you can make marmalade using a variety of citrus fruit, and we shall be experimenting with different combinations over the next few weeks, but the Seville is the orange for marmalade purists.
At this stage, I must honour the lovely Rosemary Jameson who we follow on Twitter. She sent out a little tweet late on Saturday night telling us all about her Seville and Cracked Pepper Jelly, which is great served with duck or mackerel (there, I told you it was coming) and we all know we should be eating more sustainable fish, for more info check out Fish Fight.
So, we’ve had a go at both the marmalade and the jelly and are really rather pleased with the results!
Walking on Sunshine
As you know, we are keeping quite a close rein on our chickens at the moment, especially since the fox attack a few weeks ago.
Well the good news is that Coucou is nearly as good as new, although still trying to escape at every opportunity (will she ever learn???). And today’s, dare I say it, early Spring sunshine was a great opportunity for the girls to stretch their legs and potter around in the sun. Here is our Butternut sporting her fluffy ‘knickers’ a beautiful Buff Orpington, let’s hope we can keep on top of the broody cycles this yea
r!
Any room for anymore?
With everything starting to hint at Spring, we’re starting to think about new additions to our little corner of London. Will it be quail, for both meat and eggs? Will it be bees? Or will it be a wider range of hens?
One thing we can guarantee is that it won’t be pigs, although I’d love to have a go, we just haven’t got the space.
Unfortunately, not everyone believes that pigs need space, or sunlight or any outdoor opportunities…. If you are interested in the welfare of British Piggies please have a look at Not in My Banger one of the latest campaigns from the Soil Association.
Jobs for next week:
- Put the finishing touches to the planting schedule
- Sow chillies and peppers
- Finish the Apple winter prune
- Winter wash the fruit trees
- Pin back the espalier plum tree
Did you notice that these are last weeks jobs carried forward?
Oh well, we’re still in January, so still ahead!
Corners aren’t just for squares!
