The Good Life: Autumn rewards

A basket full of tomatoes and one our orange hubbard pumpkins

Autumn not only introduces the first chill in the air but the sweet scent of ripening and decay, as the leaves gradually wither and fall. As the weeks surrender inevitably through October the first ground frosts are evident and we gather the last harvest baskets from the allotment. Despite heavy winds and rain our large variety of  tomatoes, for the most part, ripened. The vast quantity of bright red tomatoes forced us into great activity making richly flavoured vegetable lasagnas, pizza Napolitana along with the last of our anchovies from Palermo, and a rich tomato apple and courgette chutney. Those tomatoes that did not mature and ripen from the green department to the red department were also destined for the chutney treatment. Steamed and blended hubbard pumpkin flesh added to an egg custard mix enriched a the noble but simple creme caramel.

Corinne surveying the allotment and hoping I do not fall off or go through the roof of the shed

As the various crops gradually get cleared we have begun the task of digging the beds and  spreading manure to give the necessary fertiliser and boost for next years crops. The turn in the season has not stopped all growth in the allotment as the Swiss chard, sorrel, fennel, kale, mache, celery, leeks and some cabbage continue to thrive. The raspberries, despite being thrashed about in the stormy winds, have recovered for the last few weeks producing fragile but some very tasty fruit for Corinne to nibble as she works. The artichokes have been quite surprising; once mid October arrived we expected them to stop producing. We were wrong. This year the artichokes have produces constantly from May all the way through to the start of November. 


A single line of beetroot remains in the ground, being the remnants of numerous thinngs and pickings. In recent weeks the apples in a local orchard have also matured, and have been put to good use in the annual chutney production. My personal favourite so far is the beetroot and apple chutney, published by Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking at page 439. Not wanting to waste the trek on foot along sodden tracks, across fields and deep ditches, en route to the orchard, we gathered a good supply of blackberries over a succession of weekend pilgrimages to make apple and bramble jelly, and pure bramble jelly. 

A selection of our colurful and healthy Swiss chard - the sorrel is just not photogenic no matter how healthy it is!

Corinne recently had a craving for sorrel soup also known as soupe á l'oseille, a lesser known favourite of French regional cooking. To make a good pot of very tasty sorrel soup we cut back an entire sorrel plant. We have five plants in the allotment and they grow back incredibly quickly. Therefore, with the application of some careful rotation, and minimal plant care, we could enjoy this humble mouth watering potage every week! Essentially one strong healthy plant with give you about a carrier bag full of leaves, approaching 500 grams.

 Corinne in the sorrel patch cutting the leaves from one of the plants and not a bad shot of the sorrel either!

To make the soup, prepare the leaves by washing them and removing the stalk. You will also need 1.5 litres of good vegetable or chicken stock. We add two or three leaves of chard to mellow the citric tang of the sorrel. The chard should be washed and roughly chopped or torn, reserving the stalks to use in another dish (we have added the stalks rather than let them go to waste - no harm!). Clean and chop a leek, and peel and chop two medium sized potatoes. Once all the ingredients are ready to go, melt some butter in a large tall pot. When the butter has melted, toss in the chopped leek and sorrel leaves, cooking gently until the sorrel begins to wilt (about 5 minutes). Then pour in the stock followed by the chard and the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about an hour. To finish the soup use a blender stick to liquefy the contents of the pot. Serve the soup with some fresh cream. It makes a surprisingly flavoursome bowl of soup, and a hard act to follow.

I am always surprised about the vibrant colours on display in the Autumn. Not just from the richly golden and rusty shades of the deciduous trees but in the flowers vegetables and plants that manage to keep on growing deep into November, until they are finally taken by a fatal frost. The rose hips continue to glow red, and the glossy hardy Swiss chard stand tall in the beds. Not far away the nasturtium bloom with a resilient yellow.in the sunshine.

Nasturtium flowers

There is very little that can be planted at this time of year but Harry has put down some winter onion sets in between spells of digging and manuring the raised beds. Corinne and I have planted garlic in anticipation of adding to the other crops which we expect to yield in the Spring. In addition to the onions and garlic, we are hopeful the purple sprouting broccoli, and asparagus will arrive just after the trustworthy rhubarb.

Fishing fleet at low tide in Skerries

Cooked blue velvet swimmer crabs

This Saturday we took a break from the allotment and headed north along the coast pulling into the small fishing harbours that dot the rocky coastline of north county Dublin. Our tour took us to Rush, Loughshinny and Skerries to enjoy the fresh crisp sea air on what was a stunning day. We watched a group of fisherman lifting their pots off Loughshinny and landing them on the beach. Later in the afternoon the same guys were working the pots off Skerries, and recognising us from Loughshinny, very kindly gave us a bucket of blue velvet swimmer crabs. Much smaller than the brown shore crab, they are largely exported and are not often to be found in local fishmongers. You might find them in Spain garnishing a paella or a fish soup, being valued for their sweet flavour. Being quite small they take a good deal of time to pick the meat from the shells and legs, but it is worth the effort. Drop them into a pot of salted boiling water. Once the water comes back to the boil simmer for five minutes and thereafter allow them to cool. The bucket of crabs we were given may have taken five minutes to cook but took about three hours to shell and are now destined for a fine crab tart.

The Good Life - Christmas Pudding - Se lancait un défi!

 A hard end to November

The Winter weather has arrived in earnest this weekend, and in the allotment the early November muddy tracks that separated the raised beds were neatly filled with crisp snow this morning. Is there anything left in the beds to eat? Yes there is. The prolific giant woody stalks of the Jerusalem artichokes have finally wilted and their great crop lies perfectly preserved in the undisturbed soil. The spinach has also survived, and to our surprise so has the late crop of lettuce. The most prominent survivors in the allotment are the leeks, Brussels sprouts, and kale, which although battered by recent winds appear to be in reasonably healthy condition.

After only fifteen minutes my hands became bitterly cold and sore. Having quickly got back on the road, I recommenced my search for the final outstanding ingredients to use in my apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding. The shredded vegetarian suet was ultimately purchased in the last of four searches of nearby supermarkets. One would have thought this product would be a well stocked item at this time of year, but sadly the homemade traditional Christmas pudding may be a thing of the past!

My recipe is a little different. It was published in Sainsburys Magazine in November 2004 and it immediately caught my attention because of the rich variety of ingredients. In a similar manner to the first time I embarked on making this recipe, I have been examining my dry stores over the last few days and established a list of the  purchases required. My ceramic pudding bowls remain unbroken and unchiped, but there was no dried apple or shredded suet to be found in the cupboards. I also noticed my ground mixed spice had disappeared! I link some of these observations to Corinne of course, who recently informed me she had cleaned the cupboards, and in doing so questioned  the need for certain items (without querying me). Having recently converted her to chutney, I have decided it is time for another challenge: Christmas pudding. After a brief description of the ingredients there was some hope at hand, but this halted following my description of suet. The initial reaction brought a quizzical look, which quickly turned to one of horror, and incredulity, peppered with French resistance; a look which I am growing accustomed to. Se lancait un défi!

The chopped dried fruit

Amidst the overnight snowfall, it has been a good seasonal adventure gathering together all the ingredients in preparation for this pudding of puddings. The next decision centers around the question of the number to be made, and how much mixture should I make? Ultimately, I decided to add to the recipe and increase the quantities, in order to make a few mini puddings. My first attempt at cooking this pudding involved a different adventure which will not be repeated. I decided to cook them all over the course of a single night as I was working for most of the day. My alarm clock was set every two hours through the night, so that the pots could be refilled with water to the required level, because of the serious risk of the water evaporating entirely and the pot burning. Adopting my experience in offshore racing, and curious ability to deal with sleep deprivation, I struggled through the night with successive steamings of the puddings, finally going to work with the usual, and expected, side effects of unpredictability, crankiness and lack of concentration coming to the fore.

Orange and lemon zest

To make two 1.2 litre puddings you shall require the following: sultanas 250g; raisins 250g; roughly chopped dates 200g; roughly chopped dried figs 200g; roughly chopped dried apricots 150g; roughly chopped dried apple 150g; warmed brandy 200ml; mixture of almonds and hazelnuts 200g; zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon; breadcrumbs 200g; plain flour 75g; ground mixed spice 1 teaspoon; shredded suet 200g; light soft brown sugar 225g; treacle 95g; and 4 lightly beaten large eggs.

Warm the brandy and pour it over the sultanas, raisins, dates, figs, apricots and apple, leaving the ingredients to soak for about a day. Having an inbuilt mechanism for changing a plan at the last minute, I also added about 150g of irresistible prunneaux d'Agen into my mixture of dried fruit. Turning the different fruit over in the bowl a sweet scent begins to emerge from the bowl, but once the warmed brandy is poured over the fruit the room quickly fills with a rich sweet aroma. French brandy might be a little expensive for this recipe, however a Spanish brandy, aged in oak sherry casks, compliments the diverse complexity of flavours in the dried fruit.

 Light brown soft sugar, eggs and treacle

Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in an oven for about 6 minutes, and after allowing them to cool before chopping. Combine them with the orange and lemon zest, breadcrumbs, flour and mixed spice, and the dreaded shredded suet. In another bowl beat together the eggs, treacle and light brown soft sugar. Spoon the egg and sugar mixture into the brandy soaked dried fruit and mix well. Then add the breadcrumb, suet and nuts etc. and gently stir combining all the ingredients well. At this point I introduced Corinne to a mysterious Irish tradition whereby everybody who stirs the pudding mixture is allowed to make one secret wish. During the Celtic tiger era this tradition may have been artificially augmented and exaggerated by greedy individuals who made many wishes, and obviously the wish does not extend to the unrealistic and fantastic, such as ridiculous desires in relation to the Irish Banks, EU and IMF bail outs. She did not grasp the concept immediately. However after a little thought she began to stir, and gave the wooden spoon a decent work out for several minutes.

 
The dreaded shredded suet

I normally let the mixture stand for a while before spooning it into the pudding bowls. When filling the pudding bowls press down firmly before covering with baking parchment, or greaseproof paper. As the pudding expands while cooking it is advisable toput a 2 or 3 centimeter pleat across the center of the sheet and repeat the process with a sheet of aluminium foil. These two covers must be secured well with string around the rim. This is not as easy as it sounds, however it ensures the boiling or simmering water will not get into the pudding bowl.

toasted almonds and hazelnuts

The bowls must be placed in a pot of boiling water reaching two thirds the way up their sides. The steaming pot should be covered well and puddings left to cook for five or six hours. It is important to remember to check the water levels occasionally, and top up with boiling water when necessary, to prevent the pot burning due to evaporation. Once removed from the water allow the puddings to cool, and thereafter check whether or not they are sufficiently cooked. To test, you can insert a skewer into a pudding and if it is cooked the skewer should come out clean.

 The Mason ceramic pudding bowls covered and tied

Before storing the puddings secure a fresh piece of baking parchment and aluminium foil on top of each bowl. When you wish to serve the pudding, it should be steamed for at least two hours. Thereafter it can be turned out and served with whatever sauce, cream, butter or custard takes your fancy. Obviously the common ingredient to all of these embellishments is brandy, and I would also recommend flaming the pudding with warmed brandy. Of course, by the time you have tasted your apple and dried fruit Christmas pudding your secret wish should have come true!

 Six hours later

The Good Life - Jack Frost has arrived

 Donabate beach on Sunday afternoon

From Wednesday we have had a number of hard ground frosts coating the raised beds until the sun has reached a sufficient height in the sky to bring about a thaw. The largely clear skies are perfect for a significant drop in temperatures overnight but equally provide stunning bright sunshine during the day. The advent of the colder harsh conditions spell the end for the gentle lola rosa and gem lettuce. On Sunday morning it was possible to see the tops of these lettuce plants wilting as a result of the hard bite of these first  frosts. In contrast the hardier winter leaves such as mustard and mache should survive the chill.

 The sorrel patch (not very exciting really)

Sunday morning was quite cold and for the first time this year I began to lose a little dexterity in my hands as a result. A warm and comforting fish pie was on the menu for the evening meal and I arrived at the allotment to harvest some sorrel to accompnay the pie. The dew from the previous evening had frozen where it had gatghered and collected on the back of some of the sorrel leaves and the crisp stems broke easily as I collected the rich green leaves. This spinach like leaf can be cooked in a similar manner to spinach but must only be cooked until just wilted, because it is easily overcooked. In a similar manner to spinach, cream can be added to the wilted leaves and warmed through prior to serving. Sorrel can have a very tangy and lively flavour and the cream can moderate this for those that just cannot cope.

There is an old wives tale that says you should not harvest the kale prior to the first frost.We have a number of plants therefore that have just come into the frame to add to our weekly harvest; both the purple and green kale plants are strong and healthy at this time of year.

The kale patch

Another evening trip to the hidden orchard across sodden wet fields and deep ditches, has provided us with a fresh supply of apples to be used in our green tomato and apple chutney. The tomatoes that are still green at this stage are unlikely to ripen so it is time to use them or lose them. For this chutney you will need a large preserving pan preferably stainless steel and about 10 or 12 sterilised jam jars. The ingredients are as follows: 1 kilo of green tomatoes washed and chopped; 1 kilo of chopped or grated cooking apples; 450g of chopped onion; one or two cloves of garlic crushed and chopped; 350g of demerara sugar and 350g of white sugar; 450g sultanas; 900ml of vinegar (I use cider vinegar but you can use white wine vinegar if you wish); three teaspoons of pickling spice made up with a mixture of cloves, mace, coriander seed, yellow mustard seed and few dried chillies.

This monster mix of chutney does reduce in volume as it cooks so the contents of the preserving pan should reduce as time goes on allowing for the additional ingredients. To start the process put the pickling spices into a muslin sack or stocking and heat the vinegar gently before adding the chopped onions. Cook the onions for  about 10 minutes before adding the chopped green tomatoes and apple. Keep on cooking over a moderate heat until the apple and tomato have softened. This could take about 40 minutes (or more) and the chutney should be stirred occasionally to prevent the ingredients from sticking. Once the apple and tomato has softened you can add the sultanas and stir them in followed by the sugar. Reduce the heat until the sugar has dissolved and then raise the temperature or heat over a high flame until the chutney has attained the consistency of a thick jam. Add a little salt and freshly ground pepper to season. The chutney can then be spooned into the sterilised jars and sealed down, labeled and placed in a cool dry spot for two months or more.

The recent good supply of apples has resulted in numerous giant apple crumbles and apple tarts spiced alternately with cinnamon and clove being constructed over the last two weeks. For one dish I managed to get 16 decently sized apples into a deep crumble. I know I am due to make a Dorset apple pie and  Eve's pudding before long, but in the meantime apple juice in the mornings has been balanced with apple sauce in the evenings; Corinne likes black pudding with apple sauce. In the last few days while reading papers and magazines my eye has been drawn towards any old recipe or article with apples in an attempt to use them. Last night Corinne suddenly produced a bag of fresh walnuts she brought back from Franche Comté; therefore an apple and walnut salad appears to be a reasonable prospect to accompany this evening's meal. If that was not enough, I am being fed slices of peeled apple as I type, but despite this largescale consumption of apples we will eventually have to preserve some of the remaining apples, and may be required to add to our considerable stores of chutney by embarking on a production of apple chutney in the next week or two.

The Good Life - The Gathering

 

Detail of fall gold raspberries, autumn bliss and wild strawberries

Autumn is in full flight. Our raspberry canes are laden with large ripe berries; the stems bend a little too easily under their weight in the cool wind. Elsewhere the fiery red rose hips shine like rubies, all but a few just out of reach suspended above a deep wet ditch. The hedgerows have not produced too many damsons or wild plums this year in comparison to last year and some trees have nearly no fruit. The fragile ripe elderberries have all but disappeared, driven from their web like stems by the wind in the last few days. Among the briers near the allotment the blackberries have plumped up and are bursting with flavour. In the last week we have been coming home with fingers heavily stained from the blackberry and raspberry collection, and have been picking thorns from our hands and clothing for the next few days; occupational hazards of sorts!

Jam and jelly making has almost become a daily routine. We have made blackberry jelly, hedgerow jelly and raspberry jam in recent days. The blackberry jelly is very easy to make and I believe it is far superior to blackberry jam. For every 500grams of fruit in a preserving pan I add about 150mils of water (give or take), and cook the berries until much of the juice is released. To complete the process the berries are pressed with the invaluable assistance of a potato masher. The juice and pulp should then be strained through a jelly bag or fine nylon sieve overnight. 

The next day weigh the juice and measure out an equal weight of sugar. Bring the juice to a simmer and add the sugar. Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved and then boil rapidly until setting point is reached, then spoon into sterile jars and seal down. Some recipes recommend the use of a pound of sugar to a pint of juice, however I believe the set produced using an equal weight of juice to sugar produces a softer set. It is important to note that you should not start making a jelly with less than a kilo of fruit. The average yield of jelly from a ripe fruit or blackberry is just a little less than three 450gram jars.

In the last days of September, and early October, we have been out exploring the birch forests searching for mushrooms which have arrived following the passing of the full moon. In past years we had to examine the forest floor quite carefully and search through the undergrowth and briers to find the bolets. Last year there was a very disappointing mushroom season, but this year we have been practically falling over them. This abundance of mushrooms has changed our collection habits, and we now leave more mature examples which we would have picked in the past concentrating on picking the younger and firmer specimens. These young mushrooms are very good when added to risottos and omelets. They can also be fried in butter, salt and pepper, and frozen in portions for future use to avoid the obvious health dangers associated with gorging on wild mushroom risotto on a daily basis.

A large brown birch bolet in its natural surroundings with my No.10 opinel for scale

Corinne's bolet collection

Our biggest pumpkin matured earlier than expected sprouting legs and left the allotment of his own free will last week. We wish him well on his journey and hope he makes it through the Halloween period without coming to harm. Obviously we have increase security and issued instructions to the other inmates informing them that there is no little or no prospects for them in the current economic environment outside the allotment.

One of our other pumpkins was employed in an experiment/recipe which turned out quite well, and may be improved with further continual experimentation, tasting and testing. I decided to make a batch of creme caramels with pumpkin. The bases of 8 ramekin dishes were coated with a caramel made with 200 grams of sugar and 8 tablespoons of water. The caramel takes a little time to make and then cool in the dishes. At the same time you start the caramel steam about half a kilo of pumpkin, (skinned chopped and deseeded), for about 20 minutes. Leave the chunks of cooked pumpkin to cool for a few minutes and thereafter puree them in a food processor. The puree can then be blended with the custard mixture which is composed with 850mls of milk, 8 eggs, 4 tablespoons of sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Ladle the custard mixture into the caramel coated dishes and place them into a bain marie before cooking for about 50 minutes in the middle of an oven at 160F. The resulting flavour colour and texture of the caramels are quite surprising and very pleasant. Admittedly the flavour is quite subtle and future batches may have a little more pumpkin puree added to obtain a strong flavour and richer orange colour.

As the air temperatures drop the tomatoes have stopped their ripening process yielding a few kilos of green tomatoes. This is a glut with a Celtic tiger dimension for us because we are compelled to live within our Irish shoe box for a little while longer. The tomatoes may ripen indoors in time, but to avoid any waste a nearby unused orchard has been plundered for apples to be used in the production of a green tomato chutney. The kitchen area and dining table are quite cluttered at the moment, which calls upon my, ever decreasing, powers of diplomacy. Negotiations are proving difficult and lengthy at the minute because the French have no traditional use or desire for chutney. Quel dommage!

Nature's organic geometry - our fennel has gone to seed!

The Good Life - Mini Harvest 4th September

We are going away on vacation this week and consequently we have not taken too much from the plot today. The sun finally came out on Saturday evening allowing me to take a few photographs. The rain showers during the early part of the weekand on Saturday were much needed and the plot looks great in the evening sunshine. We had a few quite visits to the plot during the week taking a few items for the pot. On Saturday we dug up a few of the remaining potatoes, and also should have displayed one of our giant parsnips in the harvest shot, but it was not possible because the sun had almost set before Corinne had excavated it from the bed. The fresh growth of raspberries continues and we have a tart but tasty feast every time we arrive at the allotment.

Sensational sunset over Malahide estuary during the week

The recent rainfall has reinvigorated the unwanted weeds and we spent a number of hours digging these guys out of the beds. Weeding also provides a good opportunity to tidy up and clear some of the beds. The majority of the peas and runner beans have been cleared and these beds will be prepared and manured in the coming weeks. Elsewhere winter cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli have been newly planted and winter leeks will also require some space to be planted.  Among the more mature cabbage and Brussels sprouts radiant green caterpillars, ospring of the small cabbage white butterfly, have appeared. We spent a good half hour hunting for these caterpillars which can not only munch their way  through the entire foliage, but into the heart of the plant as well.

 A view through the allotment, the dwarf yellow beans, purple kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, corn, and Jerusalem artichokes.

During the week I also made my rose hip and apple jelly. I had gathered only half a kilo of rose hips and decided to use a recipe that maximised the flavour of the rose hips. Apple jelly on its own is not one of my favourite preserves. It can be a little lack lustre and the flavour is not strong enough in itself to provide interest, but combined with mint or thyme it produces a great flavoured and richly coloured jelly for cooking or serving with meat.e

My jar of rose hip and apple jelly

For my jelly I used a half kilo of rose hips and an equal measure of cooking apples freshly pilfered from a nearby orchard. Given the quantities used, the yield will be quite low. Normally to make process really worthwhile it would be advisable to use a minimum of 2 kilos of fruit. The rose hips take up to an hour to render down and so it is advisable to cook both fruits separately. To prepare the rose hips cut off the flower end and the stalk and put the hips in a stainless pot with 300 ml of water. Simmer gently to render down and add more water when necessary to prevent the pot drying and burning. The apples must be washed and quartered. There is no need to peel and core them. Thereafter they can be put in a pot with 300 ml of water and simmered until they are soft. Both fruits should be sieved or strained separately through a muslin bag and nylon sieve overnight to obtain the juice.

I was disappointed with the quantity of juice from the apples and gave the apple pulp a second boiling with 150 ml of water. This boosted the quantity of apple juice somewhat, but it is not a process that should be employed with the rose hips. To make the jelly I add the same weight of sugar to weight of jelly. Some techniques call for a pound of sugar to a pint of juice but this can produce over sweetened and stiff jellies. To begin the process, heat the sugar in the oven set to 100 C with the clean jars, which should be sterilised in advane of potting the jelly.

Heat the combined apple and rose hip juice in a preserving pan, and once the juice is warmed through add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then boil the liquid rapidly. After about 7 or 8 minutes begin testing for setting point. Setting point can be identified by dropping a little of the boiling liquid onto a cold saucer. If the liquid cools forming a wrinkled skin, or offers a little resistance, when you draw your finger though it, you can be satisfied setting point has been reached. The boiling liquid should then be poured off into sterile jars and sealed down to be left overnight to cool. This is a soft set jelly and can take 24 hours to set. The end result tasted very good when I was testing for setting point. It was not too sweet and produced a deep golden honey hued colour. A real benefit from this jelly is the fact the rose hips are extremely rich in vitamin C and this should ward off any Winter colds.

Corinne working in the plot attaching the last of this year's peas to their canes

We shall be away for nearly two weeks and will be looking forward to tasting upon our return freshly ripened tomatoes, cabbages, the lolla rossa lettuce, and the last of the corn. A few of the artichokes have begun to produce their fleshy flowers again, and the Jerusalem artichoke crop will also be almost ready. Hopefully the weeds, butterflies, blight and butterflies will stay away!

The Good Life: Summer's transition into Autumn

Thick fleshy plate of the back of a giant sunflower

Despite the glorious sunny spells in the past few weeks, Autumn has arrived. The shortening daylight hours, and the crisp cool air in the mornings signal the unmistakable arrival of the third season. The pumpkins have become enormous and the patissons have begun to fruit and flower. Aging sunflowers have shed their bright yellow petals the their large heavy heads are beginning to droop. Corinne's blueberry bush is laden with fat juicy tart berries which are delicious to eat along with our little crop of alpine strawberries. Harry has transformed the tomato plants, which I had allowed to grow a little wild. He has ruthlessly pruned them, and in doing so, he has preserved a decent crop of tomatoes and hopefully prevented a late attack of blight.

Glossy healthy yellow flowers herald the arrival of the patissons

While Corinne was away I decided to commence my jam and chutney production. We had hung and dried the crop of red onions for a number of weeks, and I was keen to make an onion jam having not done one the year before. After a little research I decided to modify a recipe which appears in "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" by Darina Allen at page 450. The ingredients and quantities set out in the recipe are as follows: 700g red onions, 25g butter, 140g sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, 7 tablespoons of sherry vinegar and 250ml of a full bodied red wine. I used a Cote du Rhone for this recipe, and instead of adding 2 tablespoons of creme de cassis as suggested, I added the same quantity of the vin de noix, produced by Corinne's father from a Cote de Rhone base. Having spent some time shelling the dried mustard seed pods, it seemed appropriate to incorporate them into the recipe as well. I deemed two teaspoons of mustard seed to be adequate.

Once the onions have been peeled and chopped finely (I was not too fussy), they are sautéd in the bubbling butter with the sugar, salt and pepper. The pot is covered and left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes, or until the the onions have become tender and cooked. At this point the sherry vinegar, wine, vin de noix and mustard seed can be added. The melange can be left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes. It is probably best to err on the side of caution and not reduce the jam too much. Once satisfied, this savoury jam can be spooned into hot sterile jars and sealed down, whereupon they should be stored in a dark, cool and dry place.

For the chutney I used a combination of recipes from a number of sources but ultimately relied upon my chief point of reference for chutneys; "The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys Handbook" by Marguerite Patten. There are some basic rules for chutney which I follow. The choice of vinegar is very important.  Along with being vital in the preservation process, the quality, acidity and flavour of the vinegar will dictate the ultimate flavour of a chutney. Sugar is also important for the preservation process but the choice of sugar will dictate the look or colour of a chutney. Many chutneys are too dark for my liking, and this may be a due to poor selection or combination of ingredients. Having said this one can use a malt vinegar and demerara sugar to produce a deep and richly flavoured fig and apple chutney, however for the following recipe I used Llewellyn's cider vinegar produced in Lusk, County Dublin, and a brown granulated sugar with two tablespoons of demerara sugar.

Having a number of large courgettes in the plot allowed me to produce an 'apple courgette and tomato' chutney, for which I used the following ingredients: 500g apples peeled cored and thinly sliced (grating the apple is also an option), 500g tomatoes skinned and chopped, 500g courgette or marrow peeled, seeded and copped in small cubes, 250g white onions finely chopped, 250g sultanas, 250g sugar plus two tablespoons of demerara sugar, 350ml cider vinegar and 150 ml water, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. I use a general pickling spice mix to put into a muslin bag to add flavour to a chutney, however in addition to my standard mix I included extra cloves, and five or six dried (nuclear) bird's eye chillies.

To make the chutney put all the ingredients, excluding the sugar, sultanas and seasoning into the preserving pan, i.e. one which is neither iron or aluminium. Simmer all the ingredients over a low heat until they are tender, stirring occasionally. For this recipe, I found it took approximately two hours before the apple and courgette became tender. If the sugar is incorporated too early the apple and courgette may not become tender. After adding the sugar and sultanas and seasoning, I continued to gently stir the chutney until the sugar had dissolved and left the chutney to simmer over a low flame gently for a further 45 minutes. After lifting out the muslin spice bag, the chutney was spooned into hot sterile jars and sealing down. A chutney should be stored for a minimum two months before use, whereupon all the flavours and spices will have infused.

As September approaches and my principal source of apples come into season I have been foraging around trying to find a good supply of rose hips for a rose hip and apple jelly. Early this morning I caught a glimpse of a wild thorny bush covered is red and orange rose hips which should be perfect for picking when I commence collecting of the apples.

Rose hips from Rosa Canina or Dog Rose growing against a stone wall almost ready to be picked

The Good Life - Approaching the end of September

The greenhouse at Ardgillan Castle in north County Dublin

It was yet another dry and warm weekend. Cloud would gather in the sky and suddenly break up bringing warm spells of bright sunshine. In the hedgerows damsons or bullace plums had spent a number of weeks ripening in clusters their under leafy cover and were now ready to be bagged for gin and jelly. The last two evenings have been spent washing and cleaning these tart little fruit in order to stew them and extract the rich claret coloured juice. I have promised some friends a jar or two to taste and may try and force them to take a jar of my experimental blackberry and elderberry jelly as well.

In the allotment on Saturday afternoon we dug a small trough in the ground and filled it with charcoal and surrounded the earth oven with bricks. We had prepared a little salad and brought some wine to drink (Cotes du Jura Port Lesney by Domaine de la Pinte 1999), and then proceeded to cook beef, corn and fennel on a cheap cake stand which had been quickly reengineered as a grill. While we were eating I set about cooking a fillet of pork for Sunday's evening meal. After seasoning and rubbing in some herbs de provence and a little olive oil, I placed freshly cut branches of mint and thyme by the fillets. The fillets were then covered with heavily scented fronds of fennel. Occasionally turning the meat I replaced the mint and fennel with a fresh batch setting the spent and dried coverings on the coals causing it to smoke the meat above. Normally I burn meat on a BBQ but this really worked well; it took about 40 minutes to cook and it looked as if it had just come out of a wood fired oven. This was just at the right time because the mosquitos were beginning to arrive in force for their own evening meal.

The pork, which had an good strong herb and smokey flavour, was sliced and served with some homemade coleslaw and a melange of broad beans, garden peas, borlotti beans and french beans. These were the spoils from clearing a few of the raised beds. They were lightly boiled together and then strained only to be fried in a parsley and garlic butter. We finished the meal with a seasonal apple and damson cobbler. It is now inevitable I will be forced to take to my bike in the coming weeks to counteract the weight gain!

September has always been the most reliable month in Ireland but this year it has certainly been exceptional. It has almost been too dry and the ground is now dry and hard. The birch forests are finally losing the green colouring of their foliage passing quickly but not uniformly into a golden phase, turning these forests into a mosaic of colour when the low sun beams its rays deep into the woods. The other deciduous trees will follow their lead and then the countryside will plunge irreversibly into the last days of Autumn and Winter.

The caterpillars have stopped eating the broccoli!

The Good Life - Indian Summer

Last weekend was spent digging, planting seedlings for the coming months, and picking over what was available in the allotment. The good weather finally arrived as promised and we were basking in the sunshine all weekend. Unusually, there were not many mushrooms to be found. A number of people are walking through and clearing the small birch forests so their growth could be affected. To counteract this disappointment, a number of damson trees close to the allotment are almost ready to harvest; the small deep purple/blue fruit are softening as they ripen through September. Elsewhere we have found hazelnuts and have begun to hang a few small bags to dry them although they are particularly nice when fresh. We decided to limit our take from the allotment this weekend and only picked a courgette, a young injured pumpkin and some sweet corn.

Sunday evening was set aside for a special task. We picked raspberries while killing some time before paying a visit to an orchard just before sunset. The orchard is a feature on a local golf course and many of the trees are not in the best of health and in some cases clearly need attention. We take it upon ourselves every year to collect a few bags of apples rather than having them rot into the ground. They are generally the cooking or bramley apples, but one or two of the trees produce a small eating apple.

The orchard is not easy to get to. You have to trudge through damp fields and steep ditches, and all this in failing Autumn light to avoid the attention of the golfing community. The still evening sunlight cast just enough light for a few minutes when we reached the orchard, but quickly faded and before long it was time to retreat. We returned by a different route through fields of low lying mist making our way up onto a country path above which the evening sky was still tinted with shades of salmon and grey by the sun which had long disappeared over the silvan horizon. In the forests only the darkest of green hues were visible and the pasture field to our left was full of a dense misty fog which spilled over the fencing much like water overflowing from a bath as the track ahead of us was slowly enveloped.

Back at home I set about cooking a large cake and decided to make a bakewell tart in a large square cake tin I acquired some months ago. This was partially inspired by a slice of bakewell tart my father had brought to me the week before, but I still craved for the rich combination and contrasting flavours of fresh raspberries and a rich almond frangipane. There was to be no half hearted thin layer of tasteless red jam and pale stodge for a frangipane which all too often carries a distinct lingering smell of almond essence.

For the pastry I decided to use a short crust type using a 2:1 ratio flour to butter but also added a desert spoon of almonds and a similar amount of icing sugar. The frangipane was quite rich with 150 grams sugar, 150 grams butter, 150 grams ground almonds, 3 eggs and one egg yolk, some grated lemon zest and a heaped tablespoon of flour with flaked almonds to scatter over the top. (I describe the basics of my simple guide to pastry and frangipane here). Essentially you just spread two or three tablespoons of raspberry jelly on the pastry and scatter the raspberries over the jelly. cover with the frangipane and cook.

I must acknowledge the source of the raspberry jelly which was made by Marie Claire Paillard, a friend of Corinne's from Franche Comte. Marie Claire and her husband Michel pick the wild raspberries, blueberries and strawberries from the forests, pastures and bogs close to where they live in Frasne. On a recent visit I managed to scoop her recipe for the raspberry jelly which read with the rhythm and simplicity of an iambic pentameter, but as usual my English has bludgeoned some of the vibrant life from it.

Here is the recipe for Gelee Frambois

Chauffer les fruits, Heat the fruit
Ensuite les presser ou serrer le jus Then press or strain the juice
mettre poids egal de sucre Add an equal weigh of sugar
Cuit environ 10 a 15 min Cook for 10 to 15 minutes
mettre au pot Place in the pot

I normally add about 100mls of water for every pound of fruit to prevent scorching and then strain the cooked fruit in a muslin bag over night. As regards sugar, Marie Claire's recipe adds slightly less sugar than I would typically add. My ratio is generally 450 grams to 600 mls of juice. Finally, although Marie Claire does not mention it, the jars or pots should always be sterilised. I took the time to try this reduced sugar method with some elderberries and blackberries I picked: it was a soft set jelly with an excellent and strong flavour.

Monday morning was a somewhat rushed affair and I found that every surface was covered with unwashed pots and bowls just as I had abandoned them the night before. Two large bags of apples formed an early obstacle to the day but I eventually sat down to a cup of freshly ground coffee and a large indulgent, and undeserved slice of bakewell tart, while I refused to raise a eye to the clutter of pots and pans.

Fruit and nuts and other treats!

Pumpkins arranged along a wall in Chateau-Chalon

On the 18th September I went back to the Jura and Doubs regions of eastern France with Corinne. Our visit coincided with a a brief window in time where so much fruit, and indeed nuts, were in season; peaches, raspberries, blackberries and apples were all in abundance.

The apple trees were heavily laden with local varieties such as les Belles Filles de Salins and Rennete. The many bright red fruit coloured and enlivened the otherwise green pastures and trees that board many of the routes in the region. With many of the fruit ripening rapidly, and beginning to fall, we set about assisting with the collection of the apples in an orchard near La Chapelle sur Furieuse. The Furieuse is a small gentle country stream, but its name suggests a propensity and character that might be dramically different at certain times of year.

Les belles filles de Salins

The walnuts and hazelnuts were in season but in Besancon, the walnut trees had not shed their crop and many trees still exhibited their fleshy unbroken fruit. Further south, at a higher altitude, the situation was slightly different, and the walnuts had begun to fall, and the race had begun to collect as many as possible before the squirrels and other animals ran away with the lot.

Unless planted for commercial purposes, the walnut trees merely dot the landscape randomly. On a warm still afternoon, wandering about collecting the walnuts beneath a tree, you cannot but be overcome with the scent from the tree above. The air that collects and contained by the tree wafts through its branches and leaves is heavy with a rich creamy nutty odour, and can become an oasis of narcotic tranquility.

The fleshy outer coating of a walnut breaking to reveal the nut within

Fresh walnuts released

Fresh reports from our base in Besancon disclosed the squirrels had made off with most of the nuts from the trees in the garden, so we felt we should make an extra effort to offset this loss. Rather stoically, Rene stated that all that was left to do was to find the squirrels grand winter cache. He went on to say that, strangely enough, the clever little (thieving) squirrels only select the best nuts to store away, and these would always be placed in a location where they would dry very well.

Freshly fallen walnuts we collected at Buvilly

Having stayed the night in Arbois, we set out with a view to collecting a few kilos of walnuts at nearby villages such as Pupillin, Buvilly and also close to Chateau-Chalon, a little further south. It quickly became a road trip quest, and we became adept at sighting walnut trees along the side of the road, quickly establishing whether the walnuts were worth collecting, or not. Some walnuts produced are simply too small and not worth the effort, others can be empty and barren. Furthermore, depending on the variety or the tree itself, the walnuts may not dry well and the nut inside may simply shrivel away, simply disappearing during the drying process.

Views of Chateau-Chalon

Travelling through Pupillin, home of the poulsard grape crop, and where the vendage had just commenced, we came across a noisterie, or hazelnut grove, where over a few acres three varieties of hazelnut were planted some 17 years ago. Obviously the collection of the nuts there is a keen contest between the local squirrels and the owners, and clearly one can not underestimate the appetite of these little guys or their ability to collect a vast quantity of good quality nuts.

After meeting and chatting with the amicable owner the groves [Benoit Freres, Noisettes du Jura, 39600 Pupillin] we purchased a few kilos of hazelnuts, and she also gave us a bag of dried hazelnuts from last years crop to sample. The now mature groves produce hazelnuts of a very good size and with good flavour. Among many interesting facts, we discovered that last year's crop yielded ten tonnes of nuts.

A noisterie just outside Pupillin

The groves are well worth a visit at this time of year and to taste fresh hazelnuts was great to experience. To say that it is like a cross between eating a fresh young carrot drawn from the ground and the flesh of a coconut is a little simplistic, but not entirely misleading. While the former comment might betray some of the texture qualities the flesh of the nut is moist and tastes almost sweet. What surprised me was the size of the shells and they nuts produced. In particular the shells had a very fine sheen that appeared to be like dew, and after a closer inspection revealed a fine velvety hair like coating.

Freshly collected hazelnuts

Our little adventure, also took us up to Chateau-Chalon and along the valley of the river Dard to Baume-Les-Messieurs; both medieval villages with connections to the Benedictine monks. We had worked our way well off the beaten track and left little time to get a bottle of wine to have with our dinner that evening. We were not optimistic as we returned to Arbois, we again passed below the steep escarpments where Chateau-Chalon was situated and spotted a sign marked "Ouvert" for a local wine producer.

Baume-Les-Messieurs

After knocking at the door, and waiting for a minutes, a man obviously tired from work or entertaining (or both), appeared at the door and immediately ushered us into a tasting room. We doused his expectations apologetically, by saying that we only needed a bottle of wine for dinner. The notion did not limit his easy and courteous manner and he proceeded to offer us a glass of his Cotes du Jura Chardonnay [2006] to taste. This was a very nice wine; clean, very light and refreshing which are peculiar traits to have in a Cotes du Jura Chardonnay but I found it very satisfying. Quickly moving through the taste bud gears we were offered the Savagnin [2004], and this was full of flavour and a very good example of the Savagnin wines that I had tasted to date. To close the degustation, and going up a further notch on the flavour scale, we sampled his Macvin. This was also excellent. Our initial plan was to purchase a bottle, or possibly two, but everything we tasted was so good. Consequently, we bought two bottles of Savagnin and one bottle of Macvin and bid our farewells.

Chateau-Chalon and the many vines laid out below from Nevy

Turn a corner, or knock on a door in the Jura countryside and you discover all sorts of new experiences. The unassuming innocuous sign by the side of the road concealed the talents of a great independent wine producer in the region, namely the Domaine De Lahaye at Nevy sur Seille. If you happen to get lost and find this place I heartily recommend a visit.