Monday 27 June 2016

Filling the house with smells

Crawled around the strawberry bed outside last week and gathered 4 lbs of strawberries. A bit dirty from the rain splashes but a couple of washes soon sorted that out.  The house filled with a lovely hot strawberry smell.



I think I will keep some of this jam for presents in the family later in the year as they are not here to share the fresh crop.  There's another 4 lbs in the fridge to deal with now so there will be plenty for us.

After this exercise I went through the red onion crop which had gone wild and had flower spikes.  I followed all the recommendation and snapped these off as soon as possible but the bulbs still formed hard cores and some were starting to rot. I pulled them up and worked hard on them to find a couple of pounds of chopped onions suitable to make some caramelized red onion chutney.  The smell of making that was not quite as nice as the strawberries.  Apparently I have to wait a month for this to mature and try.



5 comments:

  1. I'll make the scones and bring along some lovely Devonshire clotted cream if you will supply the strawberry jam!!!
    Margaret P

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    Replies
    1. Yummy - my favourite tea!

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    2. We could make it a real (well virtual!) afternoon tea, Trish Wish, and have finger sandwiches filled with cucumber, and some with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and then the scones and your lovely jam and the Devonshire clotted cream (it must be clotted cream, whipping cream just doesn't cut the mustard, har, har) and then delicious lemon drizzle cake or a mouth-watering Victoria sponge filled with raspberry jam, and cups of Earl Grey or Indian tea ... preferably in a pretty garden, under a tree, served from a tea table on which a pretty white cloth has been spread, with silver tea pot and china plates and cake forks and proper napkins ... ahhhh!
      Margaret P

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  2. I really enjoy standing over a pan of jam bubbling away.x

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    Replies
    1. Nearly enough blackcurrants for a couple of jars!

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