I've always liked chutney. When I was a child my mother used to make a "no cook" apple chutney from the apples in the orchard. We always had way more apples than we knew what to do with, so she'd make lots of different things with them during the season. The "no cook" chutney was a big hit, though, as it was just so simple. Unfortunately she's misplaced the recipe. I've … [Read more...] about Preserving Fruit as Chutney
cooking
Fresh Produce From the Garden!
It's the beginning of August, so it's a real bumper time in the garden. I'm already onto my 3rd round of carrots, which I'm hoping will be ready in the next couple of weeks. The lettuce, which I planted in one of the raised beds, have gone a little wild, but are still edible. At the moment the tomatoes are ripening, as are the peppers and chillis. So in practical … [Read more...] about Fresh Produce From the Garden!
Finally Some Decent Weather
When the weather is nice this country really can look absolutely glorious. In this kind of weather the moniker "sunny south east" is fairly accurate! So far this weekend has been absolutely lovely and the countryside has been looking picture postcard perfect! Athy is picturesque no matter what the weather, but when it's a sunny day the castle and the river look so … [Read more...] about Finally Some Decent Weather
Trying to Grow Potatoes
This year I'm going to be trying to grow a few crops that I didn't even look at last year. The first one is potatoes. They're not exactly the most exotic of vegetables in many respects, but there is a huge variety of different potatoes available, even if the local supermarket only sells one or two of the more common strains. While I could have gone down the route of … [Read more...] about Trying to Grow Potatoes
A Hardcore Method of Opening a Bottle of Wine
I enjoy wine. Having a glass of a nice wine is a great way to relax. Over the years I've picked up a variety of different tools for opening and handling wine, however I think I've been missing a trick. Why on earth wasn't I using this method for opening my bottles of wine? (Well apart from anything else it's complete overkill!) He makes it look very easy, though I … [Read more...] about A Hardcore Method of Opening a Bottle of Wine