pumpkinstrokemarrow

Prompted by a fireworks party to play with corn meal. This being a yellow slightly gritty powder obtainable from Holland and Barrett for £1 a pound. (Declined the health full pound fifty costing magazine). Had a go at the first of quite a lot of corn bread recipes in the Boston Cook Book - in the section called baking powder biscuits. Result was an agreeable flat yellow cake with an only slightly odd texture. And like other fresh cakes, an easy way to knock back several Mars Bar equivalents in a very short time. Meal, flour, sugar, beef dripping, an egg and lots of baking powder. Next step is the rather differant flanny quantity we were given at the party. Rumour has it that this was made with tinned corn, half of it put through a food mixer, and egg. Also baked in a flat tray, this one about 3cm rather than 1cm deep. Alternatively there is something in tins called creamed corn which might serve.

Found a double boiler to warm up the bean pudding. It and the new more energetic approach to chopping and cooking the bacon and onion has worked well. And there is now a microwave: will that be the bean pudding heater of the future?

Thinking of chopping the willow next to the not very happy rhubarb down to the ground. It will sprout again but it is taking up a fair amount of space and let go another year might become a major undertaking to trim. As it is I'm not very popular with my allotment neighbours on its account.

It started life as one of two cuttings stuck in the ground one Autumn, of which one took. Maybe I should plant lots of cuttings from the chopping down and establish a more scientific hit rate? With gooseberries the same wheeze should be close to 100%. A willow fence might be interesting and even deer proof.