Saturday, April 07, 2007
Easter complications
Almost caught by something called Easter bread at Cheam today. A confection of something called unbleached flour, orange peel and saltanas; the whole covered in flour. A proceeding I do not approve of as it gets everywhere and does nothing for the taste of the confection in question. So settled for a second round of hot cross buns instead; buns which are not hot but which are covered with rather more sugary goo than I remember. Not bad all the same.
Talking of bus stops, those in Cheam are painted a orangy-yellow sort of colour. But given that Cheam is in London and therefore in the Livingstone domain, they set no precedent for Epsom council, run by a residents association to whom Livingstone and all his works are no doubt anathaema.
Some of the verges on the way home from Cheam have some of the small white flower which seemed to carpet the motorway verges back from up North and which clearly thrives on whatever it is that traffic chunk onto the verges. Must find out what it is called.
Pototoes now all safely in the ground, the Desiree not have sprouted nearly as much as the Kestrel. Maybe if one kept them in the fridge one could slow the sprouting down? Clearly the shops do something because theirs are largely sprout free. So I can now start worrying about water. Ground drying out fast and I don't think potatoes are very keen on dry - although the theory is that all the compost underneath them acts a reservoir. We shall see.
Must move on to all the rest of the planting now: more leaf beet and onions sets; leeks (my record for which is on a downward trend), cabbage and carrot. Then the all important question of marrow, pumpkins and all the rest of that clan. Will I do better with the indoor seeds that I usually manage? The idea being to have plants six inches high which one can put out in May all ready to go. That way one gets a longer growing season than the much more reliable (for me anyway) putting seeds straight in the ground in May. Will we try the blotting paper and airing cupboard method advertised somewhere or by somebody?
Pumpkin coloured and presumably flavoured soup today. Remarkable how long the things go on even if one turns most of them into Halloween lanterns.
Had the smallest ever forerib of beef during the week. A meagre 2 and a quarter pounds. Actually went in for pre-heating the oven for once (the thought being that one needed the additional precision that that gives one), did it for an hour at 185C and it turned out just about right. Not the same as a proper big peice where with luck one can achieve a bigger range of texture, colour and what have you - but for a mid week snack not bad at all. Rounded off with further rhubarb. Finished off in lunch time sandwiches the following day.
Talking of bus stops, those in Cheam are painted a orangy-yellow sort of colour. But given that Cheam is in London and therefore in the Livingstone domain, they set no precedent for Epsom council, run by a residents association to whom Livingstone and all his works are no doubt anathaema.
Some of the verges on the way home from Cheam have some of the small white flower which seemed to carpet the motorway verges back from up North and which clearly thrives on whatever it is that traffic chunk onto the verges. Must find out what it is called.
Pototoes now all safely in the ground, the Desiree not have sprouted nearly as much as the Kestrel. Maybe if one kept them in the fridge one could slow the sprouting down? Clearly the shops do something because theirs are largely sprout free. So I can now start worrying about water. Ground drying out fast and I don't think potatoes are very keen on dry - although the theory is that all the compost underneath them acts a reservoir. We shall see.
Must move on to all the rest of the planting now: more leaf beet and onions sets; leeks (my record for which is on a downward trend), cabbage and carrot. Then the all important question of marrow, pumpkins and all the rest of that clan. Will I do better with the indoor seeds that I usually manage? The idea being to have plants six inches high which one can put out in May all ready to go. That way one gets a longer growing season than the much more reliable (for me anyway) putting seeds straight in the ground in May. Will we try the blotting paper and airing cupboard method advertised somewhere or by somebody?
Pumpkin coloured and presumably flavoured soup today. Remarkable how long the things go on even if one turns most of them into Halloween lanterns.
Had the smallest ever forerib of beef during the week. A meagre 2 and a quarter pounds. Actually went in for pre-heating the oven for once (the thought being that one needed the additional precision that that gives one), did it for an hour at 185C and it turned out just about right. Not the same as a proper big peice where with luck one can achieve a bigger range of texture, colour and what have you - but for a mid week snack not bad at all. Rounded off with further rhubarb. Finished off in lunch time sandwiches the following day.
# posted by Jim @ 3:03 AM 
