"With Pomp, Power & Glory the world beckons vainly, In chase of such vanities why should I roam?While Peace & Content bless my little thatched cottage,And warm my own hearth with the Treasures of Home."*Beatrix Potter

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Summer's End & Harvesting

 

Canning Applesauce.

We picked our first apples of the year from the tree in the chicken run, we had to be quick as the hens were enjoying the first one's to fall.



                     This is our solid fuel range, it does our cooking, heating & hot water. 
             I love my Esse range, although this time of year it does get so hot in the kitchen.


 
The recipe I always use is from the Ball Home Preserving book, this book tells you all you need to can & preserve.
 
I use a mix of Kilner & Mason jars which I get from America.
 
 
All done, 7 pints of applesauce for the pantry shelves.
We try to can & preserve as much as we can from the garden.
 

Summer's End in the Garden.

How I love our garden with our pretty church next door.
We have many fruit trees & an Old English walnut tree.
I feel like I am in a period long ago when I am in the cottage & garden.
 

 
Pretty soon all those leaves will be falling, I love Autumn.
 
 
Our old pear tree.
I will be making pear butter with them.

 
The sweet peas have done so well this year, one of the best smells in the world.

 
Another apple tree laden with fruit, these will be made in to apple butter.
 





A favourite fruit cake of ours.

I love this old cook book from Ruth Mott.

Do you remember The Victorian Kitchen & Garden.

We have the box set of dvd's to watch this Winter.


 A rustic cobb loaf for tea.






                                                          
            The twins love decorating cakes & baking. At homeschool they do a lot of baking.

                              
 
Gingerbread, another recipe from the wonderful Ruth Mott.
This is best to keep for a week, so we will enjoy it for Sunday tea.
 
 
 
A trip out to Helmswell Antique Centre, the biggest antiques centre in Europe.
We found some vintage buttons, green being Mary's favourite so we will have to find something to knit for her so she can have some of the green buttons.
The twins love going antiquing & they came home with some vintage dolls house furniture & an old Enid Blyton book.
I found this lovely old sewing basket.
 
 
We have another engagement in the family, our second eldest son Harry has got engaged to his lovely girlfriend Kate.  How times flies, it seems not long ago he was a baby.