The joy of homegrown rhubarb

My parents & grandparents grew rhubarb & I have always loved the sharp taste, especially when tempered with a sweet custard or a dollop of cream.  My late father in law always 'forced rhubarb' for a treat at Easter by putting a vintage chimney pot over the crown with hay on top to force it in to early growth. It was a delight with hot custard. 

Our own crown is grown in a rather large black pot in the garden & over the winter, I added some of the wood ash from our log burner to the pot, apparently it is something they really like. Truth be told, the wood ash was emptied on a different part of the garden over the winter to spread it out because ash is beneficial to plants in moderate amounts. 

Our rhubarb has certainly put on a growth spurt & I decided to pick some today for a Sunday pudding. The leaves are toxic so they were cut off. The stalks were washed well, cut them in to shorter lengths, layered them in to an oven dish. I added about 150g of frozen cranberries to the rhubarb, sprinkled a generous lot of brown sugar on top & mixed the cranberries & rhubarb to mix them up. 

All it needed is a crumble topping. Here is a healthier topping , or this one I used previously with more precise measurements. I usually wing mine - about 4 large serving spoons of flour, just less in rolled oats, 1 large sprinkle of desiccated coconut, a sprinkle of brown sugar & about 130g of butter. All were worked in to a large crumbly mixture, & then sprinkled generously over the fruit. 

Baked at about 180 fan for 30 minutes, but covered in foil after about 15 min to stop the top browning before the fruit had cooked. 

Served hot with a dollop of honey yoghurt. Absolutely scrumptious. 

I hope you have something growing that you also enjoy. Thanks for stopping by, 

Dee 🪏🪴👩‍🌾🏡

A creative week at Making Zen

 

I am naturally a creative person who loves the quiet time of making things that do not have to have a purpose at all, other than to bring joy to the maker.  

I took art at tertiary level & always found the drawing side to be more challenging than the making side. 

My Mother & Grandmother could turn their hands to most sewing projects & I am comfortable with 'just having a go'.

I love to join the online 'Making Zen' retreat run twice a year usually because it exposes me to new skills that I might use in a different project but the skills are never lost. 

These are some of last years projects from the Making Zen retreat -  

Sewing a pouch with a gusset 

Weaving with intention 

Making a tsunobukuro style bag

and some previous ones 

Using new stitches to make a baobab tree 

Using water soluble film to make a new fabric 

Stitching some little zen bags 

I do not subscribe to the (bought) VIP package, but print off the workshops & handouts & make notes along the way to help me remember the techniques further down the line. Each unpaid one is only available for 24 hours which galvanises the mind to concentrate on the techniques. The ethos of reusing fabrics is a great one across all the workshops & the tutors all encouraged it. 

Meredith Woolnought, who did the reverse applique technique I used previously, had an interesting workshop on negative spaces. It was a paper activity that has many practical uses. It is not something we think of too often, the spaces between that define an image. Her workshop used a background circle & then torn or cut paper to create an evenly spaced work. I had a travel brochure at hand & decided to use that while she was demonstrating. 

I did a second one with another 2 pages from the travel brochure but was drawn to the words on the article so I cut them out & it then became like a journal entry - a very interesting concept that can be applied to journaling I think. 

The Stitchers pocket companion pouch by Giovanna Zara was not as straightforward as the tutors expert work, but I used fabrics 

I already had & it was passable. Short cuts seldom work & the machine stitched sides kept bunching up in the bobbin & I had to then oversew with blanket stitch anyhow.

 I should have just done the hand sewing instead of using the machine. You live & learn. 

Many of us were looking forward to the workshop by Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir where she made wishing houses to hold intentions. 

I told you these workshops are totally self indulgent & zen at the same time. 

It uses a 4x8 inch scrap of cloth that is embroidered, stitched & then folded over. 

I had a piece of vintage lace out so used that for the roof part then got totally carried away with the stitching on the front, a cottage covered in rose blooms. 

It was a fun one to make & her lettering advice was very helpful indeed; I find my lettering is not as neat as it should be but that is simply a lack of practice.

I am always extremely grateful to the inspirational & diverse workshops offered & the new skills I learn. 

I hope I am not the only one who believes in life-long learning & honing in of skills. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is greatly appreciated

Dee 🏠🪡🧵📍🔖📝

Delicate bluebells, vibrant fields & interesting hedgerows

 

April comes with our woods being filled with bluebells, their delicate stems dancing in the breeze. There are some interesting facts & superstitions associated with bluebells & fairy rings. The sap used to be used in book binding. 

We have been on a few local walks through fields of vibrant yellow rape seed / canola & stopped to take photos of the bluebells nestled next to the hedgerows. 

In places on the field, the rape seed was as tall as I am & being at the same height gives you a heady scent. The flowers attract all sorts of little insects & bugs & when I got back to the car & at home, I found all sorts of things dropping out of my hair. 

Our little wood opposite our house had such interesting clusters of bluebells - blue, pink & white ones in clusters under the trees. 

Nature has the best colours under the dappled light of the emerging leaves in the woods. The woods have English bluebells but we have some Spanish ones in our garden that I do not remember planting, just a little patch under the shrubs. This link helps to identify the two different ones. 

I hope you have time to get out in nature too & to enjoy the calm of forest bathing in the woods - just connecting to nature & birdsongs. 

Thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment so I can return the visit. 

Dee 🪾🪵🌾💐

Date & banana bread

 

I am always loathe to throw over ripe bananas because they make the best banana bread. 

The recipe I used today makes 1 large loaf & 12 muffin size ones. 

250g salted butter, at room temperature 

200g brown sugar

4 large eggs

200g of pitted dates, cut & soaked in fruit tea to just cover

5 / 6 ripe bananas, mashed

480g flour

2 tbsp of baking powder

1-2 tsp spices of choice (cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg etc)

2 tsp vanilla extract 

I used loaf liners / muffin papers so no need to grease the pans

Preheat the oven to 175c fan

Chop the 200g of dates, place in a shallow bowl & add a fruit tea bag & boiling water to just cover. I used peach & orange tea but any fruit or earl grey tea will do. Leave to steep & mash with a fork. 

Cream the butter & sugar till light & fluffy.

Add the cooled dates & the liquid to the bowl & mix again till light. 

Add the eggs & some of the flour & mix well. 

Add the remaining flour, the vanilla extract, the baking powder & spices & mix lightly. 

I first added a serving spoon of mixture to each of the 12 muffin cases, then spooned the rest of the mixture in to the loaf tin. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes for the muffins - check with a sharp knife to see if done. 

Keep baking the loaf for another 25-35 minutes until a sharp knife comes out cleanly. 

I covered it half way with tin foil to stop it browning too much. 

Cool on racks, pop on the kettle & enjoy. 

If I am not going to eat all the loaf over a few days, I slice it & freeze it sliced. 

When a treat is needed, a slice can be heated & then buttered so it is never wasted. 

How do you like yours? Tell all.  

Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🧈🧑‍🍳 📝👩‍💻

Minding my time ...

 

I do like to have time to just 'be' - to relax & gather my thoughts in a contemplative way.  Solitude is always welcome in my world. 

My friends recognised that I am changing my work / life balance to more life this year & their gifts reflected this. 

The trio of Sara Miller gifts is perfect for quiet time - a mindful journal, biscuit tin (that was filled with homemade shortbread when it arrived) and a matching tea tin are a delight. I am tending towards fruit teas in the afternoon & this is a perfectly lovely tin to keep them in.  I am not a fan of green tea but the fruit teas are very nice hot, with a sprig of mint or lemon verbena when that leaves up again after winter. 

The biscuit tin has gifted biscuits - little almond biscotti & some delightful pfeffernusse cookies. The soft ginger texture is very tasty. They look delightful in the tin. 

The mindfulness journal requires dedication to use it often - there are no days so it is 'mindful' writing rather than needful. 

I saw this 'postage stamp' cutter used on various Instagram feeds & it is an interesting way to take a snippet of things in ones day. This one has the advantage of an open cutting side so you can position it over the part you want to use. It is a new toy that I am using to include snippets in my journal. 

I love candles but am mindful that some give off toxic fumes. This is a gifted one made of soya wax with a delicate scent in the right tone to go with the set. 

The pen was gifted last year by another friend - who else loves a good pen? It makes all the difference to how you write when you use a pen that glides. I have taught hundreds of pupils to write over my long career in education & need to take my own advice - slow down & write neatly!

I am pencilling things in to my diary - courses I have already booked & those I want to take; one has to plan ahead to enjoy the luxury of more time. I do not intend to waste mine. Inspire me with what you do ... 

Thank you for stopping by, you are always most welcome here. 

Dee ✍️📝👩‍💻🖋️📑