Nature's bounty.....

I've had a grand old time here this week pretending at least for a short while to be a real domestic goddess! Housekeeping and the like has never been one of my greatest strengths despite being a dedicated stay at home mum for years. I'm messy, disorganized and relaxed about housekeeping standards. (I do like to think I practice good basic hygiene however especially in regards to food handling)
Beginning with the apples I stewed on Tuesday I have been cooking up a storm to deal with the bounteous harvest from our fruit and vegetable gardens. First up was the job of stewing the rest of the bucket of apples left from Tuesday's efforts.

Don't they look oh so scrummy and kind of cute all packaged up in their little freezer proof tubs? The only way I can think they would look nicer is to be in beautiful preserving jars. A batch of fowlers vacola jars and a sterilising unit is something I'd like to look into buying at some time.

Next to get my attention was this MONSTER beetroot!

Yes it's a beetroot and it weighed about 4.5 kilos. It is a different variety to what we grew last year and is long and tubular in shape. (No it's not deformed) Most would be picked and eaten well before they reach this size but we just had so many beetroot this year that despite pickling two big batches we still have heaps left in the ground. We also did very well with our carrots this year although they have gone a little nuts and are turning into weird little things with lots of twisted, hairy and bent legs! It makes them a little difficult to peel and chop but their home grown sweetness is so worth the effort.

We planted three pumpkin vines this year and they have given us more pumpkin than we can possibly eat. Pumpkin soup was an obvious choice for using up at least some of our pumpkin although I am still searching for that 'best' pumpkin soup recipe.

I was busy having 'Cinderella' visions whilst admiring this beauty.

Look at that colour! Isn't it fabulous?

I blended the soup up this morning and now have a nice little stockpile in the freezer. I roasted some vegetables for last night's dinner and am still left with half a pumpkin. Pumpkin scones may be on the agenda this afternoon or tomorrow.
How is this for a fabulous soup pot btw? Some of you will be aware I only recently moved in with my partner of three years. The house was originally his parents and there are oodles of things here that belonged to them. I've yet to explore fully what vintage treasures might be waiting to be found but I know his mum had some wonderful old things in her kitchen. This soup pot is fantastic, it's Bessemer ware so I suspect from the 1980s era. It is HUGE and so heavy I can barely lift it empty! It is also a non stick pan and I can see it is going to be well used in the future!

Look at the size of that baby!
I had a full day in the kitchen yesterday and STILL have rhubarb and quinces to deal with. I don't think it will happen today but there is always tomorrow.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

She'll be apples....

Well Winter arrived early here today with the rain from all through the night continuing on throughout the new day. It was definately a do something inside day and since we had the wood stove going I decided to stew up a batch of our delicious home grown apples.

We only have a wood stove here and whilst it's lovely it sometimes limits my baking creativity and choices. Usually it remains unlit for 6 months of the year. (We do have a microwave, toaster oven and electric frypan to cook with in the warmer months) Today was the first time we have had the stove lit this year and it makes the whole house so deliciously toasty warm.

As I enjoyed the homely warmth in our kitchen my beloved partner strode bravely off into the elements to collect windfalls and pick above mentioned apples. We have 5 or 6 different apple trees in our garden, they are all different varieties and ripen in quick succession. We lost a bit of fruit this year to the dreaded coddling moth despite our best organic methods to reduce the problem. We also expect each year to share the bounty with the resident possums and visiting cockatoos and various garden grubs. There is always way more than we can possibly eat.

There is something special about home grown apples. They smell so divine, something that you just don't get with supermarket apples. It was a literal sensual feast for me today as I peeled and sliced.
The crisp white flesh of the apples looked so pure and fresh. Juice oozed onto the chopping board, my knife and my hands. Then the added scent of sugar, cloves and cinnamon added to the pleasure.

I'm not really supposed to have the sugar since I am diabetic but my dietician did tell me all things in moderation so I'm taking the liberty of taking her advice quite literally! I'm still learning to cook on a wood stove and added a little too much water to the apples today but I will know for next time. A few batches in the freezer and I made a yummy apple crumble for tonight's dessert with the rest. We still have a bucket full of apples to be stewed so I will be doing some more in the coming days.

It's been a while since I've been quite so domestic and I enjoyed it. Now who's for apple crumble?
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Our garden's autumn offerings...

Whilst we may not get the pleasure of trees with everchanging leaf colour in the Autumn I recently took a few photos in the garden and for lack of blogging inspiration this week will share them here with you all.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

**all photos my own
Little green apples

grevillea