Tastes of life
We are what we eat and what we do.Never too many eggs.
It is the time of year when hopefully egg production from your lovely chickens improves and you look at the egg rack and think “I feel a recipe is needed” so here are a few recipes to use up that glut . Also eggs can be frozen for later use.
Freezing eggs.
To freeze whole eggs, break them into a bowl and beat a little to blend. Tip
into a freezer bag or airtight plastic container and use within three months -
freeze them in small batches, as these will be most useful, and be sure to label
the number of eggs that go into each freezer bag. Whites and yolks can also be
frozen separately. Egg whites just need tipping into freezer bags, whereas egg
yolks need a pinch of salt or sugar beaten in (depending on whether they’ll be
used for sweet or savoury dishes later). This will stop them from thickening too
much upon freezing. Defrost frozen eggs in the fridge overnight and use them
straightaway
Mayonnaise
Makes 10 fl oz /375ml
2 Large egg yolks or 3 smaller
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 level teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
10fl oz ground nut oil (or vegetable oil not olive oil)
a few drops of white wine vinegar.
Method
Begin by putting the egg yolks into a large bowl adding the salt, pepper and mustard powder and mix all together.
Drop one drop of oil into the egg mixture at a time whisking as you go and taking it really slowly .It is going to take a few minutes but is worth it .When the mixture starts to thicken you can add the oil a bit faster until all the oil is mixed …When the mixture has started to thicken the crucial bit is over.Add the vinegar and adjust your seasoning if needed.
Curdling occurs if you add to much oil at the beginning ,not the end of the world if this happens .
* For light mayo simply substitute egg whites for some of the egg yolks.
Saving your Mayo.
Put a fresh egg yolk into a clean basin add the curdled mixture to that a drop at a time ,then carry on with the remainder of the oil as if nothing had happened .
Low fat Mayo
In a mixing bowl ,whisk 150g fromage frais (o% fat) with 1 egg yolk , 1tsp strong dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice until completly smooth.Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add a few chopped chives ,mint or tarragon just before serving.
Storing your lovely Mayo.
Mayonnaise should be stored in a screw top jar in a cool place ,the bottom of the fridge for about a week.
Lemon curd
Makes 550g
200g Butter, diced
200g caster sugar
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
4 egg yolks
Method
Put the butter , sugar,lemon zest and juice into a heat proof bowl.Stand the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water ..Making sure the base of the bowl is not in contact with the water… The butter will begin to melt in a few minutes .Whisk the mixture until it is completely smooth.
Add the egg yolks and whisk vigorously for about 10 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken .Pour the lemon curd into a jar and leave in the fridge.
Serve this lovely lemon curd straight from the jar onto hot buttered toast.
*For orange curd , substitute the lemons for 2 oranges and boil the juice to reduce by one-third before you start.
Meringues
If you have made either the mayo or the lemon curd you will have left over egg whites .Here is a recipe for meringue .
3 large egg whites
6oz (175 g ) caster sugar
Method
light oven to gas mark 2 (300 degrees F )
Place the egg whites into a large very clean bowl and whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down with out them sliding out.When they are ready start to whisk in the sugar about 1 oz (25 g) at a time whisking after each addition until all the sugar is in .
Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper and put large spoonfuls at a time on to baking sheet . Now place baking sheet into oven turning the gas down to number 1 (275 f ) and leave to cook for 1 hour . Turn the heat right off but leave the meringues inside the oven until it is completely cold.
You can then sandwich together if liked with cream or even lemon curd.
Chickens and Stress.
After losing one of our girls Poppy we introduced two new chickens to my existing two I have come to the conclusion which others probably already knew…Chickens suffer from stress like us. Read the rest of this entry »
Introductions of new chicks.
I can’t believe how successful so far this has been.It has been 5 weeks since we introduced 2 new girls Bonnie and Annie to our little group joining Clover and Rosie. Read the rest of this entry »
Beetroot facts and recipes.
For a while now I have been using the beetroot up from the freezer and what a stunning vegetable it is ! You can now grow yellow,stripy pink and the original red although you hardly find any of these in a supermarket. Read the rest of this entry »
Two New Chickens
We sadly had to have one of girls Poppy put to sleep last week as she was very poorly.It was extra sad as she was one of our original girls.
We had already made arrangements to get to more girls from a local farm so it made it slightly easier to bear the loss of poor Poppy. Read the rest of this entry »
Tips for new allotmenteers!
It was a hard year last year and a very late start this year .Usually we would have had a head start at the allotments by now but no chance!
So as I have nothing really to report I thought I would add a few bits of advice due to my expereiences down the years.
We started about 10 years ago after a lady I worked with told me about local ones going begging.I mean begging as they had been left with no organisation for years.
So for a small price we took one on in May of that year which was covered in couche grass…What a struggle! now my advice is one step at a time .
1. Divide your plot into squares so that you start and complete one bit at a time .
2. Don’t be daunted about the size ,if you think it would help cover part of it with membrane until you are ready to dig .
3.decide what is useful to keep like fruit bushes . Prune those if you can at this time of year so you can see what you have .
4. Only plant what you like to eat yourself and try and find varieties you can’t find in super markets..like yellow courgettes ,purple cauliflowers ,purple french beans .
5.Plant loads of potatoes as they break up the ground and cover an area quickly.We grow enough to last us the year .If stored properly in sacks they will.
6.Be aware of neighbours etc that say ” Oh you have your own veg ..Can I have some ? ” Don’t give it away .
7.Don’t be put off by what you think of as failures .We all have them . Enjoy being in the fresh air,exercising and making you and your family healthier by having your own veg which is cheaper and tastes better than aby thing you can buy .
8. Chat to others with a plot especcially the older people they have loads of knowledge and love telling “newbies” how to do it
Retirement ,Chickens & Allotments .
After 50 years it has come the time to hang up my work clothes.. Read the rest of this entry »
