Well September has hit with a flurry of preserving. We have invested in a slow cooker to render down all the excess fruit so we can bottle it as is and make jam and other things at more leisurely times of year. Things have been too hectic to do more than that.
Forage wise the blackberries are ripening slowly, the elderberries are out, the sloes are coming on nicely and rosehips are ready. Fungi are springing up around us, Devil's Boletus (poisonous) always arrives earlier than the main crop of Boletus Edulis (good to eat) so as the Devil's Boletus are up already....next weekend may be a good time to forage. Field Mushrooms are about and lovely if you get to them before the grubs.
The gardens are still providing nicely, hopefully our butternut squashes and aubergines will be ripe before the weather turns! The little pumpkins we've been growing are doing really well, and we've already had a few roasted with sunday lunch. They are a perfect size to be used without leaving waste and have thin skins so after a scrub they can be cooked and skin and all can be eaten. This certainly cuts down the preparation time.
I think our careful planning and good use of freezer space and preserving jars will keep us from resorting to imported veg again this winter, even with the less than ideal growing conditions. We have sorted out a hopefully frost free space for the squashes and pumpkins as last year they got frozen and the results were...well...mushy and difficult to clean up!
Apple storage space that is free from mice or birds is proving difficult though. It's all very well wrapping the apples in nettle leaves and tucking them in for winter, but if they become winter stores for our little furry neighbours.....perhaps an extention to the pantry might get planning permission?
Another exciting but not food related happening is the possible arriving of Solar Panels this month. Another major step towards self sufficiency.
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