Spring Saturday

I decided I would drag the kids to the woods so I could get my annual treat of wild garlic.  It's not quite in flower yet but I did get a colander full (I did restrain myself as the crop in the woods didn't seem as abundant as it did last year).  I also got some catkins and some blackthorn to add to my forsythia on the kitchen table.







We were rather cold when we got back (normal spring weather resumed today) so we had pancakes for lunch.  These are the Jamie Oliver version and oh so yummy.  While I was clearing up JJ decorated his plastic egg that he got in a kit.  Hopefully won't take too long to dry!

While I had the camera out I took a picture of my carnation shoots that I've got in water.  I bought myself a bunch of them to go on the kitchen table, and when I got them unwrapped they were covered in new shoots up the stems so I pulled them all off before I put the flowers in the jug.  In a few weeks I shall plant them in the garden and hopefully the garden will then be full of yellow carnations.

Gifts

I entered on a gorgeous blog for this lovely cushion and won!  How fab is it...and the way Shaz used a shirt too is great.  Go take a look :o).

In the evening a lovely friend from our home ed group called in with all this bounty from her allotment...there's alsorts including some fennel which is hidden under all that rhubarb.  I went and helped her with some foraging in payment, although I didn't get any for myself as my hob is still out of action :o(.

Oooh :o)

Just look what I found on the way to knitter knatters last night! How many times have I walked past this hedgerow and never ever seen them before!? I didn't get them last night though (I don't always carry a basket round with me ;o) ), but JJ and I did go and fetch them this morning, along with a fair few scratches.

We also brought home a gorgeous teasel...again with more scratches as I had to try and snap it with my fingers!! We resorted to a fabulous stone in the end that had a good sharp edge. Using the earth around us :o).

I also pulled this borage up from the side of the road..roots and all. Hopefully it will take in the pot.

I've also been working on these for the shop.....

...sorting through all my craft stuff and finishing this heart....

....making myself a very simple necklace with beads threaded on some waxed cord then with a simple button and loop fastening on the end (should have taken a picture of that).....

....making myself this gorgeous necklace with a piece of seaglass and some jewellery wire. I think the wire I got was actually too thick but I don't care...I love it!

Right, off to finish a commision piece for a customer while watching Despicable Me for the hundreth time!!

Ohhh and oops!

Oohhhh, or maybe mmmmm, or both?! We've been to the woods again. This time we came back with wild garlic, nettles and jack-by-the-hedge. So this afternoon I made some.....

...wild green's soup,

some nettle and jack-by-the-green flatbreads,

some wild garlic butter (which I then wrapped in 25g pieces in greaseproof paper and put in a box in the freezer),

and some fish cake mix ready for tea :o). I have still got enough wild garlic left to make some more soup and some flavoured oil.

Here's my blanket so far. I know this doesn't really give you any idea of size etc but I couldn't be bothered to unroll it! I'm loving the simple repetitiveness of this...just rows and rows of treble crochet. Now, do you wanna see the oops?

I wasn't supposed to be buying any more wool (other than a couple of balls to go with the blanket) but just look at all that...for a fiver!!!!!! All wool mixes too. Charity shops are great.

Free (pt 2)

Claire gave me the idea of collecting the wheat/barley from the harvested fields - so here's the chickens enjoying a free snack. While we're on the subject of the chickens I thought I'd show you where they lay..........

.....nothing in here!

Shall I show you where they actually lay (and I think I'd be more inclined to lay here too)......

......take a peek. It's an absolute bugger to reach under here but the smell from the honeysuckle makes up for it ;o).



Free - from my Dad's garden yesterday. I had run out, and my crop this year is rubbish, so this is perfect.

Then on the way home, while we were looking at the fishes and dragonflies in a large ditch we spotted these.....

.....cherries!! The trees have been covered this year but I've never had a suitable recepticle to carry them home in before. I had to wrap the lavender in my cardigan and then used my bag to bring these home. They taste delicious - not sour at all.

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Thank you for all the lovely comments over the last few posts - it's lovely to get some feedback. Scented Sweetpeas - if only I'd read your comment a few hours earlier - I might have had those peaceful feelings all day long then ;o).

Bit of everything

Something different for the shop (when I get the time to put it in!)

Gift bags (again, for the shop)

Charity shop bargain - 2 M&S pillowcases in gorgeous fabric, for 50p.

And Free - who needs to buy flowers when we can get these for nothing?!

Free

Pine cones collected for a display.

Eggs from the chickens cooking for tea.

Wild rose buds dried ready for use.

Foraged chamomile ready for drying.

My very first raspberries from the plants given to me by my Nan.

oOo

The best things really are free :0)

The good and the bad

Three birthday cards down, three to go!

Foraged chamomile.

One more tin for the shop.

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And the bad...wild rose petal jam. The petals wouldn't dissolve, I stupidly added a bit more sugar when I shouldn't have so it's crystalised, so a bit of a disaster really. It did smell lovely while it was cooking though ;-)

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I'm currently making some more elderflower cordial and the green parent summer season swap, plus three more cards to make before the weekend, and more stock for the shop. Off to see Green Day this weekend, I'm so excited!!!!!!!

Foraging and Vans

Hubby and I went foraging with a pair of ladders and my large basket and came back with a mountain of hops. We sat and removed them from their vines in the evening and there they are drying in the gorgeous sunshine we have had today.

One campervan tin as suggested. Three campervans around the tin, black and orange cotton for the top and bottom blanket stitch. In the shop now.

Afternoon in the kitchen

Banana tea loaf from the bero cookbook that belonged to my Mum.




Beetroot cooking ready for pickling later.




Strawberries sitting in sugar (draws out the juices) waiting to be made into jam tomorrow.

Squash curry simmering away in the slow cooker - recipe posted by the lovely Joxy on the GP forum.

And last but not least, hops gathered this morning, to be dried to make beer with.