Farming Friends

Kite flying is a great way to spend the bank holiday.

My family were staying this weekend and my sister has a 3 year old. They brought the kite so we all had a go at flying it in the paddock. My nephew thought it was great fun and secretly so did all the adults! Three generations of family enjoyed running up and down a wet field with a piece of string and a coloured piece of material cut into the shape of an animal. Life can’t get much better than that!!

Last week I noticed that the bird box had a blue tit nesting in it with 10 blue tit eggs inside.

Today when the family and I were playing football with my 3 year old nephew, we saw alot of movement around the nest box. I carefully climbed onto a chair and peered through the hole to see very, very tiny beaks.

The eggs have obviously hatched and the parents are feeding the chicks. Both parents could be seen flying backwards and forwards to the nest. It was very exciting.

I’m afraid I did not get a photograph as I didn’t want to disturb the blue tits and make them abandon their young. If the parents did abandon the chicks then the young would most certainly die as the chicks appeared to be newly hatched.

We didn’t stay long in the garden as we didn’t want to disturb the birds any more so we went to the paddock to fly my nephews kite which was great fun.

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.

On Sunday morning we got up bright and early to start on the list of jobs before the rain set in. Rain stopped work at midday. We managed to complete another 7 jobs in the short amount of time we had available.

1. Deweed border infront of kitchen.
2. Plant sunflower seedlings opposite kitchen.
3. Plant marigolds in between the sunflowers.
4. Dig over new vegetable area and remove large stones.
5. Deweed onion area.
6. Plant more onions.
7. Deweed garlic.
8. Plant out two varieties of lettuce.
9. Plant out radish plants.
10. Pot on radish seedlings.
11. Plant out beetroot plants.
12. Pot on beetroot seedlings.
13. Thin out carrots.
14. Plant out purple sprouting broccoli plants.
15. Plant out cauliflower plants.
16. Pot on courgette seedlings.
17. Plant out spinach seedlings.
18. Plant out butternut squash plants.
19. Pull up last year’s purple sprouting broccoli.
20. Plant sweet pea plants.
21. Relocate self seeded tomatoes.
22. Relocate self seeded lemon balm.
23. Plant out night shade.
24. Plant out delphiniums.
25. Pot on delphiniums.
26. Plant out pansies.
27. Cut down over-grown weeds in second veg garden.
28. Move old chicken huts from the orchard.
29. Relocate and clean larger brooder.
30. Set up the large brooder in preparation for the 2 week old guinea fowl keets.
31. Clean the small brooder ready for second guinea fowl hatch.
32. Sow more lettuce, beetroot and radish.
33. Clean out poultry hut.
34. Find and gather eggs.
35. Deweed 2 flower beds.

A total now of 16 jobs completed out of the 35 listed, only another 19 to go.

Yorkshire Puddings made with guinea fowl eggs taste great and the eggs give the puds an even greater golden colouring.

I have never been the greatest Yorkshire pudding maker, in fact I had given up making them as they were always heavy and stodgy, and needed the health warning, “Don’t go swimming after you’ve eaten my Yorkshire puds or you just might sink!” stated clearly before consumption!

My mother in law however is a fantastic Yorkshire pudding maker and therefore my husband just loves them, served either as a starter or with the Sunday roast.

Anyway following a recent purchase at a Pampered Chef party and in an attempt to please my husband I have been experimenting once again with Yorkshire pudding baking.

I bought the fabulous stoneware muffin tin from Pampered Chef back in October and my only regret is that I didn’t purchase the largest muffin tin.

Mine makes 6 puds although they are large puddings. The stoneware tin requires very little fat in the bottom, if any (making them a healthier option) and the puddings do not stick to the tin, so washing up after is never a chore.

I have not got a favoured family Yorkshire pudding recipe handed down through the generations, so following the purchase of the new stoneware tin, I set out to find myself a good Yorkshire pudding recipe. After numerous discussions with friends about which recipe they use and following many trials of various recipes, I am now using Delia Smith’s Yorkshire pudding recipe, although I replace 1 hen egg with 2 guinea fowl eggs.

Ingredients

• 3oz of plain flour.
• A pinch of salt and pepper.
• 1 large egg or 2 guinea fowl eggs.
• 3 fl oz of milk.
• 2 fl oz of water.

Method

1. Sift flour into a bowl.
2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour.
4. Add the egg/eggs and mix in well with a fork.
5. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring the mixture so that it doesn’t form lumps.
6. Mix the batter mix thoroughly.
7. Melt some lard or oil in the tin.
8. Add the mixture to the tin.
9. Place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius.
10. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Delia’s recipe produces puddings that are;

• Light.
• Golden brown.
• Soft.

The guinea fowl eggs add an extra yellow golden colouring to the Yorkshire puddings.

Yorkshire puddings are a very versatile food. They can be served in a number of ways;

• As a starter with gravy,
• As an accompaniment with a roast dinner,
• As small puddings filled with different ingredient and served as hordoerves.
• As large puddings filled with your favourite casserole.
• As toad in the hole with sausages cooked with the mixture.
• As a dessert.

If you have not yet tried Yorkshire puddings, I urge you to because they are delicious.

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.

My family arrived about 2pm on Saturday and as the weather forecast was so bad for the bank holiday weekend we decided to get straight to work. On Saturday we managed to complete a few of the jobs - note the jobs crossed off the list.

1. Deweed border infront of kitchen.
2. Plant sunflower seedlings opposite kitchen.
3. Plant marigolds in between the sunflowers.
4. Dig over new vegetable area and remove large stones.
5. Deweed onion area.
6. Plant more onions.
7. Deweed garlic.
8. Plant out two varieties of lettuce.
9. Plant out radish plants.
10. Pot on radish seedlings.
11. Plant out beetroot plants.
12. Pot on beetroot seedlings.
13. Thin out carrots.
14. Plant out purple sprouting broccoli plants.
15. Plant out cauliflower plants.
16. Pot on courgette seedlings.
17. Plant out spinach seedlings.
18. Plant out butternut squash plants.
19. Pull up last year’s purple sprouting broccoli.
20. Plant sweet pea plants.
21. Relocate self seeded tomatoes.
22. Relocate self seeded lemon balm.
23. Plant out night shade.
24. Plant out delphiniums.
25. Pot on delphiniums.
26. Plant out pansies.
27. Cut down over-grown weeds in second veg garden.
28. Move old chicken huts from the orchard.
29. Relocate and clean larger brooder.
30. Set up the large brooder in preparation for the 2 week old guinea fowl keets.
31. Clean the small brooder ready for second guinea fowl hatch.
32. Sow more lettuce, beetroot and radish.
33. Clean out poultry hut.
34. Find and gather eggs.
35. Deweed 2 flower beds.

9 jobs completed of the 35, only another 26 to go!!

The beautiful iris stands proud and tall in the garden like a regimented soldier.

Whenever I see the iris I am reminded of my Gran and Grandad’s garden in Hull. They always had an array of iris plants in full bloom. So when I saw mine in bloom for the very first time this month, I was nostalgically transported back to my childhood days at my Grannie and Grandad’s garden…… Oh what fun and enchanting times they were……..

My interest in gardening stems from my grandparents love of gardening, so thank you Gran and Grandad for enriching my life with a passion for gardening and nature.

Join

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

My guinea pig is called Guiness. He was a gift from my dear friend Betty and I have now had him for nearly two years. I called him guiness not because of his colouring but because Guiness sounds abit like guinea!

He is quite a shy guinea pig (not that you can tell this from these photographs!), although he will squeak as you walk past his cage when he wants something. Guiness often calls out when he wants some fresh vegetables. His favourites are carrot, cucumber, lettuce, courgette, banana skins, strawberries and apple. If his water container is getting low then he will also call out. He is a clever guinea pig.

My nephew has adopted Guiness as a birthday gift, so although Guiness still lives on the farm my nephew can tell his friends that he has a guinea pig. When he comes to visit he feeds Guiness and sometimes helps me to clean him out, which I think is great and so does my nephew and Guiness!