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Monthly Archives: October 2013

A Forgotten Fruit

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by wellywoman in autumn, Fruit, Recipes

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

'Blenheim Orange', 'Pitmaston Pineapple', Brogdale, Otter Farm, quince, quince crumble recipe

Quince

Quince (Cydonia oblonga) are an odd fruit, shaped like a knobbly pear, skin the colour of school custard with a downy covering similar to that of a baby bird. And yet, despite being easy to grow in the British climate they’re a bit of a rarity. You won’t find them in supermarkets where a myriad of exotics flown in from abroad are easy to come by. If you’re lucky to have a greengrocer nearby who really knows their stuff you might catch a glimpse of the fruit and it’s unmistakable, almost radioactive, yellow glow.

I first came across this forgotten fruit a few years ago. I’m lucky to live not far from an amazing farmers’ market where twice a month a wealth of locally produced food goes on sale in the village hall. One of the suppliers is an organic fruit grower. He has introduced us to jostaberries, yellow raspberries and an impressive selection of apple varieties including ‘Pitmaston Pineapple’ which does have a pineappley flavour, and ‘Claygate Pearmain’. Then one October Saturday I spotted a tray of quince and I had to snap some up. I wasn’t sure what to do with them but I figured there would be some recipes lurking in my collection of recipe books.

Quince used to be popular here in Britain. It’s ability to work as an accompaniment to meats and cheeses as well as a dessert meant they featured significantly in medieval cooking when the distinction between sweet and savoury food was much more blurred. One drawback though is they can’t be eaten raw when grown in our climate. The flesh is hard, like an unripe pear. Perhaps this explains why quince fell out of favour as our eating habits changed. Cooking softens the flesh and provides the opportunity to add something sweet to reduce the sharpness of the fruit. Quince might not provide the perfect quick snack on the run, like an apple or banana, but the need to spend a little time preparing it isn’t a negative for me. They form part of the bounty of autumn, a time when colder weather and darker nights lend themselves to slow cooked food. A bowl of strawberries wouldn’t satisfy me as it did back in summer, now I crave a crumble, and so far this is my favourite way to eat quince. It’s also rather lovely roasted in wedges with pork chops or you could add it to tagines instead of apricots, like they do in Morocco. Use it in jams and pickles. It’s even a popular flavouring for a fruity brandy in the Balkans.

You can get an idea of the flavour of the fruit from the aroma they emit. Forget those artificial plug-in air fresheners, put a few quince in a bowl and they will fill your room with a beautiful citrus scent until you use them. They last well too, so leaving them in a bowl for several weeks is not a problem. As for the taste, well there’s definitely apple, a hint of orange, the astringency of lemon and a touch of the floral, but not in a parma violets, soapy way. it’s that floral note that elevates quince to a higher fruity level.

Quince are native to western Asia, the area around Afghanistan, Iran and Georgia but they spread into the eastern Mediterranean too and they have been cultivated there for many centuries. The Spanish make dulce membrillo, a fruity paste known as a cheese which goes perfectly as an accompaniment to cheese of the dairy kind. They adapt surprisingly well to growing in our climate, so if you would like to guarantee a supply of the fruit the best way is to grow your own. They are hardy but a warm, sheltered, sunny position is best to protect the blossom from frost and to help the fruit ripen. They are self-fertile so one tree is sufficient and will provide even the most ardent quince-lover enough fruit to get them through the winter. The RHS recommends the varieties ‘Meech’s Prolific’, ‘Vranja Nenadovic’ (AGM) and ‘Portugal’. You might also come across ‘Serbian Gold’ which used to be known as ‘Leskovac’ and is said to be the hardiest and the variety most able to cope with a wetter climate. One of the latest additions is ‘Krymsk’, an introduction from Russia which is said to ripen sufficiently on the tree to be eaten fresh. If you’re tempted then try one of the specialist fruit growers for advice on the best rootstock and which variety would suit your conditions. Otter Farm, Carrob Growers and Brogdale all sell a selection of quince. If space is tight there’s even a patio quince, ‘Sibley’s’, that can be grown in a pot.

You should be able to find quince for sale right through into November so if you can track some down here’s my Spelt, Apple and Quince Crumble recipe.

Ingredients – Enough for 2 but Wellyman does have a big appetite.

  • 80g spelt flour for a nutty flavour
  • 30g butter
  • 20g golden caster sugar
  • 1 medium size apple – I like ‘Blenheim Orange’
  • 1 quince
  • a sprinkle of sugar for the fruit

Making

  • Preheat your oven at 180C or gas mark 4.
  • Wash the downy bloom from your quince and place whole in a pan with boiling water.
  • Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes or until a fork goes into the flesh easily. Then remove from pan and allow to cool.
  • Rub the spelt flour and butter together until you have a breadcrumb type texture.
  • Stir the sugar into the crumble mixture.
  • Cut the quince into chunks, removing the core. You can rub off the skin if you want but it isn’t necessary.
  • Prepare your apple, cutting into small chunks and removing the core.
  • Add the quince with chopped apple to a baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Dessert apples are naturally much sweeter than the traditional cooker, ‘Bramley’s’, so you won’t need to use as much sugar. As the quince has a natural sharpness a sweeter apple variety works well in the recipe.
  • Then cover with the crumble topping. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
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Limbo

18 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by wellywoman in In the Garden, propagation

≈ 47 Comments

Tags

hardwood cuttings, semi-ripe cuttings

Poppy

I’ll be relying on annuals such as poppies for a splash of colour next year.

There’s an irony about my last post being about change. The same day I wrote it Wellyman came home from work to say the words redundancy and relocation. It was almost as if I could feel something in the air. There are numerous permutations of potential outcomes, which are all a bit vague at the moment whilst we wait for decisions from above to be made, but it does mean a fairly substantial period of uncertainty is now ahead of us.

There were so many thoughts whirring around my head and of course the garden featured quite prominently. I felt quite selfish thinking about how my plans for border redesigns were disappearing fast and would I get another growing season on my allotment when livelihoods are at stake. The garden and plot are such fundamental parts of my life though. The joy of being in one place has been the ability to put down roots in both senses of the word.

We’ve been here before on several occasions. One year a move was timed for the end of April and I was determined I wouldn’t miss out on a whole growing season so I went ahead and sowed all manner of seeds as if as normal. We ended up driving what was in effect a mobile greenhouse along the M4. Wellyman didn’t bat an eyelid as yet another seed tray was brought out to the car as he waved off the removal lorry. Before we have lived in rented places with a myriad collection of pots that were easy to move; this time we have a garden that has been built up over time with cherished plants growing happily in the soil.

So the question is how do I tackle the feeling of limbo and approach my plans for the garden and allotment in 2014? I’m the sort of person who likes a plan and I’m happier when I can just get on with what is needed. Having to wait around for others to make decisions about our future is frustrating but I’m hoping my own plan, a strategy for the garden, at least will counter any inclination to procrastinate, and the resulting descent into gardening apathy. The idea of garden border redesigns are out. Instead I think I’m going to rely on annuals. They’re cheap, easy to grow and will put on a good show. They won’t provide the long-term structure I was hoping to introduce but then long-term structure isn’t what I’m looking for now.

Baby fatsias I propagated a few years ago.

Baby fatsias I propagated a few years ago.  I gave two away and now have one good-sized plant that can come with us.

A programme of propagation is going to be instigated. (I like the word ‘instigated’ as it gives it all a sense of military precision. The reality will be somewhat different.) Establishing a garden isn’t a cheap process so whilst I don’t want to strip the garden of plants and dig everything up, likewise I don’t want to have to start completely from scratch again. There are also the logistics to think about. Transporting a large number of plants and containers to wherever we end up could be an expensive business. I did hear a story from one of the removals companies where one client had two lorries – one for the furniture, the other for the plants. It might have just been cheaper to buy new plants.

Viola cornuta 'Alba'

Viola cornuta ‘Alba’ – one plant I wouldn’t be without.

What I have learnt over the last few years is the speed at which most plants grow. I did initially get a bit carried away when I first started planting up the garden. It wasn’t long before I was having to divide plants and I realised I could have probably got away with buying a few less plants. So bearing all this in mind I’m going to proceed a little like Noah and build up an ark of my plants in the greenhouse and cold frames; a couple of each of the plants I most want to take with me. Over the coming weeks I’ll scout around the garden for any self-sown perennials and grasses and plant these up. I’ll also have a nosey about for any plants that are sending out suckers and pot up any which look substantial enough to be moved.

November is the perfect time to take hardwood cuttings and I’m taking notes of prime candidates for this type of propagating. It’ll be good practice as I haven’t needed to take hardwood cuttings since I left college. A hardwood cutting is the perfect way to increase shrubs and trees. If I’m quick and thanks to the mild autumn so far, I might also be able to sneak in some semi-ripe cuttings, which are best taken from late summer to mid-autumn. Then, come the spring, I’ll be poised to divide plants as they spring into life.

Hopefully this strategy will give some focus to my gardening plans over winter. If anyone has any tips on moving a garden I would love to hear them.

Distinctly Autumnal

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by wellywoman in autumn, Countryside, Out and About, Woodland

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

Loch Lomond National Park, National Museum of Scotland roof garden, red squirrels, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Trossachs

Autumn foliage

Most of us crave the familiar. The security and safety it brings, the sense of belonging and rootedness to a place. There is something very comforting about walking a path that is so well trodden you feel you know every twist and turn, every little patch of hedgerow, every tree. Then there are times when all you want to do is get away, when the familiarity of the daily routine has become claustrophobic and a change of scene is needed.

Wellyman and I had both got to that point several weeks ago but he had an exam to revise for which meant any get-away had to be put on hold. Wellyman is studying for an Open University degree. It’s a part-time course and he’s fitting it in around his job. It’s not the quickest way to get a degree, taking six years in total and it has been a huge commitment but he’s getting there with only 2 years left now. I’m immensely proud of the work he’s putting in but there is a collective sigh of relief when he finishes each year and there’s a three month break before the next one starts. So as soon as his exam was over last week we were off for a short break to Edinburgh.

When we left Wales it still felt like summer, mild and sunny, but it was distinctly autumnal by the time we’d reached Edinburgh. Leaves were swirling around in the wind coming in from the North Sea which had an icy chill that I remember from my days as a student in Newcastle. I’m not really a city girl, too much traffic and concrete make me feel uncomfortable but Edinburgh is such a green city and I was surprised at how at home I felt there.

The glasshouse at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh

The glasshouse at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh

We were staying in a leafy suburb which turned out to be only a ten minute walk away from the Royal Botanic Gardens. I’d love to claim that it was planned that way but it was a happy coincidence. The gardens themselves are free, you just pay to enter the glasshouses. The 70 acres of grounds felt much more like a park with a stunning collection of trees. What an amazing resource to have on your doorstep for free. The glasshouses were impressive and so toasty and warm it was tempting just to stay in there all day. I wonder if, as the weather gets colder, the staff engineer all sorts of ways to make sure they can work inside, in the warmth?

Cyperus papyrus against the backdrop of the glasshouse roof.

Cyperus papyrus against the backdrop of the glasshouse roof.

Later that day we were seven floors up on the rooftop garden of the National Museum of Scotland taking in the impressive view across the skyline of the city. I’m not sure how many of the tourists noticed the planting around the edge of the viewing point, the castle being the main draw, but it was an interesting addition showcasing plants from Scottish habitats with coastal plants, alpines and a planter featuring species adapted to boggy conditions. If I was a plant though I think I’d rather be one of those in the warmth of the botanic garden’s glasshouses.

The cutest red squirrel

The cutest red squirrel

On our last day the countryside outside the city was calling. Only an hour or so north was the eastern edge of the Loch Lomond National Park and the range of hills known as the Trossachs. The scenery was stunning with the burnt umber colour of dying bracken spreading across the hillsides, the yellowing leaves of birch and beech and tumbling waterfalls. The highlight of the day and an unexpected treat was seeing red squirrels. The visitor book attested to the fact that they were there but after sitting in the hide for 20 minutes or so we started to think it wasn’t going to be our day. Then Wellyman whispered ‘SQUIRREL’ and there it was scampering around collecting nuts and burying them. They are such delightful creatures which can’t fail to make you smile especially when all you can see is their big bushy tail sticking out of a bird feeder. It’s only the second time I have seen red squirrels, our native species which is under threat from the non-native greys.

The Trossachs

The Trossachs

I have never seen trees covered in so much lichen. They were dripping in them. And there were fungi dotting the forest floor and clinging to the sides of trees, species we had never seen before. At one point we came across a mossy area covered in clumps of black. They looked like piles of cow dung but on closer inspection we could see they were fungi. It was a stunning place, somewhere which left us wanting more.

Black fungus which looked like piles of of dung.

Black fungus which looked like piles of dung.

Long journeys are fun when you’re travelling to your holiday destination, the return however is nearly always a bind. Misty and murky weather, heavy traffic and hour upon hour of motorway provide too much time for thinking with that post-holiday clarity that makes you question where you’re going and what you’re doing. Holidays provide a change that we’re craving, change can be unsettling though and I guess that’s why many of us have post-break blues. It’s generally not long before fanciful ideas of packing up and travelling or moving somewhere else get lost in the routine of daily life. But time away can make us see the familiar in a positive way too. We were only away for 4 days but the seasonal difference was quite distinct on our return. The garden we left had been clinging on to summer remarkably well. Looking out of the kitchen window this morning it is clearly autumn. The Virginia creeper is turning red, as is the liquidambar. The thin strap-like leaves of Anemanthele lessoniana have tinges of orange and there is a soggy look of decay to the herbaceous perennials, but still no frost means Verbena bonariensis and cosmos are providing shots of colour. These changes wouldn’t have been nearly so distinct if I had been staring at the garden every day. Seeing the seasonal evolution in the garden has also triggered a sense of urgency to tackle my list of jobs before my inclination for hibernation takes over completely. Now if the weather would oblige with some dry days that would be much appreciated.

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My latest book – The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My Book – The Cut Flower Patch

My Book - The Cut Flower Patch. Available to buy from the RHS online bookshop.

The Cut Flower Patch – Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014

The Cut Flower Patch - Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014
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