A gardening life in Brittany

Sloe Gin

trevorhunt — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 15:46:17 +0000

The month of September holds so much for me. It is THE month to be out there foraging for Nature’s free fruit bounty. Blackberries, Sloes, Rowan, Elder, Crab Apples, Haws, Rose Hips are all there for the taking. I recommend Richard Mabey’s Food for Free for inspiration. October is the month for nuts and fungi.

Sloes

This afternoon we went and picked a load of Sloes. Do not be tempted to bite into one of these as they are the most acidic berry you are likely to come across. But they do serve their purpose either by means of a jelly or, as in my case, a beautiful full-bodied liqueur, Sloe Gin.

I use a recipe l found many years ago. Some say you should pick the berries after the first frost but our frosts are quite late we pick them now before they wither away to nothing. Basically take a bottle, quarter fill it with pricked sloes as this allows the gin and the juices to mix, add 2 oz of caster sugar, just cover this with red wine and top the bottle up with gin. Leave a gap at the top as you will have to shake the bottle every day for the first two weeks or so. Seal the bottle and put in a dark, cool place. This will be ready to drink by Christmas if made now but is even better if kept for a year. Delicious on a Winter’s evening by a log fire!

Sloe Gin

A Crooked Church

trevorhunt — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:02:01 +0000

There are some strange sights and places around here that we love to share with people when they come to visit.

We call this place ‘The Cottage In The Rocks’ for obvious reasons! It is, in fact, on the coast above Treguier near Castel Meur. I wonder how they got planning permission for this? This is probably one of the most photographed cottages in the whole of France. We heard the owners deliberately park a car in front of it to stop people having the ‘perfect’ shot and then going on to make money from these photos. Not sure about that but it must be annoying having so many people gawping at your house. It is a popular spot with a nice walk around the coastline. From here we made our way back to Plougrescant, a small village with a very interesting Church.

This is the Chapelle-St-Gonery in Plougrescant. It dates back to the 10th century. The belfry was built in 1612. There are a few reasons floating about as to why this belfry is so crooked. One theory is that it is an optical illusion. Nothing wrong with my eyes and whichever way you look at it, it is definitely crooked. The most logical for me is that the original belfry, built from lead, was so heavy it started to lean and eventually fell. When it was being rebuilt the villages insisted it was built with the original lean on it, and hence that is how we see it today. Something like that anyway.

This is a lovely small chapelle, such a nice change from the huge cathedral type places that are in most other towns and villages around here.

No churchyard would be complete if it didn’t have a Yew Tree and this one is of no exception. I don’t think it is of any really great age, unlike some back in the UK that can go back a thousand years or so.

This fine piece can be found lying in the grounds. It looks like there is a date of 1780 on it but l could be wrong. I really want to know more about this and why it is just lying in the grass.

Our friends were well impressed with this church. Next? The cathedral in Treguier is pretty impressive with some amazing stained glass windows. Off to Ile de Brehat next though just off from Paimpol.

Sillon de Talbert

trevorhunt — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:29:03 +0000

Today saw one of the highest tides this year. Rather than try and record this in different places along the Peninsula, l decided to focus in on the Sillon de Talbert.

Sillon de Talbert

The Sillon de Talbert is a natural 3 km long thin tongue of sand, pebbles and shingle unique in Europe. It is located at the tip of our peninsula between the estuaries of the Jaudy and Trieux rivers next to Ile de Brehat. The Sillon is possibly as much as 100,000 years old. It results from two converging tidal currents and from some strong North-westerly swells. Its shape is constantly changing in response to the waves, swells and currents as documented by ancient maps. The Sillon de Talbert is an important reserve of flora and fauna. At low tide, it is possible to walk the length of the peninsula. At the end, there is an archipelago of islands and rocks called “Archipel d’Ollone,” which is also known as the Talbert Islands (Iles de Talbert) by local people. At very high tides, some sections of the Sillon may be overtopped by waves, as it was today. The Sillon was damaged by locals mining stones for construction until 1928 and by the German Army, which used its stones for the construction of the Atlantic wall during World War II, in particular the Ile Blanche bunker system in 1943. The system remains fragile, and is now a conservation zone. The currents are treacherous even in good weather conditions which is another reason why l have never owned a boat here!

There has been a lot of conservation work on the Sillon and these wood fences mark the areas where vegetation is trying to get a foothold which will ultimately slow down the rate of erosion.

It was a beautiful morning with a warm September sun. I was the only person to venture so far out on the Sillon at first so l managed to get some shots without any other people in them.

It felt really exciting being so far out with the sea on both sides of you. There was still another half hour before high tide so l didn’t know how far it would actually come and if l would be cut off.

Turnstones

The flocks of Turnstones made the most of the high water mark and were having a feeding extravaganza. It was great watching them all take off and fly in unison to a new patch. They didn’t seem too bothered by me. I suppose they have got use to people walking along this spit.

At this point l wasn’t too sure whether l should beat a hasty retreat or just keep going to the other side. I decided to keep going!

The Sillon had been breached just as it reached high tide. A few more people followed me and we stood and watched the waters flow over the spit with the crash of the waves on the Northern edge keeping us on guard.

It was a special moment which didn’t last long for within 10 or 15 minutes the tide turned and the waters retreated.

According to my book of tides there is another big one next month and then we have to wait to next year. I love this area. You can really feel you are walking into the sea on a high tide. I will walk it to the very end on a low tide and take some photographs for comparison.

Rubus fruticosus

trevorhunt — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:15:46 +0000

Or, the good old common Blackberry. Yes, it’s that time of the year already, when you can return from a walk with a basket of beautiful shiny black berries. Every year is the same. Come late August, early September l am on the lookout for hedgerows that haven’t been hacked back by flailing machines to within inches of their lives and are, instead, laden with fruit.

Blackberries have been eaten by man for thousands of years. Blackberry pips were found in the stomach of a Stone Age man when dug out of the clay on the Essex coast. I remember as a child blackberry picking and coming home with pounds and pounds of them. We made Blackberry & Apple jam and pies and crumbles. Delicious. They say you should not pick blackberries after September 29th because during that night the Devil goes by and spits on every bush. In fact, by the end of September the fruit has gone past its best due to the chilly nights. So get picking now! These bushes are just a 5 minute walk from our door. This year l discovered some bushes that have the biggest berries l have ever seen. I might take some cuttings!

The hand of a blackberry picker!

I love Roger Phillip’s book ‘Wild Food’ and decided for this batch of blackberries l would try my hand at Blackberry Jelly.

Wild Food

So, first slowly cook the blackberries in a small amount of water and the juice of two lemons until they have gone quite soft. Elizabeth David in her ‘Summer Cooking’ book suggests adding one or two scented-geranium leaves to the berries at this stage to give them a delicious flavour. Strain through a jelly bag and for every pint of juice add 1 lb of granulated sugar.

straining the berries

Boil hard for 10-15 minutes until setting point has been reached. I guessed this as the juice started to get thicker after about 10 mins. Pot up into jars. I got almost 4 jars. It was then a waiting game to see if it was going to set. Much later, when it had cooled, l put a knife in one jar. Hooray, it was perfect!

Jars of jelly

Breakfast

Next morning the taste test…..lovely! I will reserve a jar to take with me when we return to the UK for Christmas as my Mum prefers Bramble Jelly. Next? It has to be Blackberry & Apple Jam, then another pie or crumble, Bramble Syrup, oh and Blackberry & Apple Cobbler……..

A Boat Trip to the Sept Iles

trevorhunt — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:20:54 +0000

I had this trip planned for Jan’s birthday but as the weather was so awful we postponed it to yesterday. We have lived here for over 6 years and have always promised ourselves this visit so, with James and Julie with us, we set off from Perros-Guirec.

The seven islands, an archipelago seven klms from the coast, is a National Reserve, home to the only place in France where Gannets nest. Amongst the many others are Guillemots, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters, Razorbills, Shags and various Gulls. From Spring to July they are also home to the Puffin. We also saw some Grey Seals.

Ile Rouzic

The noise from these Gannets was terrific and could easily be heard above the engines of the boat. From a distance one side of this island looks white and now l know why.

From here we went to another island, I’lle aux Moines, where we landed to explore it for 45 mins. It was only a short time and l really wish l could have been allowed a lot longer. Back in the late medieval period, Monks tried to live here but the weather was too severe for them.

I'lle aux Moines

The old Fort built to keep the English back. It took more than that!

It was a great trip and one we will do again when the Puffins return next year!

Spiced Runner Bean Pickle

trevorhunt — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:45:34 +0000

It’s the last day of August and already we have so many beans we don’t know what to do with them. With the recent rain we have had the beans have really put on a spurt. Nothing like a drop of good old fashioned rain to get things going in the garden. So, while browsing some web sites/blogs l came across the idea of pickling the blighters. This recipe comes from the Summer Cookbook by Delia.

Runner Beans

First gather said Runner Beans. You will need 2lb for this recipe, that’s prepared weight ie. trimmed and sliced. Click on the link for the full recipe.

Spiced Runner Bean Pickle Recipe

Nearly there

For me, there is always something quite special when making pickles, chutneys, jams etc at this time of the year. The smell of onions simmering in malt vinegar always reminds me of Autumn. Quick, time is running out…fill those shelves with preserves and we will be safe for the winter!

9 jars of pickle

A word about the recipe. I followed it to the ‘t’ but found it to be too liquid. I had to empty the jars back into the pan and add a further amount of cornflower before l felt it was at the right sort of chutney consistency. We now have to wait at least a month for it to mature before we can try it out. I’ll let you know.

Jan’s Birthday

trevorhunt — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:50:18 +0000

Another year, another birthday only this was a big one. So, with that in mind, James came over with Jan’s friend and are staying with us sharing the celebrations. Last week l had a few outdoor activities lined up but the weather was bad so they are postponed until next week when the weather looks much better.

Jan & James

On Friday Jan & Julie had a full body massage which went down very well. Saturday was spent getting ready for the party here.

Party Night

Later in the evening we lit a camp fire and we all sat round it on straw bales. It was a great evening as the weather was kind to us and when the moon rose it was magical watching it appear and disappear behind the clouds.

Camp fires

Thanks to everyone for contributing to the food and for Jan’s lovely presents. Same time, same place next year…..

Burn, baby, burn

Blackberry & Apple Pie

trevorhunt — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:32 +0000

I love cooking but l have never really tried my hand at making Shortcrust Pastry before. I found an excellent recipe by Jamie Oliver in his book Jamie at Home and so, with a deep breath and cold hands, l went for it.

A mini Harvest Festival

The above picture shows some of the produce l am getting from the garden right now. It’s great to harvest crops at this time of the year after all our hard efforts. The onions are drying off in the greenhouse as are the shallots but my garlic has failed again so l give up on that now. The white rot gets to it before l can.

Blackberry & Apple Pie

So, with the blackberries picked from the nearby hedgerow, apples from the garden and Shortcrust Pastry made by my own fair hands, it was all down to the taste test. Jamie seldom lets you down and he didn’t this time either. If anything l had a put a tad too much ginger in the pie but is there really such a thing as having too much ginger? Next? Blackberry & Apple Cobbler…a sure Autumn favourite especially with lashings of cream or custard.

This week we are celebrating the present Mrs Hunt’s BIG birthday. We are having a shindig here tomorrow so pics to follow.

Cucurbita

trevorhunt — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:03:46 +0000

The Genus Cucurbita covers all squash, pumpkins and ornamental gourds. In my garden l have a small mixture of squash and pumpkins but nothing to really get too excited about…apart from one.

This boy self-seeded amongst my leek bed so l decided to leave it and see how it got on with no interference from me! Of course, it has romped away whereas the others have really not done much at all. I have high hopes for this lad and expect him to be weighing in on a close personal record.

My butternut squash are doing okay but that is about it. Oh well, there is always next year!

Oh, and l just love these Cosmos that have been flowering their heads off all summer despite hardly any rain and the soil being dry as a bone!

Build your own Tractor

trevorhunt — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:14:18 +0000

It’s funny what you can come across sometimes isn’t it when you least expect it….like this life-size tractor made from straw bales.

The attention to detail was remarkable; not just a real plough on the back but painted tyre treads as well.

I think the driver may have had one or two ciders too many!