Limes n' Marmalade

Hi

Tangy Lime Marmalde

We have had heaps of limes and lemons and I have conned the old boy in the gate house to turn the limes into marmalade ( he does get to keep some for himself). The lime marmalade I love as it's really tangy but I suggested to dad that in his next batch that he add some of those Burgess scarlet mandarins that he has on his tree. Its so handy having an attached jam maker to the property LOL, He does get a reasonable share of cooked dinners and plied with a few Sav Blancs. This new batch of lime and mandarin marmalade was sweeter.  Now I think his ratio was approximately 8 limes, 6 mandarins,  4 Kaffir lime leaves with all the pips in muslin to help the stuff set.  Boil for 1 hour and a quarter in water until the rind has softened then measure cup for cup of  sugar. Bring to rapid boil again for approx 15 to 20 mins and or passes a setting test. As easy as that!

He is really on a roll now as he slips me a piece of paper with his latest effort

4 Cups water, 6 Limes, 4 Mandarins 3 Kaffir lime leaves plus pips in muslin. Boil 1 to 1 ¼ hours, add 1 cup honey, 5 cups sugar and boil again for 15 to 20 mins until sets. Made approx 4 jars. we had this one as a dribble on blue cheese and a cracker. Delissimo!

 

Feed the Waxeyes

       

Now Harry has been making lard cakes and we sent one off to Auckland last courier day to Yvonne and the kids. I thought that this would be a cool project to make with your children.  Now you have to go to the butcher who makes his own lard / dripping and buy big blocks of the stuff. Don't use the dripping from the supermarket as the birds don't like this type. Place the lard into an ice cream container and melt the lard in the microwave. Add as much bird seed, canary seed as you can and leave to set.  Once it has set solid remove from the container and place in a bulb bag, onion bag or similar and hang in a tree outside the dining room window. The bird seed was Harrys creativity to make it extra special for the wax eyes. We have three of these hanging in the garden centre and the little wax eyes and sparrows are just hoeing into them flying from cake to cake!!

 

And more Fruit Trees and new ones at that!

Just when I thought that we had finished that potting, a few more fruit trees arrived, Teresa had been shopping.  I secretly think that Teresa loves shopping, well she is Harrys sister and he s a shopaholic. If he is missing for too long I get suspicious and it could be likely that he is down the road at that new antique shop which is too close for comfort LOL!!!  Teresa has done well as these fruit trees are brand new in to us and will definitely appeal to your home orchard.

Apple Divine on M9   Divine' by name and divine by taste. A red skinned apple with crisp, crunchy, juicy flesh with a firm texture. The tree itself has been bred for strong resistance to disease and is a perfect choice for organic gardens. Ripe towards the end of summer. Can be stored refrigerated for months. Deciduous.

Apple Ariane on M9  This modern Apple was bred in France and is the result of many years of research.  The skin has a strong crimson blush over golden/green with a small amount of russeting.  The flesh is firm, creamy with a mild but delicious flavour. 'Ariane' has a high resistance to disease. Deciduous. PVR.

Apple Lady in Red EM9    Discovered in a Hawke's Bay Orchard this beautiful looking apple has bright red skin.  Inside the cream flesh has a lovely combination of sweet and tart flavours.  Ripens around April.  Grafted on to EM9 rootstock to keep compact and best supported with a stake to prevent wind rock. PVR. Deciduous.

Pear Garden Belle Dwarf      This delicious Pear has green skin with soft russeting and  sweet, smooth textured flesh.  Ripe around February. Only grows to 3m which is considered dwarf for a pear so ideal small gardens. Plant in the sun with another Pear or Nashi variety near by to ensure pollination. Deciduous.

Apricot Tomcot   A self-fertile Apricot with large fruit which have a  red blush over orange skin. The flesh is of excellent quality with an intense apricot flavour, ready to eat around January. Pretty pink blossom in early spring. Plant in a sunny, sheltered well drained position. Summer prune. Deciduous.

Plum Ruby Queen   A highly productive, disease resistant plum with dark red skin and firm red flesh. Tolerates humid conditions and is generally healthy and hardy making it a favourite for organic gardeners.  Tastes good too! Pollinate with Santa Rosa. Deciduous.

 

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Last weekend of the school Hols. Have a great one!!

Have a good weekend!

Cheers,

Lloyd and Harry

Make it a Wairere weekend where gardening's not a drag!!!!!