Evergreen

I love the tradition of bringing greenery into the house during the darkest part of the year.. a reminder that the earth is only sleeping and will burst into life once more once she has shed her old layers, rested and renewed herself.

I made this little wreath for the front door from the evergreens in the herb garden, its just bay and rosemary. They both smelled divine while I worked with them. Had intended (indeed, still intend!) weaving a scarlet ribbon and adding pine cones, berries and other decorative bits later this week.. but it just looked so simple and fresh and green that I couldn't bring myself to do it yet.

This year we finally have an eco christmas tree which is actually growing in its pot and will live beyond the Christmas festivities. Yes, before you ask, it drops needles.. but I don't see that as a problem. I hoover them up. I like the ritual of watering it a little every day. Its nice to have something to nurture at a time when we are no longer out working daily in the garden.

Yesterday, driving through the winter countryside I saw mistletoe growing high up in trees for the first time.. a magical sight and it made me determined to look up some of the folklore surrounding this and other plants associated with this time of the year. I filled the hanging baskets by the front door with lovely variegated ivy which, like mistletoe, had its use banned by the church for its strong pagan (ie pre-Christian) associations.. yet they are still widely used, along with holly, though I am sure not many folks would now know why.

Share with me anything that you know .. and I'll add links or a new post if I find anything interesting?

UPDATE (Dec 30th 2011):

Found this wonderful Susun Weed article about Rosemary which includes the following:

"Old herbals hint that rosemary exerts its influence magically as well as physically. Burned as an incense, twined into a wreath, or grown in a pot, rosemary protects the house and those who live in it, especially the women..

Rosemary is a traditional Christmas decoration – partly because it smells good, and partly because pruning rosemary back mid-winter makes it stronger and healthier. So don’t hesitate to cut bunches of it for beauty."

Castle Park

Walking through Castle Park, kicking up the leaves and bothering the squirrels as the sun started to sink on a crispy autumn day..

My son loves the bandstand .. he thinks the HaaHoos live there (from in the NightGarden)

We have our picnics on this bench under this tree in the summer months, looking out over the park

Some evergreens, some trees already bare silhouettes and some in the act of disrobing, scantily clad in gold and scarlet!

The Last Chilli

Its all about red this November ... here is my last chilli! I haven't grown them before, but a neighbour gave me a couple of cayenne pepper plants and I have so enjoyed them, and they did really well. Harvested the last one yesterday. Have used some, dried some and frozen lots so will see what works best for next year. Wanted to make a chilli infused oil, but there seems to be a big scare about botulism so decided it isn't worth the risk to myself or loved ones!

On the red theme, here is my November strawberry, too

Red for Remembrance

Taking a moment to remember the fallen

Apples and Pears (cont)

In case you were wondering what I did with all those apples and pears .. well, firstly I made mulled spiced pears and figs for Christmas presents. This was one of those torn from a magazine recipes now creased and splattered over time. We had the bit over that wouldn't fit into the kilner jars while it was still warm with a little vanilla icecream. Remains to be seen if the other jars make it until Christmas and actually leave the building!

Mulled Spiced Pears and Figs

200ml white wine vinegar
400ml ruby port
250g soft light brown sugar
heaped tspn mixed spice
a cinnamon stick
7 pears, peeled and cored and cut into 8 wedges
250g ready to eat dried figs, cut into halves

Put the vinegar, port and 200ml water in a pan with the sugar and spices. Stir, bring to the boil, then simmer for 35mins. Add the pears, bring back to the boil and cook for 2-3mins. Transfer the pears to a bowl and stir in the figs. Boil the liquid in the pan for about 10-15mins until halved in volume. Pack the fruit tightly into sterilised jars, top up with the syrup and seal.

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And I made these apple soul cakes from a marvellous apple recipe post at Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife (thankyou, Sarah!). We had them still warm from the oven with mugs of tea while watching fireworks outside on Bonfire Night. I had been reading about soul cakes and the tradition of leaving little cakes outside the front door to appease any wandering souls on Halloween, so was really excited to stumble across this recipe.

Colour

Picked a big splash of colour for the kitchen table yesterday ... not bad for November?

Calendula

Cerise Queen

A rose we inherited with the house .. it has no fragrance, but the blooms are beautiful as a cut flower.

Black Cats

Here is Elsie curled up in her basket beside me as I type .. we celebrate her birthday on Halloween, because she came to us at about 6 months old (acc. to the vet) so we counted backwards and she must have been born sometime in October so we picked Halloween for her special day, being a black cat. She came to me at a turning point in my life and was my constant companion in difficult times. She was a proper alley cat, we watched her out in the snow with her mum crawling from beneath one car to another in the car park outside our Tottenham flat, as a warmer bonnet presented itself. Then we didn't see her mum anymore but she was around, always covered in an oily slick from the underside of the cars. I put cat food out for her .. people who knew about cats said it would take weeks if not months for her to approach, but the second day she ate while I sat and watched and then followed me indoors. Wasn't sure about anyone else at first, so the first night I slept in the lounge where she had set up camp rather nervously in the corner. As I dosed off to sleep on the sofa to my surprise she jumped up on top of me and curled up on my tummy. And there she stayed... that was seven years ago. She's not a sociable sort of cat. She doesn't suffer fools gladly. She is definitely her own cat. People are generally disappointed. But I like her style.

On the subject of black cats, we have a Hallowe'en story to tell.... when the little'un woke from his afternoon nap it was just starting to get dark, so we sat at the kitchen table with our milk and bic-sits and I lit the candle in our pumpkin lantern for him to see. As I turned to draw the blinds I saw a black cat outside the kitchen window .. as it saw me it jumped right up onto the windowsill. Straight away the little'un said 'Hello Elsie', but she was fast asleep upstairs. This was another black cat who technically lives a few doors down from us but is something of a wanderer .. we hadn't seen him since June. I daren't let him in (Elsie would never forgive me) but I took him out a bowl of milk. I can't remember the old sayings about black cats and which direction they have to cross your path in, but I'm taking his visit to us on halloween as a sign of good luck for the coming dark days ahead of us.

Many thanks to Zen Kitty for inspiring this black cat post.

Pumpkin and Spice

Made a pumpkin soup for Halloween, and it was SO nice to grind the toasted spices, the fragrance filled the kitchen. Carved the pumpkin into a little lantern, too.

Apples and Pears

We have been blessed this week with a rather wonderful crate brimming with apples and pears from mum-in-law's garden. Its been a bumper crop for both this year and I've been busy devising more and more schemes to make the most of them, having distributed the bounty as far and wide as possible amongst friends and neighbours. One of the things I love about this time of year and its abundance is the passing on of tips and recipes for storing, freezing, preserving and baking of produce.. I am learning so much. We eat a lot of porridge in the winter, so I have stewed and frozen plenty of fruit to put on top. We only have a small freezer, though .. already made a huge batch of chutney, so looking up new recipes. Please share yours if you know some good ones?

Have found this book from the Soil Association invaluable this year as it has good illustrations of the different varieties of fruit and vegetables and tells which are best for which sorts of thing. Also, as well as full-blown recipes, it has lots of quick and easy ideas for enjoying produce simply (which is ideal when you have a glut and aren't able to spend too many hours in the kitchen!), such as yesterday's upside down cake (recipe to follow)

Pear and Ginger Upside Down Cake

Thickly butter an 8'' sandwich tin and sprinkle liberally with light soft brown sugar.
Lay peeled, cored pear halves attractively on top (I did slices).
Beat 4oz each softened butter, light soft brown sugar, wholemeal SR flour with 2 tspns ground ginger, 1tsp baking powder and 2 eggs.
Spread over the pears.
Bake at 190degreesC(375degreesF/Gas 5) for 20 minutes until just firm.
Turn out.

Vine

We inherited this beautiful vine which grows over our flat-roofed extension (housing our lounge). Its such a lovely thing because it gives shade in the hot part of the year (we are south-facing) but dies back in the winter to let maximum light into the house. We had plumptious dark purple grapes this year, because or inspite of the vigorous haircut we gave it, we're not sure. It is so rampant that it is almost scary .. it has a certain triffid-like quality! But I like it best just about now when it is crimson and every leaf is completely different in pattern and colour.

Sea Finds

Beachcoming on Monday .. a wonderful new way to get a bit of fresh air, tramping along the beach in Brightlingsea where I live. First day wearing anorak and wellies rather than vest and sandals! I love the sound and the smell and feel of the wind and the waves obliterating everything else and transporting you away from your thoughts and troubles to a different place with a wonderful soothing tidal rhythm. And then there's the treasures! I'm officially out collecting sea glass to make pendants (see my craft blog) but the thing that intrigues me most is the sea pottery. Pieces of discarded man-made pot which the forces of nature have broken and tumbled and smoothed to create new treasures. And while my nose is firmly pointed at the floor I'm starting to notice all the little seaside creatures and goings on which are all new to me.

Scarlet and Seedheads

Beautiful afternoon and a chance to soak up the October-ness in the garden.. I love all the scarlet tinges, up the fences and in the leaf litter, a nice foil for the various seedheads.

Fennel seedpods decorated with a bit of spiderwebbiness.

Pretty rosehips.. I love the bright colour.

Sunlight in the creeper which I let grow over the shed roof. Do you remember my Queen of the May from the Tottenham roof garden? Here she is in her new home.

Moon

Just the view from my bedroom window yesterday evening. Love to watch the moon. Suddenly all the little things are just that, little. And I'm back in the bigger picture. As I watch I think all the people who went before me looked up at the moon, and all the people who come after me will do just the same. And its a nice feeling.

Blackberries

What a wonderful morning! We went blackberrying in the sunshine yesterday and came home stained but happy.

Combined with some aged eating apples in a crumble, and have three bags stashed away in the freezer for future puddings and smoothies.

Also made a blackberry oxymel - this is a new thing for me, its from the 'A Year with James Wong' book. Have put the blackberries in a jam jar and covered with cider vinegar and in ten days' time I have to strain it and then it should keep in the fridge. Plan is to dilute it in hot water with honey for a vitamin C drink for the little'un in cold and flu season (and me too, come to that!).

Tree Tribute

Conker

It may be 28 degrees C, but it is also trying to be autumn! I thought you might like to see the little'uns collection of treasures from our recent outing to the nearby Beth Chatto Gardens which has a wonderful woodland area. We collected some beautiful leaves, some acorns (which didn't make it home - expect they'll turn up in the glove compartment or my glasses case or somewhere untoward!) and this fantastic feather, which we think might have belonged to an owl? The conker is from Brightlingsea, the first one of the season. I've always loved picking up conkers, so I was pleased to discover in one of the James Wong books that you can actually use them for healing, rather than just knocking the seven bells out of other conkers with them (must be a boy thing!). If I had, or knew anyone with, varicose veins I would definitely be making them this.

Indian Summer

Glorious sunshine, not a cloud in the sky! A good chance to have a look at what's happening in the garden.

Most of the vegetable patch is long over, but it is still home to a bumper patch of rainbow chard and a thriving row of chives. I planted calendula and nasturtium seeds in the little strip of soil between the veg bed and the path and have been pleased with the colourful display.

I have had masses and masses of calendula flowers for making oils, salves and tincture and drying for teas and the more you cut it the more it comes again (everything in my part of the garden has to be useful as well as beautiful and beautiful as well as useful, if you see what I mean!)

New Moon

Hello and welcome back! I have had a long pause in my blogging (and crafting) while I became a mum and moved house from London to the Essex coast .. the last two years have been a demanding but exciting time for me and my family. I've loved every minute, but as I am not someone who welcomes upheaval, generally, I can't say I'm sorry to at last feel settled. As the autumn leaves have begun to fall, I have found the ideas starting to flow and the urge to craft and create becoming overwhelming again. And now that I have the time and inspiration again, I am so looking forward to reviving Earth and Tree and reconnecting with like-minded bloggers. So New Moon, new beginnings! Please bear with me while I re-arrange the blog furniture and make myself comfortable, then settle down and enjoy.