I love this time of year in the kitchen – a time for enjoying the abundance. So today I’ve been chopping and peeling, beating and stirring, boiling and baking…
I harvested the last melons, extracted the seeds so I and others can grow more next year . Now we have a large bowl of juicy melon, which I think we’ll mix with raspberries.
I used some of our tomato harvest along with a big tray of cherry toms from one of our local organic farms to make yet more jars of passata:
I made granola – this has become a regular make these days as I never buy breakfast cereal:
I used my excess of home-produced ricotta and our abundance of eggs to make baked New York cheesecake including some home grown bilberries and red currants. I made two – one of which will be going to a barbecue with us tomorrow:
And finally I made dog biscuits,
Now that was a productive day!
The Snail of Happiness 
Wild Daffodil
/ September 10, 2016I am so impressed! I make my own muesli too as I am trying to avoid sugar. Would love to know your granola recipe.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 10, 2016Today’s recipe was: 3 cups jumbo oats, 1 cup pumpkin seeds, 2 cups mixed seeds (from Shipton Mill), 1 cup malted wheat flakes, 1 cup cashew nuts, 1/4 cup soft brown sugar all mixed together. Then I combined 1/2 cup nectarine puree, 1/4 cup maple syrup. 1/4 cup rape seed oil, good pinch of salt. I mixed the wet and dry ingredients together well, spread in an oiled roasting tin and cooked at 140C for an hour and a quarter, stirring every 15 minutes. I left it to cool in the tin once it came out of the oven and finally mixed in about 1 cup chopped dates.
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Wild Daffodil
/ September 11, 2016Wow, thanks Jan, it sounds yummy. I am going to experiment without the sugar and syrup and see what happens – love the addition of nectarine puree. I guess apple puree might work too, since I have a lot of those.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 11, 2016I think any fruit puree would be good or indeed fruit juice, although you might need to extend the cooking time. In the past I have used palm sugar, which is good.
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Wild Daffodil
/ September 11, 2016Great, thanks. 🙂
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Pat
/ September 10, 2016A lot of work, but it looks wonderful! Now I’m hungry. 🙂
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Wild Daffodil
/ September 10, 2016Yep me too!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 10, 2016I didn’t really intend to spend so much of the day in the kitchen, but somehow that’s what happened… the poor garden is getting neglected though!
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katechiconi
/ September 10, 2016It certainly was a productive day! The warmer weather is coming here, and soon I’ll be able to get trays of produce for preserving. Yum!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 10, 2016It’s so satisfying, isn’t it?
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katechiconi
/ September 10, 2016It is! I want to make some jars of red capsicum paste, some chilli jelly for the Husband’s bacon sandwiches, some pasta sauce… well, I could bore on forever!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 10, 2016Oh yes… all of those things!
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anne54
/ September 10, 2016Oh yum! How satisfying to know that all those things are local ~ either from outside your backdoor or just a little way down the road. Enjoy it all.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 11, 2016I love being able to cook with so much of my own produce.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ September 11, 2016A day in the kitchen is always a most satisfying thing! It all sounds so yummy and even the dogs get something special 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 11, 2016I always make Max and Sam’s biscuits these days… they seem happy!
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insearchofitall
/ September 13, 2016You have been very busy. I’m needing a nap now. 🙂
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Bethany-Jade
/ September 15, 2016Good work! Its super satisfying to have such a productive day!
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