Tere

Apologies if I am late to the party and this got covered but I was interested in this article. Has anyone tried one? Would anyone consider one? https://www.newscientist.com/article/2089181-next-gen-microwave-ovens-are-small-enough-to-sling-on-your-back/

Last year, we bought a beautiful and very costly set of knives in Japan, threw out my perfectly serviceable perpetuals (I am Not a Purist, apologies) and I have not been able to touch them since. My husband is all about the best, but I am the cook in the house and when I was bouncing off tomatoes because I wasn't "allowed" to touch them after six months I cracked and shrieked at him. He occasionally sharpens them when I get to critical point. We have a full set of very nice I think Japanese sharpening stones. Is there any way I could get to a basic regime? I can read Japanese and can figure out I think what the bits are for. (Sorry, I will try to look for references. It's just become another gated skill to learn for me). I know there is a ton of stuff on the web but are there any basics? Help?

So pretty!

I cheerfully ignore all suggestions to throw away after X weeks once opened, if refrigerated. I'm of the it's there to increase sales point of view as well. I don't refrigerate Marmite or honey, but ketchup, mayo, mustard, horseradish a,d redcurrant sauce stay in the fridge. Vinegars and mirin and soy and the like stay out.

I've not done anything with my massive oak tree. I know they can be used for flour once they've had the tannins leached, and I think you can use them to make a kind of camp coffee? Not a common food here though. I think use as flour might have been encouraged in WWII rationing, but I can't find any source for that on a quick search.

Laksa last night - a use up meal with frozen prawns, frozen mussels, some laksa paste from Sainsbury's that has way too little heat for my liking, Thai basil in a jar, straight to wok Pad Thai noodles, chestnut mushrooms, beansprouts, coconut cream thinned down, salad greens and a large amount of fresh coriander. Plus a very large dollop of harissa and a large amount of tabasco to add sufficient heat. Gotta love the saute function

It's not really that much of a hedge - it was more a way to save the herbs I had growing in the back garden since it's being remodelled. But I'll take some photos of the veggie plot when it stops raining

Final leg of veg plot, for the moment anyway. Just planted 16 strawberry plants "Hanoi" or "Honeyeye", the community garden was unclear. What I actually think I have is "Honeoye" Also 23 (I put one down by accident in the garden and forgot to pick it up) alpine strawberry plants. Our raised planters are now full! \o/ I also planted a couple of wild marjoram and lemon balm plants to start filling in gaps in the herb hedge. 4 more gaps to plug, with possibly a culinary juniper at the end if I can find one locally.

kippers <3

I really like http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm for weight conversions - 20 lbs is just over 9 kilograms.

DianaB. have you had success with teeny weeny new potatoes using this method? That would definitely be worth a punt IMO. I wouldn't grow maincrop but new potatoes just out of the ground can be a revelation.

I have some large Ikea and Lidl bags for recycling - I bet both would work well for potatoes!

I made a really nice raspberry and mint vinegar a couple of years ago when gifted with some slightly grotty raspberries from my neighbour. I seem to remember the recipe was fill a Kilner jar with raspberries and mint, add white vinegar, let it sit around for a while, strain. It's fabulous on slices of cold roast beef

I love it when pieces have history like that. The everyday cast iron frying pan was my husband's well before we met, and is circa 1968 because it was the spare one from his Mum and Dad's wedding list. Still going strong, and I'm tough on pans

The best bit of cheese on toast is the bit where the cheese has fallen off the toast and made little crispy bits. It is known I, uh, may help that process along a little more than is strictly necessary

Those dragons are supercute. Lovely to see the write up - sounds like an amazing time was had

Ramson scapes are on my to do list. I've even found a seller on eBay. Next year....

Just done planting all the things in the new veg and cut flower beds. And I mean all the things! I'm just going to cut and paste from the spreadsheet record I've just filled in If it says from Newtown by it it's from a plant and seed swap that's occasionally held at the localish community garden just over the border into Wales. The others are from one of the big seed suppliers (Mr. Fothergills). The nasturtium and possibly the sunflower are for eating too Cutting flowers Aster "Duchess Blue Ice" Aster "Kingsize Appleblossom" Cornflower "Blue Ball" Cosmos "Purity" Nasturtium "Tip Top Velvet" Nigella "Persian Jewels" Scabious Tall Double Mixed Snapdragon "Purple Twist" Sunflower "Little Dorrit" F1 Sweet Pea "Incense Mixed" Zinnia "Envy" Veg and Herbs Basil Borlotti or similar (from Newtown) Broad bean "The Sutton" Broccoli "Raab 60 days" Carrot "Early Nantes 5" Chard "Bright Lights" Coriander "Calypso" (from Newtown) Courgettes F1 hybrid mixed pack Cucumber "Cornichon de Paris" Dill (from Newtown) Dwarf bean "Delinel" Leek "Below Zero F1" Mixed leaves (free from Chelsea) Oka (from Newtown) Oriental Tree Spinach (from Newtown) Parsley, flat leaf (from Newtown) Parsnip (from Newtown) Pea "Kelvedon Wonder" Rocket, large leaved (from Newtown) Runner Bean "Firelight" Salsify (from Newtown) Spinach Beet perpetual spinach Squash, Hokkaido (from Newtown) Tarragon (from Newtown) Tomato "Garden Pearl" (red) Tomato "Maia" (yellow) (from Newtown)

Roll pasta in a big loop, it makes handling it much much easier. I think I picked that one up from Masterchef: The Professionals. Also slice your roast against the grain not with the grain, so you just get short fibres in the slice. It makes it more tender. I think that's from Heston on Saturday Kitchen of all places!

I plan to grow some shiso eventually and make a liqueur with it. Shiso gin and tonic is wonderful (there is a commercial variety I used in Japan but I can't find the right one on an image search. It's a thing, anyway)

Heh. My usual mole control is my next door neighbour plus traps and shotgun, for the fields. I could see if he'd set a trap, trouble is it's all under membrane and gravelled so that's probably more mess than the xxx mole is currently making! I'll have to hope he moves on

I have a really fun tea service that's transfer printed and completely unmarked from one of my great aunt's, cheap but very pretty, featuring thatched cottages and roses. It's so twee it's actually quite charming. We reckon it was a buy a piece at a time from Woolworth's job in the 30's. I am keeping it for if I ever run a B and B on the farm (I have the space) because I reckon the guests would eat it up. Meanwhile it's safely tucked up in a suitcase as I have more than enough mugs

The wild garlic was in flower when I stopped at my Mum's to pick up my car just outside Cardiff. They have enormous luxurious drifts there and each time I wish I'd brought foraging gear. Next year I will clear a patch and plant some scapes. Next year. In the meantime the jack in the hedge has exploded in my time away and is well and truly ready. I didn't forage enough hazels last year to be completely home grown but I sense an addition to the Sainsbury's delivery and jack in the hedge pesto and processed leaves in oil on the cards... A couple of buckets worth should be plenty. The flowers are delicious too

You have my sympathies. I remember similar from Japan. Sadly frozen pea care packages are never going to work

Back to the farm an hour ago, and one of the first jobs was a potter round the garden, glass of white wine in hand. All the fruit trees are well into leaf and doing well, apart from the Cox's which is yet to bud properly. It's very wick though so still probably OK. My fruit cage is all sprouting well, apart from the summer raspberry which the xxx mole has taken to digging up. There's the largest molehill in the world right next to it. Harumph. The asparagus bed is weedy but I see about 75% have little shoots (or big ones). I think it needs mulching more, the roots are somewhat exposed for my liking. I know it needs to be on the top of a ridge but there are limitations. Wildflower meadow is not sprouting. It's possible the seed is just too old. But it needs a few weeks yet to be sure. If it looks pathetic by end of June emergency time.