Chatback number 22

[Nicos]

Morning n’alln’all

We had a fantastic evening last night….bbq at a friend’s house followed by sitting around a chiminea until 1am looking at the stars and just yabbering on.
No rain, nor threat of rain….but we’ve woken up to a steady flow. Sooo pleased it held off. Absolutely what we needed tbh.

Scones and jam!….* droools
I’m sure I could do justice to some in place of breakfast!

I have plum envy at the moment. Despite having over 17 various fruit trees we have no plums or mirabelles, no peaches, no pears, no cherries and at the last count just a handful of apples.
What with the early and very late frosts and June Drop it looks like I’ll be raiding the freezer for what’s left of last years crops. Also no gooseberries, no redcurrants, no blueberries,no blackcurrant and a handful of Jostaberries. The hare has eaten the strawberries and we’ve had hardly had any raspberries either!
What a year!
Thank goodness my rhubarb went bonkers this year.
Not complaining - I had expected as much , but thank goodness we live in a time when we can go to the shops to buy in what we need.

I’m going to go to Lidl later this week and buy in a pile of peaches and get those frozen for the winter instead of eating up our apples it’ll be peach crumble!…yum or what!!!!

[greenishfing]

The original weather forecast for today was awful so I had scheduled workmen for today. Of course the forecast is wrong and the sun is shining. Weather forecasts should be banned if they can't do a better job.
Something weird with my husband. The Olympic Highlights were on the news and my husbands comment was "Please turn off that rubbish". I just hope it spreads to football as well this Winter.
Hopeful I'll get to the allotment late this afternoon to do more weeding.

[lottie dolly]

Happy mid day all,thank you girls for the smiles and scones,hope all are well,things coming on here,bed arrives Friday,all my sewing room needs is,7 strips of paper to be done later on today,and the arrival of floor covering,then i can start to fill it up,thus freeing other spaces up,next is my kitchen getting done for christmas dinner,that will be a longer project,the time seems to be flying,have a good day all

[Nicos]

Afternoon!
I’m really impressed lottie with the progress you are making with the house - it’s going to be stunning!

You’ve inspired me to go and sort through some more of my things for charity to make space in our store room…thanks for that

[Nicos]

As an aside….I’m fancying trying to make choux buns…does anyone have any tips of a time tested recipe please?
The last time I tried was 40 years ago and gave up after many attempts as they always came out as flat as biscuits.

[Snoop Puss]

No tips, Nicos, as they're on my to-do list. Let us know how you get on.

But... I'm intrigued by freezing peaches. I freeze plums as they are, with the stones still in, as they slip out easily when the fruit thaws. I just love plum crumble. What do you do to freeze peaches?

[greenishfing]

As an aside….I’m fancying trying to make choux buns…does anyone have any tips of a time tested recipe please?
The last time I tried was 40 years ago and gave up after many attempts as they always came out as flat as biscuits.

I have always used this recipe and it has never failed. I usually shape it into profiteroles or eclairs.

[Jay22]

Afternoon, sun’s out bit again they are saying rain tonight and into the foreseeable future. They’ve been saying that for days now.
Bored to tears today, just can’t be bothered with anything, can’t even decide what to have for lunch!!
Anyhoo, have a fab day whatever you are up too, oh and well done lottie getting things organised so quickly! x

[Nicos]

Thanks gf…will give them a go

Snoop - I cut fresh peaches into 3 or 4 and remove the stone then microwave for a couple of minutes just to slightly soften them further.
Then freeze in bags of 400-500 g

Once defrosted they need eating fairly quickly or they start to go brown.
I’ve not bothered with lemon juice.

Apricots I just halve them and remove the stone and microwave slightly.

[Snoop Puss]

^Thanks. I'll have to bake a bit (no microwave), but can't see that being a problem.

And that sounds quite straight forward, gf. I thought choux pastry was a bit of a palaver. Sounds like it's not too difficult. Not telling Mr Snoop, though. He'd be insisting on profiteroles for supper. Do you ever make savoury ones, gf?

[Snoop Puss]

Sorry to hear you're feeling low, Jay. What might improve your mood? Coffee and eclairs with a friend?

[lottie dolly]

Evening all,sounds like like your all busy,my son has done the work ladies he is doing an excellent job,very fussy ,also the place has NOT been decorated,or new carpets done,since first built aprox 36 years ago,so work needed,have been tolled it looks posh,3 strips on,4 more to go,then that's room 2 decorated,they both awaiting things to finish them off,have a good evening everyone ,

[greenishfing]

^Thanks. I'll have to bake a bit (no microwave), but can't see that being a problem.

And that sounds quite straight forward, gf. I thought choux pastry was a bit of a palaver. Sounds like it's not too difficult. Not telling Mr Snoop, though. He'd be insisting on profiteroles for supper. Do you ever make savoury ones, gf?

Never made savoury ones I must say. I do love profiteroles, not into the french crocambouche though. Fresh cream and chocolate for me. This recipe is from a Bero book. I am lucky that the first choux pastry recipe I tried actually worked. I have seen others but I've not been tempted to deviate. If it works for you it is so easy.

[Jay22]

Sorry to hear you're feeling low, Jay. What might improve your mood? Coffee and eclairs with a friend?

Thank you Snoop...that would cheer me up no end!!

[bramble]

Afternoon, sun’s out bit again they are saying rain tonight and into the foreseeable future. They’ve been saying that for days now.
Bored to tears today, just can’t be bothered with anything, can’t even decide what to have for lunch!!
Anyhoo, have a fab day whatever you are up too, oh and well done lottie getting things organised so quickly! x

Jay, sorry to hear you're feeling bored. I think this pandemic has taken its toll on us all in some way or another.
It's hard to pretend these times are normal when they are not at all.
I really dont know what to say other than you are not alone.
I hit a bad patch myself during the dark days of winter and ended up on medication.
I find reading helps me and also doing puzzles and games on my tablet.
But they are solitary hobbies and what we need is social activity.
Hope tomorrow will be a better day for you.