Chitchat thread #24

[mrsbusy]

Melon jam ??
My mornings go like this
Mr Busy brings me tea at 6.30 every morning plus the 2 dogs leap on the bed but they know to settle down. Sometimes I'm awake, sometimes fast asleep. I spend maybe an hour on emails or forums.
Then Mr B gets his breakfast listening to jazz which filters up to me. Sometimes it's easy listening but often fire in the zoo stuff as George Melly used to call it. Whatever - it wakes me up. Mr B has his morning kitchen routine which we have learned not to upset since retirement has given us more time together.
When the coast is clear I make my appearance which is ready for the day - ie washed and dressed. I get my breakfast which is either pain au chocolate avec milk if bread stale. Or smashed banana on peanut buttered bread - minimal fuss or mess.
First task say g'day to hens, open g/h door - quick check all ok, dog walk one morning, or chores. I walk one morning Mr B the next.
And that is as exciting as it gets!! Time to get up

.

[Nicos]

Melon jam ??

This is the recipe I use ..
1kg cantaloup melon flesh ,
800gsugar,
juice of a lemon
and a splosh of vanilla

I find it easier to chop up the melon(s), then weigh the flesh to work out the ratio to sugar weight.

It makes a typical runny confiture ( the french typically use 800g sugar to 1kg fruit to make confiture so it needs to be kept in the fridge once opened. 1:1 in this recipe would be far too sweet)
(You can of course stuff your face with any ‘leftover melon’ instead)
Then follow the other recipe in English for instructions….
https://www.mesinspirationsculinaire...te-maison.html
https://food52.com/recipes/60711-melon-jam

[Nicos]

Flippin ‘eck…it’s started drizzling oh well, much needed

[Snoop Puss]

I reckon those smiles are lurking somewhere up your way, Nicos. Certainly not down here. Drizzle... goodness but I'd love some of that.

Right, that's enough envy for one morning.

Hot here. No surprises there. But with any luck the end of this hot spell is in sight. The daytime heat is one thing, but night time is another. 30 ºC last night indoors and out when we eventually went to bed. So tired I slept like a log but Mr Snoop only managed three hours. A bit like in your household, mrsbusy, he makes the morning tea and coffee. He was awake so early I think he wasn't aware of the time - quarter to six felt a bit early for tea today for me. But I won't be grumbling, as I might not get a cup tomorrow.

The usual amount of two days' work in one today, so better make a start.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Jay22]

Morning all. Just had a wonderful 2 weeks with our daughter and granddaughter and then the rest of the family. Had my first flight with a 2 year old…not as bad as I was expecting. Only an hours flight but it’s the time you have to be in the airport before it and factor in the 2 hour delay we did well to keep her amused!
Back home to face the laundry, at least it’s a good day weather wise.
Hope you are all well. Will catch up with you later.
Oh has anyone ever heard of watering flowers with water which has had banana skins soaking in it overnight?!!

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

Heavy rain here again so I've only been as far as the GH up to yet, pick courgettes and raspberries when we get a lull in the rain.

Jay it sounds like you've had a great time with your family xx I'm sure I've read 'something' here on the vine about banana skins just can't remember what it was.

Enjoy your day.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Rain yet again here - the washing I did on Monday I folded and put back in the machine. Looks like I'll have to wash it again
I'm recently retired too Mrs B and haven't established much of a routine yet, apart from Himself bringing me a cup of tea first thing
I used to hang banana skins on my tomato plants to encourage ripening Jay

Have a good day

[greenishfing]

Good morning all. I slept in, never even heard Mr GF get out of bed.

It is surprise, surprise, drizzling.

I used to put my banana skins under my rose bushes....I must have read it somewhere. I know they used to decompose very quickly.

I was in a shop yesterday, on the way to the dentist, where an assistant asked if anyone knew what the things in some cartons she was unpacking were. They were plums ...... It seems sad that a twenty odd year old couldn't recognise plums.

There's nothing I HAVE to do today and the weather seems to be on the wet side so maybe a lazy day and trying to decide what to get for one of my sister's birthdays (next week). She's the one who is hard to buy for.

[bramble]

Good morni g all, and surprise.we have the .sun.

Jay, good to see you back, sounds like you had a great holiday.

My hubby is over 20 years retired.
Our routine is as follows...He is an early riser so that suits me.
He brings me breakfast and the daily paper in bed.
Then I get up and we share the housework
It works well for us.

Snoop, I hope it cools down soon for you.
Those high temperatures must be very uncomfortable while trying to sleep,

Have a good day all.

[Snoop Puss]

In theory, banana skins should work very well as there are lots of nutrients in the skin. Not masses so that you have to fear over-fertilising, apparently, but enough to make it worth doing. One thing to think about though is that bananas are heavily treated with pesticides. They don't get through to the fruit inside, but the skins will have a lot on them. I have a biologist friend who will eat just about anything except octopus (clever as a four-year-old child, he says) and bananas because of the pesticides. Me, I'd never eat a banana skin curry. So if you're growing organically on principle, you might want to wash the pesticides off before soaking the skins.

[Florence Fennel]

That's interesting Snoop I always used to put a banana in the brown paper bags with green tomatoes to ripen them up, I think it's the potassium that does the job? Never washed them though

[Florence Fennel]

Read Remarkable Bright Creatures a few weeks ago - that was about an intelligent octopus

[Nicos]

Interesting to hear about pesticides on bananas . We often place skins around rose bushes and also leave them to soak in water then dilute 1:10
Never thought about the pesticide aspect. Thanks for the heads up on that.

[Snoop Puss]

That's interesting Snoop I always used to put a banana in the brown paper bags with green tomatoes to ripen them up, I think it's the potassium that does the job? Never washed them though

Ripe bananas give off a gas called ethylene (had to check the spelling and apparently it's now called ethene) that help other fruit ripen. Never knew I knew so much about bananas...

Edited: There's a lot more about bananas than I know here: https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/...-ripen-faster/

[Florence Fennel]

Forgot about it being the ethylene that does the ripening Snoop, you're right of course. My years notifying patients with damaged kidneys that they should avoid bananas because of the potassium content must have caused the muddle in my work starved brain!