The 'What Makes You Happy' Thread (Part 4)

[bearded bloke]

G4 ... because she is the ultimate nutter wiggle,wiggle

[Florence Fennel]

METHOD:
make a slit one-third of the way down the back of the body and remove the intestines.

I tend to just sharpen the scissors and cut the blasted things in half

[Florence Fennel]

Postie arriving with an evelope full of surprise seeds from a great grape friend

[Noosner]

I keep meaning to send you this;

By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage 2009

METHOD

First purge the slugs by feeding them for five days on a single-item diet of lettuce, cabbage or carrot peelings. Then starve the slugs for two days more to remove any remaining digested matter in their systems (this step is optional, but if you don't do it, you will have to gut them).

Put the slugs in the freezer to kill them. Make up a solution of equal quantities of vinegar and water and soak the frozen slugs in it for a few minutes to begin drawing out their slime.

Put them in a pan of cold water with a dash of vinegar and bring up to a simmer. More slime will come out. Drain the slugs and rinse them under the tap, removing the slime with your fingers.

Repeat the simmering and rinsing, with fresh water and vinegar each time, at least three more times, until no more slime comes out.

Put the slugs in a pan of fresh water with some sliced carrot and onion and a bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the slugs are tender - probably just 5-8 minutes. If you need to gut the slugs, make a slit one-third of the way down the back of the body and remove the intestines.

© River Cottage

Oh, G4!! No, no, no and no!!!

[Dorothy rouse]

Yuk, that's just 'gross', remove the intestines .......... What.... No....

[Dorothy rouse]

One of the very old chaps on our sites has had to sadly give up his plot, he's just too frail, but he still pops up to see what's going on and today arrived with what he called 'his lifetime collection of seed trays and mini propagators' , and offered me whatever I would like. So sweet of him.

[bretty666]

Wow. what a lovely gesture. hope you took him up on the offer and will thank him with a few home grown that he will no doubt appreciate just as much as you did his kindness. lovely. thats one perk of having an alotment over having a garden..the community of it. i just have my mrs to bore with my garden adventures...and you guys,but hey...you guys love it!? :/

[Dorothy rouse]

Definitely. He is the guy, who gave me some blackcurrant cuttings that came from bushes that his wife originally grew, many years ago, they have done very well, and more cuttings have been passed on from me to another plot holder and the old chap received some jam and home baking. I love all that, and do hope he continues to pop up to see what's growing.

[Noosner]

Finally, after 4 years of having my allotment and almost never seeing my allotment neighbour I have now seen him 3 times in a row and yesterday we stood gassing at the fence, about the Big Allotment Challenge of all things. He told me that one of the apple trees on his plot always blooms on his son's birthday. How sweet is that?

[Dorothy rouse]

A case of wine arriving, now who could have ordered that I wonder.

[Dorothy rouse]

Some bags of well rotted stable manure on my plot.

[Noosner]

I'm hitting 350 posts with this one... will I get a change of status (it's a mystery to me)?

[Noosner]

Ah, no, still a Rooter. That's cool.

[Dorothy rouse]

Having lunch with old friends yesterday.

Garden vouchers arriving, as a result of my complaint!

Comfrey roots arrived ( second attempt). First attempt never materialised.

Finally getting home today.

My 'baby', is 33 years old today, just as lovely as when get was born! (Biased)

[veggiechicken]

Watching Betty (Speckledy hen) this evening.
Her 3 sisters had gone to bed but Betty was still up and about, and waddling around in a most peculiar fashion - looking like a toddler with a full nappy.
She stood at my feet, looked up at me, dropped her bottom and started to strain as if constipated. Not a sound passed her beak but she kept looking at me, in a puzzled way.
Suddenly, much to our surprise, out popped an egg, her first, and soft shelled. She turned and looked at it, as if to say, how did that happen and what on earth is it, gave a little cluck, straightened her feathers and strutted off to join her susters on the perch.
I've never been present at a "birth" before - all very exciting
Thank you Betty, you made my day