Sunday 26 September 2010

A busy week and a bleedin birthday...

Who knows where the time goes? I start each week with a list of garden jobs and house stuff that I either has to be done, should be done or ideally I would just like to do. the list is always ridiculously ambitious which invariably leaves me with a sinking feeling and an unchecked guilt trip.


Earlier this summer I daydreamed about cooking things up out elderberries and brambles, of juicing our apples and stewing up fruit to fill the freezer with pies.

Dream on Freerangegirl - when I finally got out to the hedgerows I found that what hadn't already been picked was shrivelled and dried up already. We haven't plenty of elderberries near us  - i know as I planned to harvest them for elderflower champagne but didn't get round to that either! Ive got the bottles, Ive got the yeast, I just need an extra day in the week.

I think its particularly galling in the garden when you don't get round to a seasonal job as you know that it will have to wait another year - I wonder if anyone else missed out on any planned harvests this year, or is it just me!




Last year year BH had his apple juice production line set up by now and we were enjoying the cloudy nectar well up to Christmas, but what with the big build the juicer is still packed away and at the end of the day we can barely crush a grape, never mind anything else!

Friday was BH's birthday and cake was called for, but as it was a school night this called for a late bedtime whilst my freerangers helped out. They left the final stages to Mum but were more than ready for cake action the next day at breakfast (not sure that's on the healthy schools agenda, but I wont tell them if you don't!)




I love to see perfectly iced cakes, but for our own birthdays I love the child decorated look, so the milky way stars and chocolate buttons got put to very good use. We made a red velvet layer cake and covered it in chocolate ganache. It was a nightmare to get it to set as I was cooking it so late at night I dint have time to let the layers cool and they all wanted to slide off - I ended up securing it with kebab sticks in the fridge overnight.



BH loves a chocolate cake but wasn't quite prepared for the red insides - the words 'chocolate roadkill' come to mind! - well at least it took his mind off getting older!

16 comments:

  1. I'm feeling very guilty that I haven't done much with the apples!!!

    Had loads of plans!!!!!

    LOVE the roadkill cake :-}}}}

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  2. Fantastic! Loved the cake - so romantic! Would you believe i am allergic to chocolate in a BIG way! Every now and gain I get the urge to nibble - only last week I delivered a christening commission and was given a box of luxury Thornton's chocolates - I ate half of one chocolate - had to throw the rest away and was sick for 2 days - so I pass them on! lol!

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  3. :O Amazing cake is amazing. :D

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  4. The cake looks fantastic, I bet it tasted delicious too. Happy belated birthday to BH. I wouldn't feel too guilty that you haven't got round to some of your seasonal jobs. Remember you work and also have a lot going on at home too at the moment. I don't have any excuse now that I've given up work, but there's still plenty that doesn't get done.

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  5. fabulous cake! love the colour, think I may have to borrow the idea some time.... x

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  6. Apples are so beautiful. Last year we had a lot of them. And the cake looks unusual and attractively))))

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  7. So is the red cake, food colouring or beetroot?

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  8. Brownieville Girl - like you so many plans, so little time! Id be happy if I just get all my apples collected up this week before the chucks get the best of them!

    Mrs N - poor you, thats awful - I shall have to concentrate on lots of cocoa free cakes inyour honour!

    Hi Amy , thanks for dropping in and commenting. I am really enjoying getting to know your blog x

    Hi Jo - do you know I dont think it matters what weve got scheduled we all plan far too much in whatever time we have to do it - theres just never enough time!

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  9. Hi Dom, lovelyto have you back from your hols, ive really enjoyed following your travels!

    Green Lane - Food colouring im afraid. i tried with beetroot but it kept coming out brownish and had a really earthy taste so i gave in and used a concentrated colour gel. I tried with the stuff bottles but again the colour was quite dull, the pic doesnt really do the lurid quality of this justice - it really was quite alarming to cut into!

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  10. Rafaella - Hi there, I love seeing the apples ready for picking against a blue sky - that is before the wind blows them off!

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  11. Was going to prune the fig trees, but they are already covered with large leaves and small fruit. And I don't have a day job, so no excuse. Next year ...

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  12. Hi thanks for visiting my garden blog. The Red Velvet Cake looks delicious! I love to bake and never made this before. My husband's birthday is coming up and he always talks about Red Velvet cupcake from Starbucks. I'm going to attempt making it, I already found recipes last week and trying to figure out which is best. One calls for buttermilk, the other sour cream with vinegar. Any tips for the cupcake would help, I appreciate it. Have a wonderful week and I'm looking forward to reading your posts! :)

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  13. what a lovely blog. Good for you for relocating from London. It's a great place but not much in the way of fresh air! Love the cake. Clever use of cocktail sticks...

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  14. I can't stop chuckling about your cake description: "chocolate roadkill". I'm going to use that in future! Happy birthday wishes to your BH.

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  15. Your cake looks fantastic freerangegirl. I love the intense colour. Intersting to note that beetroot powder did not work and nor did the bottled variety.

    I keep meaning to pick some rosehips for jam and elderberries for syrup, but I have a feeling i won't get round to doing it either. So sadly empathise to an extent with you.

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  16. No, you are by no means alone. I never manage to get everything done on my list EVER! This year I had three weeks holiday at home in September and still didn't manage to do all the foraging, harvesting, processing I'd like to have done - more than other years, but there is so much I could have done .... if the weather was better, if I could find the elderberries, if I had more time, if, if if. Still hoping I might manage some roeship syrup - next weekend

    Anyway, the cake looks lovely.

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I lovelovelove your comments and I read everyone. I might not always get round to replying but I will try my best to...girlguide promise x