100 posts and a midsummer mousse...

I can't believe that this is my 100th post. Like everyone who gets to this point I'm taken aback by what started as a way of letting a few old friends know what we were up to and what has become a part of my life - the blog! Over the past 100 blogs my attention has wandered , my interests have been diverse and at times I've wondered if i would ever get round to blogging again - you know how real life can get in the way of the things you really want to do! One thing has remained the same though - writing this online diary of the stuff we do has made me remember, think about and focus on...the stuff we do, obvious really, but our freerangelives are so busy every day that the plantgrowing, cakemaking, childrenblossoming stuff that happens all the time can get forgotten in the midst of all our rushing around and if bloggin has done one thing for me its to make me take notice of the lovely stuff, so heres to plenty more!

Enough already! Ive written 100 blogs and am just pretty pleased with it, so heres a recipe to celebrate...

Blackcurrant Mousse

I chose this especially as weve just had our best crop of blackcurrants ever, and we got to them before the blackbirds...its also the nicest mousse ive ever had, not too sweet, not too sharp and super light...

250g Blackcurrants
50g caster sugar
2tsp lemon juice
2tsp gelatine
125ml double cream
2 egg whites

Rub the blackcurrants through a sive, then make up the puree to 150ml with water

Combine the puree, sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Place 2tsp water in a small heatproof bowl and sprinke the gelatine on to the liquid. Set aside for 15 mins until the mixture feels spongy. Stand the bowl over a saucepan until it ahs dissolved completely. Cool slightly

Fold a little bit of the blackcurrant puree into the cooled gelatine, then whisk this mixture into the bowl of blackcurrant puree. Leave in a cool plce until the mixture starts to set.

In a deep bolw, whip the cream until it holds its shape, then fold in the blackcurrant mixture with a metal spoon. Whisk the eggwhites in a grease free bowl, just as you would for meringues, and then fold in. Mix it up thoroughly but dont overmix!

The whole thing can then be poured into a glass dish, a wetted mould or individual glasses. Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours until set, turn out, decorate and your good to go...

Happy Summer Solstice everyone...

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!

Whats at the bottom of your garden?

Its been a hectic week here at the Freerange homestead. I started the week full of great intentions, planning to complete my self imposed 7 days of courgette cuisine, but is was to no avail, Monday came - work started and I haven't stopped since. It is great to be back in the swing of things though and I'm gradually getting back to my routine, but I think I'll be a while before I see the end of anything on TV that starts after ten! (I'm not snoring honestly, just breathing rhythmically!)

Also this week we've been watering for two as the freerange grandparents took a long overdue and very well deserved holiday. I love looking after somebody elses garden - have you ever noticed how other peoples gardens are full of flowers and not weeds, and how you seem to stop and stare in them rather than finding yet another job to do.

I wonder how many people have a tree like this in their garden...



It looks like just another tree until you get closer...



and if you're a really determined little explorer you might even find this..




The home of the fairies that eat grandpas strawberries! My little ones have studied this house for hours in the hope of catching one of its inhabitants, but know to never disturb it in case they never return! Amazingly it magics away to warmer climes in the winter, when the leaves drop - fancy that!

The grandparents returned refreshed and a good job too, because we've put freerange nan straight to work on the damson harvest!



The preserving production line has begun as I delivered the rest of our pickings to her tonight. Freerangenan is the Jam Queen! All in all we picked just shy of 10 pounds of fruit, and that was just from the lower branches. Damson Jam here we come!!!

Innies and Outies!

Strawbs are here at last. At least they are indoors. Our outdoor berries still have a way to go. Last year was my first go at growing strawberries from some runners taken from Grandpas garden (I did have his permission). To be honest I was somewhat underwhelmed by the result - mostly because the birds got there before me and then the children - and then the slugs!

This year I potted some Elsantas to go by the back door. Only I kept forgetting to bring them down the garden and they stayed on the shelf in the greenhouse - and I am so glad that they did because now Ive got strawberries (almost).



With any luck this might be on my breakfast by the weekend - wahey! BH has very kindly bedded up the outdoor strawbs with plenty of straw today and im going to give them a feed and net them from birds - but still...I think next year they're going in pots and straight in the greenhouse.

On another note, here was my favourity garden moment of the day. These geraniums are at their best at the moment, another week and they start to flop and need chopping back. It was particularly windy and I couldnt resist grabbing a pic of them - this gardening malarkey has turned me into a right sucker for a bloom!