I’ve been wandering round and round the woods - but I seem to be on my own here at the moment! I guess you’ve all b*****rd off to the Benches! I think that not only were they made from tree from the wood, but we ought to move them to the edge of the wood, so that when we feel… whatever… we haven’t got too far to go - after all, energy’s limited in these 'ere woods! SO, any willing OHs with time to move heavy benches? Hope the musak doesn’t disturb sleeping campers… Can we have a classical corner too (music-wise?) Four Seasons or something?
More marrows… found a recipe for marrow and garlic soup… and marrow and ginger chutney… was thinking about Blackberrying D (how do you pick phones!!!)…but might do that nearer the weekend - got visitors coming to camp…
don’t believe it - sun’s gone and it’s raining and I’ve got sheets on the line outside the tent!
Whilst we’re on the subject of harvest, I’ve got loads of figs coming ripe on my tree so I need to do something with them. I don’t think you’ll want any though Ninja, will you?
I’ve just spent a lovely afternoon planting up some pots with bulbs and pansies so in the spring you’ll be able to spot my tent by the excess of flowers outside.
Those of you with dogs in the woods (especially black ones) had better keep them away from my pots!
Jane, I have a recipe which might be just the thing. I usually make it with dates at Christmas, but you can use figs as well. And it’s fat free!
8 oz sugar (brown is nicer; you might be able to reduce the sugar a bit)
3 eggs
4 oz self-rising flour
1/4 tsps cloves & cinnamon (I use more cinnamon) or 1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp vanilla
approx 16 fl oz chopped dates or figs (this assumes dried fruit, so you might want closer to a UK pint)
8 fl oz nuts (optional–almonds, walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts)
It’s really important to use enough fruit in this recipe–bulk it out with raisins or sultanas if you need to.
Cream the sugar and eggs together. Blend the flour and spices and stir into the egg mixture with the vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the fruit and nuts and mix well.
Spread in a prepared or lined baking tray; there should be enough mixture to coat the fruit and nuts, but not much more than that. Bake for about 25 minutes at about 160C. When cool cut into bars. You can dust them with icing sugar. They keep well in theory, but ours never last long enough to tell.
I also have a recipe for applesauce cake which has chopped dates as an optional addition, so you could probably use figs instead. I’ll add it if you’re interested.
There are recipes online for fig newtons, or what about making a puree and spreading that on shortbread or a similar biscuit? You might be able to sandwich biscuit or cake with fig puree (and maybe some cream or custard?) in the middle.
Middle Eastern pilafs for special occasions often include fruit, so there’s a savoury idea and I think I’ve seen suggestions for figs and white cheese either as a salad or as a pudding.
Angie, I’m sure you could coat them with chocolate or roll them in cocoa powder if you want. I just make chocolate biscuits and brownies at the same time, and it all gets eaten quickly.
Jane/Alto
Where do you live? Its one of my ambitions in life to live somewhere that I can have a fig tree in my garden, just love them, and love stealing them from other people’s trees on my holidays. Never going to happen here in Scotland, so am aiming for early retirement in warmer climate, maybe south west France?
Mezzomamma - sounds like a lovely recipe - dates, figs, nuts - has to be wonderful.
Ooooh, lots of wonderful recipes to try! I must get down to the patisserie yurt and start creating…
MM, I really like the look of the traybake one, but yes, it’s definitely lacking in chocolate.
Lizz, there’s the lemon squares recipe on page 264 of this thread. If you stick the word “caster” into the Search box you’ll find it. I don’t think I ever actually posted the lemon drizzle cake recipe on here, I think I just gave a link so here’s one of those bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe19.shtml this is the absolute best lemon drizzle recipe I’ve found. It’s actually more like a pudding than a cake, it’s so moist and lemony!
Sheil, I live in a little village to the west of Bedford. Not particularly exotic but I do have the advantage of a osuth west facing garage wall. The fig is planted in a big plastic tub with holes in the bottom and trained up the wall. There’s very little soil in the bed that it’s in - it’s mostly fine builders’ rubble from when we had the garage extended and I have alpines growing in it because not much else survives there. I also have a grape vine planted in it next to the fig and that also does very well.
We planted the fig and vine about five years ago and the fig now produces so many figs each year that I can’t use them all! This year I’m going to give a load to a friend who runs a pub and is a great chef so will make something wonderful from them. I just hope she gives me a taste…
Wet and cold bank holiday Monday - which followed a lovely three days of lunch with friends and a party. I now face EC number 4 on Wednesday which I know will be followed by 7 days of very little sleep, nausea, and tiredness, then 7 more days of mouth ulcers, deeper tiredness, feeling cr*p and general not up to much at all. I know I am nearly halfway through the chemo but I have been bitten on the leg by the youknowwhatscomming gremlin. I had such a good few days this week that I really am dreading the next two. And then I have to face the start of TAX on September 19th.
My positive thinking fairy vanished today - if someone sees her please send her back.
Sorry she didnt come my way. Feel exactly same as you . EC 3 Friday than TAX 23rd September-has really got me down this week and is spoiling my good week. Hopefully it’s a blip and will get my get up and go back. Hope you do too. Just woke in a sweat and realised heating is on! Teenagers! We bring them up soft!
Funny, isn’t it, how you’re supposed to feel all cheerful because you’re half-way through, but you don’t really. You really feel and think ‘OMG, now I’ve got to go through ALL THAT again.’
Hang in there, ladies. It will be rough, but you will get through. The trail has a clear marking of empty difflam bottles, pill packets, line dressings and occasional heaps of bottles and cans. Just remember not to wait too long before sending up distress flares.
Having had a lovely time meandering around the Pyrenees I’m back and pitched my tent in the rushes. I’ve my planning meeting today: yesterday ‘gay Paris’ today ‘Royal Derby Hospital’ - what a difference 24hrs make! Bum. Hey Ho, the last push. I’ve had about a months worth of Tam and can report no SEs, unless you count the mysterious disappearance of my waist but I think this was more a casualty to French food and wine than the pills.
For those of you stuck in the mid point of chemo- I think this is quite a tricky point: you’re knackered both in spirit and body but still have the same amount again to face - everyone keeps saying ‘ooh, you’re half way now!’ and (unless they catch you on a real downer) you feel the need to agree complete with inane grin in your face!
It’s tough and you’re allowed to say it. In fact do say it, it will help people to understand how you feel and will hopefully stop them from saying ‘Ooooh! Your last one today!’ when the time comes. Those close to me were warned on pain of death to not say this - I KNEW it was my last one, I’d flippin done all the others, but it didn’t make it any easier. Know that it will pass, hunker down with your favourite things and sit it out. The JM does deliveries if you need it.
Now then, apparently I get a free tattoo today (courtesy of the NHS) the question is: what shall I have? I’m thinking of the ‘2-fingered salute’ - subtle, yet to the point don’t you think?
I remember feeling exactly the same half way through and more recently before the last one. Hang in there, you will get through. I have just sneaked out of the woods and am teetering on the edge of the SNB and Mx marshes very reluctant to take that first step.
I managed to escape to the Yorkshire Moors at the weekend and had a wonderful almost normal weekend with friends, lots of food, some alcohol and even a little bit of walking. I had forgotten what normal life is like. Now I am back to earth with a bump, going to lots of appointments and getting ready for my SNB operation next week and have hit the black depression again. I feel like crying, running to the car and taking off for Yorkshire again where ‘they’ can’t get me.
I do have one nice thing to look forward to and that’s lunch with a couple of BCC ladies from here today. Think I need to book up some more nice stuff to keep me going.
Jo, “nice stuff” is definitely the antidote to the YouKnowWhat’sComingNext gremlin, so fill yer boots with as much “nice stuff” as you can. It doesn’t have to be massive, but a nice lunch, or a good walk, or an enjoyable book, or even just an unexpected lie-in, can make all the difference.
I have A WHOLE WEEK with no hospital appointments, doctor’s appointments, physio appointments or ANYTHING medical! Thing is though, I may need to find my way to A&E later on in the week unless my finger stops swelling. I have no idea why, but I decided on Saturday that the rings I had moved onto skinnier fingers before chemo could now go back on the original fingers, and I now have a bit of a swollen finger with a too-tight signet ring on it. Not quite sure whether to leave it to see if I can get my hands cold enough to get the blasted thing off again, or whether I should bite the bullet and go visit the lovely people at A&E to see if they’ve got some bolt cutters I can make use of… silly moo!
