Monday 12 January 2015

Too Much River Cottage..?!

Well I'm not sure if there is any such thing... but when you find yourself baking bread and ordering elderberry plants on the internet, one really has to ask the question! We already grow all our herbs and now tomatoes, next year we will try more food in our very small space. We also compost everything from coffee grinds to vegetable peelings and have cut our meat consumption in half.

The bread is going ok, my best bakes had the paper stuck to it, I think because it was the cheap stuff? and the loaf I thought was really going to work I forgot to slice the top so it didn't rise properly, but it was nice none the less, kinda like sour dough... So I've bought the River cottage bread book and swapped baking paper for semolina and bought a silicon loaf baking thing. My next loaf is rising now, so fingers crossed. 



and I'm really excited about the Elderberry!! Apparently I'll need to keep it in a pot to stop it getting out of control, but that just means theres a good chance it'll grow like a weed and I'll be making Elderflower cordial and maybe even champagne next year!!




And of course I couldn't resist buying another couple of plants, after all, it was the same postage for up to 3 plants...


Now, where am I going to put the chickens...?!



Saturday 3 January 2015

Healthier lollies after some practice

So I've had a few goes at the gummy lollies now - afterall, I have a whole container of gelatin!

Here are my finding:


Maple syrup has the most sweetness and flavour for the quantity, and it's paleo for those who prefer.

Coconut sugar is also great but turns lighter coloured gummies caramel coloured.

Frozen berries make great lollies

If I put in vanilla I only put a couple of drops, we don't need it.

The gelatin must go into cold liquid...

Lime lollies are like sour gummies and awesome!!

It's all about the presentation, if they look good, they will be more likely to be eaten. Try some natural food colouring from the health food store. 

Put them in a container you cannot see into if you don't want them eaten all at once!!

Green Lime and yellow lychee lollies

My recipe is very basic now, using ratios of:


  • 1/3 cup fruit/juice
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of gelatin
  • about 1 tablespoon of sweet stuff
Mix it all together while cold, let sit for 5 minutes, it should go thick. Simmer for 5 minutes then let cool a bit again before pouring into jelly moulds.
They take about 15 minutes in the freezer. Store in the fridge, covered.

Enjoy!

Lime, Lychee and Raspberry Sugar Free Lollies