The Carrigaline Crusty

due to browser issues, I wont be updating this blog any longer. visit my mirror blog with all the same content here! After one to many doom filled daydreams of societal breakdown, this is my quest for self-sufficiency and survivalism.

[doctorhorse]

From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens - the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind's eye.

Katherine S White

[doctorhorse]

Why Frugal Living Works For Me

A constant state of dissatisfaction is, I think, a pretty accurate description of today's quintessential sedentary 9-5 urban modern life. In Ireland, where we have freedom, opportunities and safe living, people are still not truly happy.  And you might be surprised to discover the kind of people who are happiest. In my experience, it is not wealth, social status, beauty or anything tangible that increases a person's happiness. But we are all different and have to do the best with what we've got, so everybody's path to happiness will be different. For me, free time is my ultimate goal. That is time to do anything I want, whether that be to do nothing at all. I am lucky to work in a job that allows me to apply for unpaid leave so keeping my living costs down means I can afford to work less. I have been working a four day week for six months now. My expenses are still the same from when I was working five days (slightly greater in fact as I now have a child), and I am still saving money. My job is not a high paid job. I pay rent of €350 a month. I pay for part time child care. I have a car (which I bought for cash with savings). I began to look at purchases in terms of time. I see a beautiful pair of boots in a shop window and I want them. I look at the price - €80 - or one day's work. So it's the boots or a day off work. The day off wins and I walk on. I just don't buy things anymore. By things I mean non-perishable items (not food/medicine/cosmetics/cleaning products/fuel - of course you can make frugal choices with these life necessities too). It took me a while to get to this point. I built up my possessions for the first few years that I started working - long lasting pieces like a guitar, cooking appliances, reference books, a range of jewellery, good clothes and shoes. But once you get to a certain level of personal and household items, you just don't really have to buy much anymore. What I need was a reason. Becoming a mother was the driving force, but I had been thinking about paring down my lifestyle for a while. My time is everything to me now. When you wear the same clothes for years, they eventually come back into fashion!

[doctorhorse]

Twelve Things I Have Learned By Vegetable Gardening

Always keep your wellies by the back door. Keep your watering can outside the back door and pour all your waste cooking/kettle water in there. I get a kick out of re-using my pink boiled beetroot water on their surviving cousins in the garden. Slugs are less enticed by older leaves so it pays to bring your plants to a decent size before planting out. Always keep an eye peeled for pests. Every night, when the light is almost gone, I go out into the garden armed with a shears and hunt the massive slugs that are emerging from my compost heap. One snip and they are no more. Cover your salad leaves with a net or the birds will eat them, in fact cover as much as you can! The cabbage white butterfly often lays her eggs on the underside of the leaves, so a seemingly flawless plant can be covered in caterpillars over night. Find those little yellow eggs under your brassica leaves and squish. The amount of insects per square foot of soil is terrifying. Even correctly spaced beetroot may need to be thinned, as a single seed can be a cluster of a few seeds. Loosen the soil around your onion and garlic bulbs before lifting, to allow the bulbs to expand in the soil. You can eat the tops of a lot of plants – Brussels sprouts, turnips, beetroot, peas, and beans to name only a few. Don’t pull up your salad plants – many of them will grow new leaves after you cut what you need. Look up “cut and come again”. Little and often is the key to keeping the garden going through the year. Teach me more things - leave a comment!

[doctorhorse]

Simplicity is Freedom

It's the dilemma of modern families across Ireland - how to balance work and family life in a way that you can meet your expenses and the needs of your children. Tradition suggests that a couple should marry, buy a house and have children, in that particular order. Unfortunately, for many, that now translates to being tied to a job to pay for an expensive house in a location that no longer suits your new lifestyle as parents. And if you are not committed to a mortgage, do you choose where to live because you can get a higher paid job, more amenities, shorter commute, cheaper area? How can a family thrive if both parents have to work five days or more a week? Less time means you make bad decisions - fast food, buying things you could make, looking for the quick solution, compensating for time lost with your children by lavishly spending money on them. Then there is the guilt and emotional strain. The massive personal choice that the developed world offers to us brings freedom and potential for happiness but also so much complication and stress to our lives. We have so much available to us but is it really making our lives better? I hear so much negativity around me every day, so much illness and stress. Even though the choice I'm making is a good one, is it the best one? Have you ever spent hours online comparing products and agonising over them? Each one looks good, but which one is the best!? By the time you've finished, you've forgotten what the first one was like. It's not our fault, we are part of a bigger machine. The machine of society that we design. The chicken and the egg situation? Rather than work a full week to have more disposable income, I would champion less work, less money and more time. I believe that no person, no matter what your situation, should work a 40+ hour week. Part time work for every one means that no person should be without a job, and all the work will still get done. It would cut down traffic, work related stress, sick days. If only it was that simple... I realise that everything would have to change, cost of products and services, the way businesses are run.... But still, my dream is a three day week for workers everywhere!

[doctorhorse]

Growing Leeks This is my first year growing leeks and I want to make a passionate effort to succeed. There is some effort required and the seed packet instructions fall a bit short of directing you towards a decent crop. Leeks can be sown in situ but sowing in a seed bed/module is preferable as it allows deep planting. There are a few stages involved: Stage 1: Sowing the seed (where I'm at) Normally from March-April. Plant your seed in modules (I am using empty toilet rolls) of moist compost. A depth of 1cm is commonly advised. I have also been told that seeds should be covered by a layer matching their own depth. Keep the soil moist. A mild place is suitable for the seedlings (10-15˚F). Stage 2: Planting Out This occurs about two months after planting, when leeks are pencil-thick and about 8 inches long. Leeks are hungry so plant out in prepared ground that has been fertilised (e.g. manure/compost). Using a dibber (or a twig found on the ground if you are me!), make a hole about 6 inches deep. Place the leek in the hole and fill up with water, not soil. The hole will naturally become filled with soil gradually. This process of earthing up is to achieve the white (blanched) stem, which we all know is the best part and makes the vegetable look so magnificent. You can also earth up the stems further above the ground once the hole has filled. The leek is a slow maturing crop and most varieties will withstand extreme weather to stay in the soil all winter. Healthy plants require ample spacing of about 9 inches each way. Stage 3: Harvesting and Eating! Depending on sowing times and varieties, your crop will be ready to enjoy from early winter. I eat leek mostly in a casserole with chicken and sausages, or in soup. If you have any better suggestions, please leave a comment!

[doctorhorse]

Leggy seedlings If, like me, your seedlings are a bit elongated, it can be rectified somewhat at the potting on stage. Bury the stems deep covering the seedlings up to their leaves and help them get some strength back. Reasons for leggy seedlings/plants 1. Insufficient light Indoor sowings are particularly susceptible to a lack of light as they can usually only get it from one direction and strain themselves towards the source. Regular rotating of plants will help with this problem. 2. Over-fertilisation An imbalance of nutrients, particularly high Nitrogen levels, will result in too much green growth and a lack of flowers. Potassium and Phosphorous encourage fruit and flower development. 3. Incorrect Potting Technique I am guilty of this and it only dawned on me this year, after many of my seeds had been planted. I am by no stretch an experienced gardener but this is my third year dabbling and I am still making rookie mistakes that seem so obvious once I realise them. Instead of using seed trays with tiny modules, I often plant seeds directly into large pots. My logic was that (a) it would reduce the amount of times the plant would have to be potted on and (b) the seed would have plenty room and nutrients because it had no competition. I was wrong, oh so wrong. The reason for starting seeds in small pots/modules and potting on in stages is: (a) It promotes good root development. It is when the root hits a barrier (the pot base) that it develops from a long tap root into a fibrous one, sending out branches. This strengthens the root. By planting my seeds in a big pot, the root was just growing straight down, making no attempt to build itself up. (b) Using large pots causes the soil to become anerobic and lack oxygen. Following on from poor root development, lack of activity in the soil (assuming there are no earthworms in the pots) causes conditions to become stagnant. This does not entice healthy plant development. Increasing pot size as the plant grows is the best practice. Just look at my poor purple sprouting broccoli in the first photo! Let them be a lesson to you.

[doctorhorse]

My Garden: 2nd February 2014

This time last year I was in the throes of morning sickness and was a late comer to the planting season. I caught up a bit and my fabulous broad bean crop that I had planted the October previous saved my garden from being a total den of misery but my tomato plants and expensive F1 chili jalapeno seeds never recovered. I made rookie mistakes: 1. I planted my seeds too late. 2. I let the compost dry out so it formed a clump of soil and subsequent watering could not penetrate the crust. This year I am on form and today I got an early start on my tomatoes - the old fashioned Moneymaker breed - and I am determined to do it right. I diligently rinsed out my pots, chose good compost, planted two seeds to every pot and in the absence of a sieve, used my fingers to break up the compost into fine particles to cover the seeds. Each pot was labeled and covered with a plastic sandwich bag to maintain humidity and inhibit the soil from drying out. The bags were perforated to prevent rotting. They were then placed on a south-facing window sill. Now rise my pretties, RISE!

[doctorhorse]

I've been chalking up some nice kitchen equipment in the present department and this Christmas was no exception. A beautiful cast iron casserole dish is now part of the family, something I've wanted to get with a while. Today it got it's first trial run, in the guise of roast lamb and potatoes and today I tasted the BEST roast spuds to ever have passed my lips. Mother of God, I devoured them. There was nothing new to the cooking method, just the dish and it shows what a difference good quality kitchen ware can make. As per the instructions, I preheated the dish while the oven was warming up, with a little oil and a spoon of goose fat. While the equipment was heating up to Gas 7, I peeled and chopped my spuds and rubbed my 2lb lamb piece (don't ask me what part - rolled something or other) with olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary. When the oven was hot, I added the meat, potatoes and a head of garlic separated into cloves. I cooked UNCOVERED (so the spuds will crisp up) it at Gas 7 for 20 minutes, reduced the heat to Gas 4 and cooked for 30 minutes more. Halfway through I turned the meat and jiggled the spuds around. I removed the meat at the end of this cooking time but left the spuds for 20 minutes more while the meat rested, wrapped in tin foil. The meat was done to medium, very feint trace of pink, while the potatoes were incredibly crispy and coloured on the outside, but soft and moist on the inside. I will NEVER roast potatoes in anything but my cast iron dish ever again. Now excuse me while I have a sneaky round two...

[doctorhorse]

Carnage In The Garden This winter saw some crazy wind and rain and I didn't escape unscathed. The second photo is the scene I awoke to a few weeks ago, a dismal change from my romantic first photo (although granted the greenhouse had not looked that perfect for a long time). They might have only cost €49.99, but those plastic greenhouses gave life to many seedlings, as well as bringing tomato plants to full maturity. They were basic but provided the main conditions required for early plant health - protection from the wind and warmth from the sun. They were also a great place to store small tools and accessories. But from the ashes some hope has risen. The plastic covering wasn't worth anything and I suppose the aluminium frame could have been used for staking and support but what I'll make best use of is the light shelving. I have a big problem with local cats using my freshly dug beds as a large bathroom and disrupting my plants. I've used nets but they are a bit troublesome to weigh/tie down especially if you need to remove them for any reason. Dead greenhouse to the rescue with its generous organ donation. The shelves are perfect for laying over my garlic plants, with plenty room for them to continue growing, while deterring cats from digging in that spot (see my third photo). Tent pegs can be used to secure them, yet they are easily removed if needs be. They are also tidier that a net, which can be blown around easily. Where the greenhouses once stood, I have dug the ground and am beginning to prepare vegetable beds. My indoor space for starting off seedlings is limited to two miserable window sills so I will have to come up with a contingency plan, especially as I have vowed to make this my most successful year yet. I don't think I'll bother investing in another cheap greenhouse, they did themselves proud (and lasted much longer than some nay-sayers predicted) but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

[doctorhorse]

A waffle maker is not something I ever envisioned myself desiring but after one too many gluttonous visits to my sister’s house where plates of homemade muffins and waffles are always at hand, suddenly I could no longer live without one. I started off timidly with a basic plain batter but having gotten to know the correct measurements to suit my machine and learning to gauge the temperature correctly, I’m ready to up the ante and get experimental so I’m beginning with the following recipe.

This recipe is adapted from the Weelicious pumpkin waffles. On the smart suggestion by my sister, sweet potato is substituted for the pumpkin, which is not readily available in Ireland. The measurements are in American cups. You can get a really handy set of cup measures in a jug in Deals for €1.49

Ingredients

2.5 cups plain white flour 1/3 cup brown sugar 2.5 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 4 eggs beaten 1 cup milk 1 cup buttermilk 6 tbsp melted butter 1 cup sweet potato puree (I made this by boiling sweet potato chunks in water until soft and then blending - you can make a large batch and freeze portions for later use)

Method

Preheat your waffle iron to a medium heat.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger together and add the sugar. Mix with a whisk.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients, whisking slowly.

I used 1/3 cup measure per waffle.

Cook for about 3 minutes.

I politely ate one with honey and then devoured three with my bare hands. The waffles stand alone without the honey or any other condiment as they are just sweet enough.

Verdict? Addictive!

[doctorhorse]

White Fish Poached in Milk

I love fish and am always looking for new, easy ways to cook the many fresh fillets that pass through our house. Poaching in milk is quick, healthy and a gentle way of cooking fish, making over-cooking less likely. My fillets of choice today are Flounder.

Ingredients

200ml milk

3 small fillets of white fish [anything you want really but I think flat fish like Flounder, Plaice and Dab work best]

50g cooked smoked sausage cooked

25g onion diced

Salt and pepper

Method

Put all the ingredients in a pan over a low heat, cover and allow to come to a simmer. 

Keep a close eye as the milk can begin to bubble over quickly. 

Cook for five minutes, until fish is opaque.

I served mine over mashed potato with some sweetcorn. Make sure to use some of the warm milk as a creamy sauce.

[doctorhorse]

Marinades are a great way to treat a piece of meat and you can get really creative with your mixes. Dig around your cupboards to find ingredients that are collecting dust. For me, it was whiskey and balsamic vinegar, neither of which I use very often. I complimented with contrasting flavours to balance out the harshness of the alcohol and vinegar. The best way to soak the meat is to use a sealable plastic freezer bag. In any case, always use a nonreactive container, plastic or glass.

Sticky Whiskey Marinaded Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

6 free range chicken thighs 3 garlic cloves minced 1 TSP ground ginger

Equal amounts (I used half a cup measure) of:

Whiskey Brown sugar Olive oil

Half that amount of:

Balsamic vinegar or\and soy sauce

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a plastic zip lock bag and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to Gas 6\200°C\400°F

Place the chicken thighs in a roasting tin, with a little of the marinade.

Roast for 30 minutes

To make a glaze, cook the reminder of the marinade on the hob. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook over a medium flame until it reduces by half into a sticky sauce.

I ate mine with simple spuds and veg but you could equally just tear into it with your bare hands like the beast that you are

[doctorhorse]

Seasonal Soup: Beetroot, Apple and Onion

This exciting soup is a perfect way to use up the fruits of Autumn. Don't be put off by the adventurous ingredients; my beetroot hating, cooked apple avoiding boyfriend positively loved it. It's pink, hearty and slightly sweet with a zing! to finish.

I was inspired to try this recipe as I had a bag of windfall cookers to use and wanted to do something other than baking. I wasn't fortunate to have raw beetroot to use but the cooked stuff made my job easier. 

Ingredients

15g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 decent sized cooking apples, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 tbsp curry powder

250g cooked beetroot, chopped

500ml vegetable stock

Method

Heat the butter and oil and saute the apple and onion over a medium heat for ten minutes, until mushy

Add the curry powder, mix well and cook for five more minutes

Add the beetroot and cook until the whole mix is heated through

Add half the stock and whiz using a hand blender

When well blended, add the remaining stock and mix evenly

Serve and enjoy!

[doctorhorse]

Brussels Sprouts Tops: Bonus Food!

My veg garden is looking miserable. Apart from some spinach that bolted a long time ago, the only usable vegetables I have available are two Brussels sprouts plants, which in fairness to them are producing a fine amount of sprouts.

Like last year, the first sprout will be sampled on Christmas Day BUT to my delight it recently dawned on me that the sprouts are not the only part of the plant that can benefit my plate. The plant tops look like cabbage and taste like cabbage. I can't believe I wasted these fine leafy tops last year and today I sampled them for the first time in a stir fry. They are sweet and tasty, and even if you find the sprout to be bitter (although those of us in the know appreciate that if cooked properly, sprouts are delicate and sweet tasting and not in the slightest way bitter), you are sure to enjoy the bonus treat of the plant top.

Tips on growing Brussels Sprouts

Like other leafy green vegetables, sprouts like a lot of Nitrogen so plant them out in the same soil that you have grown your peas or beans, whose crops should be finished when the sprouts are ready to be planted out. The reason for this perfect partnership is that legumes have the ability to take Nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil. This year, I planted my sprouts where Broad Beans had previously stood.

They require very little attention but it is worth picking off any yellowing leaves to encourage air circulation and prevent sprouts from rotting.

[doctorhorse]

Planting Garlic in Ireland

Last year I planted cloves from supermarket-bought garlic, which produced small bulbs which I ate fresh. This year, I've done one better and purchased actual growing garlic in the hope of a bigger, better yield. I also intend on drying out most of the bulbs for better storage possibilities. Read more on drying garlic at the end of the post. The variety I have opted for is Iberian Wight.

Planted on 20th November

General Information

Iberian Wight is a soft-necked garlic from the Cordoba region of Spain which grows very well in Ireland.

It has good storage potential and, like other varieties of soft-neck garlic, does not produce a scape (flower stem).

Planting Guidelines

Plant in Autumn for a June/July harvest.

Prefers a light, free-draining soil in full sun. Plant 2.5 inches deep as it has a tendency to push up through the soil.

Break the bulb into cloves and plant each one separately.

Space rows 25 cm apart and leave 20-25 cm between plants

Harvesting and Preserving Garlic

Garlic should be lifted when the stem starts to turn yellow. It is best to lift early than too late as the bulbs can shatter and may start sprouting.

Handle carefully as it can bruise, which leads to rot in storage.

Allow to completely dry in the sun before storing. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the outer skins are totally dry and will slip off easily - usually two-three weeks. If there is a risk of rain, hang under cover - an unheated greenhouse will suffice.

Store hanging in bunches or plaited. Before plaiting, moisten the stem to make it more flexible.

If storing in wooden boxes, cut the stem down to 2 inches.

[doctorhorse]

Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast can be a temperamental meal for many people, especially if you have to leave the house first thing in the morning. You're sick of breakfast cereal but there's not enough time to cook something decent, it's too early to eat, you're not hungry yet... which inevitably leads to eating out which can be expensive and unhealthy. Such are the reasons I am always on the lookout for tasty, healthy, portable breakfasts and the following muffins fulfill all three requirements. They are also a good way to use up some possibly forgotten ingredients in your cupboard including honey, apple sauce and porridge oats.

Makes 12

Ingredients

Wet

2 eggs beaten

150ml natural yogurt

50ml olive oil

100g applesauce

1 ripe banana mashed

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

Dry

200g wholemeal flour

50g porridge oats with a bit extra for topping

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1.5 tsp cinnamon

100g dried fruit [I used cranberry, sultanas, raisins and goji berries]

2 tbsp mixed seeds [I used pumpkin and sunflower]

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180C/350F

Mix the wet ingredients in a jug

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl

Pour in the wet ingredients, combine but don't overmix

Pour into twelve muffin cases and sprinkle the seeds and oats on top

Bake for 30 minutes and once baked, allow to cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

These will freeze well.

[doctorhorse]

Handsfree Breastfeeding With A Woven Wrap Sling

  It can be done as I've just discovered today. I ordered two slings, a Didymos and a Hoppediz, to rent for two weeks from the brilliant sling library on the babywearingireland website, and they arrived today. After half an hour of playing around with the Hoppediz, and using this video [it's in Spanish but easy to follow], I managed to comfortably attach my three week old baby to me, where he has been happily feeding/snoozing for the last half hour. The slings come with instructions, and the Hoppediz supplies a great choice of holds, but none to compete with the youtube video for a hold suitable for nursing.

I'm so happy. I can finally get things done!