Heelan’ Homestead

Homesteading in the Highlands of Scotland. A country lifestyle and handmade goodies from our homestead craft shop … ⬇️ www.heelanhomestead.co.uk

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Strange clouds in the sky last night, beautiful and truly atmospheric … 🙂

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Our broccoli and mangetout are looking really good this year and it’s lovely to have all these fresh veggies to cook with. It may be a lot of work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way … my garden just brings me so much happiness. 😊 🥬🫜

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I’m harvesting some more of our rhubarb this afternoon … but took a break to bake this yummy rhubarb cake. I was hoping to get an arty picture of it, but with a family of six it didn’t last that long … 😅 Custard and spoons in hand it was devoured pretty quickly … I can’t blame them though, as mouthwatering aromas simply filled the kitchen. Definitely a recipe I’ll be repeating in the future … 😋

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As it’s raining again today, I’m spending a quiet morning in the kitchen. First up preparing some rhubarb … I love to have a nice big bowl of stewed rhubarb in the fridge. It’s great to dip into as needed … tasty with custard, great for crumbles / cakes and perfect on its own with some yoghurt for breakfast. Yum 😋

After that, I thought I’d bake some caraway seed buns for tea … my mum used to make them all the time, so a happy trip down memory lane for me. 😊

Anyway, that’s all for now … hope you’re all having a peaceful Sunday too … 😃👋

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We’ve just spent a good hour harvesting turnips and it makes me so happy. I love adding turnips to casseroles and stews, but really struggle to find them in the supermarkets … maybe they’re just not popular anymore, I don’t know … 🤷‍♀️

Oh, well … I’m off to settle into an afternoon of chopping, blanching and freezing, which actually sounds pretty good to me. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend too … 😊🫜

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Our kale is doing really well this year and I love being able to pop out to the garden for a few leaves when needed. It’s a great addition to soups / stews and the leaves are delicious raw in sandwiches / smoothies or just eaten straight off the plant as a snack. We’re using the ‘cut - and - come - again’ method to harvest our kale, only taking a few outer leaves from the plant at a time. It’s important to leave the crown intact, to encourage new growth. But if you prefer, you can also blanch and freeze the kale leaves for later use… it really is a versatile, tasty and healthy vegetable to grow in your garden, and with so many varieties to choose from. Anyway, I think we’ll plant a second bed of kale mid to late summer, as it makes a wonderful winter crop and I’ve heard the cold actually improves the flavour. I’m really curious to see if that’s actually true … 🤷‍♀️🥬

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Happy to have some young garlic for my freezer … after a morning spent preparing the bulbs, the kitchen smells amazing. I think I’ll keep some back for garlic bread tonight … 😋🧄

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I’m really enjoying baking at the moment, probably spurred on by the wet and chilly summer we’re having. Plus, the aroma of baking bread just makes everyone happy and everything feel warm and cosy.

Today’s wee offering, some soft sesame rolls, topped with poppy seeds and a crack of sea salt. Yum … 😋🥖

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My first attempt at making bagels, and thankfully they turned out ok. I was so nervous to attempt these, I thought they’d be a lot more complicated than they were. I used my trusty bread machine to make the dough, then a quick dip in boiling water before baking them. They really are fun to make, dead easy and they smell heavenly coming out of the oven.

If you’ve ever thought about making homemade bagels, I’d definitely give it a go, you won’t regret it !!! 😋🥯

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Happiness is definitely a bowl of freshly picked strawberries straight from the garden … 🍓😌

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Excited to say our beautiful fruit cage is finished. I’m so grateful and it’s just in time, as our wee bushes are full of berries. Next on the to do list, get some weed matting down and gravel the whole area. I think it will look lovely, and the perfect sheltered location for our potted herbs. 🌱🪴

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We’re making progress on our fruit cage, but dodging the weather as we go. Heavy downpours, hailstones today and freezing temperatures overnight … not much fun. It’s slow going but we’ll get there. 🍓

I think I’ll make a coffee cake this afternoon … cheer everyone up … 😋

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I thought this year it might be nice to add a splash of colour to the garden. After a bit of research, I found these hooked baskets, which are the perfect size for our raised beds. I’ve planted the first two with sweet little Rhodanthemum (Casablanca), I think they look so pretty and I’m so happy with how they’ve turned out. With four more to go, I can’t wait to see the end result. 🌸🥰

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After planting we waited for a couple of years before harvesting our asparagus, which definitely took a lot of self restraint on my part (I love asparagus, especially dipped in a soft boiled egg). Thankfully the wait was worth it and we now have fresh asparagus straight from the garden, which is absolutely delicious. I picked a good bunch this morning, so I’m thinking about making a quiche with it for lunch … sounds pretty good actually. 😋 Well that’s my day planned out … make some quiche, then out to the garden this afternoon to sow some carrots and plant some lavender.

Hope you’re having a good day too … 😃

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Just taking a quick break to stroll around the garden and enjoy the blossoms on our fruit trees … A beautiful sea of pink and white flowers … I’m completely obsessed. 🌸

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This year we’ve planted some red, white and black currant bushes in the garden. So, while the sun is shining, we decided to make a start on our fruit cage. I’m so grateful to my husband for his hard work and planning when it comes to these projects … he makes it look so easy, but I definitely know it’s not.

We’re also trying to decide what to do with the ground … we usually strim around the beds, but with the cage up it may be time for some weed matting and gravel. Any suggestions … 🤷‍♀️

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Another busy day in the garden and I’m loving every minute … it’s been non stop planting in the Polycrub this week, with cauliflower, broccoli, onions, beetroot, red cabbage, asparagus, radish and strawberries all safely tucked into the raised beds. Hopefully later this week we’ll get the potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes set up in the greenhouse. I’m also keeping a careful eye on the weather, fingers crossed the last of the frosty nights are nearly behind us … with the outside beds all weeded and prepped, we’re eager to get some veggies in them.

Phew, it’s definitely time to stop for the day and put my feet up with a nice cup of tea 🌱🫜🪴😃

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