A safe way to split logs

Safe and easy log splitting with old scrap tyres

Happy Solstice everyone

Love this webpage - go and look!

Wonderful page showing global wind patterns live

Solstice fire in the wood

Watch this film

This film 'Stop Rodando el Cambio'  http://youtu.be/hGqpf3RX0Ik  was created by two young Spanish women who are helping us at the moment (mostly putting up our new poly tunnel)
Definitely worth watching!

Silver linings

The storm finished off our old poly tunnel so the first priority with our wwoofers at the end of November will be to erect a new one - am quite excited at the prospect, looking for good weather the week after next!
I have planked a stack of chestnut with the chainsaw mill ready to make 2 new gates for EcoDIY.   Watch this space for pictures of both projects.

Drying and fruit leather.

We are continuing with our harvesting and storing.    Now the freezers and jars are nearly full we are concentrating on drying.

Apple and pear rings drying over our wood stove

Harvested this week;   Walnuts and almonds -- a good crop this year, they need to be dried in their shells for eating later.

Our almond harvest

Beans; about 5 different types (including Lima beans which are like butter beans) for drying and storing.
Apples and pears for storing and drying, we are making apple and pear rings this year as the apple rings were really successful last year, lasting for at least a year and useful in baking when cut into small pieces.
The pears were best made into rings straight from the tree when they are still hard and sweet.   The smaller pieces of apple and pears from damaged fruit were cut into small pieces and dried in the solar dryer.
We did lots of fruit leather this year.   Cooking the fruit and spreading it thinly onto non stick baking sheets, drying in a low temperature oven or in the solar dryer.

Apple fruit leather drying

We tried;
raspberry and apple - good,
plum - good,
blackberry and apple - good
blackberry and pear - difficult to dry as it was quite runny.
We are using the leather in many ways; cut into small pieces in baking and cereals or just to eat as sweets.

EcoDIY Open Weekend

Just sitting resting after a very busy weekend talking to more than 70 people.  The weather wasn't great and turned wet by Sunday pm.  We had a very good write up (3 pages!) in the East Anglian Daily Times - (see it here). Lots of interesting contacts for us and new members for the Eco group that meets here monthly.
Now it back to harvesting and extracting honey this week.

Open Weekend coming up

Our open weekend (yet again!) is 14th and 15th of September do tell your friends and drop in for a cup of tea a and a sight of our dry dry garden.
We have been making the most of the sunny weather to dry fruit ; Cherries, figs, plums, peaches and apples are all working well.   A lot of these dry fruits will replace currents and raisins in cakes and puddings