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Monthly Archives: September 2012

Soup’s Up

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by highbankcottage in Self-sufficiency

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Cooking, glut, grow your own, recipe, self-sufficiency, Shropshire, tomato soup, tomatoes

A very dear friend of High bank asked about the tomato soup recipe that was to be the destination for our glut.  It is not only a very tasty soup but also very easy…

Roast Tomato Soup High Bank Style

Place tomatoes (as many as you have, there are no measurements for this recipe) into a large oven dish/tin.  Add a peeled and quartered onion, a couple of garlic cloves and anything else that takes your fancy (basil leaves, sweet peppers…) Drizzle oil, Rape Seed* or Olive, over the top along with a splash of balsamic vinegar and throw the tray in a hot oven for 40-60mins until the toms soften and slightly brown at the edges.  This is the great thing about this recipe, the oven does most of the work leaving you free to foxtrot around the herbaceous border or relax with a cup of Earl Grey.

After cooking, allow the toms to cool and then ‘blitz’ (this is the word we use and it has only occurred to me as I type it that it may not be the technical term) the ingredients in a food processor/blender/smoothie maker until homogenized.  it is important to blitz long enough for the skins to break down.

If the soup is thick then add some vegetable stock to get a better consistency.

That is it.  Or ‘Bish Bash Bosh’ as the commercial chef/publishing megalith/idiot (delete as appropriate) Jamie Oliver would say.

Enjoy with home made bread and a glass of wine and a burning log.

Stay tuned for more tomato recipes as another friend of High Bank has given us the recipe for green tomato cake…

Sky grey, dry and blowy, temp 14c.

Time for G&T

*Our current favorite Oil is Great Ness Rape Seed Oil, produced in Shropshire, pure and beautiful and available nationwide.

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The ‘G’ Word

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by highbankcottage in Self-sufficiency

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gardening, gardens, grow your own, growing, health, lifestyle, organic, self-sufficiency, tomatoes, vegetables

There is no room for the ‘G’ word in 2012.  A topsy-turvy summer of wetness and fluctuating temperatures has done little for the self-sufficiency garden in the UK.

However, here in September things are finally beginning to feel plentiful and after a long session of tomato picking this week we finally managed to use the word that we thought would have no place in 2012 at all.  We have a Glut!!!

Roast tomato soup will be the destination for most of these bad boys.

Sweet Peppers, Courgettes and Squashes all coming along well, so at least in terms of production this is definitely an Indian Summer.

Sky blue, temp 16c.

Time for G&T

The Man From High Banke He Say…

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by highbankcottage in Self-sufficiency

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gardening, grow your own, organic, self-sufficiency

…Yes!

Well ok the crop isn’t quite big enough to chop up and tin (5 melons) but its a start.

Tasty too.

Sky blue, a chilly wind, temp 17c.

Time for G&T

Summer’s Last Splash

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by highbankcottage in Self-sufficiency

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Glasshouse, healthy eating, organic, permaculture, self-sufficiency, tomatoes, tractors

In spite of the glorious weather this weekend, there is a distinct suggestion of autumn in the air.  Misty mornings, blushing foliage…  The farmers must be feeling it too if the activity on the road is anything to go by, the usually quiet roads are bustling with tractors this week.  So before summer disappears in a piff-paff-poof, indulge me in a lingering look at the summery jungle-growth of the glasshouse.  It is still providing a steady trickle of tomatoes and sweet peppers, happy reward for the work that brought this glasshouse relic back to good working order.

The tomato plants are somewhat feral but the fruit is sweet.  Of all the varieties we have tried this summer, the best for flavour has been the good old reliable ‘Gardeners delight.’

Hopefully this present sunshine will linger on and the reddening fruit can continue.

Sky blue, temp 17c.

Time for G&T

Meet The Team…

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by highbankcottage in Self-sufficiency

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gardening, organic, self-sufficiency, Sheep, small-holding, suffolk, texel

It is time to introduce some of the High Bank staff.

First of all here are the lawn care team…

Near left is Lady Baba, she is Head of turf maintenance.  To Lady Baba’s right is Michelle Obaama and behind them is Janet the Texel.

The responsibilities of these ladies is mostly mowing and lawn fertilizing.  They are also involved in the High Bank composting program.

Sky perfect Blue, Temp 20c.

Time for G&T

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