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| Pineapple Plant |
The lockdown stuff continues but life doesn’t change much in our neck of the woods. There have been some positive cases confirmed within Kat’s squadron so she is not coming home for the time being. Sarah had originally intended to fly home from Australia for Christmas but that’s not going to happen now. So it’s just me, himself and the dog.
The weather is starting to feel more autumnal. I’ve just harvested a load of red peppers and tomatoes from the greenhouse. I shall roast some of the peppers and freeze the rest. Paul has moved the raspberry canes to a more sheltered part of the garden; they got shredded to pieces by the winds this year.
At the weekend we racked the plum wine, in other words we siphoned the plum wine off the sediment into fresh demi-johns. I’m pleased to report that the wine tasted slightly less like vinegar so we are hopeful that in a few months’ time it will have matured into a flavoursome wine. It won’t be bottled until we are confident that the fermentation has completely stopped and things are progressing properly.
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| Chief Winemaker |
Later this week we shall process the apples and start on the next batch of wine. Such fun!
Cider??? Spectacular colour that plum wine, and your trug of autumnal abundance is an artwork a\s well.
ReplyDeleteNo, apple wine. Similar process but more sugar is added during fermentation and then it is aged and bottled like wine, ending up with a higher alcohol content than cider. That's the plan anyway!
DeleteThe peppers and tomatoes look delicious, and so fresh straight from the garden.
ReplyDeleteThey taste so much nicer than supermarket produce.
DeleteWill your wine stay that glowing red/pink sunset color? Perfect for the holidays. Your vegetable garden did very well. If your daughters can not be home for the holiday, I'd celebrate twice. Once on the holiday and again when everyone can make it. (I've done this and some say they like celebrating twice with me!)
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the wine will keep its deep pink shade but we won't know until we bottle it. This is the first time we've made this wine so it's a bit of an unknown.
DeleteThose Peppers look wonderful, mine refuse to turn red. I stuff mine with brandade, and stick them in the oven for 30 mins. I planted two Pineapple tops this year; both are thriving. I presume they're not the same thing as your Pineapple plant.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pineapple lily (eucomis). The flower resembles a miniature pineapple. I love peppers stuffed with pork or beef mince.
DeleteThe plum wine is a lovely colour. I had to look up " Brandade"....not sure I like the sound of it!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried stuffing my peppers with it although I reckon it might work.
DeleteThat trug is wothy of a painting.
ReplyDeleteNature gives us such wonderful colours.
DeleteThat basket of produce looks so lovely. Well done!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Paul has a nice butt! Like two coconuts in a denim bag.
Thank you. I think so too.
DeleteMy thoughts too, that the trug would make a lovely painting - an interesting exercise in tones of red!
ReplyDeleteWhen I buy a pineapple, I often think I'll save the crown and plant it, but never seem to remember. Given our suitable climate, it shouldn't be a difficult to grow.
Sorry to hear that the girls won't be with you over Christmas. One day, surely, we'll all be able to look forward to celebrations with our loved ones, without the threat of the virus, and it's restrictions, hanging over us.
Just going to Google Brandade - I've heard of it, but no idea what it's made of!
I've eaten brandade (cod and potato) a couple of times in France but I'm not overly keen.
DeleteAhhh - home grown tomatoes, soooo good!! I don't make wine anymore because I'm not allowed to drink it, but I do make a batch of Port every couple of years. This year's batch was bottled for me today!! Don't give up on that Plum wine, keep tasting it. Lots of wines don't taste like much for the first couple of years & then suddenly, they turn into ambrosia.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to have a lot of patience with the wine making. It's so hard to wait months before finding out if it's worked or not. My plum chutney always tasted better after a few months.
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