It’s a murky day, only about 7 degrees outside, but it feels positively balmy after the recent freezing temperatures we’ve had. The snow has all melted but there is still a glacier in Middlefield Lane; there is a constant stream of water running down this lane, no one seems to know where the water is coming from.
Paul fetched me some apples out of the garage that we have been storing over winter. They are slightly yellow but still a good flavour. We still have two more loaded drawers but I don’t think we will manage to use them.
Meanwhile the apple and plum wines have finished gurgling and are sitting quietly in the dark. The longer they are left to mature the better the taste. The price of wine in the UK is rising so I’m hoping we have some success with our own wine.
I must say those apples look very moreish - so much better than the stuff you buy in the shops.
ReplyDeleteThey have kept quite well, just not as crisp as they should be.
DeleteHello Sue,
ReplyDeleteWell, your bowl of apples looks glorious! Apples are so very useful to cook with, we find, especially with pork and in pies, naturally.
We should be alarmed at the rising price of wine and might even be tempted 'in extremis' to make our own as you do, not that we have ever tried this in the past. However, Hungarian wine, often not available in the UK, is extremely good and inexpensive. Under £2 for a decent bottle of red or white and £2.50 for 'champagne'. No wonder we have yet to venture into home brewing!
I don't think our home made wine will replace our favourite wines but we had such a glut of plums and apples - I just didn't want to waste them.
DeleteYour apples look excellent. Apples in our stores look very nice but are tasteless and extremely hard. Buying directly from a local farm or growing at home is always better. Your wine sounds excellent. With the gurgling completed, how much longer does it sit?
ReplyDeleteShould really wait 4-5 months before bottling.
DeleteNormally we would still be gathering apples from one particular nearby tree. Sadly this last year my neighbour mowed all around the tree with his biggest tractor, making a mush of all the fallen fruits. No tasty apples for the deer, and none for us either!
ReplyDeleteThat's rather a shame.
DeleteThose apples look good - so how about a quick still life á la Cezanne, before they are all used? A couple of wine bottles (they needn't be full!), one of Paul's lovely loaves, lump of cheese etc., etc., would make a nice painting.
ReplyDeleteNot being a drinker, I haven't been aware if the price of wine has gone up here, but there are still bottles to be had at 99 cents. Probably OK if you're going to strip some paint, but who knows!
I try to avoid the paint stripper wine! We tend to spend a reasonable amount on alcohol because we really enjoy good food and good wine.
DeleteIf you shop at Lidl you can get excellent wine at budget prices. Wearing a COVID mask - nobody will know that it is you.
ReplyDeleteDark glasses too as an extra precaution.
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