Garden Update

It’s well & truly Autumn now, and today it’s rainy & dull & gloomy. I was meant to mow the lawns today, I should have done it yesterday when it was nice & sunny! Here’s some photos I took yesterday in the sun:

These apples are nice to look at but are full of codling moth worms. I have tried for 2 years to get decent apples from this tree, and this was it’s last chance so I will be taking it out this winter & moving a nectarine tree in it’s place. Sorry apple tree!

In contrast to the doomed apple tree is the very well behaved Nashi pear tree, giving me 7 fruits this year. Nashi pears are not actually a cross between apples & pears as some people think, and these don’t seem to be attractive to coddling moth or pear & cherry slug, so I think this tree has earned another year in the garden 🙂 Behind the nashis are my slightly-chewed cabbage plants, they have had a growth spurt in the last couple of weeks.

My first time growing winter squash; had great results but the vines (2 of them) ran rampant through the whole veggie patch & onto the lawn, so I will have to grow them on a trellis next time. They have been lined up along the edge of the veggie bed for the last couple of weeks to cure, but since it’s raining today I really should bring them inside. They have a really hard skin so I hope this means they will store well. I will have to investigate recipes for soup & things. Overall I got 17 cute little yellow squashes.

Just for something different, I thought I’d post a photo of my bedroom this morning as we got a tiny moment of sun earlier on. The nights are starting to get colder, so last night I put on my Laura Ashley throw rug for extra warmth. Also, it keeps the Puss fur off my luxurious Laura Ashley sheets so I only need to wash the throw when it gets too furry & not the whole set. Can you tell I like Laura Ashley? One day I will get rid of that ugly lamp & buy a pretty Laura Ashley one, and get two bedside tables that actually match, and some new curtains that aren’t pink. But, that’s for another day. Actually, considering their prices, another year! Anyway, I love opening the curtains & letting the sun come in, and my view of the (too long) green grass & tortured willow in the front yard is so nice 🙂

Spiced Apple Cake

I wanted something easy yet delicious to bake on a lazy Sunday afternoon, so I chose an old favourite of mine, an apple cake spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. Great way to use up a few apples that are past their best, and the recipe can easily be adapted for use with other fruit. I have made this cake with pears before, but I can imagine it would be great with plums, apricots, or peaches, or you could try making it with nuts such as pecans or walnuts. Pecans, what a great idea!! I think I know what I’ll be making next Sunday.

Here are the ingredients:

2-3 Apples, peeled and sliced

250g Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon baking soda

170g Sugar

3 Eggs

120g Softened butter

150mL Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste

Pinch of salt

And, whipped cream to serve with:

Turn on your oven to about 180 degrees Celsius, and grease a medium baking tin.

Throw all ingredients into a bowl (excluding the apples) and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Taste test for cinnamon & nutmeggy-ness, then taste again because its just so good. Half-fill your baking tin with the cake batter. Arrange a layer of apple slices over the whole surface of the batter, and then pour the rest of the batter in. Closely arrange the rest of the apple slices over the surface of the cake (you will find that they spread apart a bit as the cake rises), sprinkle with a little sugar and some cinnamon, and then it’s ready to bake. Bake for 45-60 minutes (I kind of forgot how long I ended up baking mine for!!) let cool and enjoy with whipped cream, late afternoon sun and a hot cup of coffee.