Goings On in Autumn

With the cereal harvest well and truly behind us the village has celebrated in customary fashion.  Harvest supper, always a popular event, took place in the village hall. Villagers enjoy an excellent meal of boiled ham, vegetable bake and potatoes served with a very special plum sauce; vegetarians are catered for then it is head for the desert table where the choice is spectacular and limited only by the amount one can get on the plate.  A very enjoyable social evening.  This was followed on Sunday by the Harvest Festival Service in the beautifully decorated  Holy Cross Church.

  It has always been customary to take offerings of food to this Service for subsequent distribution to the less well-off and whilst fresh fruit and vegetables make an attractive display it is now deemed more practical to take items which can be stored and taken to the local food bank which the church supports.

Since writing about field mushrooms i have been on the lookout for blewits, a species of edible fungi much sought-after and, I believe, most frequently found in the Midlands.  Certainly they are to be found for sale on local market stalls.  However, they should be treated with caution when eaten for the first time as they can cause an allergic reaction in some people.

We are fortunate in having a bookshop in the neighbouring village whose proprietor puts on many events during the year. The Autumn/Winter programme has just appeared; it contains talks which will appeal to a wide range of interests. The talk on beekeeping is sure to be popular and that entertaining duo "Cook and Book" is back.

While there is no shortage of things to do and see in Nottinghamshire it is sometimes worth looking a little further, which is why Sunday found me visiting the village of Eyam, in Derbyshire.  Incidentally,the pronunciation of the name is open to debate, being pronounced "Eem", one syllable rather than Ee-am, two syllables - rather like our local town, is it "Suthell"or "South-well?  Be that as it may, it is best known as "the plague village" the story of which is well-documented and presented in the museum in the village with an excellent video, pictures and showcases. The museum has also mounted a new exhibition, running until 2018, entitled Eyam 1914-1918, and this too makes fascinating viewing.

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The Mystery of the Mushroom.

Autumn can be such a joy.  This year is an example.  Days of sunshine with mild temperatures and no wind make outdoor work a pleasure.  We might be tempted to take it for granted were it not for the visitors who frequently comment on the peaceful situation, the space around us, the pace of life.  Of course, it is not quite the same when it is also our workplace!  Nevertheless, we are indeed extremely fortunate to live here, to be able to appreciate all the benefits of our surroundings and to share it all with our guests.

Talking of benefits, the mushroom season has arrived.  They are very unpredictable, popping up where mushrooms have never been seen in years and failing to appear where they can normally be counted on to provide a supply.  It is essential to be able to identify edible species as there are many inedible and even poisonous ones.  Of the 3,500 different species in Britain 7 or 8 are deadly, 25 or 30 are poisonous, of the remainder about 30 are good to eat.  With this in mind it is possible to join a fungi identification walk of which several take place at this time of year.  There are many ways which, added together, enable identification of the fungi.   Having said that I still err on the side of caution and only cut field and horse mushrooms.

The weather was kind for the Southwell Ploughing Match which took place last weekend.  It is one of the social highlights of the farming year and this year was no exception.  The site was excellent, attendance was good and the access and parking was well managed.  There are competitive classes for livestock, produce, crafts and much more; it is an excellent showcase for local and regional businesses.

Birds which have been absent from the garden feeder for several weeks have returned and appear to be stocking up for winter.  A little flock of Long-tailed Tits has paid several visits and the goldfinches are regulars now.  Further away something prompted me to look up and I spotted  four buzzards circling and planing high above the farm; a majestic sight.  How can they see a potential dinner from such a great distance?

 
  

   

The Week's Top Tip

Have you ever lost a garden tool?  It's all too easy when you are trying to do too many jobs in too little time.  I solved the problem (almost} by wrapping a ring of brightly coloured electrician's insulation tape round the handle of my tools.  Yellow shows up really well when you have popped down a tool then moved on to another job, or covered it in a pile of prunings.  Try it!

Daylight hours are getting shorter, borders to be tidied, though not too much, mild weather is keeping the grass growing though I am hoping it will soon be the last cut. The "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" as the poet (remind me which one) said, is well and truly upon us. There is fruit to pick and preserve by various methods.  Fig and date chutney is one of my specialities; no problem with the figs but I have buy in the dates.

  Apple and walnut chutney will be next  You might like the recipe, though it is an old one and I still make it in pounds and ounces.

Apple and Walnut Chutney

1 pint cider vinegar, 1 lb light muscovado sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 inch fresh root ginger finely chopped, 1 tbsp coriander seeds crushed, 1 tsp ground allspice, 1 tbsp whole cumin seeds, 3-4 green chillies de-seeded and chopped, 2 lbs Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped, 1 lemon thinly sliced but not peeled, seeds removed, slices quartered,.8 oz onions chopped, 8 oz sultanas, 2 lb eating apples cored and chopped, 8 oz walnuts chopped.
Method:
Put vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, spices and chillies into pan, heat gently till sugar has dissolved then bring to a rolling boil.  Add Bramley apples, lemon, onion and sultanas.  Simmer for 30 minues. Add eating apples and walnuts. Simmer for at least another
45 minutes, till thick, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Pot and seal in the usual way and leave for at least 2 weeks before using.

Farming:  the expression "keeping a weather eye open" becomes truly meaningful.  A little rain will make  blackgrass, a major problem, grow, so spraying will be effective.  However, a breakdown and a four day wait for the required replacement part makes us all anxious.  Job done; oilseed rape is drilled; will the weather allow us to rip up with the spring tines, rotate to obtain a seed bed then get the wheat drilled?  Timing is critical.  We have heavy land and if it gets too wet it is impossible to get the machinery onto it.  As I said, the weather has the last word.





  





   

Garden Drama

There was a small drama this week when we found a young hedgehog entangled in a badminton net in the garden.  The first step was to cut the net and remove the animal, still entangled, before we could begin to free him.  Good light, fine scissors plus spineproof garden gloves were required.  As you can imagine, every time the little animal felt a movement he did what hedgehogs do, i.e. he curled up tightly.  Happily, with patience, we were able to remove every strand of netting and place him back in the garden in a sheltered spot.  We were not sure if the shock would be too much for him but hedgehogs are clearly made of sterner stuff.  A visit to the release site later in the day revealed that he had uncurled and was foraging actively under the hedge.  A story with a happy ending.

Still in the garden, we have had a tremendous crop of cobnuts.  Usually the squirrels get most of them but this year even they have been overwhelmed.  Now I am looking for recipes using green cobnuts; if anyone has any suggestions do pass them on.  I have not been so fortunate with the walnuts; when the squirrels don't get them the crows do; they take them long before they are ready to take off the tree.

Incidentally, you may know cobnuts as hazelnuts, dried and sold in the shell or ready-shelled or perhaps as Kent cobs, much sought-after in the green state.  They are not to be confused with filberts, which are oval in shape and the husk completely covers the nut.  These are less popular than cobnuts as the husk is more difficult to remove than the half husk on the rounder nut.
    
We have been lucky, weatherwise, on the farm.  The oilseed rape yielded well, considering the poor start to the season.  There was even debate as to whether or not it would be better to plough it up and re-drill.  Fortunately it was decided to leave it in and hope for the best; a right decision as it turned out.  The wheat yielded well with a low moisture content, which saved us drying costs.  We only had to use the dryer for a short time to cool the grain for storage.  The straw has been baled and cleared, allowing light cultivation of the fields prior to preparation for the next crop,  We still have field beans to harvest. This will be interesting as we have not grown them before.  I will report on the result next time.   

  

Another Drama

Well, that is the harvest finished though not without it's little drama.  When the combine stopped unexpectedly the operator climbed down to see what had happened and found smoke pouring from the back.  Faulty wiring had caused a fire which, fortunately, he was able to extinguish with the onboard fire extinguisher before it became a major incident.  Another combine was brought in and the job finished before the forecast rain took over.  The yield from the beans appears passable, though not as good as hoped.  Beans can be an expensive crop to grow; blackfly was a big problem this year and required spraying twice.  Obviously the bees must be kept off when this is carried out but, wisely, they don't go back in after that.  It is our intention next year to site the hives temporarily in the field where the crop is growing so that the bees can spend less time and energy flying and more time pollinating.

We have not seen many kestrels lately.  Voles form part of their diet and as these have been in short supply also this year perhaps that is the reason.  On the other hand there has been no shortage of field mice so who knows?   No shortage of wood pigeons.  All they need is grain, and water to make pigeon "milk" to feed to their young.  With plenty of grain about and water seldom a problem they can breed until October or November.

With summer finished and holidays over village social life picks up again.  First off is a Fashion Show, to be held in Epperstone Village Hall on Wednesday, September 23rd  Entry includes a glass of wine, doubtless an incentive to relax, enjoy the show and purchase high street brands at rock bottom prices.  We can also look forward to the renowned Nottingham Goose Fair, taking place at the end of the month, from September 30th to Ocober 4th on the Forest recreation ground. Though the origins of the fair are historic you will find the present-day attractions very up-to-date, and probably the only goose in sight is to be found on the large Mansfield Road/Gregory Boulevard  traffic island . 

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A Quick Catch-up.

A break in the dry weather provided a not unwelcome respite from harvesting this week. There was sufficient rain for us to carry out light cultivations on the fields already combined.  This encourages weed seeds to chit (germinate).  They can then be dealt with and a clean seed bed prepared  for the next crop.  At the same time we want dry conditions so that we can bale the straw and clear the fields so that the above-mentioned cultivations can be carried out.  Contradictory, you will say.  It's a case of "you can't please all of the people all of the time". 

Talking of rain, the water-level in the pond is now quite low.  This signals that we must make the most of the opportunity to clear a year's debris, raking out as much as possible and burning it.  The pond is surrounded by crack willow which, as you can guess from the name, sheds twigs and small branches every time there is a bit of wind.  I was quite pleased, though, to see that the waterhens had built a nest, a rough-looking structure of twigs, rising well out of the water.  I shall leave that untouched.

 I've no doubt I shall hear the green woodpecker while I am working there.  I was delighted to see a pair of them in the orchard the other morning, feeding on the ground.  Until now it has been a case of heard but not seen; they are very shy birds and flew off the minute I appeared.

If you have some holiday time left and decide to spend it in Nottinghamshire there is still time to visit the exhibition at the Nottingham Contemporary where The Treasures of Chatsworth continues until September.  Sixty-two items which include silverware, porcelain, furniture and pictures have been selected by the artist, Pablo Bernstein and are displayed in conjunction with his own work; a truly original presentation.

Nottinghamshire has, in fact, much to offer in terms of visitor attractions and entertainment.  National Trust properties include the Workhouse, in the delightful Minster town of Southwell. The recently opened Civil War Centre and Museum in Newark is attracting a steady stream of visitors.  If it is the countryside that you seek there is Sherwood Forest, of course, and many walks and cycle trails.  Then, when you need to recover you will find a wealth of excellent restaurants, pubs and tea rooms serving local specialities.  The city boasts two theatres, the Theatre Royal and Nottingham Playhouse; the shopping in Nottingham is legendary, and again there is a wide range of eateries to choose from when you need a break.

 

Harvest, Garden and Holiday time.

After the usual stop-go start to the harvest we have finished combining the oilseed rape, which has yielded better than expected.  Now we have moved into the wheat.  The weather during the last three months seems to have suited our keuper marl clay soil - around 70 millimetres in May, less in June with a lot of sunshine but one night of heavy rain, dry in the first two weeks of July then one week of small amounts daily.  We are seeing the results in ears of corn with plump grain, but, as I have said before, until it is safely in the store we will not be making any predictions.  The weather always has the last word.

Not so on the domestic front:  blackcurrants, redcurrants, loganberries are now finished, turned into jam or stored in the deep freezer for winter puddings or jam making when I have more time.  The birds got most of the cherry crop, which was huge this year.  As soon as I start to pick them it is the signal for the birds to clear the tree.  I do not really mind as I still have jelly made last year but next year I shall have to be quicker off the mark.

 It is a daily job keeping the bird feeders stocked up.  The woodpecker is a regular feeder on the peanuts and I frequently hear his call in the garden.  Young starlings, their greyish plumage differentiating them from the adult bird, are also coming to the feeders; they are probably from the second brood of the season.

I have had no success so far trying to take photos of  butterflies on the buddleia although they are there in spectacular numbers.  Also spectacular is the number of field mice that the cats bring to my door.  They catch voles as well, which I am sorry about, as they are the principle food of barn owls and apparently in short supply.  Their most impressive trophy this year was a stoat; I wish they did not feel the need to show me their catches but they are not to be deterred.

Visitors to The Mews have had no lack of choice when deciding how to spend the day out.
 Reg Taylor's Garden Centre near Southwell is once again holding an exhibition of contemporary and traditional sculpture in the Swan Sanctuary, a lovely place to walk at any time.  Held every two years it is on until the end of August and is one I shall definitely visit.  I would also recommend the recently-opened Civil War Centre in Newark which is attracting many visitors.  Visit and participate in the events for the family taking place daily during the summer holidays.  There is, in fact, such a wide range of things to see and do in this area that perhaps one day I will draw up a programme and take a holiday myself.