No Parsnips, But Glögi Instead

I’m a bit annoyed as the computer we download our digital camera pictures onto is getting just a little bit too full. Rich has been grappling to get the new external harddrive to work, and in the meantime I’m snapping away but can’t publish any of my new pics for a while. Grumble, grumble!

In the past couple of weeks I’ve started collecting fallen leaves to make leafmould. Leafmould is great for adding structure to our sandy soil. It doesn’t provide much in the way of nutrition but it’ll definitely help bulk up the soil. As ever, I’m on a tight budget, so I’ve been re-using old compost bags (making sure to punch holes in the side) and bird seed sacks instead of bought-in special leaf bags. The recent gusty wind has been helping the trees shed their load, collecting heaps of leaves in awkward corners that the hens kick and peck around in. But this lef collecting is one small step toward being a bit more biodynamic; that is, eliminating the need to bring anything in from outside (i.e. compost), and being self-sustaining.

The weatherman has been forecasting for a very chilly week next week; in fact, we *almost* had our first ground frost a couple of days ago. I would usually be doing a little hip-hip-hooray, but unfortunately this year I have no parsnips that’ll benefit from the first hard frosts, and as such, I’m not particularly going to revel in waking up to a crispy, chilly morning. I’m more concerned about the cold weather and the hens. They’ve taken to nestling in the straw in the shed on cold and wet days, which is great for them but extra work for me. Last year they preferred the greenhouse, although on the really harshly cold winter mornings, Yoko’s breathing was a little laboured. But somehow this year she seems to have adjusted much better. As always, it’s a case of just seeing how she goes.

And Maureen is Mrs. Limp-alot; we’ve had a feel around but there doesn’t appear to be anything drastically wrong with her. She seems happy enough in herself. I’m wondering whether she has the beginnings of arthritis. It wouldn’t surprise me, seeing as she was a battery hen, and she’s laid pretty much almost every day up until a couple of months ago. She’s slowed down much earlier this year, probably only producing 3 or 4 eggs a week now. I don’t mind, her productivity is just a bonus as far as I’m concerned. Having hens has been brilliant for pest and weed control, extra composting and scarifying. Plus, they’re so friendly and sociable. Brilliant girls.

So, anyhow…with the clocks having gone back, and the chilly forecast, I’m starting to think  Mulled Wine and toffee apples, especially with Bonfire Night around the corner.When I was at uni, I had a friend from Finland who in our first year brewed us up her version of Scandinavian mulled wine, or Glögi. It basically consists of red wine, a few shots of spirits, spices and almonds, and is gut-warmingly delicious. I’ve already published the recipe on my Rural Muse website, but I’ll also put it here. Let me know if you have a go, and what you think:

Linda’s Glögi

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

1 bottle of reasonably full-bodied red wine
15 cl madeira or port
10 cl blackcurrant or lingonberry juice
100 - 200 g caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
1 tsp cardamom seeds
small piece of fresh ginger
orange zest

Method:

Simply mix all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently until flavours have blended suitably and the mixture is nice and hot. Don’t let the glögi boil.

Strain and serve with 1 tsp of sultanas and 1 tsp of almonds (flakes or whole) in each cup. Orange zest and star aniseed also looks pretty. For a really cold bonfire night just add more alcohol, such as good quality vodka for extra warmth and zing.

For a non-alcoholic version that kids can also enjoy, you can replace the alcohol with berry juice, mixing in some cranberry too!