As I write, I'm sheltering in the summer house as the heat is extraordinary for this time of year. We left home early this morning, to head to Minnions to walk the dogs on the moor, to be greeted by hundreds of cars, runners and walkers who were taking part in a competition on Bodmin Moor. I hoped they survived the heat. We headed home, deeply annoyed that our moor was so crowded all of a sudden. Just as we were about to turn off to drive through St. Cleer and head back to Liskeard, we made a detour to Siblyback lake. It's not my kind of place, full of water sports enthusiasts, mountain bikers and oozing with Volvos and Golden Retrievers! I always feel a scruffy oiyk around such people and we headed for the lake side walk. The dogs were soon defeated by the heat and we had to head back a lot sooner than I would have liked.
I'll catch up with the walk later after I've given more instructions on sprouting seeds for salad. As you can see from the photo above, the seeds and beans have doubled in size. They then need rinsing under the cold tap.
Below, is my sprouter. It costs a stupid amount of money, maybe even ten pounds but I have had it for years and years. You layer the seeds onto each layer and the secret is to keep them wet. Remember, this is indoor gardening and they need looking after.
Every day, you take the layers apart, run them under the cold tap and put them back in the cupboard.
I sprout mine in a dark cool place. I'll blog the sprouting every day to show you each update. It takes three to five days. Today, is day 2 of the sprouting process.
Back to the morning walk at Siblyback lake. It's 15 minutes away from where I live and well worth the £3 all day parking. Get there very early, or go in the evening. It's a brilliant place to take teenagers who can learn to sail, canoe etc. We've never afforded to do any of the activities we see others doing but it's wonderful to see young people having the times of their lives. The three mile walk around the lake is gravel pathed, it's flat and a very easy walk and you don't need special boots. Do watch out for the total to**ers on mountain bikes who do it a break neck speed with the intention of killing walkers. I like to walk slowly, in the middle of the path and chat to the anglers and old folk on the benches. Why they need to do it in lycra with camel packs when I can do the bike ride in a flowery frock on my Miss Marple bike with my little dog in the basket on the front.
I'm going to go again this week, I'll try and get there by eight in the morning so it's cooler for the dogs. They kept needing to stop and drink the water. I would have happily bimbled around slowly as the walk and view is just stunning. I'd also paid £3 and I like to stay a few hours and feel as if I got my money's worth. I felt cheated when I had to leave after an hour.
I took the photo of the chap, in the lake, fishing for trout to get the scale of the lake. Bodmin Moor is in the back ground and I just marvel at the stunning countryside that is right on my doorstep.
Someone commented yesterday on the 'mixes' we can get. I don't usually buy them as they are expensive and I think you can make better yourself. I did buy 3.5Kilo scone mix and a 3.5 kilo suet pastry/dumpling mix. They are made for caterers and I bought them for £1.50 a bag from Approved Foods, and I can't make the pastry or scones for that price. In the spirit of using up what I already have, I baked some scones and lemon cake today.
I added sultanas to the scones, as, you guessed it, I had some in the cupboard. Half the cake and scones can be frozen for another day, I have guests in and out this week so I need a tin full of goodies to share.
I also made one of Dearly Beloved's favourites - Lemon cake. I just make a victoria sponge mix and I grate the zest of one lemon into the sponge as it wizzing away in the Kenwood. When cooked, I leave it to cool for a couple of hours and then I fill with lemon curd. For the topping, I put a cup of icing sugar into a bowl and drip lemon juice into it until it is a pliable paste. I pour it into the middle of the cake and let if find its own way to the edge.
Next, I thought I would share Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream with the world. We buy this when it is about to 'go out of date' and we freeze it until we want it. I'm sorry, very sorry if you can't get this in your part of the world as it's lovely.
It has a crust on top and the cream is thick and unctuous and only to be eaten as a rare treat. It's wonderful but not for the waistline.
The afternoon has been filled with dozing in the garden under the parasol and the mid afternoon had to have a Cream tea. Serve the scone with strawberry jam and a liberal dollop of clotted cream and just for good measure, have a slice of lemon cake too.
We are day 10 into my personal challenge of using up what I have and not spending any money. I have transferred last week's food budget into the savings account. We are being extra careful as we're off on a holiday and the money has to be found from somewhere. We also have a stock pile to get through.
I'll be back tomorrow with day 3 of sprouting and the rest of my no spend challenge.
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