A hot date with a bit of foraging!

Tonight, Dearly Beloved and I took a stroll out into the warm evening air, making the most of the quiet empty lanes and the 'mellow fruitfulness' of this time of year. I've had my eye on a crab apple tree and regret not picking them sooner. We had what was left and got a good bowlful; I should remember the old adage of not putting off what needs doing today; it was clear by the trampled grass around the tree that the lower branches were already stripped.
We had also left it too late in the evening to collect more sloes and you can see that they are barely visible against the evening sky. The best ones around here grow on the side of the A38 and on my route to work. I must stop tomorrow and pick some more whilst it is still light. The sloes I picked today were so much smaller and juicier than the last sloes that I picked and these will be brilliant for sloe gin.
Well here is the bounty! Apples for my damson chutney.
A good handful of sloes, which I will add to until I have enough.
More skate park damsons.

No one ever warned me that frugality could be so romantic! I really enjoyed my night out with Dearly Beloved, he can pull the branches down to my height so I can pick the fruit. Mind you, he's already eaten two jars of upside down green tomato chutney so I better hurry up and make more chutney for him. This weekend is going to be a very romantic sticky weekend of chutney making so my beloved knows how loved he is!

A thing of beauty!

As they say, you don't measure taste with a spirit level. My pie is wonky but lovely. The apples are from my parent's neighbour's neighbour's garden. A tree leans over the neighbours wall, the immediate neighbours were out................Dad was in and out of the garden like a Ninja and scooped up all of the apples off the lawn. By four o clock this afternoon, they were in a pie! and by seven o clock this evening they were safely tucked upside myself and Dearly Beloved! So, freeganism rules again! woohoo................and Dad! You've not lost your touch!

Staycation at home day....come dine with me!

We seem to be working on the day out, day at home model of staycation. Today has been peaceful, lazy with plenty of stove side pottering. I made seven and a half more pots of crab apple jelly and used some tonight as the sweet in sweet and sour pork.
It still tasted appley and really added to the recipe.
I'm also planning to make a quilt. My first every. I've saved enough material over the months of visiting the scrap store and now I have the task of lots of sums to work out how much I need for a quilt to cover my bed. This would be a lot easier if I had a pattern to work to, which I haven't so if anyone wants to send me any pictures of squares based patterns, then I would be glad of an idea of where to start.
I've watched the old bird on You Tube who makes a 'quilt in a day'. Bless her old socks, she sounds like she's on a double Prozac triple espresso! If quilting makes me half that happy; I'll never need to go to the doctors ever again! It's giving me no end of fun watching her and I've been good, I've checked all my angles and I'm perfectly square.
All in all, another great day on holiday. I can totally recommend a holiday in Liskeard, in a lovely house with plenty of tea and biscuits and a garden to sit in between the showers. Free fun and freeish food and not a minute at work!

Upcycling

Some of the material on the bed are clothes I have bought off the 50p rail in the Woodside animal Shelter shop, just for the fabric. I will use it somehow some day. I have a couple of old shopping bags full of material and quite frankly it needed a more suitable home.
I made the bag from old strips of vertical blinds, again from Cornwall Scrapstore. I love the concept of upcycling and although the bag is a bit rough as it's the first time I've tried to use such a difficult fabric, it does the job. The blinds are not in landfill and I have somewhere to keep my scrap fabric and it cost me nothing.

Free gifts part 2!

I am having such fun! Remember my scrapstore haul from yesterday? The material at the bottom of the photo is now bunting, the material to the left of the 'tartan' is silky dress material, it was samples and I had about five sample pieces. Well the photo below is what they became!
I love that French looks of wrapped and knotted and I wear scarves to work with a blouse and it can make a plain suit look colourful and yet remains formal and smart. My mum also loves scarves and accessories and she can make any outfit look so feminine with a slight adjustment! I think the scarf looks quite 'Hermes' and I'm sure she'll love it.
The scarf above is pure freeganism, I found it in the road. All wet and dirty, so I took it home, washed it and put it on the line. I'm also going to wrap that and give it to mum, she'll love the story of it being found in the road.
Here are the scarves again. I sewed the squares together, then cut them in half length ways and repeated the 'pattern' again. Turned it inside out and then turned in the ends and sewed it again. I'll wash it, dry and iron it and wrap it later. That's two presents so far that haven't cost me anything.

Free gifts.

I must admit, I find Christmas difficult! It is what it says it is to me...........a Mass for Christ, a celebration of the founder of my faith. So; I find the financial side of it difficult for different reasons. I can't afford it and I wouldn't want to if I could. I suppose I'm answering Foster Mummy's question "What do you do about Christmas and Birthdays". Well, of course, I give frugal presents. This year is going to be different. I'm going to make every present I give. Yesterday I had fun making bunting and that's now wrapped for Dad's present; he has a sense of humour, lives in Fowey and will love putting bunting in his garden in regatta week! Today, I will make something for my mum, who has a birthday at the end of August and then I will think of something I can make for her to open at Christmas.

Most of my family and friends would be happy to receive a pot of jam, some homemade chutney or a hand knitted scarf. So, this year my usual budget of £100 will be decimated and you might be receiving something unusual. Oh, BTW...........I saw some gifts, wrapped in colourful pages from old magazines and as Dearly Beloved brings me magazines that he finds on the train, even the wrapping paper will be free, also I will try using garden twine (usually a deep winter green) and I will use some scrap store off cuts to make ribbons and decorations. Now for my challenge!!! Christmas without spending any money.....one gift down and around 10 more to makes! Anyone care to join me in my challenge - what can you make for free?

Foraging for lunch.

A wonderful sign of imminent spring is the appearance of wild garlic. (allium ursinum) The leaves are tender and soft and can be picked without disturbing the root. So, whilst walking the pooches I picked a pocketful to make a flavouring to go with our lunch.
Give it a good wash and then dry it. Chop it finely with some salt and stir into a paste with some olive oil. Rub it all over the free range chicken (or fish?) near the end of the cooking. (excessive heat kills the flavour)
Oh, to be truly frugal, use the heat of the oven to cook the food for the rest of the week. I cooked two casseroles and two lasagnes whilst the oven was being used.
More typical behaviour of the frugal as gas is horrendously expensive!! Why waste it by only cooking one meal.