Monday, September 30, 2013

Ireland - Galway.Galway Bay

This year for Majowka, the national holiday period at the start of May, we went off to Sunny Ireland for a reunion of sorts with the country where we met. We landed in Dublin and drove over to Galway on the west coast. A lovely place to be indeed. Yes, it has been a little while in coming!

Galway Bay
Corrib River front
Local fisherman
More river front
A squinty riverfront, it wasn't that cold. She had a flu.
The grey box on the right is called the Spanish Arch
Even if it isn't super cold, it is time for pint.
Ok, one photo of me, and that is it.
Hot toddy for a sore throat
Nectar of gods.
Steak and Kidney pie.
Hearty soup and soda bread.
  First day, first pint, first pie A good start.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

A Sunny Stroll

Hard to believe this was only a fortnight ago. I am sure we'll get some great sun bursting through soon! Positive of it.















Always good to come home with some wild foods, Mirabelle plums and horseradish leaves used for the bottom of bread when I bake it.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

New Boozey bits

It has been a while since I made some more liqueurs. I don't think I made anything last year.... maybe some Wiśnówka (cherry liqueur). This year we have been drinking some great Fernet Citrus a fabulous Czech beverage which one of my fabulous students brought me because you can't buy it in Poland. Hence, we wanted to make some sort of digestive. It is very difficult to find a good/easy recipe for a herbal based liqueur, so we had to think about it ourselves and design something that might be similar. It is of course hard as you won't know for a month or more how it does taste. Time in this case is your enemy, where as with liqueurs normally it is your best friend.

We gathered together some things we thought might make a good brew.

Some spices

Spice and ginger
Some lime rind, with lemon thyme and a vanilla bean

some mint and lemon balm


A couple of oregano leaves and the heavy stuff gets added.

Now mix.
The whole recipe:

10g Lemon Balm
13g Spearmint
1g Thyme

5 Cloves
10 Peppercorns
15 Aniseeds
10 Corriander seeds
5 Cumin seeds
1 Vanilla pod

16g Ginger (peeled)
Lime (Juice and zest)

300mL White Rum
~600mL Vodka

105g Sugar
100mL Water

Combine all the dry ingredients into the jar including the lime zest and juice. Heat the sugar and water in a pan until it has dissolved. Add this to the dry ingredients, then the white rum and top up with Vodka. Shake and store in a dark cool place. Shake whenever you remember it.


Or maybe some plums

Totally stoned
Pack the kids in

Add a vanilla pod brandy and vodka and store somewhere dark
Pick some bountiful wild foods. The horseradish leaves for bread and the mirabelle plums to eat and maybe try a liqueur, the French of Lorraine can't be wrong.

Now add some sugar and gin and vodka.

a bit cloudy but from all reports that is normal.
Now let's wait and see how they taste..... 2 weeks after bottling the first two and they are very very good. The Mirabelles need much more time.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Images in the sun


On thsi crappy cold day, let's remember the fun in the sun.


Malinowa goodness





Some things you can't unsee

Twice as "nice"


summer herbage

Biscuits and sherry

Kurki scrambled eggs


Summer berries