The Dangers of Country Life, II

[oloriel]

Our neighbours' peahen was taken by the fox. The especially sad thing is she'd laid four eggs a short while ago, three of which the fox also took; the fourth was smashed.

The peacock is still alive but mourning; and new peahens are so difficult to get (not to mention so expensive) that our neighbours can't buy one any time soon.

Neighbours' son followed the tracks and found the fox-hole in the woods. Neighbours decided not to have the fox (who has pups, which is why he nabbed the peahen and the eggs) killed, because while they're sad about losing what promised to be a profitable peafowl breed, "that's just nature".

To top things off the goshawk stole their rooster; at first they thought it had taken more chicken, but the hens that had gone missing reappeared from the shrubbery over the course of the day. They're terrified and refusing to lay eggs at the moment though.

Slightly worried about the kittens now.

Meanwhile 'náro keeps hunting mice and blackbirds and swallows. He eats parts of the mice and the swallows and leaves the blackbirds for us.
At least he's laid off the blindworms.

- - -

I took up the battle against the brambles today and again gathered over a kilogramm of blackberries in about 20 minutes. This was the second harvest; the first yielded a kilo as well, and the third and fourth will likely do again; and that's just the brambles at the driveway. The blackberries across the road aren't ripe yet; I have not yet dared to look at the huge thicket behind the barn. After there was only about two hands of blackberries last year, apparently this year's warm and humid summer was exactly what brambles (and elder trees, too; another couple of days and I'll have to deal with the elderberries, too) need to bear fruit like mad.

This is the part where you get to give me all your blackberry recipes so I can somehow deal with all that fruit before it rots.

I already made jam of the first harvest, and this harvest is going to go into a cake, juice and mustard; help me find a use for the rest?

- - -

AND someone took a bite out of the moon! ... oh wait, that's just an eclipse.

Comments

[nimielle.livejournal.com]

AND someone took a bite out of the moon! ... oh wait, that's just an eclipse.

I just saw that when I drew the curtains, it's absolutely gorgeous!

Aww, I wish I had time and recepies for Blackberries, why don't you try chefkoch.de they have a gazillion of recipies and I quite liked the way their website worked. :)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh I know, but I'm looking for recipes people I trust already tried and found worthy ;) I tried a chefkoch.de relish recipe today though and it turned out exTREMEly delicious. :D

[naurring.livejournal.com]

Blackberry wine? :P

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I like the way you think - I'm just scared I'll end up with rotting blackberries rather than tasty wine (or at least decent vinegar)... >_>

[rahja.livejournal.com]

naja der standard wäre marmelade...und mir dann welche abgeben

Oder saft draus machen...

oder eis :)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Marmelade hab ich schon gemacht, aber da kannst du gern was von abhaben ;) Die klassischen Varianten der Haltbarmachung sind ja aber auf Dauer... etwas langweilig (und werden in ein paar Tagen auch bei den Holunderbeeren noch zum Tragen kommen).

Mir ging's jetzt eher um besondere Rezepte. Hätte ja sein können, dass irgendjemand hier ein Rezept für ganz phantastische Brombeerkekse hat, oder für kandierte Rosenblütenblätter mit Brombeermark, oder für Brombeerhackbraten oder sonstwas, das hätte ich bei der Gelegenheit dann ja mal ausprobieren können :D