New Year for the 2 point five age of man

Resolution time

Time of the year when thoughts are turning to the new year of 2013.  We have survived the Mayan Calendar predictions.  Saw a good pic on Facebook "If the Mayans were so good at predicting the future, where are they now?" or words to that effect.  The continuing austerity imposed in 2012  is according to the UK politicians starting to work. So here's to a more affluent time for 2013.

Top five Key "moments" for the UK in my opinion in 2012

1. Queens' Diamond Jubilee celebrations.  Not just for UK but for the whole of the Commonwealth
2. London Olympics and Paralympics
3. Signing of Better Broadband agreements across the UK
4. UK not getting involved or "taking the lead" in Syrian Civil war by sending troops
5. Continuing Bank misconduct exposure (not really one key event)

Top Five Tech moments for 2012 again  IMO

1. Rise of Android as the leading mobile OS
2. Google Plus Communities feature launched 
3. Start of first Online Universities such as edX and Coursera
4. Apple not winning all it's legal cases
5. Rise of Phablets and Tablets over Desktop PCs

Obviously there are a myriad of other events that have shaped 2012.  The defining  moments may change through time as their impacts are felt. 

The major personal milestone for 2012 has been the setting  up of Haverhill Online Learning Community. This is going to occupy quite a bit of time through 2013.  Have look and if interested join or copy the idea for you own local community!

Will resume normal content of blog from now on based on good food, well being and stories about my home county Suffolk.

Fire works!

Celebrating an English Tradition!

Autumn through to winter is gathering pace.  The annual warning to keep your   dogs and cats indoors has gone out!  Some strange animal sacrifice ritual that unwary pet owners have to avoid? No, it's Bonfire Night! Or approaching closer to it's origin Guy Fawke's Night.

In England Bonfire Night is celebrated with a Firework Display, Bonfire and the burning of an effigy or Guy.  A bit Wicker Man in context given the time of the year (5th November) when it traditionally takes place or a punishment for a heretical act. The notion of punishing the heretic is closer to the origin.

Without going too far into the history (you can follow the Guy Fawke's Night link) it is essentially a celebration of the capture of a group of Catholic gentlemen. Their intention to raze Parliament (in Westminster, London) to the ground.   The stocks of Gunpowder secreted into the cellars of Parliament are the origin of the association with Fireworks.

Nowadays the religious connection to the tradition is mainly forgotten.  The film V for Vendetta uses the Guy Fawkes theme as the basis for it's storyline set in a futuristic London.  The masks from the film are now used by the Anonymous Group in protests both online and offline as signature and badge of support.  The image of the lowly watchman of the gunpowder below Parliament now has world wide coverage, but it's origins are probably unknown to the majority of mask wearers.

Usually in this blog I talk about food (usually British or ideally from Suffolk something to do with my botanical and agricultural training).  One of my favourite food writers is Hugh Fernley-Whittinstall and his River Cottage Odyssey  (he has now produced a lot of books and TV series).   An episode showing a traditional Bonfire night can be seen via the Channel 4 website .  In an almost seamless flow  Halloween and Samhain traditions have amalgamated with Guy Fawkes Night.  

A  lot of American cultural food such as hot dogs and Pumpkin Pie seem to be making appearances at British Guy Fawkes parties.  The traditional drink of Cider in the countryside of England was usually just about ready at this time of year after the apple harvest.  One way of preparing the orchards for the following year was to clear any disease laden debris such as leaves and branches, fallen or pruned.  Straw was then put on the floor of the orchard between the trees and burnt.  This was in the days before the effects of sulphur containing smoke was known on  hitherto unseen fungal spores.  It worked there was less disease the following compared to other orchards that had not been managed this way.  Might be something to note in the current Great Ash Tree Die-back crisis .  Atmospheric pollution and coal fires I would mischievously suggest might not be all bad.  So what do you do with all the debris?  You have a bonfire.  Contact with  ancient cultural traditions maintained (Samhain), a bit of crop protection, showing your support for the Protestant English State and a very good party.  Party probably the most important.  Still tradition for young Brits abroad so nothing changes!

In a round about way we have reached the issue of traditional food for Bonfire night.  We have mentioned the drink cider.  We have the bonfire from the apple debris and any other donations of old wood from the vicinity.  Into the bottom of the fire go potatoes to be cooked slowly (in foil or without foil).  Apple bobbing for the adventurous and those can hold their breath underwater.  Toffee apples for the young and the young at heart.  The Apple runs through as theme here going with it's cultural importance since pre-Biblical times.

This picture taken from one of Nigel Slater's recipes, real home made look to them.
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2011/11/8/1320767640285/toffee-apples-007.jpg

Recipe this week is the traditional Toffee Apple.  Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall has produced a toffee apples I seem to remember on one of his programmes.   On the website and various books I own I could only find a recipe for Hot Halloween Pumpkin fold overs.  Trying to avoid American cultural influences I have sourced this recipe for experimentation from the BBC website (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/13599/homemade-toffee-apples).

Ingredients

• 8 Granny Smith apples
• 400g golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup

1. Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.
2. Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 140C or 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.
3. Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.

So here's to maintaining a Great British tradition.  Just thought will, the unintentional SEO technique of mentioning Anonymous increase increase the number of government security personnel who make toffee apples.  If you are reading this I hope you enjoy the recipe!

     

  

Suffolk Foodie: Apples ..... more Apples!

Windfall Bramleys

Autumn's dropouts

Thump!  Another one hits the patio!  It's the sound of Autumn arriving.  Having recently moved back to stay with parents I have been looking at the family tree.  The family apple tree.

The apple tree has long been a feature of our family gardens.  As a child the first thing that happened when we arrived at my Grandfather's North London house was to climb the apple tree.  Whichever cousin (there were eventually twelve of us) arrived for the gathering first, the trick as we reached a certain age was to be the first up the tree!

Harvest time as my grandfather became older involved being sent out with a bag to gather the windfalls.  Large quantities of apples were then transported back (picked or naturally harvested either by wind or own weight) to Suffolk.  As the convenience and availability of apples in shops took over the apples increasingly fermented to themselves and were eventually dumped! 

Little Panther at tree base as I Telework
in the Garden trying sufficiently
early in season to avoid windfalls

A sappling was planted nearly 35 years ago in the parent's lawn in Suffolk.  It was supposed to be a half standard!  Over the years it has spread it's boughs unchecked producing a variety of sizes of apple. It has become a cat exercise frame, a bird feeder support, washing line post, a swing platform for nephew and nieces as well as a slalom hazard for the lawn mower. As it becomes older it is succumbing to various diseases to a greater or lesser extent!

We haven't yet had a transfer of misteltoe as often happens with birds placing seeds from a last meal in a convenient crevice.  This parasitic plant  can reduce the vigour and health of an apple tree.  The season of christmas with mistletoe becoming an economic crop could be one reason to poke about in old orchards.  Old Orchards are becoming sought after as repositories of forgotten varieties that store well and have good taste.

The resurgence of interest in cider is a good example where "artisan" producers are looking to find the mix of good apple that produce juice, enough sugar for natural fermentation but are not necessarily the best for storage.  The variety Sturmer Pippin, very popular in Australia and New Zealand,  was recently rediscovered in the village of Sturmer not 3 miles from where I am writing this blog!  Suffolk has a great tradition of producing good apples and good cider (Aspalls being an example but more on that another day).

Recipe then for windfall apples called Windfall Apple Pudding!
Ingredients

PASTRY
6 oz  (150 g) flour
3 oz (75 g)  cooking fats (Lard etc)
Pinch of salt
Cold water to mix
FILLING
2 large eating apples
1 egg
2 oz (50g) caster sugar
1 large cooking apple
1 oz (25g) self raising flour
2 oz (50 g) seedless raisins,
Icing sugar for dredging



Step 1:Set over to 375°F or 190 C .
Pastry
Step 2 :  Put the fats, salt and flour into a bowl, cut the fat into small pieces and rub in lightly.
Step 3: Add about 1 and 1/2  tablespoons water and mix with a fork.
Step 4: Knead lightly and roll out on a floured surface and line an 8 inch pie
plate. Overlap the rim by 1/2 inch (approx 1.5 cm) and turn back the pastry overlap to form a double
rim.

Filling and putting it together.
Step 1: Peel, core and slice the apples, mix with the raisins and pile in the
pastry case.
Step 2: Beat the egg and sugar together in a bowl until thick and creamy, fold
in the flour and pour over the filling.
Step 3: Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Dredge with icing sugar and serve with custard or pouring cream.

Tomorrow?  More Apple stories that may involve Chips but only of the type prepared from fruit from the tree!