Walnut Liqueur and Walnut Wine

Recipes

Today’s Saints day is for St. John the Baptist. This is the traditional day, in France and Italy, for making Walnut Liqueur (Nocino) and Walnut Wine (Vin Noix).

At this time, at least in southern Europe, the walnuts are ready to use. They are not ripe yet but they are well enough formed for these uses. When cut in half, which is not easy, they should have a jelly-like constituency and the development of the nut should be visible. In more northern parts you may have to wait a few more weeks.

When handling the nuts be aware that they will stain your fingers. Kitchen gloves might be useful.



The image above shows a mobile still used for making spirits, usually Eau de Vie. These stills are operated by old fellas, in the south of France, who still have the license to operate them. Apparently no new licences are to be given so when these men are gone then so will the sight of these stills around the countryside be gone. A sad state of affairs. The distiller traditionally travels from farm to household, to village and you bring your own excess fruit to be distilled. Any one is allowed to make 10 litres of spirit for personal use only. I believe you have to pay a certain amount in tax too.


When I came across this still, in October time in the Dordogne region of France, they were making Eau de Vie from plums. At first I thought it was an illegal still but they explained everything to me and showed me the posters explaining the rules. However they did bend the rules and sell me a wine bottle full of the stuff!

This type of home-made Eau de Vie is the one traditionally used to make the recipes below. Obviously the Eau de Vie is from the previous season!

Walnut Liqueur (Nocino)

30 Green Walnuts, halved
1 litre of alcohol, perhaps Eau de Vie, Genever or Vodka
1 stick of cinnamon
3 or 4 cloves
A strip or two of citrus peel

Place all these in a sterilised jar, a Kilner jar with a clamped top is good, and leave on the window-sill for about 30 or 40 days. Shake from time to time. It will gradually become a deep brown colour.

After this strain the liquid through a muslin cloth. At this point you can dilute it and sweeten it by mixing in some water in which you have dissolved some sugar. A litre of water and 250 grammes of sugar is suggested. But this is a taste thing.

Bottle the resultant liquid, using sterilised bottles, and leave for at least a year, preferably two.

Walnut Wine (Vin Noix)

5 Green Walnuts chopped small enough to get into your container
1 litre of Red Wine
200 grammes of Sugar

Put all these together in a container, a Kilner jar, or a demijohn (Bonbonne), which has been sterilised. Leave to fuse for about 30 or 40 days.

If using a demijohn then multiply the quantities to fill it. For 5 litres of wine, use 25 Walnuts and a kilo of sugar (and a litre of alcohol later - see below)

After the wait strain the liquid through a muslin cloth and add 200 ml of Eau de Vie (or other alcohol) and put into sterilised bottles. You can use it after 6 months but leaving longer is better.



The first day. The liqueur is on the left and the wine on the right.

Hup-Miller Syndrome

Do you say ‘Hup!’ every time you lift something?
Ever since last summer I’ve found myself saying ‘Hup’ every time I lift something. I caught it from a an erstwhile friend of mine whilst running a canoe touring holiday in the south of France. We reach down to lift a canoe and he says ‘Hup!’. He bends down to pick up the cooler and says ‘Hup!’.

Now I do the same. Is this merely a tic? Can tics really be contagious?

This started two years ago when we worked together and then visited the Tour de France in the Vosges afterwards. It was exacerbated by working together again last summer. It’s possible that we will work together again this summer and all my efforts to rid myself of this debilitating habit will be in vain. I’m considering contacting the boss and insisting that I can’t work with this fellow unless I can be assured that he has taken some remedial steps to eradicate this deplorable habit. But how could I be sure?

I’m not even convinced that he’s that aware that his ‘Hup!’ tic is contagious and is capable of contaminating all his relationships. I imagine that a growing circle of his friends are gradually spreading the syndrome to all and sundry. It’s perhaps just as well that the syndrome  exists only in the spoken form otherwise it would spread through his excessive use of social network medias. Imagine the consequences then.

Is it worth losing a friend over? I’m trying to curb the number of times I say ‘Hup’ but fear that when we meet up again, I shall revert to saying ‘Hup!’ at every appropriate opportunity. Appropriate?

Should I instead make the effort to try and cure my friend by attempting to curb his use of ‘Hup!’? I have a suspicion that he is also slightly embarrassed  by it and would welcome an effort to put it to bed.

Any suggestions for a cure are welcome.

The problem is that it often amuses us, when doing fairly mundane tasks, and helps synchronise our lifting. It also tends to amuse our spectators too though I’ve heard no evidence that the tic has spread to them.

I’ve tried to look at the source of the ‘Hup!’ problem and have come up with two possible explanations: a) ‘Hup’ is used in the Dutch language to mean ‘go’ and b) ‘Hup, 1, 2,3’ is used as the beat for a Military 4/4 cadence.

Paul is definitely of Dutch descent, and has been known to wear clogs, and has done no Military training. His disreputable unkempt appearance and beatnik hair are a testament to both of these facts.

In the interests of preventing the further spread of this lamentable condition I would urge you to stay away from the company of Paul Miller, particularly if you are to assist him in any labour intensive work that includes lifting. In particular avoid visiting Battenkill Canoe when he happens to be working there. Fortunately that’s not too often these days. He can be found (don’t!) somewhere in the nethermost regions of New York State, and can sometime be spotted in Holland or France. You’ve been warned.

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 3

Winter in the Orchard

The very last Kodachrome film I had was shot on a winter's day at the end of December 2010. It went in the post to the USA on my birthday, the 20th, which meant it had just 10 days to reach the processing lab for the facility for processing this type of film was closed.



I'd held onto this last film during the whole of November and most of December. We had snow, which was picturesque, but we didn't have sunshine with blue skies to liven everything up until that last week-end.



I've taken photographs of these old Cherry Trees before. They stand almost broken and certainly twisted in a small field off the beaten track close to Hof ter Saksen. I suppose they were once part of a proper Orchard. They do still blossom but I'm not sure they fruit as I'm generally away in early summer.



From time to time when I visit the field is used for Heifers. This is problematic as they are very curious and will lumber over if I nip under the fence to take some shots. I don't like to be in the field with them as they seem like unruly adolescents.



Last year I was disappointed to discover that the farmer had felled a couple of the trees which were, in fact, dead. I still liked them though as they had interesting shapes,

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 2

A New Pond

Whilst wandering about my usual haunt at Hof ter Saksen near my home I discovered a new pond. New for me I mean. It's just a small space: a lot smaller than the ponds I usually visit in the Nature Reserve close by. This pond looks less managed and is overgrown with reeds and bushes on its banks. I'm hoping that come the spring it will be a good place to spot Dragonflies and Damselflies. It will be interesting to discover whether this pond is frequented by different species than the larger pond.



I shall probably have to take my wellies as well as the ground around the pond is marshy. I'm already looking forward to it.



Although the pond is small it may also provide an opportunity to spy on some birds. I've already seen a Grey Heron here and it's possible that the local Kingfishers pay a visit.

Garden News

Spring has broken out all over the garden and some trees are already in blossom. The Almond is already well in flower and one of the Blackthorns has come out. Meanwhile the peach, one of the Plums and one of the Pears are just about to show.



The danger is when trees blossom early that they can get caught by a late frost and that their is not enough bees and other insects to do the pollinating.



I've finished my building projects for the time being: I've made two planters (for raspberries), two long thin Cold Frames, two square Cold Frames (these all use recycled plastic parts for the lids from an old Cold Frame),  two square raised beds, five long raised beds, one extra large raised bed (for Potatoes) and a box to surround the Rhubarb. some of these are already populated: with Garlic, Red Onions, White Onions, Broccoli and Cauliflowers. The Cold Frames are housing seed pots with Dwarf Beans, Runner Beans and Peas. Next month I shall build four more raised beds. By then it will be time to plant Carrots, Parsnips, Leeks and Chicory. All these are new ventures for me. As last year I shall also grow Tomatoes, Courgettes and Peppers in the raised beds I bought a couple of years ago.



In the garden the spring flowers continue to make a good show: plenty of Narcissus, Tulips, Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth, Anemones and other bulbs. Almost everything is in bud and ready to leaf. Exciting times after the long winter.

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 1

Winter in the Park

Kodachrome film was discontinued  at the end of 2009. The film wasn't processed using the common E6 process for colour film but used a special process. This meant the film had to be sent away for processing in special labs. These were spread around the world but as the use of this film declined so the labs closed. Dwayne's Photo in Kansas, USA, was the last, and this closed it's Kodachrome processing facility in December 2010.



When I first heard the news about Kodachrome I didn't pay much attention as I usually shot digital and I believed I didn't have any Kodachrome film in my fridge. I was wrong. About 5 years ago as digital started to replace film many of the older style camera and photography shops started to close. I was still shooting a lot of film at the time and I went around many of these shops picking up old stocks of film as I went. Some of them were past there sell-by-date, but this just meant I got an even cheaper price.



I eventually stacked up quite a collection of film which I store in a fridge in the shed. I have both 120 and 35mm film to use up.



Eventually I paid attention to the Kodachrome story and decided I'd better look and see. I found 5 rolls of 36 exposure 35mm film. It was already October 2010. I'd better get on the case, shoot the film, and get it to the lab on time.

On the North Downs

A Walk with Annie

My friend Annie and me took a walk along the North Downs Way. We started in the village of Wye and took the trail through the village up to the Wye Crown, which was built as part of the Millenium Project in 2000. It's a pity that one of the seats has been broken and that some litter had been left strewn about.



From here we followed the trail along the scarp edge to The Devil's Kneading Trough, which is a a deep cut in the scarp face. Just before arriving there I had an encounter with a fox who was trotting up a lane as I came out of the path. He just looked at me bemused before running away back the way he had come.



There is a small cafe at this point and we dropped in for a cup of tea. This area is also a This area is also a National Nature Reserve famous for it's butterflies here. Apparently 20 different species can be seen here. Might be worth another visit in the summer! after continuing along the trail for another hour or so we decided it was time to loop back to Wye.



We descended to the bottom of the scarp through some woods which looked like a good place for bluebells in the late spring and came out on a small lane below. We struggled to find a foot-path to cut across the fields to the small village of Brook. WE found a pub here, the Honest Miller, and popped in for a pint and some lunch. The meal was great, the beer was fine and the warm fire very welcome.



after that it was time to do the final few miles to Wye. This was a bit of a chore as we took a meandering route down a dirt track, then a small lane before the final long stretch through the flat fields to the village. swans were grazing in the fields here but it was cold and windy so we trudged on finally arriving back to the village as it was getting dark.

On the Black Down

I visit Jim and Adriana

From Brighton I caught another coastal train down to Havant, where I changed to go the two stops to Haslemere. I hadn't travelled this stretch of line before and was looking forward to it as it passed through West Sussex. If I'd have paid close attention I would have realised that in fact in leaves the coast pretty soon after Hove and the coast towns are reached by changing onto branch lines, for example to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. Nevertheless I enjoyed the views as the train skittled along to Chichester. I could at least see the chalk escarpment of the South Downs and dream about doing the South Downs Way someday.



At Haslemere Jim picked me up and we drove back to his place for a pleasant Sunday dinner and chat. It's the first time I've seen them since New Delhi in November 2009.

The following day we got ourselves organised  to go out walking. The day was mild and overcast but at least it wasn't raining. before lunch we went hiking around some high heath lands, some of it marked as the 'Serpent's Trail'. Wee enoyed the up and down trails here and did some bushwacking to stay off some of the sodden tracks.



We lunched at the Duke of Cumberland. Jim was aghast that it had become a gentrified since his last visit. All pubs seem to be 'gastro' these days. Still the lunch was good and the beer was welcome.

After lunch we spent another hour or so walking up Blackdown, the highest point in West Sussex and therefore has splendid views. The link will tell you about the connection with Lord Tennyson and a famous aircrash here as well as the geological and natural history details. I should like to visit these heathlands at the height of summer as they are well known as good dragonfly habitats. I've heard it is possible to see 26 of the 29 UK species hereabouts. May be this August.

Garden Diary

I completed the 2nd Raised Bed today by lining it with the weed fabric. I'm hoping this will protect the wood and make it last a little longer. I should point out that the raised beds I built for my Mother used re-cycled wood which was at least an inch thick. The wood I'm using here is barely a centimetre thick. It wont last nearly as long.

Anyway all I'm waiting for now is a sunny day to put the raised bed out. Of course I'll have to fill it too. Each one has the capacity of 180 litres. So that's 60 each of compost, coir and vermiculite. Unfortunately I can't find local suppliers of the latter two. They still sell peat in the garden shops here, which I'm reluctant to use and vermiculite seems completely off the radar. I suspect that this is because the local soil is sandy and that you don't need it to improve drainage.