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Hello Folks
I'd like to take this oppurtunity to thank you all so much for your support over the last year or so, I have had to close my folksy store down and will not be blogging anymore due to illness and I hope you all keep doing the handmade thing, its good for your soul.
So you all take care and make and grow and mend!
Lots of love to you all
Marti

Cassis Oil Cookies (easter biscuits)

extra large butter cookie men



Daisy shaped cookies, notice the small hand coming in for a steal!



Today we decided to make huge ginger bread men without the ginger and used Cassis Oil instead which is typical easter scent and taste. These men are so large I could only fit 2 onto my cake stand! Now we made ours with a vegetable spread as my LO's both have a milk intolerance.

The recipe for these is so easy as follows...

• 500g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 200g castor sugar
• 7 drops cassis oil
• 250g chilled butter (vegetable spread)

Heat oven to 175 Degrees C.

Mix all ingredients together, form a nice dough on a floured surface, Chill wrapped in clingfilm for 40 mins in the fridge, Heat oven to 175 Degrees C. Roll out to about 3-4mm thick and cut with your favourite cookie cutters. Bake on floured or greased baking trays for 8-12 minutes.

Perfect!

Gardening & Crab Apple Jelly

Mini disaster - March winds?

Garlic, Spinach, Spring onions, Mint, Bay tree,

Large pot (left) ready for new potatoes

A peony popped up beside the bird bath
& Cosmos seedlings growing in the front

The beans are still growing, slower outside as its still cold yet

and finally my new crab apple tree

One of my favourites to grow and to use is Crab apples, so I purchased a new crab apple tree for our new home, and one day when she's grown into a tree we will have delicious crab apples. You will be able to find this recipe in my Family Cook Book once it's published....So here's a recipe for the jelly.

• 4 kg crab apples
• 1 kg caster sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced

Makes 6 x 500ml jars

1.Wash the apples, removing any bruised fruit. Put in a saucepan, fill with water to just cover the apples.

2.Bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit is soft (about 30 minutes).

3.Pour the pulp into a jelly bag or several layers of muslin and let drip overnight into a pan. Do NOT squeeze the bag or it will make the juice cloudy.

4.The next day, measure the juice, and add sugar in the ratio of 10 parts juice to 7 of sugar. Add some lemon juice, then bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

5.Keep at a rolling boil for 40 minutes, skimming off the froth. To test the set, chill a dessertspoon in the refrigerator.

6.When the jelly is set, it will solidify on the back of the spoon. Pour into warm, sterilised preserving jars and tightly seal while still slightly warm. Store in a cool dark place.

ENJOY!