Snowy walk

It has been snowing for a couple of days. Not hard but constantly. We have accumulated about 4inches 100mm. It might have been more if were not for folks obsession with clearing paths and gritting. Anyhoo I took a walk across the fields to the lottie. I had no intention of doing anything. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright and fill up the bird feeders. It was a slog across the fields in the deep snow. The wind was at my back so it was quite hot work. You know the adage "there is not such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes.". I was well dress for the occasion.

I made some fat balls for the birds. I used the food processor to chop up same left over bread and left over nuts from the parties really fine. Then I mixed up a big handful of bird seed and another of raisins, again left over from Christmas. I usually cut off the rinds of Bacon when I have a Bacon butty. The rind comes off before cooking. I chop up the discarded rinds and fat and put them in a container which then lives in the fridge. Well the save bacon rind and fat went in the mix too. I gave it a mix to combine all the ingredients. I warmed up a a chunk of lard. Whilst that was melting and lined a couple of plastic containers with foil. When the lard was liquid I poured it on top to the dry mix of seeds and bread and gave it a good stir. I packed the pick in the moulds and put them outside in the cold to set. They set really well. Not rock hard but just hard enough to hold together. I laced the fat squares [the moulds were square not round] on the a doubled up string making them ready to hang up. One went in the back garden the other at the lottie.

With a bit of luck the nuts, seeds and fat balls will help sustain the hedgerow birds. The weather must be biting. We have had lots the birds in the back garden. We even had a foreign visitor, a Fieldfare. He sat, fluffed up, in the tree occasionally hopping into the Burberris shrub to scoff the red berries much to the disdain of the Blackbirds. This weekend we have had about a dozen Blackbirds at a time sitting the taller trees of the hedge trying to make a living in the snow. I think my self and the neighbours are keeping the avian diners fed.

There very few tracks in the snow at the lottie. Just a solitary set of Rabbit tracks but they bit not go far. too parky even for rabbits. Having done my duty at the lottie a plodded home. I forgot I live on a hill so the journey was mostly up hill and into the wind. I had rosy cheeks when I got in. H and made Leek and Potato soup which went down very nicely.

 

Best intentions

I missed the allotment work party as I got confused of where to be and on what day. I turned up on Sunday which I thought was the right day to find it is was not. I tipped the trailer of manure and pondered what to do. I could have sneaked off for a sit down with my book but conscience got the better of me and it was not an unpleasant day.

Even my soil is too wet to dig. Instead I went to the black compost bin by bed 1, took the lid off and looked in. The compost was super fine. A colony of Ants had been living in there over the summer and had processed the soil to a fine tilth. The Ants were gone so I removed the bin outer the got the spade busy digging out the compost and throwing it across the adjacent bed. I hope the worms and rain with mix it in for me.

I cleaned up the area of the bin. There was a mass of White Dead Nettle runners under the base of the bin. It was a bit of a job to root them out [pun intended]. I reinstated the footing of the base and replaced the bin. Now I have an empty bin for the piles of weeds that are popping up on the plot. Nettles are a beggar. On the one hand they are invasive weeds and sting but on the other hand are habitat for several Butterflies. I ought to be happy they are because Nettles thrive in rich, moist soil which is indicates the quality of my soil however it is a bit of a drag for such a high honour. Click HERE of the "Be Nice to Nettles" website. I particulary like the "did you know" panel on the bottom left of the their website. Proper useful infomation for chats in the pub.

I took the oppertunity to dress the Rhubarb patch with manure. I am not short of manure so the bed got a good deep dressing. You can telling it is warm the top layers of the manure heap is teeeming with worms. There are a few birds about but not many. The bird feeders I put up last week have hardly been touched. The Robins where about as were a few Blue Tits but not much else.

I had a look at the bees and replaced the syrup feeder with a block of fondant. The guard bees were out quickly to find out who was shaking up the hive, even if it was with the best intentions. 

Rock Candy

I have predicted a largely wet and warm winter for 2013. It has not been so wet this last week, the River Mease is back in it's channel, but it has been warm. That means the bees will not be clustering and therefore will be eating up their store of honey. If they eat it all up before the spring then they will starve to death. Dead bees don't make much honey. The usual strategy is to feed bee candy. More accurately it is a fondant. It is sugar and water cooked up to "soft ball" then allowed to cool and set. I have tried many recipes but this one works every time. You need a heavy bottomed pan and a jam thermometer. I use the jam making pan. Remember that the sugar syrup is going to get very hot and it sticks if it is splashed about. You have been warned.

The local supermarket does sugar in 5kg bags. I use whatever vinegar is available but usually cider vinegar in preference to malted vinegar. The vinegar helps stave off mold and fermentation. Pour the 5kg of granulated sugar, 1 litre of water, a teaspoon of vinegar into the pan. Next just mix the sugar, vinegar and water to together in the pan then put the mixture on to boil. A jam thermometer is a very good thing to have. I have tried guessing when the correct temperature is achieved. I ended up with hard candy. That is no good to the bees. As the pan heats up stir it occasionally to make sure the sugar fully dissolves and nothing catches on the bottom of the pan. Bees do not like burned candy and it is near impossible to clean off the pan. When the syrup gets to "soft ball" which is 240F or 114C turn the heat down and keep it at soft ball for 5 five minutes. Do not leave it a soft ball for more than five minutes or let it go above soft ball or you end up three litres of hard candy. Take the pan off the heat. I put it outside to cool down [cats, dogs and kids beware etc]

Whilst the syrup is cooking line a couple of shallow tins with foil. You need a mould for each hive because as soon as the fondant starts to set there is no going back. I use baking trays as moulds. I find that the fondant block will sit above the crown board and under the roof quite easily. No need for ekes! When the syrup starts to form a skin on the cooling surface of the syrup this is the moment to start whisking the syrup to make fondant. Whisking introduces air and makes the fondant go white. As soon as the fondant starts to thicken up, which does not take long because whisking speeds up the cooling, pour the syrup into the lined tins and leave them to go completely cold. I cannot say how long it takes for fondant to set. It depends how cold it is and how thick the fondant is in the trays.

Problems
Too soft
If it does not set at all then it was not hot enough for long enough. So long as the fondant is not actually liquid and will hold a shape then I would use it on the hive. You just don't want it running into the hive. If too liquid pour it back into the pan and reheat it to the correct temperature and go through the process again.

Too hard
If, on the other hand, it has set like rock then you have rock candy. You have two choices; break it up and feed it to the kids as old fashion candy. It just tastes sweet or leave it in the air and in a week or two it will go gooey on the surface just like those sweet you lost in a blazer pocket when you were a kid. Is not so readily taken down by the bees but it might do whilst you make another softer batch.

I make the candy about 1 - 1 1/2 inches [25 - 40mm] thick, depending on the depth of the moulds and the how I divide the batch. I leave the candy in the moulds, even when cold and take down the bees. I usually score the surface of the candy with my hive tool just the make some loose edges because I think the bees can make a start on the block a bit more easily. I just pop off the roof, if the bees are round the hole in the crown board I just put the edge of the tray on the crown board near the hole and invert the mould. The fondant block just drops out and I lower it over the hole. If the bees are not round the hole I scrape a bit of fondant off the block and drop it into the hole just to give the bees a clue dinner has arrived and place the block over the hole. Then I just pop the roof back on and retire for a few weeks. My blocks are about 3lbs [1.5kg] each. I have a 5kg of sugar in the house ready to use as fondant or syrup as circumstance require.         

   

New Year's Eve

   So the year turns again. It is still raining. I went over to see the bees and check they were okay. They were. A gale of wind is blowing from the South West. It is just getting round the hedge so the Hives are in a drafty spot for the moment. At least the flood waters have subsided. There was no damage to the hives during the floods. One of the door blocks had been displaced so I put it back in place and wedged it there with a couple of pieces of stick. When looking in the front door I can see a few dead bees and in one hive there are lots of capping on the floor. That means they are tucking into their stores. Time for candy I think.

   I got out my hip flask which is full of last years Sloe Gin and splashed a little on each hive and wished the Bees health for the coming year. If you can wassail apples trees I am sure you can "wassail" bee hives I had a wander round the meadow which is sodden after the recent flooding. The grass cover has held the soil together. Some of the plough fields I can see from the meadow have not fared so well. The only sign of life, besides the surging Mease, was a Sparrow Hark that flew down the length of the hedge at knee height then dart through the hedge and was gone.

The hives are in the far left of picture. The River Mease is still roaming across the fields

   It is a desolate time of year in the countryside especially with a gale blowing and biting rain showers in the wind. Finding all secure I trundled back across the fields and went over to the lottie. More desolation. I put up a couple of bird feeders although I did see more than a few crows being tossed across the sky. The soil was too wet to dig so I had a close look at the hedges and the trees in the hedge. I have selected the ones that are coming out. They are shading out areas of my plot. The bees at the lottie are not moving but the signs are that they are fine. I fixed my gate. The wind had given it a beating and a couple of battens needed refixing. I wassailed the lottie and the bees. It is a good deal more sheltered at the lottie but it was still dark considering it was two o'clock in the afternoon.

   I did a little job for one of the plot holders before I packed up and went home for a spot of lunch.

So as traditional at this time of year, I wish you all a Happy New Year for 2013.

Getting ready

    Getting ready to allotment seems to take longer. Degsy sits there waiting for a key turn to get going. Sometimes Degsy needs a hand. Luckily Degsy can be started with a cranking handle. It is bloody hard to turn over a 2.5 litre engine against the compression but I managed it without putting my back out or dislocating my arms.

      Then there is the personal preparation. If I don't put my gloves on my skin on one of more of the joint on my finger crack and that is painful and take ages to heal. And now I have to put a bit a Vaseline on my lips to stop them cracking. Then when I get hot and sweating from working if don't wrap up when I stop I can almost guarantee I will get a chill that will start off a silly cough I won't be able to shift until well into the New Year.

    I have given up wear overalls. Now the main gear is mainly my rigger boots, work pants and a brushed cotton shirt. So long as I have remembered to put tea bags and milk in the back of Degsy then all will be well.  

Grubs & Robins

      The weather, time and enthusiasm collided today. The weather was the variable in the this list. Freezing conditions last week were not conducive to digging. Then Thursday this week it threw it down for most of the day. Saturday was taken up with picking up Miss L. The weather remained fine on Saturday which boded well for Sunday. Sunday dawned clear so after a breakfast of boiled eggs, toast and tea it was off to the lottie. There was no one at the lottie. All the plots a bit tired. Mine looked not too bad now the ground had been strimmed and the vines pruned. The milky winter sun did a lot to make the general view looks better.

      The main job was get the spuds dug up. The soil was the consistency of cream cheese. The fork was a waste of time for digging the spuds. I got the spade out instead. Then arranged the wheelbarrow for collecting the weeds and there plenty of weeds to go at. The main culprits are Dock and Grass but as I was to find out there was some major roots from the nearby Willows. I just got going in the plough head land, as grandly call it. I just worked across the plot throwing the spuds into the tray and the weeds into the barrow. On the third row the spuds were different. I got another tray so as to keep the varieties separate. Over and back, over and back with spuds in one place and weeds in another. I put the kettle on when I was half way across the plot then went back to harvesting or was it weeding?  By the time I finished the row the kettle was boiling. I made a brew and remembered to get wrapped up against the cold. I sat on the compo bin and supped my brew. The Robin's where happy to see the back of me for a while so they could forage over the new turned earth. I had been feeding them with Cockchaffer grubs as I found them in the soil but they wanted more. Cockchaffer grubs are massive about 40/50mm [2 inches] long so half a dozen of those should fill the Robin's up.

     Brew over and back to the spade and rows of spuds. I managed another two rows before I ran out of time. One of the other lottie holders turned up and came over for a chat. Having chatted about the year just gone we wished each other a Merry Christmas and set off back to our plots. I tidied the tools away and packed up Degsy. I trundled back home in the weakening Sun. I took the spuds straight round the back of the house and gave them a wash before parking them in the shed.

Catch up

I have been allotmenting but not blogging. There are only so many hours in a week and I have discovered that you have to sleep for some of those hours. One of my allotment buddies has traded a strimming my plot for a couple of a trailer loads of manure. A decent trade in my eyes. The plot looks tuns better if still weedy.

It has been chucking it down this last few weeks so all I have been doing is tidying up. Today I tackled the Grape vines. It took me a good hour to tackle the remaining four vines that had not had the attention of Madame Secateurs. I ended up with more vine on the floor had on the wires but that is way it is supposed to be. I had an idea I would strim the ditch alongside the plot but it is holding a foot of water so no thanks.

The tiding up that I had chucked into the big compo bin has been turned in lovely compost by the worms. The warm (ish) and (very) wet weather has suited the compo bin worms and they have doing a great job. I dropped some more leaves and kitchen waste in the bin today and gave it a stir about just give the worms a chance.

A number of the post down the centre of the plot have given up the ghost and snapped off at the base. I will have to renew these soon. I think I will put in meta post legs instead of just hammering the wooden posts into the soil. Seven posts needed. I hope Santa has heard my plea.  

I looked around the other plots in between shovelling and pruning and I am still think my theory from last year is not disproved. I find those folks that have completed their winter digging, so that soil is bare, have had the soil pounded by the rain and it has clagged together. Soil on my plot is protected by the weeds so it might be honours even, although I know those weeds are growing, if slowly.

The bees are very quite as you might expect. They did not even come out when I very pruning the vines in front of the hive. There was a odd one near the entrance to the hive so they are still about, just not flying.