Darling Buds of May

 

A camellia bud, ready for spring

Autumn Leaves

Deadhead

Low Sun

Beginner Baking 17

After last week's extravagantly fudgy chocolate brownies, I thought I'd knock up a batch of almost-healthy flapjack. But then I read this article which suggested that tiffin was way cooler so I changed course.

I tried out this BBC Food recipe for tiffin but changed the hazlenuts for pecans and walnuts and swapped cranberries and raisins for the dried figs which gave a more varied taste. I was pleased with the result - and with the energy boost!

Beginner Baking 16

My year of baking will soon be drawing to a close so I thought it was about time that I tackled two demons - the food processor and chocolate brownies.

Whilst the chocolate brownies had been haunting me because of a fear of failure, I consider food processors to be cheating. My granny didn't learn to bake using a food processor.

However, Hugh made it quite clear in this recipe for River Cottage chocolate brownies that I was not likely to succeed if I didn't take the mixing very seriously indeed. So out came Pamela's Kenwood mixer.

Somehow my sleep-deprived brain managed to put the mixer together and turn it on. I added the eggs and sugar and it whirred away until the two ingredients were well and truly blended and fluffed up.

Thankfully, my first attempts at using the mixer and making brownies were both successful. The brownies weren't the most attractive offering but they certainly tasted good - lovely and fudgy. Mmm...

I only just managed to get a quick snap of the last brownie before it was gobbled down (by me). Here it is on one of my latest garage sale finds - a plate from a mustard yellow-patterned Kelston Ceramics dinner service.

As happy as a pig in mud

We may not have progressed to pigs on our block yet but I was thrilled to receive an update from Kiva to say that the Sari Mertha group in Indonesia has had a great season with their beasts after receiving microfinance from me and 52 other lenders.

"Ni Luh, the group head, purchased piglets with her loan and raised them over several months, during which they became large and healthy. At the end of the loan period, Ni Luh sold her four pigs for Rp.1.100.000 each, yielding a respectable profit. With her profits, and with the help of a new loan from MUK, she plans to purchase additional pigs. With the overall increase in household income, she has supported the daily needs of her family and saving for suddenly needs." 

 

If you want to get satisfaction from someone else's farming ventures, why not pop over to Kiva's website, take your pick from the agriculture groups and make a loan today.