DISPATCHES FROM THE FARM

I have been meaning to make crab apple jelly for several years but each year struggle to get my act together at the right time and/or our little trees haven't produced enough fruit for the recipes I had. I only picked about 700g of crab apples last week (more than previous years though), but I found an adjustable recipe, that allowed for adding the water, sugar and lemon juice according to the quantity of fruit on hand. 

Crab apples are small rosie little fruits, which are way, way too tart to eat 'as is' but are gorgeous for making aromatic jellies, syrups and preserves or pickles with. Crab apples are an excellent source of pectin, which is a natural 'setting agent' found in fruit pips, cores and skins, that helps make good jams and jellies.

And, and... they look so pretty once cut in half. Stunning I think!

It only gets more colourful as you can see above with the crab apple juice in the pot with the other ingredients, on it's way to becoming the sweet and spicy full-flavoured jelly. I find crab apples do actually have a sweet, rose-apple scent to them even before you cut or cook them. 

Ta-dah! My finished product...only 2 and a bit jars were made from my 700g of fruit, but that's plenty for us, including a jar for a lucky friend. 

Crab apple jelly is usually served with light meats such as turkey, chicken and hams but is also great with roast lamb. I reckon it also lends itself to being incorporated in to cakes and tarts too. Why not?

Before cleaning

Angelica Organic Farm will have a stall there, selling our garlic braids and bulbs and our beautiful new season's sunflowers. Come meet me and Tim in the flesh!

Lavandula is always lovely to visit and we adore sitting under the Ash grove outside their licensed La Trattoria cafe with a coffee or a bite to eat. 

Around the golden, rustic Swiss - Italian stone buildings, they grow lavender, olives and grapes amongst an extensive old fashion garden and its birdsong. There are shady trees a plenty for relaxing under whilst often treated to a parade of geese or watching the chooks in their picturesque old-style farm yard, the donkeys and other members of the farm yard menagerie... 

There's also a cute little shop in the old stone barn brimming with lovely things, including a comprehensive section devoted to skincare and health products made from Lavandula's own lavender products.

Oh and of course there's patanque if you so desire...

We've also been advised that COSTA'S GARDEN ODYSSEY will be filming on the day. We love Costa and would go so far as to say this dynamic Greek garden guru has begun to fill the void left by the retirement of the beloved Peter Cundell.

Your kids (& you) will love him!

Where: Lavandula, Shepherd's Flat, 10 mins. North from Daylesford on the other side of  Hepburn Springs ...please see their website for travel directs: www.lavandula.com.au 

When: Sunday 10 January, 10am to 5.30pm (wise to arrive early for ease of parking)

Cost: Gate fee is $5 adults & $2 school age children

We cordially invite any of you who live within driving distance to get along, bring a rug and celebrate bringing in the harvest, under the shade of old trees . 

For more info on Lavandula & the Harevst Festival go to: www.lavandula.com.au 

We also grow Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus), a tasty relation to the sunflower. Although delicious and nutritious, they aren't extremely well known vegetables, so I decided to explain a little about these knobbly little gems below...

  

You can actually see a resemblance to the sunflower plants from the foliage of our Jerusalem artichokes above,

however, the actual artichoke is a tuber growing under the soil. When they flower, the flowers look like miniature sunflowers and like the sunflower, it is a member of the daisy family - a lovely way to end summer/start autumn before their eventual harvest. They are a root vegetable which grow similarly to potatoes and look a bit like a knobbly, pink-skinned ginger (I'll post pics. of the flowers and tubers as this current crop progresses ). They have a sweet, nutty flavour reminiscent of a cross between potatoes and water chestnuts.

Jerusalem artichokes are also called the 'sunroot' or 'sunchoke' and originate in the U.S.A.. They were first cultivated by the Native Americans long before the arrival of the Europeans.

Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has no relation to Jerusalem, and it is not a type of artichoke either. The origin of the name is uncertain.   I've read that Italian settlers in the U.S.A. called the plant 'girasole', the Italian word for sunflower because of their resemblance and it is speculated that over time the name 'girasole' may have been corrupted to Jerusalem.