How to make herbs last all year

Spring...or still Winter

Its has been unusually cold here...in fact nearly 5 degrees colder on average...thats pretty cold. My lambs are growing fast though and the grass is coming on with more sunshine around.

 the chooks have not laid a bloody egg for months because its so damn cold...( Mr Purple chef is starting to dislike them immensely as they have done nothing but cost us money with nothing in return)

We have coloured sheep as you can see and they give us lovely meat and if I could spin then I would never run out of wool ever again even if I lived to be 100...but alas...I cannot spin I think all the fairy stories from my childhood of having to spin put me off...sounded hard although my Nana C enjoyed spinning wool and it knitted beautifully.

Seeing as it really is spring and time to cut back herbs and replant etc. I have just potted a whole heap of my old herbs as we are bulldozing our old veggie garden. I also grew our own purple garlic last year so Im using that as well. We have so much in abundance that I thought I would share a preserving trick with you for when you have so much you dont know what to do with it.
                                                                         


My temporary Herb Garden


Herb Stock Mix

now for quantities of herbs Ive tried to measure them to give an accurate recipe and herbs washing them and taking them
off the stalks as much as possible
120g fresh thyme (which is approximately 2 good sized bunches)
180g fresh parsley
180g fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh cracked pepper
6 fresh bay leaves
12 cloves of garlic
3 1/2 cups of salt ( I use flossy salt for preserving from a butcher supply)

You need to blend the herbs in batches with approx 1 tblsp salt until all blended. adding pepper and garlic and bay to blender with herbs. add rest of salt mix through leave to sit for half an hour then mix through again then put into clean dry jars and store in cupboard. There is NO mistake about the amount of salt remember it is a preserving agent this will last you 6-12 months in the cupboard in a screw tight jar and you will have your own stock powder to use with a fresh hit of herbs at ANY time.
TO USE:
add 1 semi heaped teaspoon to 1 litre boiling water and use in place of store bought stock. Always remember it has salt in it so when you are using it in cooking check your seasoning before you add any extra salt after you have used this for anything. It can be used in soups, casseroles, braises you can even add it to your cream for pasta. If your feeling a little bit off colour and don't know what to eat this is perfect for a light broth.

NOT ANY OLD FRUITCAKE......or a cake by any other name tastes just as sweet

moist delicious fruit cake

When I was younger I went through a stage of not liking fruit cake. The closest I would get would be christmas pudding and that was only because there was money in there and it was also smothered in custard AND cream. A couple of years ago I asked my mum for a fruit cake recipe of some kind as I didnt want just any old fruitcake I wanted one with history ie; mum , nana costolloe or nana brown, other relatives who are food driven like our whole family seems to be.
So she gave me a recipe that she had used quite successfully for a number of years. I then asked where it was from and she said it was from when we lived in Singapore(I was ONE I am now past 40) a cookbook came out from the expats in the area as I'm lead to believe. So I had a go at it and found I wanted more fruit in it and a couple of other little tweaks and I think I have made a foolproof fruitcake recipe. Its really nice and I now like fruit cake again. I have done it with a number of different fruit combinations and all have worked well. I have done it leaving the grated apple out and it is nice BUT it is even nicer and moister and tastier with the grated apple, but this is just so you know it can be played around with a little tiny bit and still work beautifully.
 It is NOT low fat but it is also not meant to be eaten 3 slices at a time. Remember everything in moderation
Danie & Mum's Boiled Fruit Cake
250 g butter
1 cup sugar(brown, white, raw a mixture is ok too)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
475-500g mixed dried fruit( I used dates, sultanas, dried apricots, currants, raisins,macadamias, pecans &
glace cherries. Any combination is good as long as the dried fruit is the biggest quantity)
Put all these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 min. It will look glorious and syrupy and taste sweet and butterscotchy. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl
 1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
When fruit mixture is cooled add to dry ingredients. Add 1 grated apple. Mix together 2 eggs with 1 teaspoon vanilla and the juice from 1 orange. Add to the rest of the mixture & mix well. Put into greaseproof lined 8 inch loaf tin
cook @160degrees for one hour. take out of oven and rest somewhere to cool for an hour.
 You can slice it and eat as is...or you can get some butter and put a lashings on it...OR you can make custard and have it warm. You can also play with the ingredients to add some zing...put some cardoman and extra mixed spice and more dates and apricots than sultanas a few pistachios and you have a
very morroccan twist to a lovely Aussie/English Favourite