Category Archives: Smallholding

How not to cut down a tree…

Posted on January 20, 2022 by james

I’ve been removing some sycamore branches that were overhanging the veggie plot from one of our hedgerows which hasn’t been too much of a chore thanks the pole saw, but one trunk had grown out at an angle over the … Continue reading →

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First attempt at smoked salmon

Posted on January 19, 2022 by james

My wife found some salmon on offer a couple of days back because it was approaching its “expiry” date, so she bought an extra packet for me to try smoking. It’s actually a 500g fillet sliced into four. Not ideal, … Continue reading →

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Smoke #3

Posted on January 16, 2022 by james

Today I thought I’d try apple-smoking some halloumi, together with a few more smallish pieces of cheddar. I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, to be honest. I patted the cheese dry before cutting it into smaller blocks … Continue reading →

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BBKA Module exam bemusement

Posted on January 12, 2022 by james

A few years after I’d started keeping bees I took the first of the BBKA’s exam modules (Module 1 – Honey Bee Management). It felt quite a struggle at the time as circumstances meant that two of us had to … Continue reading →

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The Great Leek Scape

Posted on January 7, 2022 by james

Or perhaps not, given today’s weather, but the weather is presumably what is responsible for the behaviour of this particular leek that I noticed in the veggie plot yesterday and photographed today after a snow shower with the biggest snowflakes … Continue reading →

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Growing Degree Days

Posted on January 7, 2022 by james

I’ve come across the concept of Heating Degree Days or Cooling Degree Days in work I’ve done (basically the number of days where the temperatures has crossed some specific threshold where heating or cooling of a building is required) and … Continue reading →

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Garlic comparison

Posted on January 6, 2022 by james

As I posted a couple of days ago, this year’s garlic has finally made it out of the ground. I’d been feeling a bit apprehensive about what was going on because it seems to have been far slower to get … Continue reading →

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At last we have garlic-sign!

Posted on January 4, 2022 by james

I’ve been a little apprehensive about the garlic for next year. I saved four of my best bulbs from this year’s harvest to replant, and did so back in October. Despite the fairly mild weather however there’s been no sign … Continue reading →

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Smoke #2

Posted on January 2, 2022 by james

This morning I’ve smoked the second batch of cheese, or, at least, the Tesco own-brand cheese. The rest somehow “disappeared” from the fridge and is nowhere to be seen. It’s a mystery… This time I used apple wood dust from … Continue reading →

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My first attempt at smoking…

Posted on January 1, 2022 by james

Cheddar cheese in this case. It rolls ok, but it’s a pig to get lit 😀 Slightly more seriously, I bought just over a kilo of cheese earlier in the week. Given that this was going to be my first … Continue reading →

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