And it's October

I don't know how days go past so fast - or rather weeks. It was August, and September somehow just rushed by, waved and puff! it's October.

August and September were exceptionally warm months, summer didn't want to leave. And then in one morning it was autunm, trees went yellow and red overnight, grass turned golden yellow just like that.

Now we have had frosts - few years ago frosts were here in the end of August, not in the beginning of October...

I'm quite confident we will have winter very soon and without any warning. Bugger.

I've been mushrooming, today we were in our forest, me, my sister, Number One and 'Suma. In 45 minutes we picked our bags full of mushrooms, and we hardly touched the edge of the mushroom harvest there. I still need few bags more mushrooms to freezer. It's going to be an expensive winter, I think.

At least I managed to pay off one car loan, and another has only one half payment left. Then all vehicles are our own again! And it gives me a small extra sum of money to build up an emergency fund. For now my emergency find is my Master Card, which is not good. I have still money reserved for some specific purposes, like sys's drivers licence...

Since beginning of covid our money situation has been tightening and tightening - we are not buying anything more than before, but everything is so much more expensive. We have less money to spend with higher prices. I don't get paid more if I work more, I could have the hours off, but will not get any extra money. Hb is working only day shift, so no extra money from night shifts either.

But we'll manage, I just need to cut all extra spending (not much there) and be wary of any pitfalls. Few more years and our mortage is completely paid off. Hb might get a small amount as inheritance once hir parent's house is sold - but it could take two or three years before that happens, and keeping up the house costs us around 200 euros per month! I have suggested that the house be put up for rent, but it's too much effort, they say (hb and his siblings).  Oh well, it's only money 😡

Overcompensating?

I might have mentioned this is very difficult year financially. Not only for our family, but in general. Even my aunt, who's been retired about 20 years said such. And she's not in debt, she has a steady stream of pension every month and she's ablebodied and ableminded. She's not so much worried for her own sake, but for others. And so am I.

Funny thing I've noticed: when I'm skint (for any reason) I cook and bake. A lot. I just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, a batch of Thrifty Lesley's red lentil nuggets and there's two huge tubs of rice pudding in the fridge, as well as big container of pre-cooked mushrooms for tomorrow. And on the stove there's a rather big pot full of boiled potatoes (hot, can't put them to the fridge yet) and half a frying pan of fried cabbage/zucchini (the other half is eaten already). And I'm planning on baking buns tomorrow (I don't usually bake bread/buns, but this last month has been really really expensive and I had some flour bags that really needed to be used (best before date last year...). Yesterday I made pickled cucumbers and zucchini fritters. On top of regular cooking. And yes, I put the soaking liquid of lentils aside for the buns, as well as the liquid from yesterday whe I grated zucchinis and drained it with salt.

It's like I'm trying to cook and bake everything before I run out of money/food/change to forage...

Rowans are overcompensating last year's complete lack of berries. I'm trying to find reciepes other than jellies and liquor. Maybe I just put them in the freezer and I'll figure out later what to do with them?

Blue cheese quiche

 I need a lunch to take with me to the office tomorrow. I didn't have any leftovers in the fridge - I mean I didn't have anything leftovers I can take with me, those who stay at home tomorrow will need them. I've been fancying a quiche for some time, and at some point during the weekend I noticed a packet of blue cheese in the freezer. I knew I had a some margarine left in the fridge. I usually use only butter or oil, but I baked some dairy free things before summer. It was really time tu use up that small parcel!

Quiche is in the oven now - a bit late, but I went mushrooming with 'Suma and then we had sauna night.

Blue cheese quiche

Crust:

100g fat (butter, margarine)

3 dl flour - I mixed 1 dl of rye flour and 2 dl basic white wheat

1/2-1tsp salt

1 egg

2 tbsp cold water

Work soft fat, salt and flour into sand-like mixture, add egg and water and mix into a smooth dough. Oil the baking dish (24 cm round or similar size square)Pat the crust evenly into baking dish, lift the crust against sides ot the dish. No need to put this on the fridge or blind bake it. Put oven on, 200C.

Filling:

3dl cream or 2dl creamy yoghurt + 1dl milk

2 eggs

salt, pepper

1,5 dl / 100g grated mild cheese

half a packet of blue cheese

Crumble the blue cheese

(I'm allergic to onions as well as leeks, but I've heard caramellized onions or leeks work lovely with blue cheese)

Mix dairy and eggs, add seasoning. Grate cheese. Turn blue cheese into crumbs and spread them evenly over the bottom of the crust (and onions/leeks)
. Sprinkle some of the grated cheese on top of the blue cheese, the pour the filling mixture in. Add rest of the grated cheese.

Bake about 30-40 mins in the middle rack of the oven. Timing depends on the oven, mine bakes very unevenly, so I turn everything 180 degrees in the middle of baking.

I'll have a piece of this with a simple tomato-cucumber salad.

If you need me, you know where to find me

 I'm mushrooming.

I'm trying to teach 'Suma to find shrooms.

She's not very eager, but patiently sniffs around. She doesn't have a clue what she's supposed to do, but it's ok, I love her even if she's not the smartest dog in the world. Not even the smartest dog I've had.

This year's harvest begun poorly. My veggie plot is eaten by snails, completely. Snails ate my pepper plants, beans, all salady things (and everything green which weren't weeds). Then I got decent harvest on black currants and now mushrooms are everywhere!

So far I've only found a dozen porchinis, but chanterelles, black trumpets and hedgehog mushrooms (Hydnum repandum) are are saving the day. Or winter, I suppose, because we will eat mushroom dish once a week next winter. Saves money but most importantly - we really really like mushrooms!

I know, I'm a bad forager. I don't have fancy baskets with separate compartments to different shrooms, I don't wear fancy outdoor clothing (my wellies are fixed with gorilla tape!) and I usually go mushrooming only as far as I can still see my house or yard...

Still here

 My summer has been ... busy?

We had  a double graduation, and all those preparations took a while. I've not yet send thank you - cards, we've chosen pictures, but...

I've been busy at work - done a LOT things I've never have done before. Everything has been extremely interesting, but also so very tiring. My days were long, from 8am to 22pm straight. All day, in my feet, walking around...

D moved to another apartment, so I spent two weeks moving with her - her new apartment is at the sixth floor - and basically no elevator (there is, a tiny closet you can fit max 2 people). At least the staircase is grand!

My veggie garden is neglected, completely overgrown with weeds. At least potatoes are growing. This has been a very wet and moderately warm summer - which means potatoes are suffering, all critters are in abundance and... I just don't even know.

On the good news...?

I've paid my car, it's all mine now!

Sister has chicken, and a cockerel. The cockerel is very loud, from 4am to 9pm. Well, he takes a nap before noon and is quiet about 1- to 2 hours...

Old man and my mother have completed their move to mansion (log cabin), and my sister has the house all by herself (= her family) now.

Grandma's apartment finally sold last week (she died last year), so no more worrying for that.

For real!

Yes, it's been a long winter. Since October we've had snow, freezing tempetatures and some more snow. So this winter has been longer than six months!

I have no want to sow anything, or plant anythin - not even plan anything. 10cm of blindingly bright white snow prevents digging in vegetable plot, and the ground is still frozen solid.

Oh again, tell me about extremely hot spring in Mediterranian... maybe jealousy keeps me warmer!

Nevermind

 I thought we are heading towards spring... then I thought wait a minute, we haven't had our end of March/beginning of April snowstorm. Welll.

So no swimming yet?