Blackwater Country Show - Set up Day

More hands make light work

Hose Pipe Ban lifted!

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/notice-of-revocation-of-hosepipe-and-other-water-uses-prohibition-2012.pdf


We urge all members to still use water wisely!

Bat Conservation Trust - Annual Survey

Sunset / Sunrise Survey

How to take part

There are two parts to this survey. You can take part in either survey or both, but the more help you can give us, the more chance you have of finding bats!

See below for a link to our new Sunset/Sunrise Survey video.

The Sunset Survey couldn't be easier! Simply spend the evening in your garden and watch out for any bats that fly past. Record how many bats you see, which species they are (if you think you know) and, most importantly, which direction they are flying from.

The Sunrise Survey involves going out just before dawn to look for bats swarming before they return to their roost. If you have already done the Sunset Survey and saw bats flying past, you should walk in the direction from which most of them seemed to be coming.

This survey is aimed at beginners and is an excellent way of contributing to the monitoring programme if you don't have any previous experience of bat surveying.

This survey takes place annually and this year you can take part anytime throughout June, July and August.

To download the survey form and instructions for 2012, please click here:

Sunset/Sunrise Survey Form and Instructions 2012

NEW! Click here to see the Sunset/Sunrise Survey video

Other surveys

If you know of any bat roosts in your area then please consider taking part in the Colony Count.

If you have some experience of using a bat detector then we need your help with our bat detector surveys. The simpler of the two is the Waterway Survey which just requires you to count Daubenton's bats as they skim over the surface of the water. The Field Survey is for more experienced surveyors who are able to identify noctule, serotine, common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle in the field. If you have access to a frequency division detector (such as the Duet) and a digital recording device, you can take part in the Woodland Survey which focuses on the rare barbastelle.


If you are interested in improving your skills we run bat detector workshops, so that volunteers can take part in our surveys.

This survey is sponsored by:- 

Wildlife Accoutics

The Bat Conservation Trust does not endorse the services of our Corporate Sponsors



NOTE FROM EDITOR:




If you would like to do this and would like to borrow a bat detector - just ask!

Beetroot Chutney - Member Ang Cass

Ingredients:
1 kg uncooked beetroot
500g onions
750g cooking apples
500g seedless raisins
3 tbs ground finer
1 kg granulated sugar
1 ltr malt vinegar


Peel and grate beetroot, apples and onions.  
Put in pan with other ingredients.
Bring to boil
Simmer until thick.


Pot up in previously sterilised jars.


Eat


or why not buy some at the Blackwater Country Show on 24 June 2012!

So you wanna keep bees

Help needed

Happy Birthday - Phil - 40 today

CONGRATULATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS

Ascott - June offers

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June Special Offers Welcome to the June newsletter! Hopefully the weather is now a bit more settled, than it has been in previous months. We can all look forward to the long bank holiday weekend and the Queen's anniversary celebrations. It was great to meet so many of our customers at the smallholders show in Wales a fortnight ago, we had a great time and it was good to put some names to faces. We have some great offers again for June... The easy clean drinkers are ideal for the hot weather and the emperor feeders are great for a lot of chickens or for pheasant feeders. Our yard cart is ideal for around the farm yard or smallholding and can be towed behind a quad bike or lawn mower. The Golia mill is the most popular mill we sell, ideal for making your own feeds and rations for poultry and small animals. Don’t forget the smite disinfectant and louse powder to help in the consistent battle against red spider mite and lice Mark and Kate Self Follow us on Twitter Request the new Spring 2012 Catalogue Call us today 0845 130 6285 Email us sales@ascott.biz Ascott Smallholding Supplies Ltd | Units 21/22 | Whitewalls | Easton Grey | Malmesbury | Wiltshire | SN16 0RD Opening Times 9am-5pm Monday to Friday - Saturday opening times  9am until 1pm

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REMINDER - Jams, curds, cakes

urgent

we need

jam, marmalade,

curds and cakes

to sell at the 

Blackwater Country Show

on

Sunday 24 June

please support us

Recipe of the Week - Jubilee Week

from members; Mo and Charlie

Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake with Yoghurt and Pistachios

The sharp acidity of the orange in this cake combines beautifully with the sweetness of the Greek mountain honey. Because the cake is soaked in syrup, you can make it well ahead and just whip it out when you’re ready to serve.

  Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 small oranges (weighing about 9 oz/250 g)

4½ oz (125 g) ground almonds

6 oz (175 g) well-softened butter, plus a little extra for greasing

6 oz (175 g) golden caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

9 oz (250 g) semolina

4½ level teaspoons baking powder

For the syrup:

8 fl oz (225 ml) Greek mountain honey

5 tablespoons orange juice

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ inch (4 cm) cinnamon stick

For the topping:

7 oz (200 g) Greek yoghurt

1½ oz (40 g) unsalted, shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons Greek mountain honey

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

You will also need a 10 inch (25.5 cm) springform cake tin, lightly greased and the base lined with greased silicone paper (baking parchment).

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three.

Method

First, cut the oranges into chunks, removing the pips. Then tip the whole lot – flesh, pith and zest – into a food processor and whiz it to a thick purée. Now all you do is simply put all the other cake ingredients into a large bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. After that, fold in the orange purée, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of the spoon.

Now place the cake on the centre shelf of the oven and bake it for an initial 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, or until it is golden brown, springy in the centre and has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. To do this, simply combine the honey and 5 tablespoons water with the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan, place it over a gentle heat, bring it up to simmering point and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the orange and lemon juices.

a Delia Smith special

Leave the cake aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove it from the tin to a wire rack to cool, with a large plate underneath. Make a few holes all over it with a skewer before pouring the syrup over it. (It will look like there is far too much, but don’t worry, the cake will absorb more than you think, and any that is not absorbed can be poured from the plate back over the cake.) Then, when the cake is absolutely cold, place it on a serving plate, cover it and leave it in a cool place overnight.

Just before serving, spread the top of the cake with the Greek yoghurt, sprinkle over the pistachios, drizzle with the honey and serve cut into chunky slices.

Note: This cake can also be made to serve 8-10, in an 8 inch (20 cm) tin, using 1 orange, 3 oz (75 g) ground almonds, 4 oz (110 g) each softened butter and sugar, 2 large eggs, 6 oz (175 g) semolina and 3 level teaspoons baking powder. For the syrup, use 5 fl oz (150 ml) honey, 3 tablespoons each water and orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 inch (2.5 cm) cinnamon stick. For the topping, use 7 oz (200g) Greek yoghurt, 1 oz (25 g) pistachios and 1½ tablespoons honey. Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature and 25-30 minutes at the lower temperature.