Preserving Perseverance! - Katy Runacres

Preserving Perseverance!

Firstly, a big thank you to East Essex Smallholders for letting me guest blog-very exciting!

So a little bit about me: I am Katy, a Suffolk 23 yr old trying to currently live life a little greener and saving a bit of money along the way. I have Chickens at home who supply a constant amount of eggs for recipes, even through the cold dark days of winter! My veg growing of a decent salad crop and herbs has been put on hold till spring due to weather conditions here but there are still things to be done.

One of the things I have loved doing in the last few years has been preserving. Now I know everyone thinks of the WI and fetes when I say preserving but I think its all part of the fun of making preserves-the fact you can access a wealth of knowledge and advice from so many people and societies, you can enter fun competitions and gain lots more recipes to try or invent your own! I entered a local fete 2 years ago for the first time with a plum and apple jam; up against seasoned village preservers and actually got ranked with a certificate which was fun! At home in Suffolk I was making big batches of what ever glut of fruit we had-Strawberry, apple, plum or more commonly plum and apple! This caused me to on more than one occasion give friends and family plenty of jam for any celebratory event be it Christmas, a birthday or just for fun.

I love the fact that jam keeps so well and the recipes are easy to follow and you can change and alter them. Its nice to have something you can make a decent product out of-particularly if you are not good at other smallholding and self-sufficiency skills such as craft-like me! My family has experimented with some different preserves and flavours such as : crab apple jelly and quince cheese (both good with cold meats) and Indian pumpkin chutney. In the summer I was wanting to do a chutney. I tried a walnut, apple and pear chutney from a Scottish recipe

book which came out amazing and very tasty with cheese!

Lastly, trying something else potted I made my own vegetarian mincemeat for my mince pies this Christmas. I really enjoyed this and they turned out extra special. In the New Year I hope to try some other more unusual preserves-we will see how they go! I would say to anyone 'have a go what ever your age and wherever you live be it farm or flat-its good fun, easy and they make great home made presents!'

If you have enjoyed this article please feel free to take a gander with a cup of tea in hand at my blog http://thegoodlifeinpractice.wordpress.com/

about my on-going progress in smallholding both in Suffolk and Switzerland.

By Katy Runacres

The Good Life In Practice Blogger

http://thegoodlifeinpractice.wordpress.com/

twitter: @thegoodlifein

facebook: The Good Life In Practice

Our First Guest Blogger Revealed

I'm pleased to announce we have our First Guest Blogger following my post asking for people to share their experiences on the EESG Blog.

I would like to Introduce Katy Runacres from The Good Life in Practice
http://thegoodlifeinpractice.wordpress.com/

Katy also has a very interesting article in the lastest issue of Home Farmer.

We look forward to future posts from Katy.

A blog about smallholding and a 23 year old mad cat woman attempting to live a little greener and more environmentally friendly. First off with a garden in the UK and currently in a small apartment in Switzerland.

Just a little blog here about all the trials, attempts, successes and failures of trying to live a little greener regardless of where we are living-including having livestock, gardening, herb growing, wood-work, eco-friendly ideas, nature watching and some cooking using home-grown products (if the veg on the window sill continues to grow!).
Additionally, I take a particular interest in special diets-such as vegetarian new exciting dishes and gluten free options. I also try to keep up with the latest news on free range, organic and healthier ways of living in the news internationally-for example Bio-Suisse here is regularly updating their site.
I would love to write for Country Smallholding magazine, home farmer magazine or work for the Countryfile team as a new ex-pat here in Switzerland or to be a food/drink/countryside issues writer or presenter : ) I have a passion for sharing news and stories with others and making people more aware of issues. It would be great to hear any news from other people, discuss or share ideas to help smallhold and to live healthier even in the smallest/most random locations.
A little bit about The Good Life In Practice blogger Katy:
-Member of the Suffolk and Essex Poultry Club
-Has Level 3 Diploma in Countryside Management and Conservation.
-volunteering experience with The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Nottingham Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Coasts and Heaths AONB and has worked for English Heritage.
-Completed UK Brushcutting Certificate.
-has many years having cats, chickens and attempting to help my parents on the veg patch and now have my own patch of land to contend with! Also helping my father with cattle when I was young. Baking,cooking and catering for special diets regularly at home and at work.
-http://thegoodlifeinpractice.parttimecarnivore.org New site here linked to The Good Life In Practice–The Part Time Carnivore Campaign is NOT about eating no meat at all its about reducing our carbon footprint and to seek locally produced, organic or more sustainable meat to eat, please take a gander : )

Desperately Seeking

More people to share their stories.

Email Danni:

Danielle.Perkins@Yahoo.co.uk