Pre-Cyclone Orchard Harvest means bottling time!!

The threat of an oncoming Cyclone and fruit trees groaning in the orchard meant only one thing. Stripping the remaining fruit from the orchard! 40 kg of pears later, a few baskets of figs and apples were transformed during the next week. My lobster pot did able duty as preserving pan boiling up syrupy mixtures of  Pears in Red Wine, Pears in Earl Gray Tea, Pears in lite syrup, Pear cheese (like Quince Paste), Pear sauce, Pear and Rosemary jelly, Spicy Pear Chutney. Seemed like I was standing over the stove for nearly two weeks!

I'm using the overflow method a my jars are too tall for my big Pot.

 

Pears in Earl Grey Syrup

4ish pounds of pears
3 cups of sugar
4 cups of water
3 Earl Grey tea bags
1 vanilla bean
1 whole cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves

Bring  syrup to boil over medium high heat. Once the syrup has come to a boil, add the tea bags, split and scraped vanilla bean, cinnamon and cloves. Rest at least 3 hours – or even overnight. (I couldn't wait that long). 

Taste the syrup, once its good and flavoursome, start on the pears. Peel, core and halve the pears. Place in bowl with lemon juice to stop going brown. You can take the stems off, but I like to leave them on to grab the pears out of the jar. 

Sterilise jars by washing in soapy water. Rinse. Place Jars on cake rack in oven dish in 180 degree oven for 10 minutes minimum. Place lids and seals in pot of boiling water for 10 mins. 

Overflow method: Pop pears into syrup and cook until soft and cooked through. Cooking time depends of whether pears are whole,halved or quartered, approx 20-30 mins. Test with fork. Place oven dish with hot jars beside stove. Pack boiling pears into hot jars, pour on boiling syrup, (I use a jug to dip into syrup). Remove air bubbles by sliding knife into jar and pressing gently against fruit repeat around jar. Pour on syrup to overflow and pop on hot lid and rings and tighten. Cool. I am storing all my overflow method preserves in the garage fridge this year. Next year I will have buy a really big pot for water bath method and will store in pantry. 

Water Bath Cooking : Cold pack the pears in jars – feel free to add new cloves and cinnamon to each jar if you like. Re-boil the syrup, and pour over your jars. This is a recipe that does require bubbling, though not as much as a fruit butter. Top with hot, wet lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yield approximately 3 quarts.

Sweating for the Paint

Ugly shed is about to get a face lift. How its survived all the demolition around here is a wonder. Ugly shed was the first thing we'd tagged for demo but its stay of execution evolved as its usefulness for dry storage became evident, aided also by its desirability to others more far seeing.

Pip cleared it out last weekend so along with all the buys from the office, his garage is now bristling with desks, chairs, shelving units and assorted sports stuff. Armed with a 10L pail of bright white paint, first I sealed and then rolled an exhausting six coats of white paint on the fake wood paneling. Slaving away on the two hottest days of the summer to transform every surface into a clean slate. Sadly a about a litre of paint found its way into my hair, soles of my shoes and seat of my pants!

Pip, arriving home, stopped dead in his tracks as I emerged from my 'Ugly Shed' saying, "If anyone who knows you saw you in that get up they'd disown you!" Really?, I thought, Doesn't everyone wrap a tee shirt round their head and wear a bikini while painting!

Anyhoo by midday Saturday we had moved all the furniture in, I'd unpacked my library unseen for 10 years and could proudly say I had my own space at last. Be it ever so humble there's no place like home!

First Christmas at Coal Mine Cottage

After a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with Pips family here the night before we hosted our first Christmas Day celebration at Coal Mine Cottage. Our quest for a 'Kiwi Country Christmas' involved me getting creative with rusty solutions and black board paint turning baubles into rustic decorations for my lichen twig tree! And hoping the weather would be kind!

Intending Christmas day to be balmy and warm was a dream destined not to come true this year, so after consulting the 10 day forecast we switched our alfresco dinner into an indoor affair turning the house upside down and reorganising furniture to cope with 20 bottoms on 20 chairs! Phew...done with no ring-in's needed. I always knew that second dining table would come in handy!

The day dawned showery but hopeful for breaks in the weather everyone arrived bearing food, gifts and golf clubs. A champagne infused game of paddock golf had all the young ones pitting their skills against the tight and testing holes, named balls where lofted into the tussocks, ponds and creek, while others found their way cunningly onto greens. A lot of fun was had by all.

Gifts were followed by gorgeous food provided by all the family, even the young ones contributed which made it all the more fun.

Five crazy gorgeous energetic dogs added to the melee and general good vibe.

Merry Christmas 2013 from Coal Mine Cottage.

Stormy Beach Birthday with Girlfriends

The scary thing about birthdays is that they come round even faster once you're 50 something!

My speed-birthday is early December so thought a girls day out at the beach would be fun so Susie and I drove down the Coromandel coast to Vicky's Whangapoua bach. As luck would have it a big storm was threatening to rain on my parade! My visions of sundown bubbles and oysters on the beach fizzled as the rain started and didn't stop all weekend! Chrissy arrived much later from Tauranga in the pitch dark and bucketing rain, via the most torturous gravel road on the 'Mandel. For a girl who'd just driven for three hours in testing conditions she emerged undeterred clutching a gorgeous orchid and wearing a big smile.

We spent the next couple of days hunkered down in front of a blazing fire, catching up on each others lives, eating Vicky's gorgeous food.

Gastronomic highlight's were her homemade stuffed ravioli with sizzled sage in butter sauce at the 'pretty in pink dinner' and  for afters...her mum's sultana cake with brandy butter icing (a nostalgic fave for me as my Dad used to make it too!) Annabelle Langbein's luscious mussel and courgette fritters were a hit at lunch.

For entertainment our fit and fabulous hostess introduced us to Gillian Micheal's fat busting 'Shred' workout but that was about as strenuous as it got.

Secure in our haven on the hill we storm-watched waves lashing the headland and the stream bursting its banks flooding paddocks and the only road out! Susie, leaving later the next day, forded 500 metres of floodwater, her bow-wake washing well up to her headlights, pretty scary for most but this country-savvy city gal fords rural streams in her Volvo any day of the week!

A couple of days at Te Punga Lodge, left us refreshed and reinvigorated, the weathers enforced rest did everyone good.

Mussel and Zucchini Fritters adapted from Annabelle Langbeins 'a free range life' 
(great book to have in any kitchen)

Steam as many mussels as you have until just opened. Pull meat out and chop into quarters in a bowl.
Grate in a couple of big zucchini's. Toss in a cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, couple of eggs, 1 tsp curry powder, salt and pepper. Add enough water or milk to make sturdy batter.
Fry batches in hot oil. Delish!

Mussel and Corn fritters with Riata and Sumac. 
I do a middle eastern adaptation, swapping out the mussel for fresh sweetcorn kernels cut raw from the cob. 
I add a good splodge of ground cumin, sometimes finely chopped fresh chili and serve with cucumber, garlic and yogurt raita topped with liberal dousing of sumac. Simply Irresistible!!

Whirlwind tour of New Zealand with the Hartshorn family Jan 2013

It was crazy but we decided we'd swoop Mac and Jennifer Hartshorn and their two girls, Madelaine and Cameron up from their flight in from Sydney and zoom them straight into camp mode two hours north at Pip's family beach property.

I know they thought it was insane, our travelers were tired after Christmas in Aus and New Year celebrations the day before, but the looks on their faces when they saw the beach campsite was worth the pain.

We took 5 days to chill out at the beach, sadly the weather did not play ball. A chill wind blew from the south and I doled out winter merino layers and scarves to our North Americans who were expecting balmier climes.

Fresh oysters, picked by yours truly and shucked by Pip and the girls washed down by champers and other good things made up for any discomfit. So did waking up just feet from the seashore, even the seabirds keeping up their chorus day and night didn't phase our guests.

Our adventures south began with a quick overnight at our Stratus apartment and a night time recce of the Wyndham quarter and Viaduct. Next morning saw us board the first flight to Queenstown and after another whirl around that village we boarded the Earnslaw for the trip down to Walter Peak Station. I'd been there nearly forty years ago and was kind of disappointed that it was no longer a station but a show farm for tourists. That said it's still beautiful, nestled under the towering peaks and the sheep are still sheep needed all the same care. We lunched there, saw the farm show and headed back to QT on the ancient steamship.

Next stop, Te Anau, to overnight before heading down to Milford where we were to have a night out on the sound in a sailing ship. Before that we enjoyed the charming garden at our accommodation, ate fantastic food in Te Anau that night and hopped on board the morning cruise across the mirror calm lake to the Glow worm caves. It was hard not to marvel at the fresh snow on the peaks, shining clearly in the morning sunshine.

Grabbing sandwiches from the local shop Pip steered our 7 seater down the road to Milford Sound.

We were stunned by the beauty of the beech trees lining the road, the Mirror lakes and vistas of pristine Jurassic Park worthy valleys which honestly looked like you might just see a veggie dinosaur browsing the treetops! After a few photo stops, we were trundling along when all four girls in the car yelled spontaneously in unison "Stop the car". Oh my God. All my dreams came true. There before us was an entire valley floor carpeted with pink, blue and white lupins at the height of their season. Literally breathtaking, the colour, the enormity of the carpet of flowers was mind-blowing. Even the men were impressed. Truly one of the wonders of the world. Butterflies fluttered, bees buzzed. Birds sang. Our camera's clicked a crazed staccato to capture the beauty.

Reluctantly, our four o'clock schedule in mind, we wended our way onward to the Homer tunnel, admiring the changing scenery as the treeline fell away and the peaks became towering grey cathedrals where waterfalls fell like fluttering ribbons down into great schist slides.

Did I mention that the date was January the 11th! Summer forsooth! Not that you'd notice the way we were bundled up in feather-down vests and warm jeans. Anyhoo I left the gang in the Milford Sound car-park and hightailed it into the visitor centre to check in, only to find out overnight cruise had been cancelled!!! Due to a huge snow storm heading into the area from the Tasman Sea overnight. Disaster! We'd all paid through the nose for the opportunity, flown south for this very excursion! Our options now were take a two hour cruise for free and have our overnight tickets refunded or take our chances on the boat and stay put in Milford for a few days until the road was cleared of slips and re-opened!

In the end it was a no-brainer. A short time later we were aboard our second cruise of the day, third in two days!! and loving the views of majestic waterfalls and Mitre Peak. Seals and seabirds entertained us, as did the chatty captain who filled us in on the history. We did a uey in the Tasman Sea and cruised back in the lee of the southern shore. Jen and I drank champagne as we passed Mitre Peak on the return as the kids and men got damp from the spray of yet another wonderful waterfall.

Driving back through the Homer tunnel, the barrier closing behind us, we marveled that such a ferocious storm could threaten when the day was sparkling blue and sunny.

Quick work by our hosts from the night before had us settling into a mid-century A frame crib, complete with knitted loo paper covers, macrame plant holders and candlewick bedspreads. The place was a classic. Every cliche from the 60's and 70's was on show. The owners, aged and fabulous, pointed us in the direction of a very good pub in Te Anau for a bang up tea!And another for an even better bang up brekkie.

Next day we woke to snow right down below the treeline on the surrounding hills. Then the rain set in and we set out for the backtrack to QT. So heavy was the downpour that we cancelled our trip on the Kingston Flyer and went straight on to Coal Pit vineyard and a wine tasting welcome from Rosie Dunphy, the owner and my dear friend.
Conviviality reigned that night, well oiled with delicious Coal Pit Pinot Noir and great food served family style at Rosies huge table in front of a roaring log fire. Accommodation was charmingly rustic in the century old stone cottage in the garden, dished up with gorgeous linens and fur throws to keep us cosy.

Unseasonal frosts earlier in spring had destroyed the prospect of a good harvest for 2013 at Coal Pit, and unseasonal rains now ruined our adventurous plans to jet boat the Shotover and bungy jump off the bridge over the Kawarau River. Both rivers in flood and metres above their banks. Instead we jumped on a gondola up Skyline where Mac did the much bigger bungy, later we 'rodelbahned' the luge racing the kids to the bottom. Views of Lake Whakatipu were magnificent from the Peak. 

The Hartshorn family discovered the amazing pie shop in Arrowtown and revisited a few times for the Butter chicken specialty pie. The men managed to get lost in the Arrowtown pub, teaching the kids to play pool, the grown ups sampling Mac's ale while we did a quick tour of the shops.

Another day the boys took the kids to the world famous Cow for pizza lunch while Jen and I turned up the dial and dined at Rata, Josh Emmet's place in QT. We took a small plate culinary tour of New Zealand's finest produce matched with scrumptious local wine pairings. Needless to say we were both in LaLaLand. Heaven.

Afterwards we schmoozed our way into a tour of glam boutique Hotel Eichardts and window-shopped Seletti by the wharf.

After a couple of gorgeous nights at the vineyard we retraced our flightpath and had another night in Auckland at Stratus just hanging out enjoying being together.

Much to my guests horror, I had them boarding another boat next day, this time just the girls accompanied me on the Coromandel Ferry. We were bound for Whangapoua where my son Nick was to join us along with our hostess Vicky's daughters. The boys and dog took the car by windy coastal road.

The weather finally cleared and we had a matchless day at New Chums beach, Jen, Pip, Mac and Vicky, took the fast route on jet ski's while the rest of us walked the rocks and bush path. New Chums is probably the most beautiful unspoilt beach in the whole of New Zealand. White sand, crystal clear water, palms swaying. No access except by foot or sea. The perfect hideaway. At last my friends tasted a day's worth of summer weather in enzed! That evening we ate foraged mussels and paua (black abalone) under the stars.

Madelaine and Cameron harvested fruits and veggies from Vicky's extensive garden, plaited flax leaves and collected shells on the beach. They loved the big house and Cameron pronounced on leaving 'that she was going to have a house like that one day'. Way to go Girl.

All too soon two weeks was up and we were saying farewell, all exhausted and ready for a holiday!!, but all headed back to work albeit in different hemisphere's.

Vowing to do it again in 2016! I do hope so.