Limes grown in a country garden

“Lime in wine” certainly goes well, and a slice of lime adds a little something bobbing around in pale ale. 

I grew my several lime bushes from cuttings taken from a grafted Tahitian Lime. I started some off with rooting hormone, and some without, and found that cuttings dipped in hormone had much stronger root balls when potted out. In the ground, five years on, the bushes all produce fruit but the ‘non-hormone’ plants tend to suffer dieback during hot dry spells. All the bushes, though, are a great success with little creatures.

 
Butterfly larvae feed on the leaves. Down among the thorns, spiders spin, safe from birds. Fortunately, no wildlife - not even a fence-jumping cow called Twinkle Toes - eats the maturing fruit.

St Andrew's Cross spider

 Lunch coming soon...

Let's go on a picnic

It’s a very hot week down here in The Valley. Perfect for a picnic. Would you and the froglets like to come to the big pond for lunch in the country? I’ll pack finger-food chicken and a salad (with fresh BEETROOT, of course), and you might like to try out the very easy FRYPAN FLAN recipe I sent previously. Maybe one of the froglets could make it. (Should one refer to pre-teens as ‘froglets’?) Country Frog.

Country Frog's FRYPAN FRUIT FLAN (made on the stovetop)
This simple low-fat dessert was trialled and tested by fire. I wanted a flan or tart that could be made over an open fire or on a barbecue plate, something to finish off a camp-fire lunch in the bush, and made from ingredients that could be carried in a pack without the need for ice. 

Serves 6, for morning tea or dessert.
Very easy.
Time: 10 minutes to prepare; 10 minutes to cook.

For the Base or Batter: You could use your favourite batter recipe - one you mix up for good fat pancakes - and you’ll need about 2 cups of mixture. Mix the batter first, and let it stand in the bowl while you prepare the fruit.
Utensils: Heavy-based frying pan (not a skillet), small sharp knife, mixing bowl, wooden spoon. 

Ingredients: Easy Batter
1¼ cups (280ml) cold skim milk
1egg
¼ cup white sugar
pinch of salt
¾ - 1 cup self-raising flour (or plain white flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder added)

Fruit topping
2 large fresh peaches, skin on (or pears, or 3 - 4 nectarines) 1 mango (or ½ cup red berries, or crushed walnuts)
2 teaspoons honey, or 2 tablespoons maple syrup
smear of oil for the pan