Smallholderific
@smallholderific.bsky.social
Our cottage smallholding. Fruit and veg, orchard, Light Sussex & hybrid chickens, Buff Orpington ducks, beekeeping, cats, foraging, home brewing, country wine, cider and juice making, preserving & cooking. Plan: + geese/pigs.
Finished "Operation Duck Gate" this morning. Relieved it all fits, as once metal posts are postcreted in, they're not leaving in a hurry! Gates fit the space, meet in the middle, and have enough clearance to open but too little for a duck to squeeze through. Celebratory coffee and mince pie now.
November 25, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Finished "Operation Duck Gate" this morning. Relieved it all fits, as once metal posts are postcreted in, they're not leaving in a hurry! Gates fit the space, meet in the middle, and have enough clearance to open but too little for a duck to squeeze through. Celebratory coffee and mince pie now.
Kali has decided that the best thing to do with dying asparagus shoots is to use them as some kind of bouncy jumping toy, in combination with the polytunnel door. I fear neither may survive this day...
November 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Kali has decided that the best thing to do with dying asparagus shoots is to use them as some kind of bouncy jumping toy, in combination with the polytunnel door. I fear neither may survive this day...
Coconut bakewell tart. Perfect for the smallholder with an excessive amount of jam to get through!
November 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Coconut bakewell tart. Perfect for the smallholder with an excessive amount of jam to get through!
The remaining Aji Limon, which had been fermenting away, have now been processed (cough, cough, watering eyes etc) into a golden, seriously hot, sauce. Thankfully I had plenty of spare honey to balance out the heat, and cider vinegar to dilute to a more manageable spec! Tastes 👌
November 13, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The remaining Aji Limon, which had been fermenting away, have now been processed (cough, cough, watering eyes etc) into a golden, seriously hot, sauce. Thankfully I had plenty of spare honey to balance out the heat, and cider vinegar to dilute to a more manageable spec! Tastes 👌
Inside ripening of the Aji Limon worked exceptionally well. 2 fermenting jars stuffed full of yellow ones in brine already blopping away, and another overflowing bowlful are ripe today. There will be a very healthy supply of summery yellow chilli sauce over the coming year.
November 7, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Inside ripening of the Aji Limon worked exceptionally well. 2 fermenting jars stuffed full of yellow ones in brine already blopping away, and another overflowing bowlful are ripe today. There will be a very healthy supply of summery yellow chilli sauce over the coming year.
One of the skills I've picked up over the past few years is building self-supporting woodpiles on pallets. Gives it a chance to dry out for future firewood. As with all things smallholder, there are plenty of people who can do it better, but we're going for general competence here, not expertise!
November 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
One of the skills I've picked up over the past few years is building self-supporting woodpiles on pallets. Gives it a chance to dry out for future firewood. As with all things smallholder, there are plenty of people who can do it better, but we're going for general competence here, not expertise!
Things have moved on with the ajis. Chilli sauce to start tomorrow.
October 30, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Things have moved on with the ajis. Chilli sauce to start tomorrow.
Halfway through, and a little judicious squidging later, things are looking and smelling promising.
October 30, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Halfway through, and a little judicious squidging later, things are looking and smelling promising.
Go well, little sausage of grain. See you in an hour.
October 30, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Go well, little sausage of grain. See you in an hour.
Yeah, reckon that's at least arguably orange. Will look less like marmalade and more like wine once it's settled out and been racked again (and possibly filtered to remove any stray plum bits). But that's a job for a winter's day at some point in '26.
October 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Yeah, reckon that's at least arguably orange. Will look less like marmalade and more like wine once it's settled out and been racked again (and possibly filtered to remove any stray plum bits). But that's a job for a winter's day at some point in '26.
Slightly wonky "cruz espada", due to template having been quickly cut out of some bits of scrap paper, but good enough for home baking!
October 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Slightly wonky "cruz espada", due to template having been quickly cut out of some bits of scrap paper, but good enough for home baking!
Slightly wonky "cruz espada", but good enough for home-baking!
October 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Slightly wonky "cruz espada", but good enough for home-baking!
And finally for this morning/lunchtime, an excessively deep Torta de Santiago (5 eggs), waiting for its dusting of icing sugar and a jar of dinky turmeric spiced pickled eggs (our new pullets, while laying well, are still laying small!)
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
October 29, 2025 at 1:41 PM
And finally for this morning/lunchtime, an excessively deep Torta de Santiago (5 eggs), waiting for its dusting of icing sugar and a jar of dinky turmeric spiced pickled eggs (our new pullets, while laying well, are still laying small!)
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
That will do nicely.
October 29, 2025 at 1:14 PM
That will do nicely.
Next up on today's culinary adventures: leek and bacon quiche. Quiche is one of my go-to recipes for egg surpluses, and A Good Thing to have in the fridge.
October 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Next up on today's culinary adventures: leek and bacon quiche. Quiche is one of my go-to recipes for egg surpluses, and A Good Thing to have in the fridge.
Leftover white bread, butter, sultanas, cinnamon, dried apples (ours), soaking up some vanilla custard made with eggs from a few metres away. Sugar and nutmeg on top ready for the oven later on.
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
October 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Leftover white bread, butter, sultanas, cinnamon, dried apples (ours), soaking up some vanilla custard made with eggs from a few metres away. Sugar and nutmeg on top ready for the oven later on.
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
... potentially 20 bottles of cider at 9.2% abv, that is. 🤣🫨
Hopefully it stalls a little short of that and ends up medium-dry (it inevitably won't).
Hopefully it stalls a little short of that and ends up medium-dry (it inevitably won't).
October 25, 2025 at 1:24 PM
... potentially 20 bottles of cider at 9.2% abv, that is. 🤣🫨
Hopefully it stalls a little short of that and ends up medium-dry (it inevitably won't).
Hopefully it stalls a little short of that and ends up medium-dry (it inevitably won't).
Last of 2025's apples. Brownlees Russet, all scratted up. Trying something new this year: letting it have a little sit with some pectolase before pressing. Hopeful that will maximise the juice extraction. This will be a SV cider, all being well.
October 25, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Last of 2025's apples. Brownlees Russet, all scratted up. Trying something new this year: letting it have a little sit with some pectolase before pressing. Hopeful that will maximise the juice extraction. This will be a SV cider, all being well.
Batch 1 cooling down, batch 2 heating up in the pasteuriser.
October 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Batch 1 cooling down, batch 2 heating up in the pasteuriser.
14 litres of Bramley apples, peeled, chopped and ready for bottling. Few of them would have stored whole due to bruising or the tender ministrations of the codling moth, so a few hours work means we have plenty of delicious fruit ready-prepared to be popped open at will during the dark months.
October 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM
14 litres of Bramley apples, peeled, chopped and ready for bottling. Few of them would have stored whole due to bruising or the tender ministrations of the codling moth, so a few hours work means we have plenty of delicious fruit ready-prepared to be popped open at will during the dark months.
Kicking off the 2026 growing season with Germidour garlic and some elephant garlic cloves.
October 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Kicking off the 2026 growing season with Germidour garlic and some elephant garlic cloves.
Also, a couple of tons of the good stuff have just arrived for the veg beds.
October 20, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Also, a couple of tons of the good stuff have just arrived for the veg beds.
Smallholding and allotmenting does not deal in sensible amounts. Today's problem is 3 square foot of Aji Limon chillies now spread out inside to maximise light and hopefully ripen. Internet is divided on whether ethylene helps, so hedging bets by chucking a couple of Bramleys on too.
October 17, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Smallholding and allotmenting does not deal in sensible amounts. Today's problem is 3 square foot of Aji Limon chillies now spread out inside to maximise light and hopefully ripen. Internet is divided on whether ethylene helps, so hedging bets by chucking a couple of Bramleys on too.
Not been a bumper crop of squash this year, but 6 plants managed 7 fruit despite being planted late, in a drought, and given the amount of food in even a medium-sized squash, that will keep us going for a bit.
October 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Not been a bumper crop of squash this year, but 6 plants managed 7 fruit despite being planted late, in a drought, and given the amount of food in even a medium-sized squash, that will keep us going for a bit.