Regina - woofer

Regina arrived from the United States a couple of weeks ago.  She is very tall ...


which came in handy for
picking elderflowers high up
on the trees ....




... and being an Ivy League student in the States, she is
no stranger to academic study ... so far she has chosen
to read books on garden design and the harmful
effects of sugar

Ecoconstruction

Yee ha!!  Regina poses by the
concrete mixer as we forgot
to take a shot for the blog while
she was actually working ... that's why
she's not wearing security boots and
protective glasses (in case there are
any inspectors reading this ...).  Regina 
is a collegiate rower and is therefore
very strong and has been able to take
charge of mixing materials for the
earth floor in the concrete mixer ...

...

 

 and wheelbarrowing in the mixes ...
 

Regina checks the levels on the
base layer of the earth floor ...
 

Woodwork and Painting




Working on the bookshelf constructed
with recuperated chestnut wood
from the original house ....

 

Mistress of the drill ...



Sanding planks for the bookshelf ...

 

Chiselling the shelves

 



We prepare to mix the natural
yoghurt paint ingredients for the bookshelf

Fitting the shelves

Regina is highly organised and
enjoyed sorting the books into
categories


 

Oh my God, Regina I knew you were organised but
 - I noticed just this morning how you have put
 the books not only in subject order but also height order!!
Vraiment efficace!! Bravo!!

 

In the Garden



Posing by the willow tipi that
we constructed with wood
from the land ... delicious
 homemade and homegrown
strawberry tart in hand

 

Cooking



 Tart making with some homegrown strawberries
and elderflowers
 

 

Visitors from Bath

Yvonne, Shane and Kevin arrived from Bath and have been putting their artistic skills into practice ...

Yvonne attacked the 'dressing up box'
(volunteer clothes) and adorned herself
in preparation for willow tipi making ...
 

After cutting willow and hazel
branches on the land, Yvonne
constructs a tipi for the climbing
beans ...
 



.. and Shane joins in
 



... and is joined by kevin
 

'Grey Cat' is an essential member of the
project - she creates psychological
wellbeing with her presence .... Kevin
dressed in grey for this shot 'Grey cat
and Grey man' .... a small miracle in
fact that Kevin can cuddle a cat at all
given his severe cat allergies ... now
kept at bay with an inhaler.

 

Yvonne paints a salvaged
wooden bobbin wheel with
natural paints made with yoghurt
savon noir, lime ....
 

While the twins relax in the shade ...


More special twin moments ....

Shane offers moral support from
a distance to Kevn as he unloads
the trailer with sand for the earth
floor in the house ......
 

The boys in blue at Saint Hilaire market
 

Great hair!!
 

woofer - Florianne

Florianne arrived a few weeks ago and has turned her hand to ecoconstruction, wildfood cooking, gardening and environmental art ...

Ecoconstruction

Florianne making earth and hay
sausages for a torchis wall

She quickly got the hang of the
concrete mixer ... a mix of
earth and water to make a slip
to mix with straw for a straw/slip
insulating wall.





Putting the straw/slip mixture
behind boarding to make the
insulating wall

 

Strange things happen when you
give a girl a drill ....



Filtering soaked earth to be mixed
with sand to make a finishing
render in the house ...



Wetting the corps d'enduit before
applying the finishng render




Flori helping me to apply the finishing earth
render ...
 

 

In the Kitchen



Florianne is an accomplished and
creative cook ... she is also the
queen of tarts ... oh yes and she
loves Pierre Rhabbi whose book
'La Sobrieté Heureuse' she is
cradling in her arms ....
 

In the Garden



Putting mulch material around
the potatoes (cut nettles and grass
cuttings)
 

 

Taking tape and staples off cardboard
that we collected from a local
furniture store ... to be used to cover
land to make sheet mulch
 



Flori the envirnomental artist ... found objects
turned into a dream catcher
 

 

An installation of found materials
constructed outside her caravan
 

 

Elderflower season (la saison de fleurs de sureau)

Wow - what amazing flowers!! - a truly intoxicating aroma and so many delicious recipes .... we've been having lots of fun making jellies, tarts, drinks ....


There are loads of elder trees and shrubs here at La Mariais
 

Elderflowers

Elderflower Fritters



Make a pancake batter with fizzy water, flour
and eggs - dip the flowers in this ...


 

deep fry in oil ....
 

Place on kitchen paper and enjoy!!

 

Elderflower Tarts

Pate brisée (shortcrust pastry) on which are placed
elderflowers mixed with cream and sugar and then oven
baked - delicious!!

A variation of the above - we added slices of
apple and strawberries from the garden ...

Woofer Florianne takes tart making very
seriously.

Pièce de resistance - one of Florianne's best ....

Anna Rose and Liam appreciating the sugary
elderflower tarts

Anna Rose and the tarts ...

Gelée de Sureau (elderflower jelly)

Really easy to make with a horrendous amount
of sugar and agar agar to thicken it ....

Some nettle recipes (recettes d'ortie)

The tips of nettle plants can be used  until late May (when they start to flower) to make a wide variety of dishes. 

Nettle soup

The tips of the young nettle plants are used ....

Nettles

 

 

Nettle soup with a sprig of parsley

 

Ingredients

4 potatoes
2 onions
garlic
chilli powder (optional)
Two large handfuls of washed nettle tips
Desert spoon of tahini
Splash of soya sauce


Wash the nettles and chop roughly.  Fry the onion in some oil with the spices and garlic, add the diced potatoes, nettles and boiling water.  Cook until potatoes are tender.  Add a desert spoon of tahini and a splash of soya sauce and blend to make a smooth soup.

Vegan nettle tart



Make shortcrust pastry (250g flour, 10cl olive oil, 10cl of water and two pinches of salt)

For the filling:  Soja cream, cooked carrots and potatoes and chopped nettles.  Liquidise and spread onto pastry.  Cook in the oven 30 minutes.

Nettle Tartare

Tartare d’ortie / Nettle Tartar

 Pour environ 30 pousses d’orties/ about 30 nettle shoots

Deux échalotes / Shallots (two or more)

Quelques cornichons / gherkins

Un peu de tomates, à votre convenance / Tomatoes to taste

Un peu d’huile d’olive, un peu de vinaigre/  A little bit of vinegar and olive oïl

Cumin/ Cumin

Ail/ Garlic

Nettoyer les pousses d’orties, les hacher menu, avant de les mettre au mixeur.

Ajouter les autres ingrédients ; mixer.

Laisser au réfrigérateur ; servir froid, accompagné de toasts. Régalez-vous 

(written by Aurelia)

Lentil Stew with Nettles, cleavers and oseille

Cook onions, garlic and spices in oil, then add lentils and boiling water with the chopped nettles, cleavers and oseille.