Mosiac Monday Little Red House - Saint Lucia

This post Little Red House - Saint Lucia was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

This is from yesterdays walk through the little village Åkerby. What a wonderful winter day, the sun was shining and the snow was glittering and it was just a perfect Sunday afternoon. All the little red houses brightened up the otherwise fairly black and white landscape. This is where I have my little red cottage, my "summerhouse", Åkerby is a very old village, I don't know how old but I know that the Russians burnt most of it down in 1917 during the so called "rysshärjningarna" Russian ravages. The clocktower in Åkerby is from 1739 and my little red house is from 1901.

Today we celebrate The Day of Saint Lucia   (Saint Lucy's Day wikipedia) a lovely day in Advent. A day with filled with glorious music, lots of candlelights, saffron bread and of course Lucia.

Mosaic Monday - Little Red House

Saffron Bread for Advent

This post Saffron bread for Advent was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius-Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

Saffron bread for Advent

Lussekatter - Saffron buns - Santa Lucia buns
Do have a go and make some wonderful Saffron bread for Advent, they are so delicious.

Read about the History of Saffron

Santa Lucia - Saint Lucy's Day

RECIPE for saffron buns/bread

Saffron Bread for Advent, my "glorious mix" for this weeks Mosaic Monday

Quince - Cydonia oblonga

This post Quince - Cydonia oblonga was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

Quince

Photos by Kenneth, and the illustrated  Cydonia oblonga wikipedia 

Original book source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885.

Quince Marmalade

500 gram of quince-pulp

500 gram of sugar

1 lemon, squeezed

Remove the core of the quinces and cook in boiling water till tender to the fork. Drain and cool. Sift the pulp. Add sugar and lemon. Boil this mixture for 10 minutes, stir well, you don’t want it to burn in the bottom of the saucepan. I use a sugar this pectin added and then I just have to bring it to boil and simmer it for 1 minute.

This Quince marmalade in great together with cheeses like a Pecorino, Mature Cheddar or why not perhaps the greatest of then all the Queso Manchego  (Viejo).

Cotognata

I similar recipe with quince is the Cotognata. Quince paste, Salento style

This typically Sicilian dessert Cotognata  is customary to make it in a small mold, in the shape of a fish or leaf. But you can make it in a pan and then cut it in to pieces and roll/dust them with fine sugar. Let you Cotognata dry in a cool and airy place.

This is what wikipedia says about this sweet.

- Dulce de membrillo or Carne de membrillo in Spanish, marmelada in Portuguese, codonyat in Catalan, Cotognata in Italian, is a sweet spread or a dessert,  (quince paste, quince jelly, quince candy or quince meat).Traditionally and predominantly from Portugal, Italy (exported when the South of Italy was Catalan) and Spain, dulce de membrillo is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made of the quince (Cydonia oblonga) fruit.

Did you know that the word marmalade comes from the Portuguese word marmelada, meaning "quince preparation"


I found this Persian recipe I just have to try later...it has lime and cardamom in it.
MORABAA-YEH BEH 2 kg of small quinces, 1,5 kg sugar, lime and cardamom

Äkta Kvitten - Cydonia oblonga

Bilderna till mitt kollage har "Kenneth på Söder tagit"

Kenneth berättar i Allt om Trädgårds forum att han har äkta kvitten i sin trädgård.

- Jodå, jag har den äkta kvitten Cydonia oblonga, och årets skörd ligger hemma i köket nu.

Läs mer om Kvitten och Kenneth här  i Allt om trädgårds forum Mycket inspirerande, jag vet vad jag skall plantera i vår i min lilla potager. Jag tror att ett litet Kvittenträd skulla trivas bra där. Där är det ju nästan som ett litet mikroklimat, väl skyddat från hårda vindar och soligt är det ju också.

It is Mosaic Monday at The Little Red House

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

This post The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius-Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

I have a dream…

The photo in the center of my fantasy collage is a 16th century engraving by Dutch artist Martin Heemskerck

"Hanging Gardens of Babylon" and all the others are from Kew Garden U.K. 

... and that is to visit the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

I know I can't...but

Since the very first time I heard of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon I have had a desire to go there. I know of course that it is utterly ridiculous and totally impossible but I can always travel in my fantasy.

“The gardens were supposedly built by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his homesick wife, Amytis of Media, who longed for the trees and fragrant plants of her homeland Persia. The gardens were destroyed by several earthquakes after the second century BC” wikipedia

During a visit at Kew Gardens I took some photographs that I’m using for this post's fantasy collage.

This week’s theme in Blooming Friday is Dreams. Go to Katarina’s place Roses and stuff and find out what more dreams are out there.

But first…Don’t be a stranger my friend, write something.

Ps. If you like my work - do add yourself to the followers and readers list!/ TYRA

November's Mood board - Glorious mix

This post November's Mood board - Glorious mix was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius-Lindhe in the blog Tyra's Garden

Now I have saved what can be saved from the kitchen garden. I brought some plants into the greenhouse, some into the garage and some to the verandah. The growing season of 2010 is coming to an end...not yet but soon.

WINTERIZING The Kitchen Garden - November is a good time to give some thought about providing winter protection to all of the tender plants in your kitchen garden. Mulching with whatever you can get your hands on leaves, bark, or straw will help create a cozy blanket of protection over your precious plants and soil.