A Clothes Horse

I'm thinking of coining a new phrase and making a little hashtag out of it; a book nymph. The phrase aptly describes one of my favorite pastimes while combining a few of my favorite terms. A book nymph is one who enjoys reading in spots of nature. Like the mythological nymphs of yore who inhabit rivers, woods, and the sea--these less mythological sisters bring their books with them into the outdoors to read for a moment in nature. If you find yourself enjoying a novel in the woods or quiet orchard, you might also be a book nymph! Truthfully I'm more of a book-windowseat sort of plebeian most days, but I do often have a book in bag whenever I head out and every so often I find myself in a quiet patch of grass or apples and a chance to read. When I was younger I much preferred paperback books to hardcovers--and I have not always been very protective of my books either; I pencil scribble in the margins, underline, and gasp! fold down the corners of pages--but lately I really like hardcovers and have been keeping my copies fairly pristine. The weight of hardcovers used to really annoy me, but I suppose I've gotten so used to carry a heavy camera (and occasionally the tripod as well!) around that now one hardcover book doesn't feel like anything at all. I can't promise to keep from the scribbles or dog ear-ing habit (but they are my personal books, not library copies!), but I have got myself a few bookmarks that might help at least partially cure me of the habit...I just tend to want to make note of more than just where I was reading. I like to mark pages that had a pretty turn of phrase I want to go back to a few times! If I was using a bookmark at every page that I wanted to be able to find in a flash I'd need more than a dozen and they'd be constantly falling about! Perhaps I should return to another old habit, which was a book journal where I scribbled down favorite lines and passages so then loads of my favorite authors and words were all collected and rubbing elbows in one very crowded journal! What are some of your good and bad book reading habits?

The Other Sparrows beret, Chicwish cardigan, old dress, brogues, Cambridge Satchel Co. backpack

Thomas's mother is a wealth of knowledge and expertise; her wisdom is not limited to the kitchen and recipes, but it's an area she really excels in. Her delicious roasts and sweet apple tarts are a delight we get to enjoy on a near weekly basis. Even more impressive, she cooks and bakes everything on a traditional Aga. Agas are cast iron stove tops and ovens with a continuously burning source, making them constantly hot; instead of turning on your oven or stove top and waiting for it to heat up, you merely open the door or lift the lid and it's already hot. This also means instead of adjusting the temperature of your stove for various recipes, you focus on your cooking times and adjust recipes to work with the Aga's set temperatures. I've been meaning to feature a few of her recipes on the blog for awhile, but then even after we captured this recipe I took ages to edit the pictures! So, much after the fact, here is Anne Glass's classic clove and crab apple jelly recipe.

Wash the apples and cut them up without peeling or coring--just remove any bruised parts. Tie a small cheesecloth bag to the rim of the pot with 10-15 grams of cloves depending on how strong you want the flavor. Barely cover with water (about 2-3 cups) and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

After the apples have simmered for about an hour or two they should be turning soft and pulpy, mash any last hard bits.

Place the apple mixture in a jelly bag and strain overnight into a bowl. Let the juice drip naturally; if you squeeze it the juice will become cloudy. (This is the step I saw on one of my first visits to Ireland and was fascinated with the sight of the jelly bag tied to the back of a chair, hanging out on top of the table!)

Return the strained juice to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar; usually 1lb of sugar to every pint of juice. Crab apples have a lot of natural pectin so you don't need fancy jelly sugars or to add anything else; basic granulated sugar should do the trick. Stir to dissolve and boil briskly till setting point is reached. Test for a setting point by placing a drop of the jelly onto a cold plate; if it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is ready.

While everything is cooking down, maybe take a little harp break by the Aga...

Sterilize jars by washing them in hot soapy water, then rinsing well and putting them into an oven to dry completely for 20 minutes (if you're using a traditional oven and can adjust heat, then heat to 225F). Keep the jars warm in the oven until you are ready to fill them with the jelly.