Nature - The Greatest Artist of All Time.

If Mother Nature didn't inspire art, there would be no inspirational art. 'The Arts', as a term, always invokes visions of landed gentry, stately homes, museums, galleries, theatre and multi-million pound investments, but art is all around us and it is totally FREE! You just need to take a closer look.

Spring is taking its time in arriving here in Frugaldom but we are managing to inch our way along the list of garden jobs whenever the weather permits. As you know, we have already laid in most of the foot path through the garden, so it now extends to the bottom of the micro-orchard. Next, we need to sort out the remains of 'rubble mountain', which H reduced by around 6' in height. This year, it has been levelled enough to sow some potatoes to help break up the soil and prepare it for greater things in the future. Read more here

Nature - The Greatest Artist of All Time.

A Haggis isn't just for Burns Night

HAPPY HAGGIS McGONK

In celebration of Burns Night on 25th January, I prepared a few Haggis MGonks as part of my Frugaldom's 'frugal entrepreneur' project. I have highlighted the fnal lines of this rather famous poem by Robert Burns, where he clearly states that the way to a girl's heart is through a haggis and what better way to put a smile on a loved one's face than to present them with the cutest, most frugal, handmade Haggis they'll probably ever see?

Haggis is a traditionally frugal dish, one that uses up plenty of what others may overlook and all bulked out with oats to form a tasty meal. There's nowt beats it, especially with a heap o' mashed neaps and tatties - seasonal produce that should have come from the garden. Sadly, this year, we have no turnips and don't even have a haggis for Burns night, as I've had no way of getting to a shop that sells them. Even an Aldi haggis would do - must put out the call now to see if anyone can beag me a couple before they all fly off the shelves!

 

Address to a Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect scunner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis

(Limited edition Haggis McGonk is available to buy for £5 plus P&P. If there are any still for sale, they should be listed in the Frugal Shop or in the McGonks auction at http://frugaldom.ebid.net/ )

Frugaldom's Christmas Clootie Dumpling Recipe.

Great Granny Kerr's Traditional Scottish Clootie Dumpling

Our 'secret' frugal recipe, passed down several generations of the family

Get a large stockpot of water on to boil before you start, so the water is ready for the dumpling. Place a plate on the bottom of the pan, so the dumpling can bounce off that, rather than the bottom of the pan.

INGREDIENTS

12oz plain flour

4oz shredded suet
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 large handfuls of raisins (or sultanas or dried fruit)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon all spice or mixed spice
1 teaspoon ginger

Mix all of the above dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then add:

1 large tablespoon of treacle
1 large dessertspoon of syrup
Enough milk to bind the mix together into a soft consistency without it going mushy.

Lay out a damp cloot / cloth and sprinkle plain flour liberally across the middle part, where the mix will be poured. (I use a round cloot/cloth cut from an old cotton tablecover, but a piece of muslin or even a cotton tea towel would do.)

Pour all of the mix into the centre of the cloth.

Gather up the edges and tie them all with string or a piece of cloth, leaving enough room for the mix to expand as it cooks.

At this point, there's also an old tradition of having everyone pat the dumpling before it gets immersed in the boiling water. I suppose we also need to remind folks to wash their hands, first, if this tradition is to be followed.

Gently lower the post-patted dumpling into your pan of boiling water and cover it with the lid.

This now needs to be kept on the boil for about three to three and a half hours, always ensuring that the water level doesn't drop too much.

 

It's also wise to check that you have left enough room for the mix to expand in the cloth. We don't want any episodes of dumpling bursting oot its cloot!

Traditionally, coins or lucky charms would be cooked in the dumpling, as gifts for whoever found them in their serving. This practice has slowly fallen by the wayside for health and safety, food hygiene and dentistry reasons, but some stalwarts still follow tradition! (I'd advise sterilising the coins or charms in boiling water and then wrapping them in greaseproof paper before adding them into the mix to be boiled in the pudding. HSE can be so strict, nowadays! Ho, ho, ho hum!) Best to ask your host or hostess if they're a true traditionalist before biting into a big mouthful of clootie dumpling, especially if they happen to be a wacky, Scot. Oh, and if it does happen to be a Scottish host, make sure they know you're talking about the clootie dumpling and not their kilt, before asking how traditional they are, otherwise it could make for a very embarrassing scenario at the dinner table, especially after a few wee halfs!

Removing the dumpling from the cloth can be a bit hazardous, so use strong tongs to lift it from the boiling water and take great care not to drop it or drip boiling water on yourself. I find it easiest to place the whole thing into the mixing bowl until the cloth is untied - a tricky process that's easier done if you have long nails, rather than burn your fingers. The prongs of a fork work quite well, too.

Turn the dumpling out onto a large plate - at this stage it will look very pale and pasty or, as we say here, 'peely wally'.

Sprinkle the dumpling with sugar and place into a hot oven for approximately 15 minutes, keep checking it doesn't burn. Traditionally, the dumpling would be sat on the hearth by the open fire.

 

During its time in the oven, your dumpling should develop a lovely, brown, leathery-looking skin. At this point, it is ready for eating hot, served with cream, custard or milk. You can decorate it with a small sprig of holly and a dusting of icing sugar, if you really want it to look 'posh'.

If it's not needed at this time, allow your dumpling to cool, wrap it in tinfoil and keep it until it is needed.

Dumpling freezes well, whole or sliced.

Once thawed, dumpling can be reheated in the microwave, oven, grill or steamer.

If reheating dumpling in the oven, wrap it in tinfoil to prevent it from drying out, you can uncover it for the final few minutes.

If grilling, it's probably best to slice the dumpling first.

If reheating in the microwave, plate up the servings and cover them with an upturned bowl or microwave safe cling film.

 

Dumpling can be reheated in a steamer or by steaming over a pan of boiling water

Dumpling is very versatile.

 

It's a fruit pudding that can be eaten hot with a topping of your choice, or it is a fruit cake that can be sliced and served cold, in similar fashion to fruit loaf. But better still, it can be sliced and pan fried as part of a traditional breakfast fry-up.

Have you had your dumpling this year?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Doon of May - a fantastic project in the making.

Just recently, we've been spending some time at the Doon of May. It consists of 175 acres of mixed forest and woodlands surrounded by a traditional, dry stone dyke. One side is bordered by Mochrum Loch, but it's what's within the Doon of May that fascinates me: there's an iron age hill fort!



Last weekend, whilst the sun was shining and the day was warm, we headed across there and followed the track to the old fort. Telltale signs still remain from this year's beltane event, which included dancing around a traditional maypole. The hill fort is completely overgrown but the autumn weather is quickly resulting in the bracken to dying back. Wellies on (you never know what snakes may be hiding amongst the undergrowth of Galloway), cameras in hand, we set off to climb the fort and see what views it had to offer from the top. It was well worth it!

  



Doon of May is located between Kirkcowan and Port William. Travelling from Newton Stewart direction means a fairly lengthy 15 mile drive, much of it along single track through Mochrum Estate. You can tell by the cattle grids what to expect, as sheep and cattle graze the surrounding countryside, wandering wherever they like. This includes the road, so please drive slowly and carefully and don't risk getting out of the car with your camera if you're between a cow and her calf.



Likewise, don't wander around with your dogs, as the livestock see them as predators if they get too close. All that aside, it's a lovely drive. I can only imagine how great it would be on horseback if we were guaranteed there were no tactical low flying exercises incorporating fast military jets and helicopters.

  

The old hill fort is about 20 minutes walk from the main gates. With luck, there will be someone about to point you in the right direction. If not, be careful not to get lost. for the benefit of those who may not get the chance to visit this place, the view from the top is quite spectacular. You can easily pick out the Mull of Galloway with its lighthouse and, on a clear day, you can see across to Ireland. I'm told that being up there after dark gives you the orange glow of the streetlamps that light up Belfast.



The Doon of May is privately owned but set up to operate as a base for workers' co-operatives interested in reforestation, food production, wildlife preservation and an exciting array of woodland crafts. I plan on learning a great deal more about Iron Age settlements and the lifestyles back then but also have a keen interest in cultivating willow for sculpting, basket-weaving and, ultimately, as a carbon neutral fuel. Add to this the fact that we enjoy growing fruit, I can see great potential for becoming much more involved in this project in the longterm. Forest art is something else that interests us, and there's already some of that to be found within the forest.

These are just a few of the photos I took last weekend. More will follow if the weather holds for this weekend, when we'll take a look at how we can get some sort of working co-operative together and get path clearing, planting, cultivating, hedging, ditching, dyking and crafting. We need to seek the best possible way to help take the project forward. I'm confident that a few fellow members of GallowayLETS will be interested, especially as it's more about skills sharing and investment of time rather than hard cash. Cree trading to get jobs done sounds alright to me. The best methods of funding future projects can be dealt with at a later date.

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