I have been holding off writing an In My Kitchen post until I had some new things to show you but, with two kitchens full, I am not buying many new things. That is why it has been a while since my last In My Kitchen post . My kitchens have all the gadgets and toys they could possibly want, although …
Every now and again, something very special, like this gorgeous jug, catches my eye and I can’t resist .
In my kitchen:
Is Maus’ new jug. Our neighbour, in Perth, asked me to go to a local shop I took her to when she visited Bridgetown, to buy some mugs she saw on that visit. Whilst I was there, I spotted this jug. It is Burleigh English creamware. The design is Rosie’s Hens by Michael Coulter. I love this jug. I could have bought it for myself but Maus likes this shape, and this size jug, so I thought it would be nicer if I bought it for her. Thus, it is Maus’ jug IMK, not mine.
According to Burleigh’s web site, they have been producing Burleighware at the Middleport Pottery since 1889. All the pottery is made by hand.
BTW: All is not lost on the ‘new things’ front. We are thinking of buying a flat as a Perth base and the flat we have our eyes on needs a new kitchen. I am sure there will be things that the new kitchen will need.
In my kitchen:
Is this fabulous new cookbook, a gift from EllaDee. When EllaDee visited, she came laden with gifts including this cookbook. She found it in an Op Shop in Karratha (which is in the North West (the Pilbara) of Western Australia). The amazing thing is the book is from Bridgetown! My town! EllaDee kindly brought it home. I still can’t believe she found a book from Bridgetown in Karratha. It is a fundraising book where locals contribute their favourite (in this case, sweet) recipes. There are plenty of good recipes in it to try. Maus had great fun recognising the names of the contributors.
In my kitchen:
Are one and a half kilos of cumquats. They are in the process of becoming glacéd cumquats. It is a long process but it doesn’t take much time each day. Glacéd cumquats taste magnificent coated in dark chocolate which is what I am going to do with this lot. I haven’t tempered chocolate for a while. Tempering chocolate means eating chocolate (Where has that sad face gone?). To my mind, citrus and dark chocolate are a marriage made in heaven so I will definitely be eating these – fat bum or no fat bum.
In my kitchen:
Are avocados. With two trees, we will be set for avocados for a while. It is so good that they can remain unripe on the tree for ages. They only ripen after they have been picked. We pick two a week and wait for them to ripen. There are three in our bowl at the moment because Maus was brushcutting around the trees and knocked one off. (Maus just told me there are, actually, two in the bowl. She gave one away last night. 🙂
It is so good to cut into a perfect avocado. It is a lucky dip with the ones you buy in the shops. Regularly, they are all bruised and discoloured.
In my kitchen, rather, hanging up under the house:
Are three bundles of garlic.
It has been raining pretty well non-stop here – Spring has not yet sprung – and the soil is waterlogged. I was beginning to worry about the garlic. It should be drying out now. All the skins were wet and they looked pretty sad so I decided to pick it and hope it dries out. I will watch it carefully and if it doesn’t, I think I will have to freeze the lot. I don’t want it going mouldy.
BTW, for the record, I am not complaining about the weather. It will be hot soon enough. At least, whilst it is still raining, we are not using our precious water on the garden. But I was getting a bit impatient to plant my summer vegetable seeds so, today, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer and put them in. If it is too cold and they don’t sprout, I will just have to buy seedlings when it warms up.
In my kitchen:
Is a fennel bulb. At last, some of the winter vegies are ready. The vegie patch has been very slow this winter because it has been so cold. My broccoli are only now starting to develop. Soon we will be inundated with broccoli, but not yet. I picked this fennel bulb today. I haven’t decided what I am going to make with it. I should make something new so I can do a post.
In my kitchen:
Is asparagus. It is, at last, beginning to shoot. We have had three meals so far but, as with everything else, it is a bit slow this year. I am sure we will be overwhelmed with it when the sun comes out.
In my kitchen:
Are snow peas. Again, we haven’t had a great deal this year. Every time they begin to look healthy, we have another storm that knocks them around. The plants have all fallen off their support so it is really hard to find the peas, but they are there. I bet when I pull them up, there will be piles underneath that I missed. The bashed-about plants are the down side of a wild and woolly winter.
In my kitchen:
Is a beetroot. It has been in my garden all winter. I didn’t plant it so I’m not sure how it got there. I have dug around it a few times to see whether it was getting big. It wasn’t so I let it alone but, today, when I was playing in the vegie patch, I decided to pull it. It is still not very big. Oh, well, we will eat it and the greens, so all is not lost.
In my kitchen:
Is a spiral vegetable cutter and peeler. It was in the bag of goodies EllaDee gave me. I can confirm that it does work. It produces spirals of carrot, although I am not sure why I would want a spiral of carrot. Much more exciting is the fact when you are making the spirals, you can only push the carrot to the top of the cutter. You are left with a very cute, perfectly shaped, two inch long mini carrot which would look very fancy on a dinner plate.
In my kitchen:
Is this bag of tea – another item in that bag of goodies from EllaDee. We haven’t tried it but EllaDee advised me that it is the tea she uses, so it must be good. I look forward to trying it. Thanks, again, for all the wonderful gifts, EllaDee.
In my kitchen:
Is (was) a box of mudpuppies (choc chip cookies) that Maus’ sister, Pauline, brought back from the States. We knocked them off quick smart. Jolly good they were, too. Thanks, Paul.
If you would like to see what is happening in other bloggers’ kitchens this month, visit Liz at Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things. Liz now hosts In My Kitchen each month.
Passion Fruit Garden 
More spiralisers this month. Funny:). Love all your wonderful produce. Very envious! And that jug is just adorable. I do love jugs and have many.
Hi Sherry I love jugs too.
Glenda, your profusion of garden goodies (storms notwithstanding) is amazing. SUCH beautiful produce — all put to good cooking, no doubt! I never knew that avocados don’t ripen until they’re picked. I’m sure our local grocer thinks I’m a “crazy lady” as I dwell upon (i.e. examine, squeeze, and “feel’) each and every one before I put “the” one in my basket, lol. Loved hearing the history behind your gorgeous hand-crafted pitcher (craftsmanship!) and also the glut of gifts you got from EllaDee. Gotta love IMK friends! 🙂 xo
Hi Kim, yep it is true re the avocadoes. Early in the season you pick one and wait and see if it ripens. If it does, than you can start picking them regularly. If not you have to wait a bit longer. They do ripen more quickly later in the season than early in the season.
The jug is lovely, but the kumquats caught my eye and took me back in time. My childhood home in Southern California had a too-prolific kumquat tree and I grew to dread kumquat season. Newly married and relocating to Seattle meant never having to devour another kumquat – until Mom mailed package after package of those tangy little citrus orbs so I’d never be without.
Hi SeattleDee, You know, I actually like cumquats. I must be the only person who does. It is such a pity that more people don’t like them as they grow prolifically here too.
If only all partners had such good taste when selecting gifts, that jug is gorgeous! So we are all having late movements in the garden right across the country by the sound of it. How generous of Ella-Dee to present such a wonderful showbag of goodies to you, very thoughtful. The only way I enjoy cumquats is if they are candied/glacied, by adding dark chocolate that would be a definite hit. Can’t wait to see if you need to start on a new kitchen!
Hi Maree, I am getting cold feet about the flat we have been looking at. I think there are just too many issues. We want a flat to make our life more simple not more complicated.
Understand that concept completely! I’ve taken myself off to Melbourne for a couple of days to celebrate ‘unemployment’ and I’m sitting in this delightful little AirBnB apartment, sipping a G&T. Everything is clean, finished and delightful. I dare say in 2 days it will be driving me nuts and I’ll enjoy going back to the unfinished mayhem. 🙂
That vegetable peeler shaped like a pencil sharpener is so cute. I love the EllaDee brought you a book from any op shop at all. Let alone that it has winged its way home. The Early Kooka on the cover is a nice shot too. I’m always happy to look in your kitchen/s, new items or old!
Hi Fi. I still cannot believe EllaDee found that little book in Karratha. It is amazing how the cosmos works.
I too can see why the jug was a necessary purchase, love the chook motif. Fresh veg are THE best thing to have in your kitchen Glenda, beat gadgets hands down…
Hi Sandra, I am on the verge of doing a gadget clean out. I don’t use many of them and some I use very very rarely. The trouble is, most have been gifts so you have to be careful not to upset anyone.
Wow the home grown produce is fabulous! Love the jug, especially now that I have chooks of my own!
Hi Josephine. I do love that jug. It just looks like it belongs in the country.
The jug is wonderful – Maus has great taste! I may give spiralising a chance again, but somehow I really don’t see what all the fuss is about zoodles and other veggie ‘noodles’. Have bookmarked your candied kumquat recipe as I have many tiny green kumquats on a tree I planted last spring. Can’t wait!
Hi Debi. I have no interest in zoodles etc. This little contraption makes spirals and I really don’t know why anyone would want spiraled carrots.
Very beautiful vegetable photos! Even if you have STUFF you always need vegetables again.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae
All those wonderful fresh veges ♡ I bought a stash of seed packets at Adelaide Central Markets and have many gardening plans which were only fueled by seeing yours. I’m laughing about the carrot curler… it’s the only little kitchen gadget I could find that I was sure you didn’t have. I also have no idea why anyone would want carrot curls, nor tiny elegant carrot ends… except that it would save Maus a lot of incrediby fine slicing.
Hi Ella, I knew you would laugh. The spirals of carrot fascinated me but buggered if I know why I would need them. The mini carrots looked really cute though you have to throw out a lot of carrot to produce them. They may be an idea.
Oh Glenda, this is a beautiful IMK post! Like you, I have way too much stuff as well, but from time to time I add new things (like your chicken jug, which I LURV!). And all that fresh produce! Please come and move next door to me xxx PS thank you for the very kind shout out, and for playing IMK.
Hi Liz, As I mentioned to Sandra, I am about to do a gadget clean out. I just hate the thought of throwing something out and then wanting it three months later.
The jug is superb and all your fresh produce, oh my…..
Thanks Yvonne. I do like that jug. It makes me smile every time I look at it.