There are some newcomers at our homestead, some welcome, others not a lot. In August we inadvertently turned hosts to 5 million bees. We didn’t truly depend them as a result of that will have been laborious and harmful, we counted the hives and used a calculator. The typical beehive homes between 20,000 and 80,000 bees, and there are simply over 100 hives. The issue isn’t the hives, however the truth that the bees use our pool; seemingly for recreation in addition to quenching their thirst! After a little bit of analysis, we found {that a} beekeeper, primarily based over 60kms away, needed to make heather honey, and determined our land was the perfect place to do it. Apparently it didn’t happen to him to ask our permission, for the usage of the heather or the pool. I’m all for bees; in actual fact I’m a giant fan, I’m simply not eager on swimming with them. We steered they pay their hire in honey: it will likely be honetary compensation!
Equine segregation
We even have two extra horses. One of many horses, Bijou, we owned already, however he has been on mortgage to a close-by driving membership, having been chased from his steady by our two grays. Whoever imagines that horses usually are not racist, imagines wrongly. The grays used to make life very troublesome for Bijou who’s chestnut, by blocking his entry to hay, chasing him across the discipline and customarily behaving like grey-supremacist hooligans. Now Bijou has his personal fields and a beautiful, newly-acquired chestnut pal referred to as Jazz. Their contact with the greys is restricted to unpleasantries over the fencing.
Chestnuts (the nuts, not the horses) are nutrient-dense. They’re vitamin and mineral-rich, and in addition a terrific supply of antioxidants. Chestnuts are excessive in fibre, which implies they’re efficient for each blood sugar and starvation management. The tannins and flavonoids assist suppress irritation and in-vitro research present that extracts from chestnuts suppress the expansion and unfold of assorted kinds of most cancers cells.
Recipe for butternut squash and chestnut soup (serves 6)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 250g of pre-cooked chestnuts
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and reduce into cubes
- 2 carrots, peeled and reduce into rounds
- 1.5 litres of hen inventory
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- Curry powder to style (optionally available)
- 200ml cream
Fry the onions within the olive oil and melted butter till golden brown. Add the chestnuts, butternut squash and carrots after which hen inventory and convey to the boil. Season and prepare dinner for about half-hour, or till the greens are gentle. Add the cream and purée till clean.
