Prepping for a Pandemic - Thread 16

[Sprayitall]

I don’t know why another thread hasn’t been created yet , so here you go. Now as we prep ourselves to the peak of this pandemic, let’s all face it together and appreciate how fragile our lives are and how we need each other to survive and flourish.

I have a mental image of you as a young Madhur Jaffrey by the way!

Nice buns Weeds we had bought ones for brekkie that I had stashed in the freezer. For the first time ever I am glad that Easter stuff appeared in the shops from Feb.

My one bit of prep today was freezing lemons and limes

There were hot Cross buns in the coop here in August!!

@Weedsnseeds1 lol. Not sure of Madhur Jaffrey but the skills are definitely in the genes. South west is amazing .. my childhood was similar to yours in many ways.. except we fished tadpoles from the monsoon puddles and potholes, chased and caught butterflies all day . I would say our lives are more closer with nature than idyllic as the days are really busy there. I find U.K. idyllic and slow to be honest. When I was young, my Nan’s house had a cowshed with a cow, the cow was so lovely and often my Nan had to pull me from the cow because I drank the milk straight (I was little around 3 or 4 years of age lol) Tamilnadu has the second longest coastline in India and many of our weekends were spent on the beaches. Pony rides on the beach were my favourite thing. I miss the sun and the waves. Dd loved the pony ride in the beach- with sunsets they are the best. U.K. is lovely too and I like the pristine beaches here but a tropical sandy beach is very different. If I had to list the few things I find different here - it is the weather (spring and summers are beautiful but winters and cold temps are depressing) and the kids not playing outside their house much which I find is very unnatural. I found there are no large fruit trees here. They are so much fun. Most of my childhood summers were spent under mango trees and guava trees. People not taking care of elders of the house or the elderly neighbours - grandparents living separately in an annexe is unheard of. If I had to go on a shop trip back home , I do it with my scooter (motorised two wheeler) I buy everything including betel leaves for my neighbourhood old lady because I know she would have run out of it by now. Often there will be neighbours kids hopping on the scooter during a visit to the shops. Here I can’t see any scooters or autos (tuk tuks) I miss long evening scooter rides with friends and the tuk tuk rides with the good old auto driver who is full of interesting stories meeting different people all day. Living there is an experience by itself. Half the time that’s why it might look like me not understanding the first world problems here. I’ve attached a picture of a jackfruit tree with jackfruits that I clicked last April when I was visiting.

Here are the quinces and medlar in my garden.
I guess the biggest fruit trees we have are chestnuts, if you count them as a fruit?
But yes mango trees, are impressive!
I grew up near the sea, but we have donkey rides, not ponies here.
I did ride horses when I was younger though.

@weeds what is medlar? I have never seen one.. but it looks somewhat like a pomegranate tree? How does it taste? Chestnuts are nuts isn’t it? Fruit trees like mangoes, Jackfruit, tamarind are largish, coconut, teak and palm trees are tall, papayas are medium tall and almond trees are tall. Here I have damson plum tree that’s slightly tall but not huge. Donkeys are amusing, do you know we have this funny belief - if someone wakes up to a picture of donkey or a donkey itself as a first thing in the morning that day is considered very lucky and financially prosperous for them 😀 many households still have this practice and have a donkey picture in their home like the one in the picture. It says if you see me luck will come to you. 😂

A medlar is a very old fashioned fruit. You have to pick them and let them "blet" or go soft. They have the taste and texture of a slightly perfumed date.
Popular in medieval times when sugar was expensive and not available to the poor. They have gone out of fashion now, but make a very nice jelly, that you can eat just as jam, or serve with meat.
I like donkies, they look so comical. The Christian story is that they carry a cross on their backs as Jesus rode one on Palm Sunday. There is a well known poem about it.

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47918/the-donkey

Chestnuts are not true nuts, despite the name, they are a fruit
Avocado trees are huge too!
I also love damsons, there is a festival dedicated to them in Cumbria!

Loquats are also sometimes called medlar, but are a different fruit.

@weeds that’s interesting. Yea I know the christian story behind it as I was educated in a Christian school. Do we have avocado trees in the U.K.? I didn’t know that. I didn’t know about the damsons festival either. See I learn something new everyday here. I’m sure my brit friend doesn’t know half the facts here. She suggested me Glastonbury festival which is totally out of my league , I’m sure I would have loved this damsons festival more. I’m googling and reading about medlar now .. thank you. I’m imagining it to taste more like the wood apple pulp where it’s usually mixed with jaggery to be eaten raw. It’s an acquired taste as well.

No, no avocado's here, but I have seen them abroad and they were far bigger than I imagined.
Glastonbury festival is quite close to me and the traffic jams and chaos while it's on are unbelievable!
You should come for carnival in November instead, that truly is spectacular. First one is Bridgwater, then at other towns for two weeks. Only Bridgwater has squibbing after, though.

Medlar is a bit like sweet tamarind. Not eaten wood apple, is it like custard apple?

Rose and pistachio cheesecake, made with some more labneh

@Weedsnseeds1 that rose & pistachio cheesecake looks amazing. May I have the recipe please? Thank you.

It's a bit of a mishmash of different recipes. Base just normal crushed biscuits and butter. I used ginger nuts, because that's what I had, but having tasted it, it was a bit overpowering, digestives would be better.
About 200g of soft cheese, 50g sugar, half pint double cream, rosewater, ground cardamom.
Whip cream, beat together the oheese and other ingredients. Fold together, gold in toasted, chopped pistachios.
Put filling on base, chill.
Then rosewater, gelatin, sugar and food colouring to make about 1 ping jelly. Let it really cool until starting yk thicken, then gently poor on chilled cheesecake. Back in fridge for a couple of hours.
Decorate.

Pint, not ping!

And pour not poor. My typing is getting worse!

Oh thank you! We've got our wedding anniversary coming up soon so will try it out then.

@Weedsnseeds1 wow you are an amazing baker I should say! That cake looks lovely.. Cardamom is my soul spice I should say. Some might feel it’s a bit strong for their palette but just one or two pods is normally enough. Cardamom tea is my favourite drink.. another soul refreshing drink is “paanagam” a refreshing summer cooler. soak 1/2 cup of powdered jaggery for 15 minutes in 3 cups of water and filter it for impurities with a tea strainer. Add couple of Green cardamom pods, 1 tsp of lemon and a pinch of dry ginger powder. Add a very tiny pinch of edible camphor (optional) , chill and drink. Jaggery is rich in iron and this drink is safe for everyone. made some chocolate tiffin yesterday with few digestives. No bake easy recipe - dd loves to help.

Not sure why the picture isn’t attached. So attaching one.

@Weedsnseeds1 Wood Apple is very different to custard apple. Wood apple has a hard outer shell and the pulp is usually made into jams or condiments for elaborate lunches. It’s tastes a bit like tamarind -more like raisin and sweet tamarind together but has lot of tiny crunchy seeds.
I really wanted few important bits from the supermarket delivery but the number of cases are making me really worried. I think I should brave them and order anyway. A friend suggested to go ahead with the delivery because anyways he stores will be closed this Sunday and limited hours this Monday so the chance of getting infected by things stands lesser than usual weekend which sounds valid but still is kind of worrying as I think it’s the peak now?

Happy Easter everyone !

Wood apple, from your description, tastes a lot like medlar then. Medlar also has a slightly perfumed note, a bit musky.
Where are you based? London?
The cases are still going up, I think.
Problem is, if you are London, Birmingham or other hot spot, it is a toss up between avoiding contact as more cases, or risking a supply chain breakdown as more drivers, warehouse workers etc get sick or have to self isolate if someone in their family is ill.
It's a tough one.

I am also a cardamon fan. Also cloves, I know they are strong flavoured, but something about them. Maybe it's because my father was a dentist, so always smelt slightly of cloves when he got home from work?!

@weeds I’m based in Milton Keynes. The numbers are way off so I couldn’t decide if I should go ahead with the delivery. I might need few top ups because of stock rotation. A local friend was saying it’s better if you get deliveries now than to schedule them later by next week or so. I have a veggie box that’s to be delivered tomorrow and this grocery slot delivery that’s scheduled day after. So lot of wiping to be done I think. Never thought going ahead with a grocery delivery will become a tough decision like this. Glad I found a cardamom fan like me. My mum loves cloves and carries it in her handbag always. She used them as a mouth freshener occasionally after lunch at work. I’m used to that smell when she got home as well. :)

I think I would go for the delivery, if I were you. Get it while you know you can, as long as it will bd used.
I threw the dregs of the double cream from the cheesecake in my latest batch of yoghurt. It's turned out to have amazing firm curds, and looks like clotted cream!

And I havd all the ingredients for your drink, except camphor ( which you said was optional anyway) so will give that z try once I havd enough fridge space to chill it!
Do I use palm jaggery or just sugar cane jaggery?