Tuesday 1 September 2015

It's Autumn ...


To me September means one thing ... the start of Autumn.

Yes, the days are still sunny ... if we're lucky, but the nights have drawn in so quickly.  It cools off dramatically now as the sun starts it's gradual dip behind the hills opposite the front of the house, meaning it's time to grab any washing left on the line, herd the dogs and Ginger inside and sometimes even grab a cardi to pull on over short sleeved T shirts.  It was dark here at 8.30pm last night, we drew the curtains, put on the lamp and cosied up in front of the television much earlier than we have for ages.

Autumn means jobs get finished earlier in the day and the evenings are longer.  The chickens retire to the henhouse at first sign of dusk and all is peaceful and more restful at a very respectable hour.

  It also means that the frantic pace of growing and harvesting slips down a notch, and although I am processing as much of our produce as I can, the speed of growth on the plants has also dropped down a gear so I can actually keep up nicely, and by keeping up it encourages the veggies to put on one more growth spurt, and tomatoes picked as soon as they ripen mean more light for those that are left behind.


We ran out of cereal the other day and rather than dash to the shops to buy some more, wasting time, energy and petrol, I decided to use what we already had in store.   I pulled packets of things out of the cupboards and lifted down the large jar of porridge oats from the top shelf and set about making some homemade Muesli.  

I don't follow any recipe preferring instead to judge it by eye.  Pouring a few handfuls of oats into a bowl and adding what I fancy and what I have.  I rarely eat cereal of any description so I always tend to tailor my muesli mix to Lovely Hubby's taste buds.  A bit fruity, a little bit sweet and most definitely nutty ... and this time a little bit coconutty too :-)

The dried fruits were chopped up small, the nuts ground to a chunky mix in the Nutribullet. It looked okay but then I decided to add a few more oats to bulk it out a bit more.  Not to the excessive level of a shop-bought muesli but just enough to mean the fruitiness and sweetness were more balanced.


He approved .....


.... so much so that when we were out and about he bought me some more lovely storage jars so his muesli can sit on the worktop matching in with everything else that sits there, and I get my freezer box back for more food storage.

Sue xx

17 comments:

  1. To me Autumn means Christmas is finally on its' way! Woohoo!! :) Best time of the year (aside from summer) in my opinion :)
    Am i the only one who really doesn't like muesli?

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    1. Oh gosh ... don't wish away the days. Let's enjoy some 'mellow fruitfulness' before the ravages of an over commercialised Christmas tries to get us into it's clutches.

      I didn't used to like muesli but I'm much more of a fan now. Left soaking for while before you eat it in Almond Milk it is really delicious.

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  2. The robin has arrived back in the garden so I know that Autumn has arrived up here in Scotland. People have told me that robins don't disappear over the summer - they just lose the red from their breast - but my garden is small and I'm sure I would have noticed if he was still around over the summer months. Every summer, the robin disappears (might be something to do with the blackbirds taking over the garden while they feed their never ending stream of babies!), and returns at the end of August. Can anyone tell me if robins lose their colour during the summer months or if they migrate please?

    We also have a rabbit visiting the garden. We live in a village so it's unusual to see a rabbit in the street.

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    1. Well our Robins have been here all through Summer .... they always have been, and yes their tummies are most definitely still red :-)

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  3. Autumn is my very favourite season. I always seem to feel refreshed when September comes around. Hoping for a bit of an Indian summer though as off to Cornwall for a week at the end of the month. So much cheaper in September - in fact several hundred pounds cheaper than August!

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    1. I think prices just fall way down once the kids are back in school. I have found for years now that August has had worse weather than September so you do right to make full use of the discounts available then, fingers crossed for some warm and sunny days for you.

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  4. Sue, A bit fruity, a little bit sweet and most definitely nutty ... and this time a little bit coconutty too :-)
    Do you often describe your LH that way???!!! ;-)

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  5. I cant believe its the first day of Autumn I am still hoping we get and Indian summer I am not ready for the short or dark nights just yet. I must have a go at making some muesli my mum always makes hers and it always looks so much nicer than buying it already made. Love your jars, dee :-)

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    1. I agree a few more weeks of sunshine would be lovely after so much of our Summer being so damp and dismal, but today we've had almost non-stop rain, just one dry sunny spell that almost tempted me to hang out some washing, but luckily I refrained as the heavens opened once again.

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  6. Autumn equals dark cycling to work, followed by icy cycling to work which is no fun. At all. Like wise purple fingers feeling like they are about to fall off. The autmn days I shall make the most of with my marathon training.

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    1. It's not fun is it, but I try to look on the positive side of things and concentrate on the cosier dark nights once home and not dwell on those horrid dark journeys when the weather turns really bad.

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  7. My husband has mixed his own Muesli for years as he doesn't like the sweetness of many of the "boughten" varieties which have so many sultanas and raisins in. He adds nuts (but not Brazils as they make him ill), preserved papaya, sunflower seeds, crushed golden linseed & sesame seeds (done in the blender), and craisins and always sprinkles his bowlful with cinnamon which is meant to keep colds at bay. I expect you will always be mixing your own in future now, especially with those lovely new storage jars.

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    Replies
    1. I always used to make our own, but then I won the Dorset Cereals Blog of the Month and a large supply of their products last January, it's amazing how quickly you get out of the habit isn't it. But now we've either used or given away all of the goodies and we are back to our own, which tastes so much better. It's a good job Lovely Hubby hasn't decided he likes theirs more than mine, it's not cheap stuff and as you say overly sweet :-)

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  8. What a fab idea! One if my September jobs is to buy a fresh packet if dried fruit before it goes ul in price for christmas. Now I know what to do with the last of the current pack ! X

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  9. Autumn had already started at the beginning of August here in Brighton, and I feel that it`s too early. For the last 2-3 years I have watched the seasons shift and I put it down to global warming and the climate change. It`s a little worrying. It makes gardening outdoors so unpredictable now. My tomatoes have not had enough sunshine and shall not ripen on the vines.
    I like the look of your muesli mix. I also make my own, but mostly decide each day how I mix it. So, I mix a bowl differently every day and add fresh fruits of my choice. I`ve been making a lot of Energy Bites with porridge oats, dried fruits and mixed seeds. They make a great little snack in between meals and don`t pile on the pounds like other sweet treats. I`m experimenting with these to find a mix that will taste a little Christmassy, so might well make some for the festive season and enjoy these better than store bought sweets.

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  10. What a great idea and I bet its more tasty than shop bot expensive museli too. The temperatures have really dropped here, a definite of autumn in the air now, brrrrrrrr. A dry sunny cool autumn would make up for our cold non existent summer here.

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