Smallholderific
@smallholderific.bsky.social
Our cottage smallholding. Fruit and veg, orchard, Light Sussex & hybrid chickens, Buff Orpington ducks, beekeeping, cats, foraging, home brewing, country wine, cider and juice making, preserving & cooking. Plan: + geese/pigs.
Also being prepared for Christmas drinks season:
"A glass of homemade blackberry and elderberry wine? Just help yourself from the 5 litres we have on tap in this conveniently sized box...
"A glass of homemade blackberry and elderberry wine? Just help yourself from the 5 litres we have on tap in this conveniently sized box...
December 4, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Also being prepared for Christmas drinks season:
"A glass of homemade blackberry and elderberry wine? Just help yourself from the 5 litres we have on tap in this conveniently sized box...
"A glass of homemade blackberry and elderberry wine? Just help yourself from the 5 litres we have on tap in this conveniently sized box...
Got the mincer out today for some DIY sausagemeat. Free-range pork shoulder, salt, fresh herbs, spices and breadcrumbs.
Some seriously good sausage rolls are in our future...
Some seriously good sausage rolls are in our future...
December 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Got the mincer out today for some DIY sausagemeat. Free-range pork shoulder, salt, fresh herbs, spices and breadcrumbs.
Some seriously good sausage rolls are in our future...
Some seriously good sausage rolls are in our future...
Mincemeat manufacture. A suet-free recipe using chopped walnuts instead to provide the fat. A base of homegrown pureed mirabelles and chopped apples, with a load of other dried fruit, marmalade, spices and brown sugar. In for a soak today, will get cooked and jarred/pied tomorrow!
December 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Mincemeat manufacture. A suet-free recipe using chopped walnuts instead to provide the fat. A base of homegrown pureed mirabelles and chopped apples, with a load of other dried fruit, marmalade, spices and brown sugar. In for a soak today, will get cooked and jarred/pied tomorrow!
This morning, I have been creating the world's biggest frittata.
November 26, 2025 at 12:53 PM
This morning, I have been creating the world's biggest frittata.
Finished "Operation Duck Gate" this morning. Relieved it all fits, as once metal posts are postcreted in, they're not leaving in a hurry! Gates fit the space, meet in the middle, and have enough clearance to open but too little for a duck to squeeze through. Celebratory coffee and mince pie now.
November 25, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Finished "Operation Duck Gate" this morning. Relieved it all fits, as once metal posts are postcreted in, they're not leaving in a hurry! Gates fit the space, meet in the middle, and have enough clearance to open but too little for a duck to squeeze through. Celebratory coffee and mince pie now.
Kali has decided that the best thing to do with dying asparagus shoots is to use them as some kind of bouncy jumping toy, in combination with the polytunnel door. I fear neither may survive this day...
November 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Kali has decided that the best thing to do with dying asparagus shoots is to use them as some kind of bouncy jumping toy, in combination with the polytunnel door. I fear neither may survive this day...
Assembled a metal gate kit this morning, as you do. Will finish off the duck enclosure nicely, but waiting until I have a full day to do the hole digging, postcreting and fitting as expect it will take a while and daylight is increasingly brief...
November 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Assembled a metal gate kit this morning, as you do. Will finish off the duck enclosure nicely, but waiting until I have a full day to do the hole digging, postcreting and fitting as expect it will take a while and daylight is increasingly brief...
Cold with soggy snow this morning which lasted just long enough to make getting ducks and chickens up really unpleasant. Has brightened up now, naturally.
November 19, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Cold with soggy snow this morning which lasted just long enough to make getting ducks and chickens up really unpleasant. Has brightened up now, naturally.
Coconut bakewell tart. Perfect for the smallholder with an excessive amount of jam to get through!
November 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Coconut bakewell tart. Perfect for the smallholder with an excessive amount of jam to get through!
Indoor projects today, due to the constant heavy rain. Fortunately, both of the latest buckets of homebrew beer seem to have reached a sensibe gravity, so can get those into pressure barrels for conditioning.
November 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Indoor projects today, due to the constant heavy rain. Fortunately, both of the latest buckets of homebrew beer seem to have reached a sensibe gravity, so can get those into pressure barrels for conditioning.
With some Serious Rain forecast to start in the next hour, much of today has been spent clearing gullies, gratings and gutters. Chicken and duck food and water all also well filled as would quite like morning bird routine to be as quick as possible, given likely conditions!
November 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
With some Serious Rain forecast to start in the next hour, much of today has been spent clearing gullies, gratings and gutters. Chicken and duck food and water all also well filled as would quite like morning bird routine to be as quick as possible, given likely conditions!
Reposted by Smallholderific
The remaining Aji Limon, which had been fermenting away, have now been processed (cough, cough, watering eyes etc) into a golden, seriously hot, sauce. Thankfully I had plenty of spare honey to balance out the heat, and cider vinegar to dilute to a more manageable spec! Tastes 👌
November 13, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The remaining Aji Limon, which had been fermenting away, have now been processed (cough, cough, watering eyes etc) into a golden, seriously hot, sauce. Thankfully I had plenty of spare honey to balance out the heat, and cider vinegar to dilute to a more manageable spec! Tastes 👌
One of the skills I've picked up over the past few years is building self-supporting woodpiles on pallets. Gives it a chance to dry out for future firewood. As with all things smallholder, there are plenty of people who can do it better, but we're going for general competence here, not expertise!
November 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
One of the skills I've picked up over the past few years is building self-supporting woodpiles on pallets. Gives it a chance to dry out for future firewood. As with all things smallholder, there are plenty of people who can do it better, but we're going for general competence here, not expertise!
Heavy couple of days installing 25m of more robust duck fencing. Last lot was cobbled together from bits of old plastic fencing net, bamboo canes and cable ties. The new green-coated wire version is almost invisible by comparison. Very pleased (and tired!)
November 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Heavy couple of days installing 25m of more robust duck fencing. Last lot was cobbled together from bits of old plastic fencing net, bamboo canes and cable ties. The new green-coated wire version is almost invisible by comparison. Very pleased (and tired!)
Definitely feel ahead of the game this Autumn. Garlic AND broad bean seedlings both planted out before November (just!) OK, didn't get quite enough broadies for a full row, so there will be a few early Nov ones, but nonetheless!
October 31, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Definitely feel ahead of the game this Autumn. Garlic AND broad bean seedlings both planted out before November (just!) OK, didn't get quite enough broadies for a full row, so there will be a few early Nov ones, but nonetheless!
Brew day today. Slight departure from usual beerkits, as am trying out a partial-grain + extract kit. Luckily, the pasteuriser with its thermostat should do very nicely both for steeping the grain bag and boiling with the hops. Beer is meant to be a clone of a well known bitter from Yorkshire...
October 30, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Brew day today. Slight departure from usual beerkits, as am trying out a partial-grain + extract kit. Luckily, the pasteuriser with its thermostat should do very nicely both for steeping the grain bag and boiling with the hops. Beer is meant to be a clone of a well known bitter from Yorkshire...
Today has segued into racking this year's fruit wines. Blackberry/elderberry & rhubarb both clear, should be bottleable in a few weeks. Cherry plum good too and tastes 👌, but due to plum colours used is a "burnt orange" (brown!), so will need perfect clarity to look tasty, and isn't there yet...
October 29, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Today has segued into racking this year's fruit wines. Blackberry/elderberry & rhubarb both clear, should be bottleable in a few weeks. Cherry plum good too and tastes 👌, but due to plum colours used is a "burnt orange" (brown!), so will need perfect clarity to look tasty, and isn't there yet...
And finally for this morning/lunchtime, an excessively deep Torta de Santiago (5 eggs), waiting for its dusting of icing sugar and a jar of dinky turmeric spiced pickled eggs (our new pullets, while laying well, are still laying small!)
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
October 29, 2025 at 1:41 PM
And finally for this morning/lunchtime, an excessively deep Torta de Santiago (5 eggs), waiting for its dusting of icing sugar and a jar of dinky turmeric spiced pickled eggs (our new pullets, while laying well, are still laying small!)
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
Egg situation now back under control; house full of food. 😎👌🧑🏻🍳
Next up on today's culinary adventures: leek and bacon quiche. Quiche is one of my go-to recipes for egg surpluses, and A Good Thing to have in the fridge.
October 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Next up on today's culinary adventures: leek and bacon quiche. Quiche is one of my go-to recipes for egg surpluses, and A Good Thing to have in the fridge.
Leftover white bread, butter, sultanas, cinnamon, dried apples (ours), soaking up some vanilla custard made with eggs from a few metres away. Sugar and nutmeg on top ready for the oven later on.
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
October 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Leftover white bread, butter, sultanas, cinnamon, dried apples (ours), soaking up some vanilla custard made with eggs from a few metres away. Sugar and nutmeg on top ready for the oven later on.
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
#breadandbutterpudding 😋
Last of 2025's apples. Brownlees Russet, all scratted up. Trying something new this year: letting it have a little sit with some pectolase before pressing. Hopeful that will maximise the juice extraction. This will be a SV cider, all being well.
October 25, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Last of 2025's apples. Brownlees Russet, all scratted up. Trying something new this year: letting it have a little sit with some pectolase before pressing. Hopeful that will maximise the juice extraction. This will be a SV cider, all being well.
14 litres of Bramley apples, peeled, chopped and ready for bottling. Few of them would have stored whole due to bruising or the tender ministrations of the codling moth, so a few hours work means we have plenty of delicious fruit ready-prepared to be popped open at will during the dark months.
October 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM
14 litres of Bramley apples, peeled, chopped and ready for bottling. Few of them would have stored whole due to bruising or the tender ministrations of the codling moth, so a few hours work means we have plenty of delicious fruit ready-prepared to be popped open at will during the dark months.
Kicking off the 2026 growing season with Germidour garlic and some elephant garlic cloves.
October 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Kicking off the 2026 growing season with Germidour garlic and some elephant garlic cloves.
Pleased that will have finished autumn clear-down of veg plot and polytunnel before tomorrow's storm, even if the compost order was nowhere near enough to mulch everything.
Hope to get remaining apples in today too, and maybe have a day of Bramley prep and cooking while it's raining tomorrow.
Hope to get remaining apples in today too, and maybe have a day of Bramley prep and cooking while it's raining tomorrow.
October 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Pleased that will have finished autumn clear-down of veg plot and polytunnel before tomorrow's storm, even if the compost order was nowhere near enough to mulch everything.
Hope to get remaining apples in today too, and maybe have a day of Bramley prep and cooking while it's raining tomorrow.
Hope to get remaining apples in today too, and maybe have a day of Bramley prep and cooking while it's raining tomorrow.
Ducks are having a lovely time today. Chickens and cats less so. In the next gap in downpours, hoping to finish today's terracing of one of the veg beds, using some treated timber a neighbour didn't want and a few small and slim UC4 posts.
October 20, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Ducks are having a lovely time today. Chickens and cats less so. In the next gap in downpours, hoping to finish today's terracing of one of the veg beds, using some treated timber a neighbour didn't want and a few small and slim UC4 posts.