What to do when it snows? Ah, drink cider of course!

It's started to snow upon our hill, lovely large flakes and the pets have freaked out a little.

Thought I'd take this opportunity to sample some of the home-brews that have been bubbling away over the past few weeks and have now settled somewhat. So far I've been disgusted, enticed, confused and pleasantly surprised by the flavours that danced around inside my mouth.

Cider one (first attempt made from one variety of cider apple) - TASTE - Complex! First sweet, then sour, then a sudden rush of unpleasant sock aroma, then a warming 'thinness' like white wine.

Cider two (a blend of four Gloucestershire apples, ciders, cookers 10% and desserts) - TASTE - Rich and strong, slightly acidic, not unpleasant but in need of a long maturation period - should mellow.

Parsnip wine - Still fizzing, coming to the fermentation end though. TASTE - Good, very interesting taste, a certain 'zing', definite lemon influence and that mellow parsnip edge. This one should develop finely over the next 6 months.

Perry - Bottled and slowly maturing in the coolness of the shed. TASTE - Since bottling some weeks back the flavour has enriched tremendously. Initially it was unpalatable and I thought it was the disaster of the whole homebrew batch. This sample however was great, a good sweetness, light and very refreshing - just requires carbonation and it will be perfect. Come March the perry should provide a good drink.

What to do when it snows? Ah, drink cider of course!

Have honey.......make Mead.

This year the bees provided two large harvests of the sweetest, most fragrant honey. Everyday I eat honey and felt it was a good time to try to drink some too, in the form of Mead. Hopefully a strong Viking version! The best mead is ready in approximately one year after bottling.

The following recipe is for a medium sweet mead (if you like it dry use less honey. Sweet - add more!)

3.5lb Honey

15g Yeast Nutrient

1 tsp Yeast

4 lemons - juiced. (alternatively use 15g Citric Acid)

(4.5 litres- 1 gallon water total)

• Use large pan bring 2 litres water to boil
• Add the honey, stirring so that it does not stick and burn
• Add more water (2.5 litres)
• Bring to a rolling boil, at this point a thick scum may form on the surface which should be skimmed off with a spoon
• Reduce the heat
• Add the lemon juice (or citric acid)
• Add the yeast nutrient
• Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
• Pour into a clean, sterilised demijohn
• Allow to settle (overnight is best), plug the top of the demijohn with cotton wool to keep foreign bodies out
• Use a clean jar (or similar) and quarter fill with warm water
• Monitor the temperature of the mead solution, you are aiming for the jar of water to be within 5 degrees of the mead.
• When this temperature is reached add the yeast to the jar and swirl the solution gently
• Wait 15 to 20 minutes for the yeast to dissolve
• Add to the mead

• Fit a clean bung and airlock and place demijohn on newspaper. Keep in a moderately warm place (e.g kitchen is ideal).
• Within a few days the fermentation process will have started (bubbles and froth appearing)
• When fermentation has ceased (no vigorous bubbles rising) Rack the liquid into a clean demijohn and top up to within 3 fingers of the neck with clean water if necessary. (Make sure to leave the sludge 'lees' behind).
• Store the demijohn in a cool place and leave to mature - at least a year - if you can resist! The wine mead should be clearer and inviting to drink.

A slight twist on the recipe would be to add some oranges as well as the lemons.

Have honey.......make Mead.

Not an alcoholic, honestly

Who doesn't like a good drink? Not me, in fact I prefer something that has been created from scratch, from my very own smallholding. In this case it's gooseberries, sloes and cherries. The cherries were quite tart, morellos, and not even the birds had a desire to taste. With a little addition of booze they became very agreeable.

Here's a simple tip for all fruits when combined with alcohol.

I tend to use the thirds process:

• 1 third fruit
• 1 third sugar
• 1 third alcohol

although this is simple it is also crucial...too much sugar will result in a syrupy drink. Too much alcohol will give you a tinged drink, especially in the case of juniper gin.

Not an alcoholic, honestly

Parsnip Wine - Not so unusual!

This is a very simple wine to make and I've heard is a delight to drink. I'm yet to sample for myself but found the process quick, follow these steps and you shouldn't go wrong.

Ingredients:

1.5 lb Parsnips (approx 2kg)

3lb Sugar

1 lemon

Yeast (brewers/champagne variety)

• Wash parsnips, top and tail them. (No need to peel).
• Slice thinly into rings and chunks.
• Grab a large pan, (enough to hold a gallon of liquid.)
• Add the parsnips and cover with 1 gallon water (approx 4.5 litres)

• Bring to the boil and simmer until the parsnips are soft (but not mushy)

In the meantime you could sterilise the demijohn (or similar vessel)

Either use one heaped teaspoon sterilising powder with water and mix, rinse well.

Or, alternatively fill with boiling water and clean thoroughly. I can recommend this nifty 'angled' brush for cleaning out the vessels. A similar one can be bought from http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk/acatalog/items/item801.html

The parsnips should be soft enough for the next stage.

• Strain the vegetables and keep the liquor. You could dispose of the parsnips but I highly suggest they are whizzed up into a soup, chuck in a bit of salt and pepper, vegetable stock and simmer (add a half cup of cream towards the end). Delicious.

• Return the liquor to the pan on a low heat

• Add the sugar
• Add lemon zest and juice
• Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

• Remove from heat and leave to cool, lifting off any scum which may have formed on the surface.
• When the temperature is near to room temperature (approx 21 degrees) add a teaspoon of yeast and stir gently.

• Pour the liquid into clean demijohn, using a funnel if handy.
• Don't worry that the vessel is not completely full.

• Keep the vessel in a fairly constant, warm place (kitchen is ideal) placed on newspaper in case of spillages.

Within a day or two the liquid will begin to froth and bubble on the surface. This is a sign that the fermentation process has began

• Top up the liquid with clean water to about an inch from the neck of the vessel

Clean the neck of demijohn with a warm cloth and fit an airlock consisting of rubber bung and plastic lock, half filled with clean water. If necessary add cotton wool to top of airlock.

The initial activity will begin to ease after a few days and a steady stream of bubbles will flow from the base of the vessel.

• When the bubbles have completely stopped (2 weeks +) the liquid can be 'racked'. This involves syphoning the liquid into clean, sterilised bottles which are sealed tightly (corks or flip bungs)

Leave to mature and enjoy (within about 6 months).

The parnsip enjoys a conversation with the cider prior

to fermentation beginning.

Parsnip Wine - Not so unusual!

China - Friday 15th May - Yangtze in reverse

It's raining a fair bit today, the temperature is perfect though...cool with a hint of humidity. We're setting off at around 9am and last night we were docked for the first day. Breakfast was at 7:00am and on arrival we were greeted with a noisy mass of Chinese passengers climbing over a buffet spread. These crafty buggers had already been in much earlier than us, some on second servings...mountains of food were transferred to their plates and they gobbled it up at the speed of light. These guys were mostly elderly too, amazing. I queued and got to the demolished buffet spread...I filled my tiny plate, noodles, garlic, dumplings and sweet muffins....not a drop of marmite in sight, it didn't matter, there was lots of strong coffee, good stuff.

During breakfast something kicked off on the table next to me. Victor (our guide) was standing over an older Chinese man hollering and waving his arms around, the old man with food bulging in his cheeks was shouting back, spraying pieces of dumpling accross the table, he was gesturing wildly with his chopsticks. Soon enough the restaurant staff had to step in to calm the situation.

Later I found that the problem arose due to the old fella was overheard saying something insulting about the Australians to his fellow passengers. Apparantly it was an insult, so rude, so bad and one of the most offending things that could be said. The man hadn't realised that Victor, who was sat on a seperate table was within ear shot and part of our group. It was remarkable that Victor, a tiny waif of a man had stood up to this chap, it seems he wouldn't take any abuse from anyone!

The initial part of the cruise is taking me from Yichang to the main Three Gorges Dam, about 4 hours travel. The cruiser is moving a snails pace which is perfect for gazing at the stunning scenery, steep gorges and slopes. The water is a gorgeous rich emerald green colour and occasionally small coves are revealed where tiny boats are moored bobbing in our wake. Clinging to flatter areas of rock are small dwellings built from simple brick and wood methods and each has a small vegetable plot, crop area holding maize or rape and tiny terraces holding rice paddy fields. Occasionally I could see a bird of prey soaring from a perch high on the cliff face, craning my neck to look to the very summit. They appear to be red kites but a deeper, richer colouration on their plumage. I'm sat in my cabin on a rock-hard bed looking out at the glorious landscape, the steep gorge fills the entire window space, from top to bottom. There are clusters of goats huddled on tiny ledges about half way up the slope. They're attempting to navigate a way down, possible to the waters edge to drink, where the vegetation is more lush.

We are heading to Chonqing as our first destination, there we will be taking a smaller vessel down a smaller part of the gorge. This section of the river leads to the first major lock at the dam site and the water here has been raised to around 75 metres. The original water height was around 2 - 5 metres and considered trecherous to navigate due to whirlpools and submerged rocks. The rising of the water during construction of the dam meant many of the underlying rocks had to be blasted by the army to improve the flow of the water and aid vessels navigating a route.

Sat here I'm amazed at the scenery, I think my mouth has been open for a while. There's huddles of houses with people sat on small porches, dogs milling around and beautiful sounding birds calling from shrub and tree lined rocks. Occasionally small clusters of tombs appear on the rocks. each grave consists of a large stone slab, turned upright bearing a Chinese inscription with a series of small stones stacked either side. The graves themselves are small round mounds of earth about 2 metres in diameter. Each one had a pole fixed on top or beside with colourful pieces of paper and shiny foil attached. Each grave represents one land owner, a parent who had tended this particular piece of land. The dwellings I imagine are little changed but were originally much higher from the waters edge. I can't fathom how many people had been displaced as the waters rose, belongings and houses lost...even the tombs of their relatives have been consumed by the ever rising tide.

It's 7pm, I've just finished a lovely tofu and squid dinner. I tried to stuff my face as much as possible as Chinese food is delicious but I guarantee being hungry again in a couple of hours.

Our vessel and 5 similar sized boats are currently sat in lock number 2 of the gorge dam, the big one.

It works on a similar principle to canal locks in the UK but on a massive scale. The water will rise to around 30 metres in 5 minutes. This allows us to pass through to the next lock of the dam and then the process will start again. Whilst we were dining I could see the walls of the lock about 1/2 a metre away from each window on either side of the boat. The sound of the karaoke machine was wafting down from the floor above, channelled and hemmed in by the vast concrete walls. The music was blending with the screeching and scraping sounds as we raised up the inside of the lock. Everyone politely ignored the racket as they ate, it was like some crazy carry on film scene.

We've just passed through lock number 3, a huge steel structure that could hold king kong. The depth in this lock is 135 metres, colossal! At 8pm we finally passed through the last lock which in the now dark landscape was a relief as we drifted toward a row of sparking lights emitting from other boats. On the top deck I looked back to the large dam, it was spread out to the right, must have been around 2km long and had a series of orange lights running along the top edge which gave it the look of a Las Vegas casino.

Tiny Cows!!

Pic by C.Farrell

Tiny Cows!!

China - Thursday 14th May - 2010 - Journey to the Yangtze

last night we travelled the train again, luckily it was closer to bedtime so after ablutions were done we all retired to bed, personal stereo on.

I got to have a good chat with Yen, an Aussie girl who was travelling with her partner Rob. She works in some kind of number crunching position as a manager in Fosters, the lager company. It seems all the Australian people I met whilst touring were successful in stable, well paid jobs - they seemed at ease and content with their choices made in life.

The lights flicked off, 10pm prompt so there wasn't much else to do except sleep. Wayne, my nemesis, was on the bunk below me and had pre-warned everyone of his incredible snoring ability. It's pretty good, disturbing but not so bad that it kept me awake for too long. I surprised myself by falling asleep fairly quickly and being able to stay rested longer that the previous train journeys.

This was a long journey at 14 hours and we were already delayed an hour. Rolling into the bus station would be at around 11am where I'll be travelling into Wuhan. About 19 hours on my rump.

During the bus journey we took a pit stop at a small roadside shop in the deep heart of the rural province. The toilet was behind the shop, down a small dirt track....following the smell I found the way and was presented a hideous sight. The toilet was an open room with a roman trench style system on one side. There was no flowing water in the trench, just cracked tiles lining the hole. This was a communal experience, where your business was everybody's business. I stood over the abyss fumbling with my buttons and felt an immediate retraction in my nethers as I caught a glimpse of a Chinese chap to the right of me, he was squat down facing me trousers around his ankles and cigarette hanging from his mouth and he was just staring, staring at me whilst going about his business. I am learning the power of self control during this trip, I'm heading back to the bus awaiting the next stop - so what if it's another four hours, I have a plastic bottle.

Entering Wuhan was amazing. It was a mixture of high rise accommodation towers and some of the poorest and decaying down-town settlements. The atmosphere was busy and everyone looked like a film extra, entering left or right on screen or poised over a cooking pot, washing, repairing things after the director called 'Action'!

I was particularly taken by the tree-lined streets, mostly London Plane (Chinese Plane?) which acted as excellent shade providers in addition to breaking up the array of concrete structures apparently randomly growing from the city streets.

We had to board our yangtze boat at a location different to that previously arranged. It appeared to cause concern for the guides Victor and Daniel. The driver negotiated his bus through pot-holed streets down winding tracks to the new destination. The view was amazing, incredibly steep mountainous slopes gave a good precursor to what will lay ahead of me on the river cruise. Just before the port (which looked like it was more suited to rubble cargo ships than tourist boats) we came to a closed gate. The line of five or so cruisers were line up but we couldn't access at this time.

The guardsman said for us to take our hand luggage with us to pass through the security gate. The machine beeped like crazy as we passed through, each bag setting off the alarm though they simply waved us through. We weren't however allowed to take our main luggage from the bus cargo hold. There were dozens of men milling around and the atmosphere was tense, myself and the other passengers were either looking confused or concerned. The men were getting agitate, flapping their arms around and ordering us to walk away and make our way to the cruise boat. None of them had any form of official looking uniform, pass ..not even a neat authoritative haircut.

We sheepishly walked to the port side and watched the men take our baggage from the bus and pass them through the security detector. It seems they were asking for money to allow the bus to travel 50 yards through the locked gates which could have meant we carry the luggage ourselves. We couldn't carry the bags through and if we insisted the men said we would have to take the bags to the previous village up the steep hill and bring them back, though I'm sure, even then they would not let us pass through without some greased palms. There was no option but to pay the bribe, we weren't allowed to watch, they shouted at us to go onto the boat whilst hassling the tour leaders and driver.

Once aboard I met a guy called Cam who I'd be sharing a room with for the next few days. He was decent chap and after chatting I learned that he was halfway through a one year tour of the world.He's already been through America, Thailand, Vietnam and now in China...next stop Australia. Later that evening we met in the awful karaoke bar on the mid deck. The boat by the way was a rusty, tatty twisted old stained carpet tug, but it had a certain charm and apparantly this was an upgrade to a four star from two....I wonder how bad the two star could have been?

A few beers inside me we teamed up with the Australians to play a group game using cash and dice. Apparently it's called something like, 'Left, Right, Pot'

Everyone has three bank notes, either Yuan (as we played) or dollars. It UK it would have to be quids which may not work so well.

There's three dice and depending on how many notes you hold you roll the corresponding number of dice. You follow the dots (numbers) on the dice to determine the following actions:

1 - Hand a note to your left

2 - Nothing, safe

3 - Money goes into central pot

4 - Nothing, safe

5 - Nothing, safe

6 - Hand a note to your right

The idea is to be the last one holding money which means you get the pot. It's an easy game, simple but very fast and great fun. I unfortunately became unlucky and always seemed to roll a three which meant my money went to the pot, without fail.

After the game Victor showed his bravery by singing karaoke, a Chinese ballad. We all roared and cheered when he finished and grabbed a few more beers.