Autumn

 September is here and autumn has arrived.

This is the time of plenty for our wildlife, it is now that the seeds, fruit and nuts are gathered in ahead of the winter to come.

It is also the season of shorter days and longer nights, falling leaves and cooler weather.

For us boaters it is a lovely time to cruise with the beautiful colours of the reds, dark blues of the berries, changing colours of the leaves and for us forager’s, apples in the hedge row to be joined by those delicious blackberries.

So here is an old and quick version of  Blackberry and Apple charlotte

1.       Cook enough apples(peeled, cored and sliced)  and add sugar or sweetener as required to cover the base of your dish and come about half way up the sides.

2.       Add washed blackberries to the cooked apple (enough to cover the apple)

3.       Using stale left over bread make some bread crumbs (enough to put a thick layer over the apple/blackberry mixture)

4.       Make thin slices of butter (a vegetable peeler makes good slices)

5.       Cover the bread crumbs with these slices

6.       Lightly sprinkle the butter slices with sugar.

7.       Bake for 1/2hr at Gas 7 medium to hot oven.

         Serve with custard or cream.

Boaters will know that now is also the time of having to slow down through fallen leaves and using reverse thrust to dislodge those leaves that can accumulate around the propeller.

This all means that we now start to slow down preparing for the winter months.

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