Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

I think people in gardening are generally apt to overlook the amount of space each plant will require when grown. and so they crowd in seeds, making it impossible for the little plants to have enough food of earth and air to live upon. Lucerne. All dairy farmers find lucerne most useful, but Feb. A PRETTY KITCHEN-GARDEN. BLATJANG it requires a strong, deep soil, and where one can easily irrigate it in dry weather. A pretty Kitchen-garden. — How few think also of the possibilities of arranging a kitchen-garden ornamentally! But what pretty effects might be had with such a beautiful variety of foliage and fruit as, say, parsley, the crimson leaves of beet, some of the handsome kinds of curly kales — almost like miniature palm trees in their growth — carrot leaves which change to such beautiful tints, the blue flowers of borage, hedges of scarlet-runners, great clambering plants of cucumber and vegetablemarrow or melon, clusters of scarlet or yellow tomatoes — one could make an endless variety of beautiful groups. February 7. — To-day I have been looking through my old recipe-books to see how I could best use the red chillies while they are so plentiful, and I find there is a good recipe, which will keep well, for blatjang (the Malay condiment) — this keeping kind is my own invention. All Cape housekeepers know how useful blatjang is to add to fish sauce, etc. My recipe for it is as follows — Blatjang. — Soak i lb. dried apricots over-night in vinegar. Take ^ lb. fresh red chillies, and (after removing the seeds) pass them twice through the mincing-machine. Take 12 large flat white onions, and after taking off the outer skins, bake them in the oven in an enamelled dish, and then pass them also through the mincing-machine. Now mash or mince up the apricots you soaked over-night in vinegar. Besides the apricots, chillies, and onions, you will want — 1 lb. brown sugar, lb. salt. 2 tablespoonfuls coriander seeds. I large garlic. ROSES. SHEEP’S BRAINS Feb. lb. Valentia almonds minced. 2 bottles of vinegar (Crosse and Blackwell’s, or very good Cape vinegar). Boil all these ingredients together till nice and clear, stirring all the time, and when done put in small jars and cork well. I shall use this recipe to turn to account the abundance of red chillies this month. Blatjang made this way will keep for a year. I have sent it to England several times, and have had orders for another supply from those who prefer it to chutney. If fresh chillies are not available use \ lb. cayenne pepper instead, but it will not have such a nice red colour. All the ingredients should be passed through a very fine mincing-machine. February 8. — Watering. — Another busy day, this time in the flower-garden, where, as the weather has been dry, I have had a good deal of watering to do. Roses. — In the hot summer months I find that a little top-dressing of rotted straw, with a sprinkling of fowl manure, is splendid for roses; watering liberally every evening. The roses we budded in January must be kept very moist, and the buds carefully supported with a stake in case of strong wind ; and old wood cut back. Febrtiary 9. — Sheep’s brains. — Poor J has been very ill,