Becky O Cole Gardener, Forager, Herbalist
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by Becky | Jul 27, 2018 | 0 comments

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MY PODCAST

A cake for February. A recurring theme of late win A cake for February. A recurring theme of late winter’s Imbolc is milk. 🥛This is likely due to the sheep in the fields being almost full term, ready to birth their babies come March and April. Without birth there is no milk and spring is a time of rebirth and new life. With this in mind I find myself musing over baking with milk. What kind of cake can I make to celebrate this time of year and its connection with this particular ingredient? I found my answer in this months cake-an Imbolc Milk cake (similar to the Mexican Tres Leche cake), a mega milky celebration of vanilla undertones and white chocolate flavours. 🤤
Here's how to make it:
Heat your oven to 180C and line a 20cm cake tin. Put 4 egg whites into a bowl and add a pinch of fine salt. Beat well until the whites are foamy then add 150g of caster sugar, one tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated. 
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In a separate bowl, mix the 4 egg yolks with 50g caster sugar and a tsp of vanilla extract until light and slightly bubbly. Then add 200g plain flour, 1tsp baking powder and 100ml milk to the egg yolks and gently fold together.
Now add one dollop of the stiff egg whites into this mix and beat well. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites, trying to keep the mixture light and airated.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. A skewer should come out clean. Let the cake cool a little in the tin before turning it out onto a plate. Using a skewer make small holes all over the cake. 
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Now in a clean bowl mix together one tin of condensed milk, one tin of evaporated milk and 3 tbsp of double cream. Then gradually pour this sweet milky liquid over your cake and let it soak in for for a full day. You can decorate your cake once its fully cooled with whipped cream (which I highly recommend!). 
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You’ll only need a small square of this cake and it is so sweet and milky but an utterly delicious treat to see through the last weeks of winter.
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 #slowhandmadehome #thegoodlife #everydaymagic #wheeloftheyear #theslowdowncollective #seasonalfood #imbloc #cottagecore #seasonalliving #whatsonmytable #cottagekitchen #seasonalbaking
Winter rest is so important. Just as the trees dro Winter rest is so important. Just as the trees drop their leaves and animals hunker down into their nests while the ground frosts over, we too-being part of nature-should take this time for deep rest, allowing out bodies to recuperate and unwind. I’ve been trying to embody this as fully as I can over the last months. Sometimes it’s been completely intentional other times enforced thanks to the insane viruses hitting up schools at the moment. Either way I feel like I’ve learnt a lot in these precious winter weeks and as Imbolc approaches I feel myself craving light, activity and the feeling of achievement. I’m slowly awakening from the hibernation state and ready for a new year. The Nature & Nourish podcast, which has had a much needed pause during winter, will arrive back soon, fresh projects are back on my desk and our huge seed order is in for the market garden. 🌱 In the meantime I’m also preparing for my eldest’s 6th birthday which includes making his birthday crown, finding special gifts, printing out some photos from the last year and organising a trip out somewhere exciting.💚 I’m also looking forward to fully embracing February-late winter and all it has to offer. Over on my Patreon we will be reading Wintering by @katherinemay_ as part of the book club and I will be uploading a winter workshop to keep us inspired through the cold days ahead while we wait for the daffodils to arrive. Do pop over there and join us for some more seasonal rituals and connection 🌝Hope you’re all well and enjoying winter. And have you had much rest this season? Sending lots of love ❤️ Becky x
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#slowliving #wildandfree #seasonalliving #natureconnection #regenerativeliving
I’ve been scrolling through my photos on my phon I’ve been scrolling through my photos on my phone and wow what a whirlwind 2022 was. It was the year I got my first book published with @hardiegrantuk (still hard for me to believe!) It’s also been a challenging year- navigating covid, kids and school bugs galore. In the midst of it all I’ve deepened my relationship with plants and nature, filmed a series of  herbal workshops for my Patreon and finished my 4 year stint on the @vanessafeltzofficial show as well as continuing to work the land here on our regenerative farm. 🌍 I’m excited to see what the next 12 months bring and wish you a very, very happy new year! ❤️pic @kim.lightbody_photography from my book The Garden Apothecary
Come along on a morning on my sustainable farm wit Come along on a morning on my sustainable farm with @ayacucho_outdoor who are sponsoring this reel. I’m starting the day off in my new Ayacucho Sherwood 3 in 1 jacket, this jacket has lots of practical pockets and features which make it a perfect coat for me to wear on the farm. @ayacucho_outdoor are a high quality clothing brand who are committed to both sustainability in the creation and manufacturing of clothing, and positive social change which make it a great choice for me as a regenerative grower and farmer. After feeding the animals I’ve swapped to the Highland winter 11 parka which has renewable, plant based sorona insulation. I’m wearing this to forage for some pine which I’ll make into a tea later on. The Ayacucho Aarhus down jacket is my favourite coat for taking into town or for keeping me cosy while I set up our farm shop. Finally, layers are so important for any outdoorsy person and the Drasland 11 jacket is a beautiful option and even better it’s made from recycled polyester. Thank you so much to Ayacucho for being an #ad partner on this reel- I love getting to work with brands who have a positive environmental ethos and also make clothes perfect for my lifestyle. 🌍🌱

#ad  #Ayacucho #AyacuchoOutdoor #farming #womeninfarming #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #outdoorclothing
T’is the season for the return of my honey or ma T’is the season for the return of my honey or maple marshmallows made with three ingredients 🍯I’ve never wanted to make marshmallows before believing them to be full of refined sugar However now that I’ve found the perfect healthier alternative I‘m a complete marshmallow convert and have been having a hot chocolate topped with these beauties most evenings ❤️ They last about 3 days in the fridge but I prefer to chop them into squares and freeze them and use them straight from there. This recipe should keep you in marshmallows until Christmas 🎄 PS good quality gelatin is really good for you! It’s great for skin health and a healthy gut! So these are actually a healthy snack too!
Recipe:
4tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin (powder, not collagen)
1 cup Water
200g honey or maple syrup 
1tbsp Vanilla extract 
Pinch salt

In your stand mixer bowl pour in the gelatin and half of the water. Let sit. On a low/medium heat on a stove combine the water, salt and honey or maple syrup in a thick bottomed pan and to the soft ball stage (takes about 20 mins, keep it boiling!) Now turn on your stand mixer on low and slowly trickle in the hot honey mix, keep going until all the honey mix has been combined. Now add in the vanilla and put up the mixer to high and beat until the marshmallow mix creates stiff peaks. Scoop into a lined tin and pop into the fridge. Should set perfectly in about an hour! Now cut into squares and enjoy!
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#honeymarshmallows #decembermagic #seasonalshenanigans #wintersolstice #winterbaking #hotchocolate
With winter and it’s deep frosts thoroughly sett With winter and it’s deep frosts thoroughly settled in, its time to start thinking about putting your garden to bed for the season if you haven’t already.
One of my favourite ways of doing this is by mulching my garden. This is an easy gardening job that you can take your time doing over the coming weeks and is fantastic for the garden and especially for soil health. Mulching surpresses weeds, feeds the soil, retains moisture and also protects plants and prevents soil erosion.
You can mulch using a variety of organic materials so it will work with all budgets. Some of my go- tos are rotted straw, compost, grass clippings, leaf mould and manure but my all time favourite mulch is wood chip. You can often get this for free from tree surgeons and it works brilliantly well.
All you need to do is layer up about 4 inches of your chosen mulch around shrubs and trees or on your garden beds. This might seem like a lot but it will keep those weeds done and also look really tidy once done. If you have containers you can also use mulch, just use a little less so it doesn’t spill out over the top of your pots. Thanks to @toast for the lovely #gifted outfit ❤️
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#decembermagic #littlegardenstories #iamcountryside #TOASTbeing

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