Jackie's August message continued . . .
Contents:
Intro
Help!!!!!
Mothball Wombat
New books
Schedule
Writing Tips: How to get published
Two recipes
How to Grow Citrus
(Written
with a sticky jumper)
I've got cumquat
busters thumb. It's a little known medical condition- comes from pressing 1,862
ripe cumquats with your thumb till they burst (the cumquats that is, not your
thumb). Result: two sore thumbs, lots of sticky juice all over me, the kitchen
window and the bench, and a giant pan full of cumquats and sugar which I'm
turning into cumquat cordial.
Cumquat cordial is
Bryan's favourite cordial, narrowly beating passionfruit cordial, which comes
when the passionfruits ripen here mid summer. I tried inventing different
cumquat cordials for years but they all tasted like marmalade. Then I had a
brainwave: slice (or burst) the cumquats, mix with an equal amount of sugar (ie
two cups fruit to two cups sugar) and leave till it's all liquid and the sugar
has drawn out the juice and scented oils. Then add a teaspoon of tartaric acid
and a teaspoon citric acid and half a cup of water for every cup of goo, boil 5
minutes, and bottle.
I felt a bit self
conscious picking the cumquats- the king parrots kept yelling at me, as they
regard the cumquats as THEIRS THANK YOU VERY MUCH GO AWAY!!!!
But blast it, I
planted that tree twenty years ago as a seed, have watered and fed it- well
actually the only feeding it gets is the dead flowers from indoors that I throw
underneath it as mulch. But I still reckon I'm entitled to at least a quarter
of the cumquats, which is all I can reach anyway as the tree is about 5 metres
tall now and I can't fly.
I sometimes thing
it's a good thing humans can't speak bird, as most of what we think is lovely
birdsong is probably the feathered equivalent of four letter words. Hey you
###***!! that's MY tree!
Actually it's been
a battle to keep ANY cumquats this year as half our acquaintance has their eye
on them to make cumquat marmalade, which is why I've just made a bucket of
cordial, as you feel really mean when someone looks longingly at your laden
cumquat tree and says ' I'll just take a bagfull' ie the ones that easiest to
reach.
Anyway, from this
afternoon on ANYONE can have our cumquats, king parrots included, as I never
want to stick my thumb in one again. Not till next year, anyway.
But the cordial is
lovely stuff.
ps see further on for How to Grow Citrus (Limes, chinotto, native limes,
mandarins etc)
Help!!!!
Help!
If you write to me please put your return address on your letter, even if you
have written to me before, as I get so many letters I can't keep a file of
everyone's address- it would take me all day just to file the letters.
ps Kim from Adelaide- I don't have your address to write back to!
Mothball Wombat
What wombat? All
we see lately are large dark brown Mothball droppings all around the house,
which is Mothball's way of saying, hey, this place is MINE. Maybe if we left
our droppings all around the house she'd stop attacking the doormat Šno,
scratch that idea, it's too yuk to even think about.
But last time I
caught a glimpse of her she was fat and healthy, and there was no sign of her
'baby' Hark, who has probably wandered off by now to find his own holes. Even
though it's winter there's still plenty of grass, though it won't have as much
food value now it's cold. But we'll know soon enough when Mothball feels
peckish- there'll be a yell of gnaaaaaaah!!!! and then a small brown cannonball
attacking the back door.
New Books
The
Whacky families are out- My Mum the Pirate and My Dog the Dinosaur- I'll be
just finished writing My Dad the Dragon and My Uncle Gus the Garden Gnome, but
those two won't be out till next year. They're VERY funny- I keep giggling
every time I glance through them- and Stephen Michael King's illustrations are
a dream.
Big Burps Bare
Bums and other Bad Mannered Blunders has just been reprinted- it's a look at
good manners, bad manners and really TERRIBLE manners, and Phredde and the
Leopardskin Librarian has just been reprinted too.
Look out for the
new boxed set of Phredde books this Christmas- they are going to look great.
The new covers for Soldier on the Hill, Daughter of the Regiment, Hitler's
Daughter and Somewhere Around the Corner look wonderful too, though I'm glad
Walking the Boundaries and Rainstones are staying as they are, as I love the
covers too much to change.
Schedule So Far For the Year
So
far this is where I'm booked for the rest of the year. There may be some
additions, but hopefully not too many!
7 August (Thursday) talk at the Wagga library 7.00 PM.
9 August, (Sunday) at talk at Eltham Victoria organised by the Eltham Book
Store . Contact Eltham bookstore for details.
0-13 August, school events in Melbourne.
18-20 August, school events in Sydney.
4 September 7.30 pm. Giralang Primary School, ACT, an evening session on
writing for young and old. Contact Giralang primary for details.
10-13 September, Ipswich Writers' Festival, QLD, including a talk at at the
Ipswich Library on Saturday morning 13th. Contact the library for more
details.
14 September Bolinda Primary School Spring Fair, Bolinda Vic. This should be
great fun! Bryan and I are the guests for the day. Bolinda probably deserves
the title of Best School in the Universe (okay, maybe it ties for first place
with a few others) with fabulous kids and teachers- we've been writing to each
other for years now, and they come up to our place every few years too.
26-28 September Brisbane Writers centre- workshops on writing historical
fiction and a masterclass. Limited numbers so contact QLD Writers Centre for
details.
2-5 October, CBC Conference Hobart
26 October Vaucluse House Sydney: In the Chookhouse with Jackie French, plus a
Kid's Club session . Public warmly welcomed; contact Vaucluse house for
information on how to book- limited numbers
9 November Open Garden at our place to raise funds for the new Braidwood
Hospital garden- two 3 hour workshops on how to grow just about everything in
your back yard, even if your backyard freezes regularly, and how to grow herbs
and make your own perfume, deodorant etc. plus morning or afternoon tea.
Contact the Open Garden Scheme to book- numbers are strictly limited,
especially as most people from last year have booked again!
24 November Inverell library, 2 day sessions and one evening session
25 November Glen Innes library 2 day sessions and one evening session..
26 November Armidale library 1 day session
Writing Tips
How to get published
Step 1. Finish
your book. Yes, publishers DO accept books that haven' t been finished- but
only if you are a cricket legend, famous author, or an ex President of the
United States.
Step 2. Read your book again. Ask yourself WHY anyone will want to read beyond
page one, beyond chapter one and why they'll want to keep on going.
No one keeps
reading a book just because it's beautiful writing. They have to want to know
what will happen, or how, or really enjoy being with the characters or
fascinated by that particular world you have created.
Step 3. Re write your book. If you're not honest enough to admit it could be
better if you rewrote it, you're not yet a professional writer. Professionals
work at their writing. Amateurs zap off a book and cross their fingers.
Step 4. Don't send your story to your favourite author and ask if they can get
it published for you. They can't. Each book is accepted on their own merits and
a covering letter from an author won't help.
Authors aren't
experts on what books will sell- they are experts in writing their own type of
books. The decision to accept a book is taken by experts in editing and
marketing.
Most writers get
asked at least six times a week to look at people's stories or help get them
published. It takes hours to assess even a very short story, and several days
at least to assess a book Šand most people just want to be told 'hey, your
story is brilliant' even if it isn't.
There are manuscript assessment agencies who CAN help you get your story into
shape- for a fee. Contact the Writer's Association in your nearest capital
city, or the Australian Society of Authors. They may also be able to tell you
about writing workshops too, or mentoring schemes.
Of course you can
see if your favourite writer will be your mentor- officially or unofficially.
But all writers have only two hands, one brain and 24 hours in a day, and
there's a limit to what they can take do ..and sometimes it really hurts to
have to say 'no.'
Step 5. Browse through a bookshop and see who is publishing your sort of book,
and send it off to that publisher.
Publishers will
tell you to only send it to one publisher at a time, but you can send it to as
many as you want to. the first one to accept it, gets it!
Step 6. Be patient. You probably won't hear for months- maybe even 18 months or
more.
Step 7. If it's rejected, work out how you can make it better. Even if it is
brilliant and the publishing house only rejected it as they thought that type
of book wouldn't sell, it CAN be improved.
How long is a book?
Dunno. But it's
MUCH easier to write a short book, so that's what most would be writers attack
first. It will need to be a brilliant short book to stand out from the crowd.
How do you know if your story is any good or not?
Dunno that either.
EVERY writer thinks their story is great when they have finished it, just like
every Mum thinks her kid is the best and the brightest, even if they have the
brains and beauty of Horrie the Slug.
I reckon that if I
have tears in my eyes when I re read a story, it's okay. They don't have to be
sad tears- you can cry because something is funny or true. Also the more work
you have put into it, the better it is likely to be.
If you read your
book out to a class of kids and they enjoy it, it doesn't mean it's a great
story- just that they'd rather listen to a story than do maths! Also most
stories sound good when they are read aloud, as the reader puts in life and
expression.
A better test is
if they'd rather read your story than watch their favourite TV show. Yeah, I
know this is a hard test- but your book does need to be that good.
A Couple of Recipes
Chocolate (Beetroot) Muffins
Actually very rich and chocolatey, and healthy enough to have for breakfast!
one and three quarters of a cup SR flour
2 large beetroot, cooked and peeled, and either pureed or grated (or carrots
or pumpkin)
a third of a cup cocoa powder
one cup brown sugar, well pressed down
2 eggs
third of a cup buttermilk
third of a cup canola or safflower oil- some blandish oil
Splodge it all
into a bowl. Mix well. Spoon into a greased muffin pan, or patty cases. Bake at
200 C for about 25 minutes- they will be well risen and firmish to touch.
Almost instant Lime and lemon tarts
(and the best ones I know too)
4 eggs
three quarters cup castor sugar
half cup lime/lemon juice
1 carton cream
pastry
Line shallow a pie
dish, large baking tray or little muffin pans with the pastry. Should make one
generous tart or 12 little tarts
Beat eggs and
sugar till sugar dissolves. Beat in cream and juice, pour into pastry, bake at
200C till firm- about 20 minutes for a large tart or 12 minutes for small ones,
but this will depend how thick your dishes are and how deep the filling is. if
the pastry is going dark brown before the filling is set cover with a sheet of
alfoil to stop it browning even more and going rock hard.
How to Grow and Use Citrus
ANY garden can
have citrus trees. Even if they have to be grown in pot and wheeled indoors on
freezing nights- but even in Canberra and Hobart some types of citrus will grow
and fruit happily out of doors.
Which citrus?
Oranges -
plant Navels for winter fruit, Valencias for picking the rest of the year (they
may look greenish, not bright orange when they are ripe - commercial Valencias
are gassed to give them colour).
Bitter Sevilles
are cold tolerant, and can be eaten like grapefruit; also great for cooking
especially marmalade - though sour they have the most intense orange flavour.
Red fleshed blood
oranges are fun - the juice is bright red, like vampire oranges- and reasonably
cold tolerant; like Valencias, they are the best juice oranges. If you grow
both Navels and Valencias you'll have fruit all year round.
Lemons -
Eurekas give year round fruit- a thick skinned, tough cold and heat resistant
lemon. Most other lemons give most of their fruit in winter. Lisbon has the
most beautiful flavour and aroma.
Tangelo -
thin, bright orange skin, like a tangier mandarin; fruits in winter
Mandarin -
Ellendale has the biggest sweetest fruits; thorny varieties are more cold
tolerant; fruits in winter
Citron - thick
skinned and cold and heat tolerant; aromatic skin, great for candying; not much
juice but can be used like a sweetish lemon
Chinnotto -
musty small fruit; small ornamental tree; usually juiced for a drink sometimes
called 'Italian coca cola.'
Limes -
Tahitian limes are said to be the most cold tolerant; Kaffir limes the best for
tropical and hot areas. I find our kaffir lime, however, survives minus 6 C
happily. Kaffir limes are said to have the most fragrant leaves for cooking.
Not sure this is true - Eureka lemon leaves are about as good.
Native limes: there are several about, though you've have to hunt for them. We
grow the Desert lime and the Round lime, and both seem very frost resistant.
But they are only three years old, and about 30cm high, so they haven't born
fruit yet.
Pommelo - giant,
heat tolerant and grapefruit-like.
Grapefruit -
Wheeny and other thick skinned varieties are the most cold tolerant; pink
fleshed varieties the most fun. Try them grilled with brown sugar and a touch
of gin or rum. Avoid grapefruit if you have a tendency to gallstones.
Cumquats -
Miniature mandarins - most commercial varieties are sweet, but do eat the skin
as well - it's even sweeter than the tangy flesh. If you can't eat a cumquat
like a mandarin, it's calamondin.
Calamondin -
Most people mistake calamondins for cumquats. Calamondins have more segments,
and are smaller and sourer, but again, try eating the skin too - it will make
the fruit taste sweeter. Small kids love to eat them. So do birds.
Plant the seeds? Yes, straight from the ripe fruit. Citrus seed germinates
easily, and ungrafted trees grow fast and are much larger and usually hardier
in cold heat and drought than grafted ones once they've reached head high.. But
if your soil isn't well drained, grafted trees are more resistant to root
rots.
Where to grow: Anywhere - with the correct varieties and growing
methods. Require sun, frost protection and dislike wind. Relatively rich
soils and a reasonably constant supply of moisture (otherwise you tend to get
fruit drop or dead trees).
How to keep alive: LOTS of feeding - use well made compost, a complete
citrus food or Dynamic Lifter at least twice each summer. I also give ours a
dose of seaweed spray once a year. Plants in pots need to be fed once a month
while they are growing strongly. Mulch well - they're shallow rooted.
NB: If citrus leaves stay yellow even after feeding, look for scale, or use a
complete citrus food and seaweed spray together in case they have a trace
element deficiency. Citrus leaves often look yellowish in cold weather.
(They're trying to decide whether to die or not).
Citrus in cold climates - Commercial citrus are grafted onto dwarfing root stock. This keeps
them nice, small trees - and the rootstock is resistant to root rots too.
HOWEVER, if you live in a chilly climate ie woollen jumpers not cardigans in
winter, you'll find that a seedling citrus will be MUCH hardier.
Forget about Meyer
lemons - they're actually not cold hardy at all. Go for Eureka lemons. Plant a
few seeds and they'll grow fast and big. (The faster they grow the better they
withstand the cold.) Also try Seville oranges, citrons and Wheeny grapefruit.
Tahitian limes seem more cold tolerant here than lemons too. Calamondins (a
bitter version of cumquats) are very cold tolerant. So are cumquats ... which
aren't really citrus, but that's another story.
Grow against a
sunny north facing wall; feed every six weeks in summer. Try paving around the
citrus to retain and reflect heat. If all else fails grow citrus in a tub on
wheels - and take it indoors on cold winter nights.
In tropical areas:
try kaffir limes and pommelo - a bit like an overgrown, segmented grapefruit,
or some of the native Australian citrus if you can get hold of them..
In arid or drought prone areas: try rough or bush lemons, also called
citronelles. You get lots of peel, sweetish pulp, lots of seeds - but they do
survive. They used to be used as grafting stock for other citrus, so when the
graft above dies the rough lemon took over. They grow very fast from seed. In very
dry areas mulch citrus well and grow among other greenery to shelter them. Our
area is drought prone: I grow ours surrounded thickly by deciduous trees. These
shade them in summer. In winter the citrus get the sunlight when they need it.
Scale (they look just like tiny scale). Use an oil spray like Pestoil when
the temperature is under 24 C; stink bugs are attracted by rotting ripe fruit
and so are fruit fly. (In bad fruit fly areas you can net trees in tubs). If
your citrus trees don't put out new leaves during most of summer - or if the
new leaves are darker than the old leaves - the poor thing is hungry. Feed it.
Most people starve their citrus. (The rotters!)
Harvest: We have lemons and Valencia oranges on our trees all year
round - constant picking means we don't have one great big 'flush' of fruit
and then none for the rest of the year. But citrus are best in winter - soft
and sweet.
Store: Waxed commercial citrus rot from the inside out. I have kept one
of our untreated organic oranges for two years on a shelf (it had an
interesting, extremely obscene shape). Then someone ate it. They said it was
quite good - though by then the skin was dry and hard.
Healthy citrus
keep a long time - the skins just get harder. Keeping them in the fridge slows
down the mould - it doesn't help keep the oranges, which are best kept on a dry
shelf where they can slowly dessicate.
Eating:
Citrus flower water
Leave orange,
lemon or other citrus flowers in a small sealed pot just covered with vodka for
three weeks in the sun to make a perfumed essence for adding to cakes etc.
Strain; repeat with more flowers if necessary for a stronger flavour. Citrus
flower water can replace vanilla in cakes and custards - the taste is
definitely not the same, but the added fragrance fulfils the same role.
Cumquats or Calamondins in syrup
cumquats
sugar
water
Simmer cumquats
till tender. Pour off water. Add 1 cup of sugar and half a cup of water for
each cup of fruit. Simmer till a little juice sets like a soft jelly when dabbed
on a saucer. Bottle at once. Seal. Great with icecream, or to decorate cakes.
Curacao
Take the peel of
20 medium sized mandarins, scrape off any white and membranes. Place in the
sun till they are dry enough to crumble into fine powder. Put the powder in
jars - about a tablespoon per 500 gram jar - and cover with brandy. Leave for
six months.
Whole Preserved Spiced Lemons
Prick lemons at
least twenty times; cover with salt and leave for three days. Rub off the salt
and pour boiling vinegar scented with a touch of nutmeg, cloves and black
pepper over them. Leave for three months before using.
Lemon Essence
Grate off lemon zest with absolutely no white; place in a jar and top with
vodka.
Limes in Salt
This is very good
indeed - wonderful in summer.
Take a dozen
limes, prick at least ten times each. Place in a dish and cover with salt.
Leave alone for a month. The juice will seep out and form brine. When needed
take out the limes and slice thinly. A thin slice of salted lime is excellent with
cold water or soda water; it can be added to curries; mixed with natural
yoghurt as a side dish; added to honeyed chicken.
Dried Mandarins
Pierce each
mandarin in many places. Choose small ones, sweet and seedy - not giant
Ellendales, soft and slushy. Leave them in the sun till they start to shrivel -
usually about three days, but more or less depending on the weather. Boil a
syrup of one cup sugar, a third of a cup of water, a dessertspoon red wine
vinegar, a grate of fresh ginger and a couple of cloves. After ten minutes add
the mandarins, take off the heat, leave overnight, boil the lot again. Bottle
and seal. Leave for three months before using.
Orange Jelly (other
citrus can be substituted)
For people who
love oranges but don't like bitter marmalade. This jelly is sweet and good.
a dozen oranges
a cup of apple juice
500 grams sugar
Juice the oranges;
strain carefully to get out all bits of flesh as these will will make it
bitter. Sprinkle the sugar with a few drops of apple juice, boil for five
minutes. Add the other ingredients. Boil till a little sets in cold water or
the boiling mixture coats the spoon.
Strain again if
you want a very clear jelly, though this isn't necessary.
This jelly can be
eaten like jam, or in small pots with cream.
Dried Mandarin Peel
Peel mandarins,
scrape off as much of the white as you can. Place in the sun till crisp - this
will take anywhere from a day to a week. It's quicker if you slice the peel
and place on alfoil but neither is necessary. When it is dry crumble it (if it
doesn't crumble it isn't dry enough) and store in a sealed box.
Mandarin peel can
be invaluable once you are used to using it. A little powdered into cakes, a
teaspoon with a beef stew, a teaspoon of the powder added to whipped cream is
better than any liquor. Place some in a bottle and cover with brandy or gin;
drink in six months and savour.
Green Orange Preserve
This is a very
good way of using fruit that drops off in wet weather. Other citrus can also
be used, especially limes, mandarines and cumquats.
Take whole green
oranges, just before they start to show colour. Stick a knife down the centre
and cut out the middle - just like coring an apple. This should get rid of the
seeds. Soak the fruit in salty water for 24 hours - about three cups of water
to half a cup of salt. Drain and wash well in fresh water. Boil the fruit in a
large pan of water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to every six cups of
water. When a skewer will easily prick the skins, take them out, wash in cold
water inside and out. Don't cook the fruit till they are squashy or they will
become too hard in the syrup.
Take two kilos of
sugar and boil with a litre of water and the juice of two lemons for ten
minutes. Pour over the fruit, leave for 24 hours, reboil the syrup till a
little sets in cold water, add the fruit and bring to the boil again. Bottle
while hot and seal.
Orange Peel in Gin Syrup
This is not
marmalade but can be eaten the same way - or as a dessert by itself with cream.
oranges
sugar
water
lemon juice
Peel the oranges -
there should be no white adhering to the peel. Chop into thin strips. Boil in
water for 30 minutes till soft. Drain, cover the peel with water, leave
overnight. Drain again.
Boil equal volumes
of sugar and water for 20 minutes. Drop the peel into the syrup, simmer for an
hour. The peel should absorb most of the syrup. Scoop out the peel, place in
jars. Reduce the syrup by half with rapid boiling. Add half a cup of gin for
every cup of syrup, bring to the boil again and take off the heat at once. Pour
over the peel, seal. Leave for three months before using. This will keep for
years. It sounds a lot of work. The result is worth it.
Lime butter
(other citrus can be used)
Take a cup of fresh lime juice, half a cup of sugar, add two eggs, well beaten,
half a cup of butter and a teaspoon of cornflour mixed in with the juice. Heat
in a saucepan as slowly as possible, stirring all the time till it thickens.
Bottle and seal and store for up to six months in the fridge. This is a strong
and tart butter - add more butter if you like a blander mixture.
Lime tart
(Really good. Other citrus can be used; mandarine is interesting)
Fill a pie crust with a cup of cream in which two eggs and half a cup of sugar
have been beaten, then half a cup of lime juice added. Add the lime juice at
the end or the lot may curdle. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a moderate oven
till set.
Marmalade
1 kg fruit- one sort or mixed
1 kg sugar
water
Peel fruit, leaving as much white as possible of the fruit, chop the peel. Nowe
peel off the white and throw it out- the white makes the marmalade cloudy. Chop
the fruit roughly. Cover with water. Leave overnight. Simmer till soft. Add the
sugar. Simmer till a little sets on a cold saucer. stir often. Bottle and seal
at once.
Other:
Eau de Cologne
This is a modern,
home-made version of a great classic scent.
Place in a large jar:
the dried rind (no pith) of an orange
2 tablespoons bergamot leaves, chopped
the dried peel of two lemons (no pith)
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
6 tablespoons lavender flowers
Cover with vodka. Shake every day for three weeks and strain. Repeat with
fresh herbs for a stronger fragrance.
and lots of citrus recipes, including how to make eau de cologne)