Celebrating Christmas….

As a newcomer to the art of blogging, it usually takes me a while to post anything!  As this is a site dedicated to family and friends (they understand), food foraging, fire and cooking with clay – this is a belated Christmas greetings from Brunyfire.  So to all those out there reading this – here’s a toast…………

December is a busy month everywhere, not only for the Christmas rush, but here in Tasmania spring is ‘bustin’ out all over’ and there is much to be sourced, found and foraged.  This is foraged Elderflower, found everywhere throughout the suburbs of Hobart.  Made into a cordial in combination with tonic water, it makes for a very refreshing summer drop.  Elderflower cordial is really simple to make.  Collect about 20 flower heads, (best picked when the sun is on them). Shake off any lingering critters. Heat 1.8 kg of caster sugar with 1.2 litres of water till the sugar has dissolved. Pare zest of a couple of lemons, toss these into a large bowl with the flower heads, sliced lemons and the boiling sugar syrup.  Stir in 75gms of citric acid, cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.  Strain the cordial through muslin and pour into sterilized glass bottles.

This year has been a pretty momentous one with much to celebrate – two beautiful new grand-daughters to the family – a fantastic exhibition of new work by John, a book launch by Jetsetvagabond, Brunyfire’s fantastical trip to China and last, but not least, unleashing myself onto the blogging world.

Whilst there were many memorable moments in China, it was the people themselves that I found so inspiring – hard working, resilient, creative and above all, friendly……

……and all very approachable.

It has been through the world of the blog that my own world has been enlarged – being able to encompass and embrace the world from my own special place on Bruny Island.  Through the power of the blog, I have been connected with many interesting people with similar ideas and interests – here’s just some of them…..

Island Menu is a food and photography blog written by two friends with a focus on the use of fresh seasonal Tasmanian produce who often mention Bruny in their posts. Their site is refreshing and their photography, fantastic.  Samuel Shelley is a professional photographer and graphic designer with a love for fresh and salt-water fishing. Catherine Miller says she has an everyday job but blogs on the side at Little Glowing Lights and has a growing interest in photography and cooking.

Paulette Whitney of Provenance Growers is another blogger who has featured the foraged foods of Bruny Island.  She runs the highly successful Provenance Growers at Neika, in Tasmania’s south – suppliers of edible plants and produce for kitchens and kitchen gardens. She only uses biological methods and local and recycled inputs, with old and unusual varieties a specialty.  She has become a major supplier to some of Australia’s top restaurants, such as Garagistes in Hobart and Quay in Sydney.

And finally, the most serendipitous of blogging experiences – back to China!  To Shanghai to be exact.  In the pursuit of missing details from my China Diners post, I had contacted Fiona Reilly, an ex-pat Aussie living and working in Shanghai whose blog Life on Nanchang Lu: Shanghai I’d found that so impressed me that I made contact.  We discovered that we had a lot in common – public art, food, travel and Bruny Island.  Fiona and her family were going to holiday on the island at the time we were there – so we met up!!  Instant rapport!!  Fiona has a natural photographers eye and an easy writing style that makes her site enormously popular.  She turned her camera upon us – a couple of ole crinklies whose passion is our place on Bruny and our various projects that occur there.  Check out the Bruny Legends – flattery indeed and now Fiona is our new (very) best friend!!