The village is very compact and about two dozen houses were taking part.
Stibbard is just off the Fakenham-Norwich road, so people go past - not through. But it has a lively community. The WI presented a sculpture of a farmer a few years back. The Village Phonebox is now a Book Exchange, last month they opened a new playground for the children - and after 10 years of being closed, the Parish Church re-opened a couple of years back [the Rural Dean gave them this glorious banner as a celebration gift]
It was enormous fun - people were so friendly and Bob enjoyed looking at old tools. He spent a fiver or so on a saw, a saw sharpener, and a few other bits and pieces.
We set off up one road but the final yard seemed a long way off. The map was clearly not to scale. Bob said he'd sprint up and have a look - and I strolled back to the village centre. I picked a few blackberries and filled my empty polystyrene cup. And put a huge marrow in my rucksack [from a 'free - help yourself' bucket]
When Bob came back he said that the distant yard wasn't particularly good, but there were loads of apples and blackcurrants along the hedgerows.
At the antepenultimate yard, I spent a fiver on a lovely wooden highchair for Rosie.I am particularly pleased with this purchase. It originally came from John Lewis - and is the sort that converts into a table and chair. It's lacking a harness, but these are obtainable, and it will be so useful to have one here at Cornerstones. I paid up, and they agreed to hold it whilst we fetched the car.
Then I spotted The Pan. A proper Maslin Pan,** for Serious Jam Making. I have always fancied one of these. The family wanted £5. Lakeland want nearer £50! No contest.
We fetched the car, collected the highchair, and drove to the site of the blackberries. Soon there was plenty of fruit in the pan. Then on the way back to Cornerstones, we stopped at Bawdeswell Heath and got a few little cherry plums. There were still police cars outside a nearby cottage [we'd seen them earlier at 8.45] Sadly we now know they were arresting the occupant in connection with the recent murder.
I already had sugar, vinegar, onions, and spices in the cupboard - and a cache of empty jam jars. I spent a happy afternoon producing a dozen jars of Hedgerow Chutney.
Bob worked out in the garage cleaning up his new tools.
I think we must be a very bizarre couple - other people go on holiday and spend their time sunbathing, or visiting shopping centres. We spend the morning ferreting around yardsales, and foraging in the hedgerows - and the afternoon doing cooking and carpentry!
**can anyone enlighten me as to why they are called Maslin Pans? I know it is the correct name, but I do not know the derivation.
Two very good bargains! I have no idea why Maslin is part of the name, but apparently it is an old word for wheat.
ReplyDeleteThat's intriguing - I've only ever considered cooking fruit and preserves in one, not wheat!
DeleteStill no idea why they are called maslin pans, but read this
ReplyDeleteShort history of the Maslin Pan
Preserving fruit, jams and sauces has been a tradition since the Middle-age years. The lack of food resources during the cold seasons was everyone’s primary motivation to start preserving jams.
The Maslin pan, often called a jam pan, has a long history and it didn’t always look like it does today. Its predecessor, the posnet, lacked the shine, design and comfortable-to-use handles that Maslin pans have today.But even so, they were extremely useful especially in families with many members.
These pans were first used in Europe, but there is no historical evidence with regards to the first time this type of cookware was seen. They were very popular in the 16th and 17th century, when they had smaller sizes and they were used for the same purpose: jam and jelly making.
In the past, these pans were made of copper, a material that was generally available at the time and one that proved to be extremely durable. However, such cookware was way heavier than today’s Maslin pans.
Thanks for all this useful information. I'd not come across the word post before.
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