Instead of the usual rush to get to our retreat, we spent time in Germany’s Black Forest, visited the beautiful city of Timisoara in Romania and crossed the Danube by ferry… not your typical house move!

Spa Hotel in the Black Forest 

Timisoara – Romania

Sitting here next to the wood burner in January with the snow falling outside, it’s a challenge to reflect on any specific detail during the last 7 months. Without doubt the most fun, challenging and rewarding period of my life, so much has happened, so much has been achieved, so many goals have been realised.

Living in a small mountain community softens the challenges, with sympathy and support from our neighbours. We’re all in it together. During the summer months it didn’t rain once, leaving the village short on water and meaning I had to conjure up a plan to keep our reservoir topped up for our guests. This culminated in the purchase of large plastic barrels and trips to various water fountains and eventually the river, where I was met by a queue of friendly locals chatting between themselves whilst waiting to fill their containers.  Everyone agreed that life was difficult without water and one chap from a local hotel cited a friend in Syria who was suffering a far worse shortage than we were. Nobody was moaning, no one was blaming the government. We all patiently waited our turn, occasionally allowing the odd queue jump for those with a small container for a quick splash and dash.

As a young man I spent many years working in forestry. Our small team of lean, not at all mean, cutting machines kept us in beer and smokes and just about covered the bills. We never set off in the mornings thinking of financial reward, we did this work for other, more beneficial rewards… being our own bosses, the fresh air, enjoying breakfast in the middle of a forest. Many muscular building labourers joined our slim team only to quit after the first day. Men, mud and machines, forestry is extremely hard work.
Twenty years on, the wood burner is not simply keeping me toasty and cooking Sunday dinner. It’s the culmination of my skills in the forest, an appropriate gift from my folks in the guise of a Husqvarna 353, our trusty Land Rover Defender, some sweat with the axe and the knowledge that every log in that box, was created by nature and me.

The wood shed awaits…

Immersing ourselves into mountain life, albeit in our slightly westernised manner, has been a great deal of fun. Drought, floods, power cuts, and being snowed in have already become part of every day life. New people we meet ask us “when are you going to make Rakia… you’ll need a dog or two in the mountains… you should get a gun…” Our Rakia is good and we have a dog that’s good most of the time. As for the weapon, it has been part of the plan. A wild boar or deer would certainly create a lot of meat for us and our friends in the village. The last deer I spotted from the garden ‘ponder bench’ was a beautiful creature. Standing in a small glade on the edge of the treeline enjoying the warmth from the winter sun. I watched her for 30 minutes, standing there, peacefully. Small plumes of steam wafted from her nostrils with every breath as I shot her a number of times with the camera. A truly grand and gracious life to end if I had the choice… My last oak tree was around 80 years old. He was treated with honour and respect as I delve further into the realities of consuming those things I cherish.

View from the kitchen table 

A result of circumstance, surroundings and upbringing, I sit here, slightly uncomfortably, listening to our kitchen tap, dribbling away an abundant supply of free water in an effort to stop our pipes freezing again. I smile at the words of the local head forester, “we’ve got millions of tress here”. Struggling with the most difficult language in Europe, I now look back at my own country’s diverse and opulent thesaurus and realise the flaws. I reflect on the green and pleasant yet seemingly melancholy land that I left behind. Our new, ex-communist homeland can only go from strength to strength and we warmly embrace the honour, respect, positive thinking and truly outstanding welcome that has been our experience of Bulgaria and it’s people.

Thank you for the chance to live my dream.

Lee

Big Broadleaf Trees

From our very first visit 6 years ago, the Rhodope Mountains made us think of how Britain used to be, before they cut a lot of the trees down and concreted over a large amount of land. Here there are miles and miles of broadleaf woodland, spanning the valleys and cloaking mountainsides. The Autumn colours are intense with a mix of yellows, oranges, reds, greens, purples and golds. All year round the colours are more vibrant and richer and the air is cleaner.

Another link to UK bygone times is the variety and often very surprising natural wildlife. After dark, a female boar and her piglets trot through the village lanes and try to help themselves to garden cucumbers and potatoes, but they don’t succeed as, like a Mexican wave, dogs bark at them as they pass each home in the sprawling village. They are also bigger than the wild boar we’ve seen on TV, with long legs and their backs as high as the bonnet on a Suzuki Grand Vitara (we closely followed a female in our jeep headlights before she disappeared into the bushes). Quite sizeable animals and boar hunting is well managed in these mountains so their population is very stable.

Drive down the mountain early in the morning and numerous Red Deer bound across the dirt road and a magical sound is the stags roaring across the valleys when the rutting season begins in September. Standing in the back garden you hear them from all directions and can pinpoint where on the mountainsides they are and if your lucky, see them. We have a good pair of binoculars for such occasions! Red Deer are huge, female bodies up to 2 meters long and we have spotted them from our back garden, sunning themselves in a snow covered glade. The environment is perfect for lots of big wildlife.

Mountain Cats have been seen too but keep their distance from humans, as do the Wolves and Black Bears. Wolves have attacked village sheep at night but when the sheep are much deeper in the forests than we go. Domestic animals are not penned in here but wander freely. Much of the wildlife habitat is dense woodland on steep inclines and very rocky in places. There aren’t any wild Rabbits up here as the soil is not deep enough and too sandy but there are plenty of Hare and we have seen Foxes too. Mice are a problem with lots of hay barns and grain to feed the village livestock over-winter. Other homes in the village have domestic cats but we only have a dog so we trap our mice humanely and I take them for a long walk before releasing. Another mammal is the Forest Dormouse, who we often see in our grapevine. A very cute creature who looks like a bandit with black stripes over it’s eyes but we’ve haven’t managed to photograph yet. Hopefully more wildlife photographers will holiday here soon and manage to capture a shot.

Bulgaria is an increasingly popular destination for bird watchers with many Eagles and Vultures living here and reservations have been set up to ensure they stay protected. Because Melanya is situated on the crest of a mountain ridge, you can watch them glide for miles. Golden Eagles are regulars, attracted by the free range chickens in our village and I join in shouting to ward them off. Everywhere there are blue flashes of Jays, almost as common as Sparrows. Green, Great- and Lesser-Spotted Woodpeckers come to feed in our fruit trees and Nuthatches nest in our walnut tree. Every year Cuckoos and Fieldfares return and House martins build their nests in our deep window enclaves. It’s lovely to see the little chicks heads all vying for the best feeding spot.

Housemartin nest

We also have numerous types of finches who feast on the garden insects. Birds are one of the best pest controllers for us organic gardeners!

As Bulgaria is also a Mediterranean country, situated north of Greece, there are a few more species to add to the list, like the Black Woodpeckers with their bright red crests, and native Tortoises that trundle up and down the mountain lanes, generally in the tyre ruts so you have to keep stopping your vehicle to move them out of the way! White and rare Black Storks migrate here every year to build their nests high up and many types of Lizards are seen sunning themselves before they dash for cover.

Lizard on windowsill

As well as the common butterflies, there are many other varieties frequenting our garden, including rare Scare Swallow Tail. Moths too are unusual – Jersey Moths have a bright red hind wing underneath black and white striped forewings. Giant Peacock Moths have an 11-14cm wingspan and the caterpillars 8cm long, bright green with fluorescent blue warts. The colourful Spurge Hawk Moth caterpillars are 10cm long! (see picture below). Snakes and scorpions live here too but don’t be alarmed, you are safe as long as you don’t put your hand in a dark hole and the scorpions are not dangerous to humans. We’ve only caught glimpses of both even though we spend a lot of time working in our acre garden, picking mushrooms in the mountains, fishing in the river and walking in the forests looking for wildlife!

Barbary Spurge Hawk Moth Caterpiller

Last month, I discovered a new one I’d not seen before and nearly missed them. They grow at the edge of woodland, mainly around young self-seeded pine trees and almost hidden by the long grass. They have brown caps so don’t stand out against the dry undergrowth but once I’d got the OK I knew what to look for and they are easily picked, stem included. To make sure they grow again next year, you should cut the last ¼ from the stem and put back on the ground and their name is Slippery Jack.

Slippery Jack

They were named as such for a very good reason – their cap is very slimy and needs to be peeled off before cooking. It’s messy but the best method I’ve found is hold the mushroom in one hand by its thick stem, and using the other hand, peel back the cap skin towards the centre.  Some peel easier than others and you can rinse your fingers under the tap if they become too sticky. When the brown skin is removed you should have pure white dense flesh with a bright yellow spongy layer underneath. The flesh of older specimens is more translucent brown/grey and the spongy layer is browner and should be removed as it can irritate the stomach.  This layer is like a honeycomb and the older the mushroom is the easier it parts from the flesh (see photo below). Don’t eat these mushrooms raw though, I cook mine and make them into soup. They are at their best when young, 5-6 cm diameter.

Removable yellow layer

Lastly 2 tips

1. When picking mushrooms its best to get them early in the morning when they are full of moisture and put them in a paper bag otherwise plastic makes them sweat. Also it’s a good idea the have the paper bag inside a plastic bag as if the mushrooms are wet the paper bag will not hold together for long! I also take a rucksack because these mountains are quite steep and it’s a good idea to have both hands free.

2. Get your mushrooms verified by an expert or use a good book as mushrooms are not worth taking a risk over!

Melly

Rolling pastry

Fresh out of oven

Lee devouring...

Filed under: Melanya News ]]> http://melanyablog.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/sweet-bulgarian-baklava-2/feed/ 1 Melanya Melly making filo pastry Baklava fresh from oven Lee eating Melly's baklava http://melanyablog.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/mother-natures-gifts/ http://melanyablog.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/mother-natures-gifts/#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:22:33 +0000 Melanya http://melanyablog.wordpress.com/?p=201 ]]> I’m extremely lucky to have an organic garden that is brimming with produce that costs a lot to buy from shops. Fruit trees are all around me and I’ve never seen so many different kinds of plum, from small and round to large and oval, and all one colour per tree, either yellow, orange, red, mauve or purple. Some are sweeter or juicier and better drying for storage or making alcohol from. Then there are the many red and green apple trees and some are delicious eaters or better cooked and the bruised or wasp bitten are for cider making. I have red and white grapes and mulberries too – the white ones are best for wine or rakia. Only one variety of cherry, pear, blackberry and quince, but lots of each.

No work entailed apart from a bit of pruning, harvesting once a year and then trying out new recipes and storage ideas. I also have a huge walnut tree and every year without fail it gives me 20-30 kilo of nuts and they are so simple to store they feature in most of my cake and biscuit recipes and are good until way beyond next years harvest is ready. If you know anyone nearby who has a walnut tree in their garden and they aren’t using its offerings, I thoroughly recommend you ask if you can harvest them. Walnuts are ready from September onwards and the way to tell is when they start to fall from the tree. Take one from a branch, crack it open and have a look. This is the best way to judge as the shells don’t tell you the answer! The nut is encased in a green pod (1^st in pic) but be warned, the pod is like a fruit and the insides and residue left on the nut (2^ndin pic) will permanently stain your fingers black so it’s very important to wear gloves!

Walnuts 1 - 4

Crack a shell and take a look inside. The flesh inside the nut should be a pale golden colour (4^th in pic). Brown skin is a sign they will not be tasty. If the flesh is the right colour they can be harvested. This can be done in 2 ways: 1. Climb up into the tree and shake the branches (making sure there isn’t anything damageable below like a car!) or 2. Using a long strong stick, hit the pods so they fall. Or do both. Pick up from the ground (wearing gloves) into a container before sitting down to remove the outer pods (again wearing gloves). Often these split open saving you the task and I was told if the pod has turned black then discard as they will not be good but I opened a few to see for myself and they were fine but don’t waste your time on black pods that have dried out. Only use the wet casings. Also you must check each shell because the shell must be completely closed. If there is a hole there is likely to be little grubs living inside. Throw these on the compost heap or wood-burner pile as it’s not worth the risk.

Next step is drying: spread the shells out on cardboard in a sunny area for 2-4 days to dry the casings out (3^rd in pic). Be sure to place them out of reach of marauders like squirrels and dogs (yes dogs, the first time I left my nuts on ground level, the next day I found some had been moved off the cardboard and cracked, their empty shells left as proof. I kept watch the next night and to my surprise our dog wandered over and started helping himself. He lay down sphinx like, cracked them with his teeth and picked through the shells between his paws!)

If you don’t have any sun, you can put them in an airing cupboard or if you have space, spread them out on newspaper in a warm room. Rotate every day and remove any moldy ones. Quick drying can be done in an oven at a low temperature (50°C) on racks for 1-2 hours depending on how wet your shells are. Don’t worry if you forget about them as roasted walnuts are lovely too but not if the shells are burnt!

Don’t crack them until you want to use them as once the shell has been cracked the fleshy part should be used straight away or it goes soft. You can store cracked nuts in a fridge for only a few days. Walnuts can be eaten raw or crushed and added to a huge number of recipes, eg biscuits, cakes, breads, salads, pies, crumble toppings.

Melly

Ingredients

100g butter, melted

500g all purpose flour

1 egg

2 tsp sugar

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp vinegar

8-16 tbsp warm milk

100g cornflour

400g crushed walnuts

1kg sugar

1 kg water

2 tbsp honey

Method

Melt 50g of butter and add to the flour with an egg. Mix roughly with your hand and, one at a time, add the sugar, 2 tbsp oil and vinegar. Combine together and gradually add milk until the consistency is smooth. Form into 20 balls, each the same size, about 5cm, and keep these covered.

Dust a board with cornflour and one by one, roll each ball out really thin, roughly about 50cm wide. For this you need a long thin rolling pin, maximum 3cm diameter. I’ve never seen one in England but then I never looked for one. A broom handle is a good comparison! As you roll, start with you hands in the middle of the pin and with each forward and backward movement, move your hands outwards. Keep dusting the board and pin with cornflour and as you thin it out don’t be alarmed if splits occur. The thinner it gets, the better and splits will not be noticed. When you reach the end of the dough, turn it 180° and roll from the centre out again. When you reach about 30cm diameter, roll the pastry back on itself. Hands return together in a backward/forward movement as you roll the pastry over itself, and outwards again as you roll the pastry flat once more. It shouldn’t stick together if you have used enough cornflour. Place each sheet on a flat surface and overlap edges so 2 piles stack up. Repeat until all balls are rolled out.

Oil a baking tray as big as you can (mine was 42 cm x 32 cm and 4 cm deep). Place 1^st sheet of pastry on the bottom and cut any overlaps and reposition to fill the base or add from the next sheet. No need to try and stick them together. Sprinkle with nuts and place the next sheet on top, cutting and filling gaps as necessary so the layers are even. Repeat until all pastry is used. Using a sharp knife, deeply cut into 3cm wide strips then turn 180° and cut strips again to make squares. Brush the rest of the oil into all gaps and repeat with the rest of the melted butter. Top with any remaining nuts and bake at 180°C for 30-50 minutes until the pastry has risen and is brown. Remove from oven, cover and cool in tin.

Dissolve 1kg sugar in 1 kg water, add honey and pour over pastry. Don’t be alarmed if the pastry is swimming – the pastry soaks up a lot of the liquid. Cover and wait (if you can) for it to cool.

Give a portions to your neighbours, refrigerate and eat for up to 10 days. Be warned, it’s very sticky and messy! Alternatively you can come for a holiday at Melanya to use our local organic ingredients and the latest walnut harvest.

Melly

Then, remote as Melanya is, you do here a vehicle approaching, the milk collecting van, the weekly vegetable van who also buys the dried wild mushrooms villagers have picked from the mountainside, the monthly chicken feed delivery, the lorry delivering a stack of hay, the timber truck collecting wood, a family visiting their relatives playing Turkish music on their car stereo, the off-road bikes on their way past, the noise of an aeroplane flying so far away we can’t see it.

Then there are the sounds that are seasonal, like of the cuckoos mating call in June, baby house martins chirping in their nest, a cat on heat calling, the flap of the black stork wings as it gracefully circles over the house, frogs producing the most bizarre sounds in August, roaring stags rutting in September and the distant rumble of thunder.

These noises are all intermittent and the sounds I’ve described above were not all heard in one day. In reality (apart from the crickets) it’s quiet 90%. of the time so life is very peaceful here in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains but the silence is never truly silent if you listen.

Melly

The first time I realised was when we had only recently bought Melanya and I was on the patio retraining my grape vines to grow in a more pickable situation, when Lee came down the stairs slowly, concentrated, staring at his hand. I stopped what I was doing and to my amazement he had a lizard sitting on his palm. It was poised and tilted its head to the side as I peered in closely to see his beady eyes watching me. It was smaller than Lee’s hand but I could see its throat moving with fast breaths. Then suddenly a neighbour arrived in our garden, calling ‘Zdrasti’, Lee called back and said to me “here, hold this” while gently prompting the lizard onto my hand. I was so amazed I couldn’t move until at first and then gingerly stepped forward. Surprisingly it didn’t immediately jump off so I took the lizard with me and felt like some of Lee’s magic had rubbed off on me. This tiny wild animal wasn’t scared of this big human and was sharing its world with me.

I thought this mastery would take time and patience but I was wrong. Yesterday, when I saw a pure white moth with delicate feathery wings on the wrong side of our bathroom window, I approached so close I could see intricate markings on the wings and the long white antennae. When I pointed my finger at the glass, it moved along to step onto me and stayed on my finger as I brought it close to my face while I opened the window. I moved it round the frame to the night outside but it didn’t want to leave my finger so I pointed to the sill and it hopped off.

Now we’re both Doctor Dolittles!

I want to get as much growing as I can in the remaining summer months but already we are harvesting resident organic fruit and veg. Today I made 2 kg of cherry jam and gave a jar to each of our nearest neighbours. First time I’ve ever made it and it’s delicious. One neighbour liked it so much he picked all his strawberries and asked me to turn them into jam. I was happy to oblige but it’s more due to the clean air and sunny weather that the fruit and so my jam is so tasty.
Things seem to grow bigger up the mountain and GPS tells me we’re 2518 feet above sea level. Our gardener has planted onions, garlic and lettuce that have set seeds in odd places so I have transplanted them and the tall white flowers on the patio border are just blooming.

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The weather has been wonderful, constantly changing from blue sky and sunshine (sometimes too hot to be outside, especially in the afternoons, but our house is always lovely and cool inside) to heavy and overcast with the rumble of thunder and flashes of fork lightening in the distance. And when the wind is blowing it is warm inside our house. What a clever home to have! Today was the first day the rain actually came to our village and according to the locals, very needed for the wild mushrooms – something else we want to do. Yesterday we went for a photo excursion which ended up being an off road adventure as tracks opened up to put our Land Rover to its test. Oh what fun we’re having!!!

Everyday I hear cuckoos, see eagles and woodpeckers and the chirping crickets never tire. Fireflies dart about in the evening garden while the sun sets beautiful pinks and purple over the mountain tops. We really have found a slice of heaven.

Melly

Ingredients

½ tsp salt

½ tsp celery salt

½ tsp honey or 1 tsp sugar

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp crushed bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp marmite or other yeast extract

1 tsp plain flour, sieved

Put all the ingredients in a jug and add dribbles of just boiled water, stirring vigorously between additions so all are well mixed and a runny paste is achieved. Keep stirring the mixture as you gradually add more water. Up to 2 litres of water can be added depending on your needs. For example to make a gravy add ½ litre water, for stews add 1 litre water and for soups add 1½ litres water.

Stock can be used straight away or allowed to cool and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Alternatively, pour into Yorkshire pudding baking tins and freeze for quick 1 person portions. Once frozen solid they can be removed from the tray and bagged together. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan but do not boil or you will lose the goodness.

Alternatives:

Other herbs to use as well or instead are: Mixed Herbs, Rosemary, Dill, Chives, Basil

For a more meaty flavour add more marmite (it’s vegetarian and we get ours sent over from the UK)

For a spicier stock, or to help with detoxing by increasing the metabolism, add ½ tsp chili powder or chili flakes

Adding ½ tsp turmeric will pepper the stock slightly and (apparently) reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Careful though as it will stain a plastic jug yellow!

For accompanying gravy:

Nut roasts – add 1 tsp of tomato puree

Pork – add 2 tsp crushed apple

Lamb – add 2 tsp mint

Duck – add ½ tsp orange peel + 1 tbsp orange juice

Chicken/Turkey – add 1 tbsp cranberry juice

Pink fish – add 2 tsp soy sauce

White Fish – add ½ tsp lemon peel + 1 tsp lemon juice

Melly