Also, few weeks off this, but before I get onto my poultry supplier, any smallholder types happen to know of surplus rare breed geese in need of a new home (with a brand-new savings-busting fence system 😬💷🔥)? Particularly interested in Brecon Buff, Pilgrim, West of England or Czech breeds.

Day 2 of field clearance, and we have entered a world (1) without boundaries, (2) with bonus mud, and (3) with the Mega-Bonfire, Devourer Of All Things. Has been a blast working alongside an experienced groundworker and fencer. Timber has arrived, kick off for getting it in is Monday!

Last push on the field before digger arrives tomorrow. Managed to dismantle 90% of the large willow which was perilously leaning at 45° over where we need to fence. However may also have broken my much-abused pole-saw. 😔 Wasn't able to check due to dusk and heavy rain forcing a quick retreat!

More field-bashing this afternoon. 4 elders, innumerable damson saplings felled, and some of the old posts removed. Bases so rotten, they just needed a gentle push, but top bits sound for reuse as bed edging or similar. Bit more tidying up tomorrow, then should be kick-off on the project... 😬

Sowed this morning: Malaga F1 melon, Aisla Craig, Blue Beauty, Dívčí Prs and Roma VF tomatoes, Ohnivec and Paper Lantern chillies. Backup De Monica broadies, as overwintered ones haven't enjoyed the sogginess. Also, outside, onion sets Karmen, Pink Panther and Stuttgarter Giant.

Judging by the ridiculous state of sogginess our cat Kali was in when returning this morning, suspect she may have fallen/jumped into the pond. 🤦 Cats can, of course, swim, but hope it was an accident rather than a new habit, as there are now wet cat-shaped marks on various bits of furniture...🙄😼

Getting serious about chillies, peppers aubergines, melon and toms this year. Heat mat and plastic box propagator is go!

More bramble whacking today. Basically done now, but have encountered a further challenge in the form of a large leaning willow over the last brambles, with its trunk at 45° & questionable anchorage. Likely to need dismantling, as appears to be upright only due to three unconvincing branches. 😬

"Time to get on with it", said the cherry plum.

Marmalade morning, followed by a heavy afternoon of bramble clearing and canopy lifting in the field, getting it ready for fencing. Hopeful that the evening might include beer.

Not homegrown, because, as looking out of the window at the wet sludge will demonstrate, here is not Seville. But, tis the season, so time to do a bit of marmalade, perhaps even some honey marmalade, given that is one homegrown ingredient we do have. 🐝🍯🍊

Advice sought from fellow veg growers: looking for a truly excellent standard-sized (i.e. closer to golf ball than tennis ball) red tomato variety to grow this year. Flavour more important than yield. Suggestions welcome!

Foul dampness today, so purchased some more onion sets (not confident I have bed space, but hey ho...) and sowed Delikett sugar snap peas. Heat mat on order to get my polytunnel crops off to a reasonable start.

However, I am once again being hindered in my smallholding objectives, albeit by a different cat. Sitting down to have a coffee is a risky business...

Plum tree to plant this afternoon, Laxton's Delight, a big yellow dessert plum. Replacement for Laxton's Jubilee which failed this year. Am taking a risk that there are no soil-borne issues and planting on same spot, but will chuck some microrhizal fungi in to try and give it a good start. 🤞

Cat off lap, remains of ton 1 of mushroom compost barrowed and spread. Quick coffee then onwards: just need to think of this as a free gym class rather than as a massive and backbreaking chore...

I am being somewhat hindered in my smallholding objectives today.

Squash soup, saag paneer and dal made this morning. Started to shift logs out of the way for fencing project in a few weeks' time but rain stopped play. Tomorrow looks better for that job. Next up: Coffee and plotting.

Third life for our old polytunnel cover. After giving up the ghost as a tunnel cover, it has been covering a turf stac for the last few years, which I'm now using, so makeshift tarpaulin for a log pile it is!

The finest crystal-clear rainwater for the pleasure of our ducks. It will not look like this by lunchtime.

3 tons of mushroom compost has just arrived. That's today's job then.

Cherry plum already budding up for its February show.

Bee suit on today to get some packs of fondant onto the hives, to insure against starvation. Waited for a warmer day: opening hives in freezing temps doesn't do the bees any good. 11c today, and a few workers out and about. Possibly on mortuary duty, as a few dead bees outside the entrances.

Kicking off some sauerkraut. 1 red cabbage, peeled and grated horseradish root from the garden tub, caraway and mustard seeds and ground black pepper. 3% of the weight in salt. Once packed into jars always fun to note it slowly get redder as the lacto ferment progresses & acidity increases. 🧑‍🔬🧑‍🍳🧑‍🌾

Incubator unboxing today! 🤩 And, in a happy coincidence, just spotted that the growers pellets and chick crumb in the same range as the layers pellets we feed our adult chooks is also now soy-free! Pleased, as chickens and ducks provide enough worries: who wants to worry about deforestation too?!

Lots of standing water and general squelchiness in the duck area this morning. Ducks beyond excited.

Feel like I say this every year, but squash is such a handy vegetable to grow. Minimal effort, massive amount of food, stored by leaving them sitting around inside somewhere. This Guatemalan Blue Banana will make a mega-batch of delicous soup. 😋

Sadly, last year's russet cider, although palatable and v v strong, got too much oxygen as didn't get it from the bucket into demijohns in time, so is reddy-brown. Considering deploying the gin-soaked sloes from the sloe gin to convert it to "slider", which should at least solve the colour issue.

Utterly freezing today, so, having ensured ducks and chickens have water and food, am hiding inside for a bit, knocking up some hopefully delicious shredded mushroom and bean chilli.

Happy 2026 everyone. It was worth sowing before Christmas to have a tray full of hopeful green shoots at the start of the new year.

New Year chez Casa Smallholderific will be seen in with this pumpkin fondue recipe. Lighter on the cheese than a "proper" fondue and booze-free, so will pretend this is the healthy option while devouring mushroomy, chestnutty, herby cheese-gloop with crusty bread later on. 😋

Have never tried Woodfordes' Nog in bottle or pub, but the beer kit version is very presentable. And as with most complete kits, ridiculously low effort to create and store 40 pints in the pressure barrel.

I am here for this story.

Hoiking bulrush out of pond this morning. Am now updating Christmas list to include "new lower back".

December? What sort of reckless gardener sows their chilli and aubergine seeds as early as December? 👋 Not tried before, but reckon it's worth a shot at the earlier crop for the sake of a few seeds.

Quick rummage in the root veg tubs, a few bits snapped off the perennial kale, and voila: we have some ingredients!

Also being prepared for Christmas drinks season: "A glass of homemade blackberry and elderberry wine? Just help yourself from the 5 litres we have on tap in this conveniently sized box...

Got the mincer out today for some DIY sausagemeat. Free-range pork shoulder, salt, fresh herbs, spices and breadcrumbs. Some seriously good sausage rolls are in our future...

Mincemeat manufacture. A suet-free recipe using chopped walnuts instead to provide the fat. A base of homegrown pureed mirabelles and chopped apples, with a load of other dried fruit, marmalade, spices and brown sugar. In for a soak today, will get cooked and jarred/pied tomorrow!

This morning, I have been creating the world's biggest frittata.

Finished "Operation Duck Gate" this morning. Relieved it all fits, as once metal posts are postcreted in, they're not leaving in a hurry! Gates fit the space, meet in the middle, and have enough clearance to open but too little for a duck to squeeze through. Celebratory coffee and mince pie now.

Kali has decided that the best thing to do with dying asparagus shoots is to use them as some kind of bouncy jumping toy, in combination with the polytunnel door. I fear neither may survive this day...

Assembled a metal gate kit this morning, as you do. Will finish off the duck enclosure nicely, but waiting until I have a full day to do the hole digging, postcreting and fitting as expect it will take a while and daylight is increasingly brief...

Cold with soggy snow this morning which lasted just long enough to make getting ducks and chickens up really unpleasant. Has brightened up now, naturally.

Coconut bakewell tart. Perfect for the smallholder with an excessive amount of jam to get through!

Indoor projects today, due to the constant heavy rain. Fortunately, both of the latest buckets of homebrew beer seem to have reached a sensibe gravity, so can get those into pressure barrels for conditioning.

With some Serious Rain forecast to start in the next hour, much of today has been spent clearing gullies, gratings and gutters. Chicken and duck food and water all also well filled as would quite like morning bird routine to be as quick as possible, given likely conditions!

The remaining Aji Limon, which had been fermenting away, have now been processed (cough, cough, watering eyes etc) into a golden, seriously hot, sauce. Thankfully I had plenty of spare honey to balance out the heat, and cider vinegar to dilute to a more manageable spec! Tastes 👌

One of the skills I've picked up over the past few years is building self-supporting woodpiles on pallets. Gives it a chance to dry out for future firewood. As with all things smallholder, there are plenty of people who can do it better, but we're going for general competence here, not expertise!

Heavy couple of days installing 25m of more robust duck fencing. Last lot was cobbled together from bits of old plastic fencing net, bamboo canes and cable ties. The new green-coated wire version is almost invisible by comparison. Very pleased (and tired!)