Live from the Kumeu Show

Hi Tony...have you an answer to the chestnuts? I have Bear with me. It's out of the Constance Spry Cordon Bleu cookbook. Two methods to remove skin: 1. Put nuts into cold water and bring quickly to the boil, remove form fire, lift out with a spoon, one or two nuts at a time. The outer and inner skins may then be removed easily, but do not take all the nuts out and let them get cold. Do not keep the water on the boil. It may be brought back to the boil if it gets too cold. Any nut from which the inner peel cannot be removed may be replaced in the hot water. 2. Cut a tiny piece off the top of the nut, put nut into a frying bath and dip into hot smoking fat for half a minute. Both skins are then easily removed. When a particularly dry puree is wanted for piping, eg. for a Mont Blanc, the chestnuts may be baked.AI slit made in the skin, the nuts made in the skin, the nuts baked in the oven till tender, then the inside scooped out and sieved. Hope this helps! Horse chestnuts are inedible! This book is old...as you can tell from the language! Very proper!! Cheers, Jo

Very poor season with tomatoes, with less than a third of the plants pollinated and lots of dead flowers. Unfortunately only sheltered area where I can plant (pots) is devoid of other flowering attractants for the bees. What can I plant in the way of flowering shrubs or other plants to attract the bees. I have tried spraying with honey and water but this only seems to attract the undesirables.

Regards,
Terry