Homemade & Heavenly - The Husbandry School …

1 DEVON LIFE December 2012 Founders of The Husbandry School , Carole and Jonty Williams, share their favourite recipes for unique Christmas giftsHomemade & Heavenly A key philosophy of Husbandry is to limit waste and find a use for everything WORDS BY ANNA TURNSPHOTOS BY KATE MOUNTFive years ago, the Husbandry School started from grassy fields and now the land is bursting with life, colour and a variety of foods, flowers and livestock. Owners, Carole and Jonty Williams have built themselves a hexagonal house, inspired by the natural honeycomb shape, which remains off-grid and runs on wind turbines.

2 From this base near Ashburton, they are teaching chefs, families and gardeners the ancient principles of Husbandry in a way that relates to modern living. Jonty describes Husbandry as a personal relationship between the piece of land and the people on it, and Carole explains that the skill lies in using Husbandry rather than creating a museum of ancient rural skills. We use our plants in many ways. For example, we plant crops together by following the three sisters planting principles that the Indians followed, so pumpkins suppress weeds, beans enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen and sweetcorn provides the structure for beans to climb up.

3 On site at the Husbandry School , Carole and Jonty demonstrate everything from patio pot to crop growing. We farm on a huge array of scales to prove that anything is possible and can transfer to your available space. A key philosophy of Husbandry is to limit waste and find a use for everything, partly by using plants to feed other crops. We grow garlic as a growth promoter as well as to keep blackfly away, explains Carole. So you can chop up a garlic bulb, soak in water, add to watering can and water your crops with this. Full of tips to maximise productivity and eco-efficiency, Carole and Jonty find inventive ways to use their produce and enjoy making everything from fruit leathers and petal sugars to vinegars and cosmetic goods.

4 On these pages, Carole demonstrates some of her favourite simple yet nifty recipes for Homemade Christmas gifts. Below: Carole and Jonty LIFE December 2012 95 FESTIVE MAKEG ardeners Hand ScrubOur gardeners hand scrub is lovely as a gift in a pretty pot, tin or jar or you can make cloth bags with drawstrings to put it in. It lasts for ages so make a big batch to keep you going or for lots of gifts. Carole explains: We always have this in our washroom. It is the only thing we have found that works to get plant stains off your hands after a day of gardening.

5 Ingredients250g oats250g granulated sugar125g oat bran10g dried marigold petals (Calendula officinalis)10g dried lavender flowersMethod1 Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl together so everything is evenly spread through the mixture. 2 Fill up your sterilised jars or pots with the mix and it is ready to use. If you make a big batch that you want to last for a while, it must be kept in an airtight container. DEVON LIFE December 2012 Four Spice OilThis delicious spice oil is a store cupboard favourite for winter at the Husbandry School and a great way to make sure you still have use of home-grown chillies during the winter months.

6 You can replace these spices with others to suit your own personal taste. Store in a cool dark place and use within six months of opening. Ingredients4 dried red chillies2 tbsp coriander seeds2 tbsp fennel seeds2 tbsp cumin seeds1 litre virgin olive oilMethod1 Lightly dry roast the chillies and seeds in a frying pan, stirring constantly until they start to turn a light brown be careful not to burn them. 2 Put the chillies and seeds into a mortar and grind them a little with the pestle so they are broken up the mixture should still be very coarse but the seeds and chillies should be cracked and split to release as much flavour as possible.

7 3 Place the spice mix into sterilised bottles or jars. Pour the olive oil over the spice mix and seal the jars or bottles. Leave the oil in sealed containers for two weeks. 4 After two weeks the oil should be nicely infused so it needs to be strained using clean, dry muslin or coffee filter papers and re-transfer to sterilised bottles. 1234 Carole s Top Tip:Try to find pretty or unusual bottles for your oil to make attractive gifts. It is important to make sure they pour well. We like to seal our bottles with corks dipped in beeswax. To do this, melt beeswax in a jar in a pan of water and dip the corked bottle 3 times, cooling between each dip.

8 Add labels tied on with raffia for that special LIFE December 2012 97 Beeswax and Honey BalmThis is Carole s favourite lip balm recipe which she makes from their own flowers and bees. At The Husbandry School we never use any pesticides or chemical plant feeds and would advise you to only use flowers that have been grown organically for this recipe. You can also use rose petals for a rose scented lip balm, she says. Make sure they are organically grown and have a good strong scent. The lip balm is best kept in the fridge for up to six months. We love this balm and when making a batch for gifts always make a bit extra for ourselves!

9 Adds Carole. Ingredients1 generous handful of marigold petals (Calendula officinalis)375ml almond oil4 tbsp beeswax1 tsp honey1 tsp aloe vera fresh from the centre of the fleshy leaves or pure aloe vera gel 1 tsp vitamin E oil Method1 Remove the marigold petals from the flower heads and place in a sealed jar with the almond oil for about a week in a very warm place. After a week, strain the petal oil through a piece of muslin into a glass bowl. Once the oil has passed through the muslin, squeeze the petals inside the muslin to get as much flavour from the petals as possible.

10 2 Fill a pan with hot water and place on the hob. Place the glass bowl with the scented oil you have made above over the pan of hot water. Add the beeswax and constantly stir until the beeswax has dissolved, then add the vitamin E oil and the honey and mix in well. 3 Pour the mixture into small sterilised decorative jars. It is so important to sterilise all containers to make sure your product is not contaminated. Sterilise jars by washing them in very hot soapy water, rinsing them thoroughly and drying them in a very low oven or boiling them in a pan of hot water.