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| From 'An Illustrated Country Year' by Celia Lewis |
Oh, to be in England
Now that April's there
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England - now!
Home-Thoughts from Abroad by Robert Browning 1845
April was associated by the Romans with the goddess Venus, and the word April may be related to her Greek name Aphrodite or from the Latin aperire, to open - referring to the opening of buds.
A dry April is not the farmer's will
The Anglo-Saxons called it Ostermonath or Eosturmonarth connected with Easter or the East or from Eostre, thought to be the name of a pagan goddess of the spring.
There are many weather sayings for April probably because it was peak time for farming and gardening but can have such varied weather, so country people would be looking for any clues as to what sort of weather was likely.
April weather, rain and sunshine both together
April wet, good wheat
April has 30 days, and if it rained on 31 no harm would be done
A dry April is not the farmer's will
April wet is what we should get
Till April's dead
Change not a thread.
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Day 26 and my meal was the least favourite (apart from that horrible pork) .....Baked potato with some butter, some more of the grated cheese and the rest of the tub of coleslaw. I put the potato back in the microwave to melt the cheap grated cheese and it all got a bit messy!
I wished I thought of some other meal!
`
I managed to eat it but won't be making a baked spud again - however much butter, cheese and salt it has on it!
Always seems odd to me that people go out for a meal and choose a boring baked potato!
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I have to have butter, sour cream, and onions as well as salt and pepper on my baked potato or I can't eat it.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That April saying about clothes is like "ne'er cast a clout till May be out". Same idea, I suppose, don't shed the warm woollies too soon.
ReplyDeleteA nice big russet potato, skin rubbed with a bit of oil, stabbed a couple o times with a fork, then baked for nearly an hour at 400 or 450F til the skin is crispy and crackles when you break it open, then dabbed with good butter, salt and pepper is a meal in itself for me. Sometimes I add a scoop of cool creamy cottage cheese on it to add a little protein. I NEVER bake a potato in the microwave - then it is steamed.
ReplyDeleteJacket with prawns or chilli or curry. Love cheese on it but am currently trying to eat less fat.
ReplyDeleteHad jacket with chilli last night, loved it!
ReplyDeleteOh I love a good old jacket spud with butter and cheese, or something cold like cottage cheese and prawns on top.
ReplyDeleteI like jacket potatoes but can never understand why anyone would buy a ready-prepared (cooked?) jacket potato from a supermarket.
ReplyDeleteI'm not mad on jacket potatoes either. Keith will ONLY have them if they are cooked in the oven. I'm not even allowed to reheat one in the microwave, let alone cook one in there! I rub the skin with oil too.
ReplyDeleteI neither grow, buy or eat potatoes of any kind, horrid starchy lumps. Give me green veg anytime. Sarah Browne.
ReplyDeleteThey’re packed full of serotonin apparently. Great mood lifters. Check out the book « Potatoes Not Prozac ».
ReplyDeleteI love stuffed jackets...cook the jacket potato...cut in half and scoop out contents...mash with butter, salt, pepper, worcester sauce, if desired add a little cooked onion and or bacon. Pop back in the jackets...top with grated cheese...brown the tops...very filling and delicious...much better than a boring baked spud. x
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful illustration for April. Keep hoping Spring weather is going to arrive in central Scotland as it’s miserable here with no drying of washing outdoors. Plenty to keep me busy so it’s the bedroom’s turn for a deep clean today. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI love jacket spuds but for me they have to be done slowly in the oven and served with LOTS of butter - love that blackbird illustration.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I am quite partial to a jacket spud, provided the outside is very crispy and the inside soft and fluffy. No butter or cheese, though, as I prefer to keep my fat intake low.
ReplyDeleteI love a good jacket and cheese. A scrubbed potato in the microwave for 5 minutes then in a hot oven for 25-30 minutes. A lovely crispy skin and a good handful of cheddar added. Yum!
ReplyDeleteYou reminded me to check the nest in my lilac bush. I can see it from my dining room window but it's still empty... Not enough leaves on the bush yet tho.
ReplyDeleteI like a baked potato and I usually make it in the microwave and then put butter and sour cream on top. Tastes fine to me! :)
Funny you mention the baked potato. I was just looking at a magazine with things you could do to a baked potato, things I'd never have thought of. One was adding chili on top, another had a broccoli and cheese sauce.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if this was an April Fool because I love a good baked potato, with butter and cheese and served with coleslaw ... but I would never choose it from a restaurant. Paying upwards of £5 for a single potato makes my brain hurt.
ReplyDelete"April showers bring May flowers," is a phrase I've heard over time. True to form, it is raining today in Massachusetts. The air is nice and fresh with the rain. I do not mind baked potato with butter but my preference is to wash and cut potatoes in to chunks, add EVOO, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic and bake in the oven until soft. Sometimes I add bacon bits to the potato. Tomorrow is to clear and I'll be outside doing Spring clean-up.
ReplyDeleteI'm very fond of a jacket potato with a tasty filling - but not all potatoes bake well. King Edwards or Maris Pipers for me!
ReplyDeletexx
Love the April post
ReplyDeleteI love jacket potatoes. It does take a lovely tasty spud and some really good, strong cheese.