Cèilidh Nam Freumhan

Tag: food

Bring Back a Shrubbery!

As someone who has become increasingly committed to using what I already have, I’m always looking for creative ways to avoid wasting food.

Which brings us to three persimmons.

Two days ago, I had three persimmons that had become far too squishy for me to willingly allow into my mouth. It’s a texture thing, okay?

After some searching, I found a recipe for something called a shrub—a sweetened vinegar syrup that can be mixed into everything from bourbon cocktails to sparkling water.

Naturally, I had to try it.

The process begins by peeling the persimmons and squishing out the insides.

Shudder.

The resulting pulp goes into a bowl. The basic ratio is about 1:1 fruit to sugar, so I combined 1 cup of persimmon pulp with 1 cup of sugar. I also added roughly a tablespoon of ginger powder because it sounded like a good idea at the time.

I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and left it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning—at approximately 6:40 a.m., for reasons I still cannot explain—I strained out the solids and was left with about 2 ounces of syrup.

This will be great in yogurt or something later.

The solids weren’t wasted. I saved them in a separate container with plans to add them to yogurt later.

Next came the vinegar.

I chose apple cider vinegar because I thought it would pair nicely with the sweetness of the persimmons. Most shrub recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of syrup to vinegar, but since this was my first attempt, I approached it cautiously.

After all, you can always add more vinegar.

You cannot un-vinegar something.

I started at about 50% of the recommended amount and gradually worked my way up to around 75%, tasting as I went.

Once I was happy with the balance, I transferred everything to a mason jar and gave it a good shake.

Then I tasted it.

Wow.

This is going to be good.

At least this wasn’t days of work to only get 4 ounces.

At the time of writing, I haven’t actually used it in a drink yet. I want to give the flavors another day or two to mingle before I start experimenting.

Besides, I only ended up with about 4 ounces of shrub.

If it’s as good as I think it’s going to be, I need to exercise at least a little self-control.

June 6, 2026
Some garden success! And a bit of…reevaluation…

I spent five hours on 5/9/2026 weeding and somehow still feel like I barely made a dent. Still, I was able to confirm growth from several more plants, even if others continue to elude me.

Vegetables I can identify so far: six carrots (not too concerning, since carrots can be reseeded every couple of weeks through July), sixteen potential heads of lettuce, six or seven heads of Swiss chard, four or five heads of arugula, and two corn stalks. I planted two rows of corn earlier than usual because the soil temperature was finally warm enough…or so I thought.

Herbs I can identify: lots of dill, oregano, borage, lovage, lemon balm, and marsh mallow. Oh, and of course the mint I planted in the strawberry pot — the same mint I apparently dig up every single time I weed. -_-

About a week ago, I transferred my Japanese Trifele Black tomatoes into larger pots, and by today they already looked strong enough to plant outside. I planted five of those, along with five Brandywine tomatoes that skipped the intermediate pot stage entirely. I decided not to transplant the Cuore di Bue yet because they still don’t quite have true leaves. Those will probably be ready in another couple of weeks.

Finally, I was also able to transplant the mini bell peppers and the cayenne peppers. Huzzah!

Not everything is going smoothly, though. My zucchini and cucumber starts — which I bought to replace the pickling cucumbers that died — are already struggling with powdery mildew. Since I don’t have a drip irrigation system, these plants need extra attention to keep moisture off the leaves.

One common treatment is mixing 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 gallon of water. I applied it with a watering can, although apparently spraying it directly onto the leaves would have worked better.

I also used a vegan disease and bug repellent on the greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. The Swiss chard already has a few holes in the leaves, and I know from previous years that stink bugs absolutely love my squash plants. Turning over a squash leaf and discovering hundreds of stink bugs underneath is not an experience I care to repeat. No thanks.

One leaf on the right, one on the left with powdery mildew.

Total of 10 tomato plants in.

May 15, 2026
My Garden System is Getting More Sophisticated (What’s Working)
The garden overview photo was taken as I began this three-hour tour.

On the left side is a cover crop of clover that I definitely did not plant. That is supposed to be a row of greens, but unfortunately nothing has grown enough for me to distinguish between actual food and the three-leaf version of a leprechaun’s dream.

Why Everything Is Numbered

I have a tendency not to plan things out, which becomes problematic when trying to grow food and medicinal herbs.

So everything is divided into numbered beds. What you don’t see is why they were placed where they were.

The bottom half is all herbs:
- #1 loves water
- #2 likes a moderate amount
- #3 prefers it drier, grows taller, and would otherwise shade the others
The rest is organized by nutrition, water needs, and companion planting.

My Planting Spreadsheet

This spreadsheet tracks:
- frost dates
- indoor starts
- transfer dates
- direct sow timing
I had to start marking completed tasks with little stars because apparently I cannot be trusted to remember what I already did.

Eventually I’ll rewrite it in fountain pen like the rest of the commonplace book, but growing actual food takes priority.

The Commonplace Book

This idea sprouted (yes, I did that intentionally) from a terrible mistake last year: I didn’t know what any of the herbs looked like beyond the seed packet photos.

So I started drawing the herbs and writing what they’re useful for.

I’m doing something similar with vegetables, but without pictures. If I can’t recognize a tomato by now, I clearly have other issues that need immediate attention.

Also, I’m not sure why I decided to write my capital A’s like that. I appear to be passing notes in 7th grade English.

Starts Actually Worked This Year

Last year my starts failed because I made too many mistakes to recover from and ended up buying starts.

This year they germinated.

I’d like that entered into the record.

Improved Trellises

I still haven’t built proper trellises because I refused to ruin my cozy “don’t leave the house” weekend by going to the home improvement store.

Instead:
- I flipped two tomato cages upside down and secured them to fence posts for cucumbers
- I used another tomato cage for pole beans, buried to the first ring
Elegant? No.

Functional? We’ll find out.

Bonus Content

This photo is similar to the previous one, but I believe everyone deserves to see my good boy.
April 25, 2026
How to Get Started With Your Highland Adventure

I have dedicated a commonplace book to this topic, in order to have everything in one place. So far, it is divided into: gardening plans, 18th century history, and recipes.

Here are some steps you can try:

Tip #1 – Figure out what aspect of Highland culture you’d like to dig into

Do you like history? Food? How to wear various types of tartans? All of the above?

Tip #2 – Find a way to organize your notes and thoughts

I like to keep as much as possible analog; I find that the act of writing things down helps me remember. I have also used my bujo, but the bujo fills up quickly and I don’t care to make a new one every month. Digital note-taking apps are available as well: Goodnotes, Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, and Notion, among others. I haven’t found one that works for me, but use whatever you need to to keep everything straight.

There is scarcely anything to which I am so feelingly alive as the honour and welfare of my country, and, as a poet, I have no higher enjoyment than singing her sons and daughters.

Robert Burns

Tip #3 – After finding your note-taking method, make a list of what you think you might need (yarn, food ingredients, etc.)

Google will be your friend here; there are lots of great resources that will help you find exactly what you need for your project.

Tip #4 – Give something a try

After finding out what you need, and getting all of it, try it out! If you want to crochet or knit, there are sites with free Outlander patterns (if that’s what you are looking for, otherwise there are free patterns all over). If you want to cook, there are plenty of Scottish recipe sites, both vegan and non-vegan. The best way to improve at something is to just do it.

Tip #5 – Share your work

This last tip is purely optional; I know I have trouble showing people anything I am working on, though I can share my cooking results with my spouse at any time. Even if it looks weird.

Make this project work for you!

If you want to research and/or just enjoy Highland culture, do what makes you happy in the way that makes you happy. And feel free to contact me, whether you have a question, want to share something you made, or just want to express your thoughts.

April 23, 2026