Tuesday 3 January 2012

Christmas misery and New Year cheer



Early January is possibly my least favourite time of year, with decorations still up in shops, along the high street and a giant tree still twinkling obliviously at Fenchurch Street train station. With Christmas finished it no longer promises excitement like it did at the beginning of December. Instead it makes me feel depressed. Take it down quickly, please.

Even worse is the sight of a forest of frazzled pines, upended on kerbs waiting to be carted off to the trash. Stripped of their decorations and sapped of vitality from a month long imprisonment in overly heated suburban homes, some still sport the odd tuft of ragged lamenta - oh the shame.

Our own Christmas tree (above) is down. We set to it with a pair of secateurs yesterday and bagged it up and took it to the allotment. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at first, but I wasn't going to throw it into the bin. I'm determined it will have a more dignified end than it fellow festive friends. I plan to strip it of its needles and shred the bark as best I can and scatter it around the blueberry bushes, which makes the soil more acidic, which they like... apparently.

I'm looking forward to this little ritual which I shall carry out this weekend, weather permitting. Somehow it'll offset the yeti-sized footprint that is my January misery.

Speaking of recycling, or upcycling (because, I am turning a dead tree into blueberries, you know) I still have lots Brussels sprouts on the allotment and need recipes quick. Any ideas and tried and tested favourites greatly received - but no chestnuts though and no pancetta and definitely no sherry - Christmas is over, ok?

4 comments:

  1. If you can wait about an hour my triumphant sproutotto is about to be blogged...

    (Beautiful second para by the way).

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  2. Funny, I was thinking today while driving home from work how miserable it is to still see Christmas lights on outside houses.

    Thanks for the blueberry idea, I hadn't thought of that...

    Can't help with the brussels unfortunately. I do stick them in stir fries from time to time.

    Chin up, not long until spring. :)

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  3. Re: the blueberry idea Jono, I think the tree is supposed to be untreated. I'm not sure whether mine was or not but I'm going to give it a go. What could, er, possible go wrong?

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  4. How about sprout gratin? http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gratinofbrusselsspro_87597 @sussexgardens

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