A Wood St Brew
The rain has stopped for over a week now and spring is surely here (right?!?), the streets are warm and the small E17 front gardens full of flowers. In a quiet corner of the allotment I have found the first sloe blossoms. Although we are three months in, it is now that I feel the year begin.
And even though I am not there to see it, there must be magical March hares boxing in the fields in the early morning. The very first rhubarb worth picking has been given to me, and the cycle of harvesting and growing and watching the weather begins.
The cocktail bitters I made a small trial batch of sold out in the space of a Saturday afternoon, so a batch three times the size is underway. We are enjoying a glut of fresh orange juice as I only need the peel for the bitters. So we are heading in to spring with glossy coats and bright eyes.
In Wood St a petition is underway to try and persuade the owners to reverse their recent decision to close on Sundays
The East London Gin Palace is dependent on weekend trade, as are the many small independent businessesso we are hoping to save the market from being turned into another block of flats. so if you get a moment and feel like supporting local traders do log on and sign our petition.
As a testament to the eccentric character of Wood St, I bring you an experimental recipe for marrow rum told to me yesterday by a proper East London Giffer who dropped in to the palace for a chat.
Ray's Marrow Rum
One marrow, any size
Demerara sugar
A net to hang it in
Stand the marrow on its' end and cut off the top, setting it aside. Scoop out all of the seeds and seed pulp, leaving the flesh only. Fill the empty space with Demerara sugar packed in. Put the top back on firmly and hang the whole thing up in its' net, lid uppermost. It needs a cool, not cold, dark spot. Leave for a while. I've no idea how long. I think it depends on the size of your marrow. after a while the sugar will have eaten away the flesh leaving a relatively thin skin. Full of Ray's Marrow rum. It's this sort of creativity which helped East London survive the blitz and fuelled the traditional knees up.
Good luck/drink responsibly etc....
