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The Weekend Sun
Autumn’s best kept secret The stunning vista and fantastic autumn colours at McLarens Falls Park are what make the area such a popular destination in the weekend.
The Tauranga disc golf association have been playing an annual tournament ‘The Extreme’ up near the equestrian centre for the past 15 years. Having only recently returned to McLarens Falls Park last weekend after a six year absence, I noticed a lot of changes, updated amenities and a vast number of visitors enjoying the bush walks and various picnic
spots. The last time I played, I can recall gathering a large bag of quinces from a tree on the course. Because the park is so popular these days, the course has changed to avoid parked cars and picnic spots but I still managed to track down the same old gnarly tree – on the verge of losing its precious fruit. Other hunter gatherers were foraging nearby for some fascinating fungi, but I let them have their own investigative mycology
as I was happy with my haul of beautiful ripe quince. That was because I wanted to create the wonderful membrillo, which is itself the colour of autumn. The reduced pulp of the stewed fruit is astonishing with any cheese and keeps really well. Hats off to the Tauranga District Council for the wonderful and popular McLaren Falls Park: a true paradise. Oh…and thanks for the quince!
Caution for multi-purpose ladders The Commerce Commission has urged consumers and tradespeople to exercise caution when using two models of ‘Transforma’ multi-purpose ladder, sold nationwide by Brand Developers Limited between 2007 and March 2013. The Commission is investigating potential breaches of the Fair Trading Act involving claims made about the load rating of Transforma TR24 and TR33(35) ladders and their compli-
ance with compulsory safety standards. The Commission says approximately 16,000 of these multi-purpose ladders have been sold, mainly through TV infomercials and trade suppliers. The Commission had so far only tested one of each model of ladder, both ladders had failed the independent safety test and the test failures were of sufficient concern for the Commission to warn people to take care in using them.
JAMS PRESERVES AND SPREADS
Membrillo Ingredients 3kg ripe quince: washed, peeled, cored and chopped 1 split vanilla pod Rind of two lemons ¼ cup lemon juice 4 cups white sugar: the exact amount will be determined during cooking Method Place the quinces in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Add vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the quinces are soft. Strain the water, remove the vanilla pod and blend to a pulp. Measure out the pulp if you have four cups, then add four cups of sugar to whatever you end up with, use equal amounts of sugar. Return to pot and stir
until the sugar is dissolved then simmer for about 1.5hours, taking care to avoid mud pool-like splashes when giving the mixture an occasional stir. The mixture will thicken and change colour like the leaves in autumn to a brown, gold, dark orange. If you find the mixture hasn’t changed colour try microwaving some in a dish. If you get a darker colour without burning, microwave the rest in small bursts for
about 20 minutes total. when you purchase Transfer the paste while it’s with QCard* still hot to a baking tray lined with buttered, greaseproof paper. Spread out the paste on tray and bake at 125 degrees Celsius for an hour. Allow to cool then cut and store in containers in the fridge for up to a year. Bring out whenever you have some cheese, especially soft cheeses, and you will real0800 NOVA NOVA (668 266) ise why you went to all thatwww.hometechnova.co.nz trouble.
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