Gratuitous Gushing about River Cottage Everday, Thurs 8pm c4

[Millymollymandy]

Can I just butt in and say what fabulous photos on your blog Darroch - how do you take such clear close ups? If you'd been a member when we had our 'Wild' photo competition recently you could have won with that bee on the borage!

[Darroch]

thank you
The secret is that I have quite a good camera with a macro lens. My macro lens and I are joined at the hip!

[Millymollymandy]

Ah! Is that a separate lens (I don't know much about photography) rather than just a macro setting? Cos my husband has a good SLR digital but he informs me that these days you can get cameras with twice as much ... (oh dear don't know technical term but ability to take bigger better clearer close ups!) as his, typical isn't it you spend good money and a few years later something is out of date. I just have been a bit envious of late seeing people's macro photos and wondering why his camera doesn't seem to do the same.

[Darroch]

it is a separate lens. I've got an dSLR as well, it's a few years old, but I love it! It's the lenses that make the difference to me, but I got my macro second hand - camera equipment is so expensive new, but you can sometimes get good deals on second hand stuff when people are upgrading. Just got to be careful it hasn't been bashed around!
Best thing you can have for macro stuff is a steady hand :)

[Millymollymandy]

Cheers Darroch, I must ask him what separate lenses he has as I know he has telephoto ones (these are all from the old non digital - he bought the same camera in digital format because of that) - I'm just normally a point and shoot type of photographer on idiot proof setting - even when I try something clever it all seems to come out the same but I'm getting more interested in macro shots and photography in general, maybe one day I may even read the manual on how to use the camera.

Sorry to go off topic by the way Bonnie.

[Darroch]

maybe one day I may even read the manual on how to use the camera.

Sorry to go off topic by the way Bonnie.

Oh that is way beyond me!!

yes, sorry Bonnie

[bonniethomas06]

Hehe, that's OK, probably the sooner the better before people start throwing things!

[Millymollymandy]

Well as long as you're OK with it no my OH doesn't have a macro lens, but what he does do is use the biggest telephoto lens from further back which gives him closer up than standard macro setting. He also said he would spend more time learning more about his camera if he could but if he were to do that I would only shout at him for not getting on with things like turning MY compost bins and digging over MY veg patch.

[julie_lanteri]

I read all the thread this morning and then I was called to go to work... how dare they disturb my morning of distractions! I like Hugh as well and I do think he's aiming to touch people who could afford it but simply can't be bothered/think it's too difficult/you name it. I was one of them (never bought precooked meals or anything though, yuk!). I realised that it was actually not that difficult to take the next step, then another one. And the most people he can do that for, the better, isn't it? Anyway, just my 2 cents...

[Millymollymandy]

I fell asleep during it again last night just as I was pleased he had got to veggies, never mind I'll watch it at some point. I never thought to try PSB raw though!

Can anyone tell me though what month (ish) this would have been filmed in if they have both PSB and asparagus fresh at the same time? One's about March/April and the other about June I thought - in England.

[Sinmara]

The root veg crumble made my mouth water - I so have to try that this weekend!

[Millymollymandy]

I reckon May/June MMM

Must be PSB from up around where Maggie lives then.

[Green Aura]

Yes, we did still have some in May (in the polytunnel ). None this year of course but it's growing nicely for next spring in the new beds

[Millymollymandy]

So I was right . Well I watched the rest of the episode and then he was onto root veg and pumpkins, so reckon that wasn't all filmed at the same time of year as the asparagus and PSB!! Gonna try the beetroot roasted like that, sounds interesting, and the carrots too.

[Millymollymandy]

Well that makes no sense, his recipe for the beetroot roast is different on the website than it was on the telly, also the photo is what you saw on the telly and doesn't correspond to the recipe (which says to bake whole in foil). Which he didn't do.

http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/roa ... ese-salad/