Tuesday Musings and Lemons
I needed some more lemons as I have elderflower cordial on the go and also have some Elderflower Champagne to get started. So I nipped round the shop to get some lemons and came back without them. I was not paying 40 pence per lemon. They would have to be gold plated before I pay that! Daylight robbery. That was the Co-Op.
So I went to our market today in town and got 10 large lemons for 20 pence each £2 for the lot. I nipped into Waitrose for a browse on the way back as I like this shop and to get the latest recipe cards and evey they were only charging 20 pence per lemon. Come on Co-Op its about time you got your act together.
I Will get some more lemons at the end of the week as I also want to make some Apple and Lemon Curd too. I am starting to gear up to get some precious preserves put up for the winter months. Judging by the holly berries on my bush in the garden its going to be another hard winter, so the more I have put up the better, and besides now I have the preserved peel recipe it will be very satisfying using up as much as I can without having to throw anything away. I can also see the peel being very useful as a filling for apple dumplings as well
I nearly always keep lemons in as they are very handy for bunging in the whites wash as this bleaches cottons and also gives them a lovely fragrance, and also dipped in salt to clean copper or brass to get the really heavy tarnish off.
The best part of today though was I found my gooseberries so will be topping up and topping and tailing at the end of the week for some jam and the freezer. I also want some apricots too.
And I have found some more preserving jars which I had forgotten I had got so they will be turfed out this weekend and hopefully will be able to get some bottled fruit put up.
I am after bottling the following for the winter months:
Apricots
Gooseberries
Strawberries
Peaches
Pears
Nectarines
Blackberries
Blueberries
Hedgepick Pie filling
Red Mixed Fruit Salad
White Mixed Fruit Salad
Apples
Pears in Saffron
Pears in Red Wine
Plums
Pineapple
That's just for starters, even if I only do a couple of jars a week it will be better than nothing (and will be easier on the purse) and home bottled preserves are full of flavour and don't have any nasties in them; and won't cost me anything but the initial outlay for the jars - some of which I already have, but the beauty is you only pay out the once.
Lots to do and so little time to do it.
At least I found my goosegogs
Catch you soon
So I went to our market today in town and got 10 large lemons for 20 pence each £2 for the lot. I nipped into Waitrose for a browse on the way back as I like this shop and to get the latest recipe cards and evey they were only charging 20 pence per lemon. Come on Co-Op its about time you got your act together.
I Will get some more lemons at the end of the week as I also want to make some Apple and Lemon Curd too. I am starting to gear up to get some precious preserves put up for the winter months. Judging by the holly berries on my bush in the garden its going to be another hard winter, so the more I have put up the better, and besides now I have the preserved peel recipe it will be very satisfying using up as much as I can without having to throw anything away. I can also see the peel being very useful as a filling for apple dumplings as well
I nearly always keep lemons in as they are very handy for bunging in the whites wash as this bleaches cottons and also gives them a lovely fragrance, and also dipped in salt to clean copper or brass to get the really heavy tarnish off.
The best part of today though was I found my gooseberries so will be topping up and topping and tailing at the end of the week for some jam and the freezer. I also want some apricots too.
And I have found some more preserving jars which I had forgotten I had got so they will be turfed out this weekend and hopefully will be able to get some bottled fruit put up.
I am after bottling the following for the winter months:
Apricots
Gooseberries
Strawberries
Peaches
Pears
Nectarines
Blackberries
Blueberries
Hedgepick Pie filling
Red Mixed Fruit Salad
White Mixed Fruit Salad
Apples
Pears in Saffron
Pears in Red Wine
Plums
Pineapple
That's just for starters, even if I only do a couple of jars a week it will be better than nothing (and will be easier on the purse) and home bottled preserves are full of flavour and don't have any nasties in them; and won't cost me anything but the initial outlay for the jars - some of which I already have, but the beauty is you only pay out the once.
Lots to do and so little time to do it.
At least I found my goosegogs
Catch you soon
Once again you've made me feel very inadequate - you manage to do so much even though you work full time. I'm determined to do better once my wrist is back to normal. Bottling is something I've never done because I don't quite trust the method! Odd as my mum used to bottle stuff and she showed me how when I was newly married but still.......
ReplyDeletePlease, don't feel inadequate - I literally have to focus and decide what am going to do then get it done. And quite often I bite off a lot more than I can chew. However, something always gets left. I am not superwoman, in fact I am very human. But because I work full time I subscribe to the point of view that there has to be some playtime otherwise there is no pleasure in doing simple things and the simple truth is that if I didn't have a go at doing things we simply would go without a lot of things that people take for granted. There is always an alternative way of doing things Not only that but I am a Taurean a typical bull in the china shop. At the end of the day We all do what we can do and all our little efforts are usually appreciated by our loved ones. You are very special too and you give in ways that you just do not realise. That is special and we all have something to bring to the table.
ReplyDeleteTake care my friend
Tricia
xx
Rowan I had never done any bottling but Sarah, Kate, Leanne and Jennie all encouraged me on the Creative Living forum and the advice and tutorial they gave was very simple and worked everytime. It is thanks to their patience that I got to grips with the bottling. If you want to have a go have a look at it absolutely excellent advice from ladies of like minds.
ReplyDeleteTake care
Tricia