Christmas preparations update

I am ahead of the game so far this year but then I need to be.  I have quite a lot of luxury items stashed as they have been on offer.  I still have more items to obtain and lots of things still to make. including some items I have never made before like salami.  I also want to do my own Gravadlax and make some bagels and pastrami. I will make as much as I can as to me that is where most of the pleasure lays.  It also comes in useful for giving as pressies to friends who don't cook or do not preserve.  They seem however to like the offerings I give over.

From the wild larder i need sloes, for sloe gin rosehips for drying and for rosehip syrup, and rosehip jelly and crab apples for crab apple jelly both plain and spiced and also for cheese and pectin.

There is already over 60 jars of jams alone prepared and now its time for the pickles and the chutneys.  I also have pickled red cabbage, pickled cucumber to do.  hopefully some of that will be addressed this weekend coming.

I also intend to get a couple of batches of ginger beer on the go and i want to get a couple of beer kits and wine kits on the go as well.

I did not get to the pickling onions and shallots  so still have that to do of an evening so that will take me out of the loop possibly for the week.  I want to get them done and out of the way with.  I also have some more preserves to make and I really need to get organised on that front.

The freezer also needs sorting out as I need to make room for sausage rolls and mince pies so that they can be cooked from frozen and served fresh.  I want to be able to do some like this for my brother and his family also if at all possible.

So an awful lot of things still to do, just need a clear run time has been very precious of late but somehow or the other I need to get there one way or another.  it however seems an uphill struggle at the moment.

I am worried as to when I will be called in for this operation.  They wanted me to go in on a cancellation this Tuesday past but it would appear they had not taken into consideration that I would need to come off my medication for six weeks prior to the operation.  So I do not know when that is going to be now but I am hopeful that I will get everything done including meals in the freezer so that we can eat well over that period also.

Too many balls to juggle - something is bound to come crashing down before long.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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