Planning for Christmas 2017 - Countdown to Christmas Time Planner

TIME PLAN FOR PREPARING THINGS FOR CHRISTMAS

Month	Things to do
August	Start to add items to the shopping trolley.  Items with a long stop date.  Even if you do one thing a week it will soon build up and be less to fork out for later on. Take advantage of offers on baking consumables and especially dried fruit.  Especially if you are going to make your own Christmas cake and Christmas pudding.
	Make your own flavoured sugars.  I make vanilla sugar and use it when I bake in cakes and also decorating the top of and in home-made custard.  It costs about £3 for two vanilla pods and all I do is find a big jar put the sugar in and then push one of the vanilla pods into the sugar it is well covered and then put the lid on and leave it for a few weeks.  Lavender sugar can be made the same way.  To buy it costs an absolute arm and a leg.  You can use caster or granulated.  As the pod is whole you can then use in its own right for egg custard etc.
	Buy tinned goods with a long stop date.  Having tinned fruit and beans, tomatoes etc in the pantry gives you a lot more scope  when it comes to making meals and baking as well.
	Don’t forget the freezer stock up there too.
	Bottle peaches in syrup.
	Bottle pears in syrup.
	Spiced Pickled Pears.
	Mulled Pears.
	Mixed white fruits in syrup.
	Mixed red fruits in syrup.
	Make home made pasta sauce.
	More Apricot Jam and Apricot Chutney.
	Make Five spiced peaches.
	Make Chutneys from seasonal ingredients.  Especially peach chutney use the fruit whilst it is available and does not cost the earth.  Carry forward to September if not available to you at this time.
	Make piccalilli.
	Take advantage of Victoria plums and bottle some for later use in puddings but also to make some Victorian Sugar Plums for Christmas.
	Do pickled onions and shallots. Carry forward to September if not available to you at this time.
	Make home-made wines and beers and ciders either from fresh ingredients or kits.
	Make Mincemeat.
September	Look out for wild mushrooms especially puffballs they are delicious and can be preserved.
	Make Mincemeat
	Pickle onions
	Pickle Shallots
	Pickled  Red Cabbage
	Pickled Spiced Eggs
	Make Christmas cakes.
	Make Christmas Puddings.
	Bread and Butter Pickles
	Various Chutneys
	Vanilla Vodka
October
November	Make home-made sausage rolls and open freeze them without cooking.  Pack into a suitable number say 12 and bag them.  Then when you want some take out of the freezer and straight into the oven to cook.  This will save time when you have so much else to do.
	Make home-made Pork Pies and freeze uncooked.
	Make Home-made feasting pie and freeze uncooked.
	Make mince pies and do the same as well as coconut cheesecakes and pastry tart bases for jam tarts filled with your home made jam.
	Make fruit curds.
	Make Nan’s Plum Bread
December
	The week before Christmas say a couple of days make the pork pies, feasting pie, and cook the ham.