More Pantry Preserves

For a short while yesterday I had a little flurry in the kitchen.   I have pickled more beetroot and have another nine jars for the pantry shelf.  They are only the small sized jars rather than the usual larger house jars that I use as some of these are going into some of the small Christmas hampers for this year and I do not want to overwhelm the participants.

OH likes pickled eggs and so a few more jars of these are to be prepared.  However looking to ring the changes I have also done my first jar of pickled quail eggs made in the same way as the pickled eggs. I could not quite get over the price of these as for two small trays of 12 eggs in Waitrose they cost about £2.70 a tray. I have managed to squeeze 20 eggs in a Bonne Maman style jar [sorry  not advertising just don't know what else to refer to it by as everyone usually knows this particular phrase] (we had a few casualties along the way). They are expensive but that is the other reason I do so much pantry stuff is so that I can have something special and different on my pantry shelf. Luxury items as it were for Christmas and the like and I also get more for my money in the longer run.

Later on today I have some greengages to bottle in syrup and also some plums so the plans for today are a little more industrious than yesterday and some pears.  So I am going to have quite a lot to do.  

I am of course meeting a friend today so I shall attend to the fruit bottling in my new steam canner this afternoon when I return.  I am also hopeful that my shallots and other items ordered will arrive so that I can get them processed during the course of the week.

Its been a lot chillier the last day or two and the blankets are back on the bed still cannot manage the quilt however I do not think it will be long before that is firmly entrenched back on the bed.  I also think I am starting off with a cold.  Not something that I particularly want but it is being nursed to try and get rid of it as quickly as I can.

After my course on Saturday, which indeed part of the process is peeling off the layers and learning to work with yourself and others I was very shattered and a little emotional but that is in a roundabout way a good thing.  Yesterday I was a bit like a limp dish rag and very tired.  Today I am still tired but the inner stamina feels a little more replenished.  I had an early night last night and I think that has helped and plan on doing the same again tonight.

I have a roast chicken with stuffing planned for tea tonight with veggies and I might do some Yorkshire puddings as well just to pad the meal out a little.  I know it is not traditional but it still goes well with the chicken.  Then I will retrieve any meat left over and probably use it for Coronation Chicken for OH in his pack up.  The carcass and the bits are going into the slow cooker overnight with some veggies to make chicken stock so that I can get some home made soup on the go which might also help with my cold and also make use of something which would otherwise be wasted and discarded but which has a lot of goodness in it.

Right am going to get a wriggle on.

Catch you later on.

Pattypan

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