Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been one of those days.  An early start and I am absolutely shattered but then again it has been non-stop.  I had bought a load more veggies to do another batch of Picallili for OH being as he eats it like it is going out of fashion.  So today, armed with two buckets, one for the prepared veggies and the other for waste I set too and prepared.  However when I make Picallili I always cut the pieces reasonably small so that takes some time to do.  There has been quite a bit go into it including Squash, Runner beans, Red Onion, Red Pepper, Carrots, Romanesco, cucumber, Courgette, White Onion, Shallots,  and they are all under salt as we speak and will be left overnight and then finished off in the morning.  So that is another good job out of the way with.  I still have more Pickled Eggs (both Hens eggs and Quail eggs) to prepare. Some pickled red cabbage, more pickled shallots and pickled onions to prepare.  Pureed apples, Mincemeat, Christmas Chutney, Onion Marmalade and some apple chutney as well as apple and garlic jelly.  Indeed, I have a bucket of shallots to prepare in a moment.  That will take me a good couple of hours.

There was also quite a few Runner beans left and so they are going to be turned into Runner bean chutney (another favourite of OH).

OH worked overtime this evening.  He was supposed to work until 8:30pm but they then changed their mind and he stayed until 7:00pm.  As a result though he is due to start early in the morning at 7:30am. So it will be another early start for us both tomorrow. 

I therefore walked Missy again to keep her in her routine as it is not fair that she should wait or have an accident through no fault of her own.  She is nine years of age at the end of the month - All Hallows Eve is her birthday i.e. 31 October 2018.  

Whilst out with Missy I checked to see if I had missed the Crab Apples, Sloes, Rowan berries, Rosehips and Haws. On checking, I have not so if the weather is good tomorrow I may well take a jaunt down with Missy to go foraging. I am also after some small fir cones, fir cones and some Willow wands to turn into wreaths as well as Teasels and Cow Parsley heads.  The Teasels I intend to bleach and maybe dye.  The Cow Parsley heads which are dry I may well spray with either silver or gold paint and then use on wreaths/festive displays.  They are rather fragile I therefore thought that the paint might keep them a little sturdier.  

I am also after some Laurel leaves to skeletonise.  I have not done this before but I would quite like some of them to use for decorating Christmas parcels and I have found what appears to be quite a good tutorial here:

Skeletonising Leaves

So I am looking forward to having a play as according to the instructions you can customise these as well with food dyes.  So they will not just be for Christmas but general packaging to pretty things up a little bit.

Will see how I get on it all depends on the weather.

Right a bucket of shallots awaits me.

Catch you all sometime tomorrow.

Pattypan

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