A Blank New Page and a Brand New Diary

I have had a brand new page a day diary for a couple of weeks.  This is something I have been keeping for a few years as I plot and plan when to make certain preserves and when to do certain stuff in season during the year.  This is going to be even more important now that we go caravanning so that I can plot when I am going to be really busy on the preserving front and able to get what I want to get made before disappearing away.  

I have loads of information to write into it, but would not do so before 1 January as I have always been brought up to believe that putting anything into a brand new diary before the actual year is terribly unlucky.  Not wanting to blot my copy book anymore than I have to, I have waited until today.  I shall now start to add in the numerous entries I have lined up for this coming year.  Mostly things to do in the house, things to make at certain times, other personal things like birthdays, events etc.  

I also have duplicate computer diary records as well so that the computer shouts at me to look out for something seasonally, or do something within a particular month.  I like a page a day diary as I can write so much in it rather than just have a small area for entering information into.  It suits my needs.  It is also a house diary and so therefore covers gardening, planting of seeds etc.  I prefer the page a day diary as well something solid so that I can see what I need to transfer year by year as a direct visual.  I am a visual person and I learn the most by watching as do so many people.  Sometimes the seasons are interchangeable and the months do not marry up, say due to frosts which knocks the growing season back a little bit which puts the growing season out of sync.  This changes year by year.  I am also including the Wild Larder as well as there are so many things that you can forage and use within your own pantry, which is usually tailored to your own particular needs and tastes.  No good in making something that your family are not going to eat although often these not liked items can be used in puddings in the case of jams and sweet preserves or with other flavoursome ingredients or indeed in stews and soups in the case of chutneys and relishes so nothing really need go to waste.

The first entry for this new month and brand new year is to start to look for Seville Oranges.  I shall cover this in a separate post, but approximately for the next few months Seville Oranges should start to put in an appearance.  For me locally that will be checking out Waitrose and then latterly my veg shop.  In this order, as I do not live in a particularly affluent area and the veg people source a lot of items to fit in with that criteria where they can sell but not through the nose.  They use the fruit auctions a lot.  You can do so much with marmalade, but there are so many other things that you can make with Seville Oranges.

Happy first new day of this brand New Year.  I hope you are all able to have a successful year either with growing food, taking stock and making use of reductions and bargains and offers whether you grow stuff a lot.  You do not need to grow your own there is a different kind of foraging and sourcing.  I often go into town and scout around for the best prices without buying stuff and then go back and take advantage of the best offers.  That is why I like to go into town at least once a week where I can.

Equally for those newbies do not be afraid to dip your toe into the cooking and preserving quarter.  The only way you learn is by making stuff and practicing what  you learn.  It is the practice that really takes you forward and you will end up with something for your efforts.  If it is not quite what you had planned first time round it will not go to waste, but leaves room for improvement the next time round.  I am passionate about preserving at the best of times, and once you really get into it, it is very addictive.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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