#everybitcountschallenge Day, 28 August 2022 Plums, Apples and Outstanding Projects

It has been a busy day today.  

OH nipped off to the Butchers and has come back with Bacon, sausage, Beef Skirt, Pork Pie, Haslet, Mince and a couple of Barnsley chops for this week's meat intake.  It should make some good eating for this week.

We have also had a little jaunt today going out towards Wisbech to fetch 7kg of Victoria Plums.  I had seen them advertised on Facebook Marketplace and OH arranged for us to go and collect them.  He loves fresh plums in any event so wanted some for fresh eating.  I am going to bottle some in syrup for puddings and also make some jam as well.  I already have some plums to make jelly with.

Plums always make me think of when we used to go to my Nan's.  We always, right from being small were involved in harvesting all the fruit in the Orchards. We were taught how to pick correctly and were up and down trees on a regular basis. My grandparents' originally had six acres of land, four acres of which were sold off when I was 17 months old for building plots at £30 an acre plot! The bungalow/cottage had a big front garden, with side orchards on the front for cooking and eating apples.  At the back of the cottage, there was a whopping big lawn complete with arbour and espaliered Pear and Apple trees.  There was another small orchard "cookers" to the side of the lawn.  There were then two large vegetable plots behind the Copper Beech hedge which hid the vegetable gardens from the back lawn, one of the plots was left fallow every year. There was then to the side the plum and pear orchard, with the chicken run behind that. Harvest for the apples was predominantly towards the end of September beginning of October. August though was for Plums and then Pears.  I do miss those days as they were happy and content and the village where my grandparents' lived was a quiet rural village the other side of Lincoln.  Happy days where if you wanted to be with and talk to my Nan, you had to follow her around doing her "chores" as she was always in motion and always doing something. The only time she sat down during the day (not including dinner) was at 3pm for Tea. If she didn't do stuff it impacted on the food during the winter months and this is one of the joys/downsides of owning a smallholding. It is a shame that their home was sold on, as the person who bought it asset stripped it and completely spoilt it.  What price progress eh!  My grandparents' home though lives on in my memory.

We then walked Missy, and whilst out found a load of wild apples that were all over the floor.  The skins on them are perfect but it seemed a shame to leave them there.  There were a few left for the wildlife, but I have bought some home to use in my preserving.  Waste not, want not, but still sharing with the wildlife.

I have managed to deal with some of my projects as outlined in yesterday's post.

The wine has been decanted into its Demijohn.It is the most beautiful colour, should be really cheery to look at as well as drink.  I have never had Blackberry wine before.  Have made all sorts of other types and I cannot even remember having it at my Nan's or at home with Mum and Dad.  I have decanted both Demijohn's into a bowl in case it overspills as it is getting very active in both Demijohns and with it being this glorious colour if it overflows it will stain rather badly and make a right old mess.

I was going to make up the Ginger Beer Plant this evening.  However I decided to delay this until tomorrow.  The bottles needed sterilising in any event and so I have chosen to give them a good old soak.  They are new bottles.  

The Ginger Beer will therefore be made up tomorrow and bottled.  I shall also split the plant, and then start feeding the plants again. 

So all in all a very good day on the food and drink front despite the fact that I did not get to everything I had planned on doing.  Never mind, tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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