The Cupboard Under the Stairs

........has held me captive for most of the day and I am still not done. Most of you my not be aware that I actually use the cupboard under the stairs as a Preserves Pantry. It is cooler, and dark and my sack of potatoes is normally stored in there.  I have just purchased a new sack, and so it needs to be hauled in there, once it is all tidy.  I have a net of onions as well, and that will be stored in the main pantry, as onions give off a gas that accelerates potatoes not lasting very long.  Keep them apart if you do not want that to happen. A lot of my empty jars and bottles also live in the cupboard. Today I have had a good old sort out in there and got rid of things that I will not use. I have been very lucky though to find a pack of Kilner wide mouthed preserving jars (the tall ones) which I did not know I had. There are six of them and so will be ideal with a few other Kilner jars I have to store bottled Victoria Plums for puddings and pies during the winter months. I have a big bowl of them in the fridge.  I am on the look out for pears and also intend to make a fruit salad as well.

I have also located preserving equipment that I have been looking for, notably my cheese making equipment, and my food Mill. I have also located my beer bottles, my cordial bottles, my large Kilner Dual Purpose vintage jars (that I can reuse with replacement rings and seals), my Hex bottles, wine bottles (those are going to be needed soon) a lot of my stoneware (Moira and “Pearsons” of Sheffield storage containers) - I have been collecting these for a few years. This started when I inherited some Vinegar and Cider flagons from my Nan. She had had them for years. It is the golden rimmed stoneware (a lot of people have the pots as utensil holders and do not realise that originally a lot of them were used as Preserve pots in large old-fashioned pantries). It is my dream to one day have that, together with the traditional Farmhouse kitchen. I have collected all sorts of “Kitchenalia” over the years for this purpose. If I could get to the Auctions and also to Car Boots or Flea markets I would still be looking out for items. Perhaps at the moment it is a good job I cannot. I have also found my tin with some corks, bungs and Crown caps for beer bottles, so I am pretty chuffed at finding them. I want to start some beer off soon and also some cider. Not matter what the problems, I am aiming to have an old-fashioned foodie Christmas this year and am trying to put stuff up for that purpose and also for use during the winter months to make sure that we do have options and good food to hand.

I have also added quite a few jars to the cupboard, and there will be more to add in due course. They will probably end up in the Fireside cupboard. That is next on the list to sort out. It was partially sorted out some time back, but still needs a fair bit doing to it. Predominantly I have a load of Le Parfait jars in there which are going to be needed for bottling in the next few weeks or so. They were my first preserving jars, many years ago.

If you look at previous photos you will see that I have added quite a lot of items.

I have a bit more tidying to do there in the morning, and then will be able to start getting other items sorted out and into their homes. I have more preserving bottles to put in the cupboard as well. I also came upon a very large box in the back of the cupboard. I thought it was full of my wine bottles. To my surprise I have found another load of Le Parfait jars and I have therefore moved them to the front of the cupboard so that I can get at them more easily. There was me thinking I was very low on my "bottling" jars. I lost so many last year, many of them had not been used.

I have also found some more liqueur type drinks which need to be strained and bottled. When we had the fire last year a lot of stuff was bunged into the cupboard by OH as just being able to store stuff (the shed was burned down) and quite a lot of stuff I wasn't sure where it was and presumed it had been destroyed. Some of the bits have turned up though, not much but some. I will therefore have to process them in the next few days. Fortunately, I have found my bottles. I will then be able to get the other bottles off the top of the dresser and some of my crocks placed up there out of the way. I have several old bread crocks which I use for macerating, pickling and fermenting mincemeat. I also have a couple of “Rumtopf” pots somewhere as well. They need to be out of the way of the cats. It is like playing Jenga, getting everything in its place so that it is easily accessible for easy use, is not always as straightforward as it seems.

I am quite pleased to at long last have order in the cupboard under the stairs. I can find stuff! I am hoping to keep it like that in the future. I was going to put the Ginger Beer in the cupboard, however as I am burping it daily, I am going to keep it more accessible for about ten days and then it can go into the cupboard.

No preserving at all today, apart from burping my Ginger Beer, which basically is releasing the closure letting air in and then quickly closing it before it fizzes out of the bottle. One day after being bottled and it is very lively.

The Bramble/Blackberry wine is still in a right old ferment in the bottles. Fortunately, it has not spilled out yet. The Ginger Beer plants have also been fed for the day. I have checked on the "Saurkraut" and that appears to be behaving itself. I am going to try some tomorrow I think, to have with some Sausages in buns, with fried onion. Fingers crossed that I like it. I actually quite like raw cabbage. I also managed to get my Victoria Plum jam cleaned up and labelled before putting it into the cupboard.

I have also found an Elderflower Wine kit. I was hoping to do that tonight, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I think tomorrow is going to be another tidying day, with me hopefully getting to actually doing some preserving tomorrow evening.

So no #everybitcountschallenge today, and it will be back to the cupboard first thing tomorrow.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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