Hot, Hot, Hot

 Sorry I like heat in minimum amounts.  I am not a sun worshipper, but that really came about because I was so fair skinned as a child, that I used to burn very easily and end up with prickly heat rash and one year in particular after only being out in the heat for half an hour, I ended up with what is called "a touch of the Sun" a mild form of heatstroke.  I always had to cover up on the beach in particular. So although I like the Sun in moderation,  I always end up being affected one way or another so I treat it with respect.  If that means me keeping inside then I do.  The humidity tends to upset my joints in any event.  Something you learn to live with, but blooming damned annoying.

I had plans for yesterday (being Thursday), to do more preserving.  I still have an awful lot to do.  It has not happened as there is no way I could justify putting the cooker on with the heat as it has been today.

OH went down to the greenhouse yesterday morning and came back with chillies that have been grown.  A Cayenne pepper was picked the other day and today two Habanero chillies were picked.  Still a load of chillies to come, but these are the first harvested. Bert has gone punk.  He is sporting a hair frizz a bit like Bart out of the Simpsons.  All his chillies are still green so we think it will be a while before anything happens. Definitely punk and his grower was a biker!

By the way this is "Burt"

I Still have the chunky apple pie filling to make, Piccalilli to make, some Lemon Syrup, potatoes,  new potatoes, and carrots to can up.  Cherry tomatoes to be used in sauces, short term preserve with the Cherry tomatoes which will be kept in the fridge which is basically cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil in oil.

I also hope to take advantage of anything else that comes my way as there is always something I can be doing on the preserving front for my Pantry shelf. Would like to get some Ratatouille made as well.

Also standards such as pickled onions, pickled shallots, pickled eggs, pickled cucumber, gherkins, pickled cabbage made. Also sweet pickled peppers.  The list is never ending but it all depends what you can lay your hands on.

For the future, I would also like to get some soups made as well. Thinking vegetable, French Onion, Tomato soups at the moment.  Also looking forward to when squash and pumpkin put in an appearance as this year I intend to preserve those in chunks and in soup form too.

Also plans for swede and carrot mix to be canned as well as this is something that we love.

Also looking for recipes for chillies as mine have just started to produce.  Not expecting much this year, but next year will definitely have more plants and get things started a lot earlier.  Now the greenhouses are up that will make a big difference. I do intend to make some sweet and sour chilli sauce, chilli jam and chilli jelly.  Also sweet pepper jelly as we love this with a cream cheese and/or some chilli poppers.  Still after some more plums, this time for an Asian Plum sauce.  Also want to make some curry and sweet and sour sauces.  Need to research that a little more first.  Mustard to be made, a couple of different flavours.  Also need to get some green powders, dried lemon, orange and lime slices dried and also some Lime, Orange, Lemon, and Grapefruit sugars made.  Also a mixed citrus version.

Also have a load more mint to harvest out of the garden for more mint tea (making hay whilst the Sun shines here as my mint patch has more or less doubled with the extra planting) and the Rhubarb has a few more stems that I can pick.   If I can pick up some more bargains from the veg shop then I will. 

There is also the wild larder to investigate. I still have not been foraging so hope will be able to get at the beginning of next week.  I am after crab apples, sloes, hawthorn, rosehips, rowan, and sea buckthorn if I can locate any.  It is very much for me that time of year where I do what I can to get things up on the Pantry shelf.  Much more limitations than I normally have but you can only do what you can do.

So plenty of plans afoot it has just been too hot to execute them today.  Fingers crossed that tomorrow is cooler so that I can get on.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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