Wednesday and Thursday

Tuesday Evening after tea

I started pottering about a bit as you do, when you are enjoying being in the kitchen and prepping all sorts of things.  I nipped to the shop earlier on and managed to get three trays of fresh Raspberries for £1.25 per punnet.  I came away with three.  Two have made it into a 1 litre jar together with a bottle of vodka and a minimal amount of sugar.  That has started off the Raspberry vodka for this Christmas.  Just needs a little time.  

Will probably make some jam with the Raspberries that are left or freeze them and use in a pudding later nearer Christmas.    The remaining Raspberries (one tray is reserved for my breakfasts for a couple of days) on top of some cereal. Oh to have my own Raspberries in the garden again.

I also came back with a load of herbs, four packets of mint, 4 packets of chillies (the long ones so I think I am going to dry these for my pickled onions and pickled shallots later in the year).  I have some pickling onions to do this week left over from last year but I already have my dried chillies to hand for this.  Also came away with two packets of chives which are also going to be dried.  £0.35 per packet.

I also bought butter as I am going to make fresh mint butter tomorrow to freeze.  I will therefore have Mint vinegar, long keeping Mint sauce for the Pantry shelf and the Butter to hand to pep dishes up a bit and give them a bit more flavour.  I might make some Mint jelly as well.  

Sweet Peppers were also purchased as I am going to make some Sweet Pepper jelly for having with cheese and crackers or charcuterie as well.  This may be made another day as I have quite a lot of things to do tomorrow.

As we had Strawberries and cream for pudding again tonight I put the rest of the Strawberry tops into the Strawberry Top vinegar and a little more white vinegar.  Will leave it for a few days now to do its stuff.

I also sorted out four Demijohns for cleaning and sterilising as I am getting geared up for some wine making. Did not get to these on Tuesday will therefore try and get to them tomorrow.  Need to get some Pectolase have the yeast and yeast compound.  I need the Pectolase in any even as I use it when preparing Clementines in syrup.  Helps get rid of the pith.

Did not get to washing and prepping up any more planters either.  Hopefully will be able to do a few on Wednesday.  I then set about making the Piccalilli and preparing the Red Cabbage for brining. 

As it was late by the time I got the Piccalilli finished, it was too late for yesterday's post.  Just to let you know that I got 14 jars of Piccalilli for the Pantry shelf from a double batch of the recipe.

Starting with the brined vegetables

I did six washes in cold water to remove as much salt as I could.  The only way to test whether enough salt has been removed is to have a little nibble of the veggies and if they are still too salty carry on until it is seasoned rather than over-salted.  Make sure they are drained well through a colander.  Then dry them with a clean tea towel or too to make sure you remove as much of the water as  you can.

This left me with a big bowl full of the prepared washed veggies.

I managed to get 14 jars of the Piccalilli from the double batch.

Wednesday

Today has not been a good day.  I hurt really hurt today.  I have a relatively high pain threshold and if I start muttering, it really is like toothache all over your body and I am hitting my tolerance level.  That is when I have the paracetamol.  A lot of it I put down to the rain that we have had - it always tends to up-skittle me a bit and tightens my system up which is also frustrating.  I am a creaking gate!  My hinges need oiling!  A couple of paracetamol has been had to help ease things up a bit so I can move around and get on which is all I ask for really.  However, some of it could be down to the gardening I did yesterday as well.  Plus I had a late night/early morning due to finishing off the Piccalilli.

I will probably go out into the garden for a little while to top up the vitamin D a bit and to get some menial chores sorted which all add up at the end of the day, which I did achieve.  Cleaning of planters, and Demijohns are on the list or at least the starting of. Today I spent pottering sorting out the planters that I need to start with and some single pots in which to start some seeds off in.  Also the big trays that I use in the greenhouses. 

I would also like to start again on the old herb border and start getting that tidied up as well.  I think G will do the Bay tree in the next few days which will also be a good opportunity to dry some Bay leaves as well.  I have to watch the Bay tree and try and keep it reasonably thinned as if you have too many branches insects can get in and cause problems.  I prefer not to spray stuff if I can help it and therefore try and keep a handle on the maintenance of the Bay tree so that it can breathe.  May do the Bay tree first and then tidy the border out and get the grapevine strung up.

I have also taken some of the Mint from last night which is a different Garden mint to the one I have already taken cuttings from, and am going to see if these will take as well.  Mint can be used for all sorts of things and if you blend the mints I understand that you can end up with a very nice Liqueur type drink (digestive).  There is also a recipe I would like to try for making a Mint wine.

And back to the Preserving.  Unfortunately as I have felt so grotty I have not really done any preserving today.  I will get back to it tomorrow and get an early night tonight.

Temperatures have dropped a bit and we have the heating on at the moment.  I have felt off colour most of the day and went terribly cold.

Thursday

Outline Plans

Thursday I am going to be on my own as G is fishing.

I have been debating what to do.  I had wanted to be in the garden.  I have a real need to be in the garden but it is meant to be colder tomorrow.  

I have therefore decided that I am going into the Pantry whilst G is out of the way.  Hopefully will be able to sneak down first thing whilst Missy is out for the count.  Will not bother Mischief but Missy is another matter and we do not want any howling.

I really need to get the Pantry sorted and things sorted a bit more.  I think this will be a practical use of my day overall until G comes back in the afternoon.  Hopefully will be able to get everything done and sorted a bit better than it is.  Will see how it goes.

In the end despite the plans nothing was solved.  Missy through a major wobble and ended up being poorly.  Wound herself up and left me feeling unable to deal with anything.  Tomorrow is another day as they say.  At least have got her calmed down to what she was.

Tomorrow we tackle the Opticians.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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