Busy, busy, busy

Oh my golly. Harvest time has certainly arrived here. Big time. No sooner had I turned all those wonderful blackberries into jam (and a beautiful pie), the figs have started streaming in. Huge big shopping bags full!

Two different neighbours have fig trees, so these are fresh from the tree, and have no food miles whatsoever.

My favourites are the Brown Turkeys, but mostly we are given, very generously, a green skinned Conadria.

What to do with so many figs? We still have fig jam left from last year, but our supply of sugared figs has almost ended. This is a recipe I clipped years ago, and use it every second year without fail.

Sugared Figs

4kg fresh figs

4kg white sugar

3 lites water

Castor sugar

Dissolve sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, add the figs and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally until the figs are cooked but not mashed. Drain and place on wire racks and heat in a very slow oven (75C) for several hours to dry slightly. When figs are dried, roll in castor sugar and pack in an airtight container.

This keeps forever. At least two years. I store mine in an earthenware crock, covered in sugar, and fish out a fig when the fancy takes me. These are delicious served with a cheese platter, or chopped and mixed through homemade muesli. Or in cakes. Or muffins. Whatever really.

As you can see, the recipe is pretty time consuming, and I do inwardly sigh a little when those bags of figs start arriving. But I can't waste them. Their season is so short, and they are terribly perishable. Today's figs came straight from the tree ( I saw them being picked) and already they are showing signs of deterioration. Figs that I received only two days ago have perished completely (but not before I made a fig, gorgonzola and prosciutto pizza and ate a lot with my morning coffee).

The other reason why I have been so busy, is these little treasures. Samples for my shop.

Zippered pouches

and egg cosies.

Hopefully I will have a spare few moments this week to stop and breathe, but already its shaping up to be another busy one.

Blackberries

Well I must say....I am exhausted. In the loveliest way though. I'm scratched to pieces, covered in bites and kind of purple looking, but ever so pleased.

Today was blackberry day.

My adventurous Mother and I headed off to our secret blackberry spot, buckets and secateurs in hand, hopeful of finding laden bushes.

A couple of hours later we had filled our buckets with around 3kgs of fruit each.

Enough for jam, a few pies, and some for dessert tonight.

There is something just so rewarding about making your own food from scratch. Even better if you have harvested it yourself.

As I peak in my fridge, I can see homemade chutney, sauces, LOTS of jam, various pickles and a selection of mayonnaises and dressings. I try to avoid buying too much processed food, we even make our own muesli.

If I could only convince my husband to let me keep chickens, I'd be a happy girl.

Weather permitting, we might set aside another morning next week, and pick enough to see us through winter. Pies, tarts, crumbles. I can't wait for the cooler temperatures to arrive.

Exciting News

Guess what? I've opened a store!

After a full day of computer wrangling I am finally up and running. It's all very new and exciting, and still in early stages. Loads of tweaking to happen, but I have managed to stock it with a couple of little Easter treats.

Some hand sewn wool felt Easter Bunnies with sweet floral pouches

and some crazy Easter birds with wee little spotty pouches.

Both the bunnies and the birds are designed for hanging and are made with a ribbon loop so your little felt treasure can adorn your Easter home. Hang them from your mantle, or perhaps from an Easter tree like mine.

The little bags that keep those cuddly animals so snug can be used to hold Easter treats, like sugared almonds or mini chocolate eggs.

Pop on over, and tell me what you think. I'm bursting with new ideas and have lots in the pipeline for the upcoming year.

Date Day

Things have been so hectic here lately, that it was well and truly time to resurrect Date Day. Last year we had such a great time together re-exploring the city and surrounds, but everything seemed to conspire with us so far this year - sick kids, busy work schedule, vet trips etc, that it is only at the tail end of February we finally got it together.

Date Day is for the two of us. Strictly no kids allowed.

Today we meandered around a few laneways. Saw some great street art,

had a swanky express lunch

and admired a new-ish florist.

A trip to the Gallery was postponed for another day, and we opted to visit Gertrude St for a bit of window shopping.

I bought a rabbit.

My very tolerant husband was dragged from shop to shop, looking at all sorts of loveliness. I must say I was very restrained, but did pick these little gems up while in the city.

All in all, a relaxing, stress free day.

How many days?

Thirty eight days until Easter Sunday. Not that we're counting. Thanks to a recent dress up party, we now have a lovely set of rabbit ears and an oh, so soft rabbit tail. In pink.

Would you believe that already I am being nagged to make Hot Cross Buns? Easter Bunny nests are being planned, and Easter based craft activities are in the pipeline.

A quick trip to the local library today had me picking up three great books.

Some old

Some new

And some new to me.

I love our library so much, they have a system by which I can place purchase requests if they don't own a book I would like to borrow. The Alabama Stitch Book was an order request, and I am waiting for another four to come in that they have ordered on my behalf. Cool huh?

All inspiring reading, and I plan to have a leisurely flick through tonight over a warming cup of hot chocolate. I ordered a new supply of wool felt today, so am ready for some new wooly crafting.

Aaaah

All better. Well, mostly better. My self indulgent sooks have left me, and the sniffles are nearly gone too. Bugger of a cold though.

Today I've had a lazy start to the day, doing little more than lolling about on the sofa. We have plans for a bit of light gardening later in the day, but nothing too strenuous. A tray of snapdragons is patiently awaiting a new home, but with a warm day ahead, I think we might wait till the cool of the early evening.

Snapdragons were a special request of Poppy's. And quite rightly. Who wouldn't want flowers that can talk (although I'm yet to hear their wee little voices myself, I've been assured that they do indeed chatter). If only I were six....

From a crafty point of view, nothing much is happening here at the moment. A doodle or two, but am on the look out for a new project.

After enjoying the wonderful Luke Nguyen Vietnam series recently, I've got hold of the new cookbook Songs of Sapa and have decided to work my way through it.

At least once a fortnight we head over to Footscray, to one of our favourite shopping destinations, Little Saigon. Here you can buy any Vietnamese ingredient imaginable. Searching out the more exotic things on my list did prove slightly difficult though as my Vietnamese is, shall we say, non existent. Preserved white bean curd, sawtooth coriander and paddy field herb was particularly hard to find, but I found out their Vietnamese names with my iphone, and was in luck! Love being able to google on the go.

Thursday night we had Silken Tofu with Shiitake mushrooms. Very, very tasty. Tonight we will be having Pork Spareribs with Pickled Bamboo Soup. Chocked full of chilli and fresh herbs, the perfect antidote to a cold. I won't even pretend that the youngest member of our household will even sample this, but with a back up Bolognese sauce in the freezer, everyone will be happy.

We so enjoyed Vietnam when we visited last year. The food was amazing, and the scenery incredible. Fingers crossed, we have plans to return later this year, visiting Nha Trang and Dalat.

For now though, back to bed. I have a soothing Chamomile tea by my side and I think I might even have a little midday nap.

Poorly

Snuggled up in bed. At least that's where I'd like to be. Those nasty winds from yesterday have blown a head cold in my direction. Snuffly, sneezy and slightly feverish, I'm not really myself. Unfortunately today is not the day I get to mope about.

Last night was soccer practice, today is ballet rehearsal. Followed by a party. Followed by a big family gathering to celebrate a birthday. I know it's selfish, but how I long for just a day or two to myself. No responsibilities, no commitments and no plans.

Parenthood is such a difficult role. I know everyone finds it challenging, but some days I just feel so crap at it. Surprising that my kids have made it this far really. As babies they never seemed to sleep, I just lacked that special baby whisperer mojo. Even now they seem to always have a different agenda to mine and sometimes days pass before I see glimpses of the compliant, agreeable children I always thought I would have. I do envy those parents who take it all in their stride and seem to always have it together. My two spend every waking minute squabbling, taking it to almost an Olympic level sport. Thank goodness for educational institutions.

So for now I'll dose up on the cold tablets, sock down the honey and lemon and take a deep breath. See you on the other side.

Bad Winds

This is kind of how I feel today. Slightly vacant, with my stuffing coming out.

My much loved bear, has seen better days, and I have certainly had better days.

It's not the first time I've felt cranky due to the wind. While some might love a good, stiff breeze, it just seems to make me (and the bear) frown.

Mind you, if a certain someone hadn't chosen to pee on my bed WITH ME STILL IN IT, the day may well have started differently.

My sad little bear has been around forever, I'm not even sure of his provenance. I suspect he belonged to an uncle of mine, but has been in my possession for as long as I can remember. I love him dearly, but clearly all the love in the world can't help him now. Threadbare all over, and no longer able to play, all he can do is sit and watch the world go by.

The eyes are relatively recent (about ten years ago, for my eldest son), and a few running repairs have been made, but now he is sadly leaking stuffing everywhere.

Today, I think I'll just bunker down, perhaps read a bit of a novel, and try to stay out of everyone's way. Just me and the bear. And maybe some chocolate.....

Raspberries

Markety goodness today. Inexpensive raspberries, too good to ignore. Perfectly ripe and just begging to be brought home. Homemade raspberry jam is an extravagance. Sooo good.

Four jars of jam later, the only question is: Jam and cream? Or just plain jam?

Better late....

Shrove Tuesday. Missed it. Too busy trying to get my head around HTML script. My brain seems unable to process technical stuff, like rewriting horrible Blogger programming. For the life of me, I simply cannot work out how to customize my header. With the Minima Stretch template it just doesn't seem do-able.

Any clues?

I rather like the template and am loath to change it, so I guess I will just have to accept that I am stuck with a boring, unfancy header.

Anyway.

Better late than never I say. I've made a token batch of Pancakes, albeit a day late.

With my one year anniversary just a few weeks away, I'm thinking I might do a little giveaway. Maybe make some more of these, now that Easter's just around the corner.

Crazy duck/swan things, with a little bag for Easter treats.

Or perhaps some super soft felt bunnies to liven up your place.

I'll put my thinking cap on (what is left after the HTML frying) and come up with something.

More Party Presents

Another weekend. Another party. Time for another present.

This gorgeous little apron pattern comes from Morgan Moore, over at One More Moore. I bookmarked this one about two years ago and have been meaning to make it ever since.

There seems to be an abundance of wee apron patterns around, but this one is just so over the top girly, I love it.

After surreptitiously quizzing the birthday girl, I discovered that green and red are actually her favourite colours, so a second little gift was made to make up for the lack of green.

An oversized barrette, and I might make a second as a matching brooch, as I think it actually looks quite sweet against the apron.

Valentine Sweetness

It's official. There is now too much sugar in our house. As if Christmas wasn't bad enough, we now have cupboards overflowing with candy. Valentines sweets. Who could resist such cuteness?

Certainly not me.

Another Blackapple

I love these little dolls to death. I've made at least a dozen in the last couple of years. For Poppy's 5th birthday I whipped up eight for party bag gifts, and a few more for school fetes.

Today's Blackapple was for a special little girl who is turning seven this week. A gal pal of Poppy's is celebrating with a party tomorrow, and what better gift to give than something personal and handmade.

They are frightfully easy to make, and terribly addictive. Each one ends up looking so unique, with a character all of it's own. I spent just over $6 on fabric and matching cotton, and was able to make both the doll and her coordinating bag. The bag is actually intended to be for school library, but really could be used for just about anything.

You'll have to forgive the rather washed out colours, we have had an awfully overcast day here, but with the party tomorrow, it had to be quickly snapped, before being wrapped.

Here are some other babies, (poor inferior mass produced models).

These poor darlings stood no chance at having lovingly handsewn features. Simple marker pen faces, and glue-gunned accessories.

Still sweet though.

Final Tally

All done. The final tally for my last three days.

22 bottles of basil and tomato passata

11 bottles plain passata

11 bottles whole tomatoes

6 bottles of concentrated pizza sauce

2 trays oven dried tomatoes

Needless to say, I am sick of the sight of tomatoes. We have feasted on homemade pasta (with passata)

gorged ourselves on homemade pizza (with pizza sauce)

and will have some sort of dish that involves oven dried tomatoes tonight.

All up, I've managed to process roughly 48kg of tomatoes. Thankfully I still had enough chutney and homemade sauce to see us through.

The kitchen has almost returned to normal, just a few more jars cooling on the board before it all gets taken into our tiny garden shed for storage.

Hopefully next week will be blackberry week, and it will all start again.

Homemade Passata

Okay. Time to bite the bullet. Even though it's hellishly hot in my kitchen, it's bottling day.

The tomatoes are waiting and the pot is boiling.

Here's what I do.

I choose firm, ripe Roma tomatoes that I buy in bulk from my local greengrocer. This year they were $22 for a 16kg box.

I blanch them by plunging in boiling water for a couple of minutes, until the skins start to split.

these are then drained on a wire rack to get rid of any excess moisture.

These are then placed in the top of my Passata machine, a handy little device I purchased a few years back, but a Mouli would also suffice if you were making smaller amounts. I make about 40 litres in all, enough to last our family twelve months. A rough yield is 1 litre to 1kg.

The machine separates the skin and the seeds from the tomatoes, leaving a smooth sauce.

I run this through the crank three times all up, to get every last bit of flavour out of the tomatoes.

The sauce is then placed in the bottles with a few basil leaves and a squeeze of lemon to help preserve the colour and flavour.

The jars are sealed with a rubber ring and a stainless steel lid, which is held in place with a metal clip. These are then placed in the preserving kit for an hour, after which time they are removed, then allowed to cool before the clips are taken off.

My bottling system is a Fowlers Vacola preserving kit, which has been used by both my Mum and Grandma for many years. Mine, as you can see, is new, but they have changed very little in the last few years.

I also bottle whole tomatoes, peaches, plums and apricots, ready for the depths of winter.

Tonight will be pasta night. When the last bottle is done, we will have the first jar of sauce in a pasta dish to celebrate. With a glass of wine of course.