WIP'S.......

Somehow I seem to have 3 WIP's on the go.  Not like me at all, usual just 2 and even then I'm not that happy unless the 2nd one is maybe a blanket/throw.

So what do we have?

Miss J is going to a wedding on the 17th and her mummy decided she needed a little cardigan to go with her new dress.  Luckily this won't take long and I had some yarn in my stash.  The pattern is Sirdar 1848 and I am using Sirdar Cotton Kapok DK.

Next up is for me, it's from this month's Simply Knitting.  I am changing it slightly, as in not putting in the ridge pattern, apart from the top 2.

Then a Bunny Blanket Bunny, for a friend's daughter, she's requested yellow with a purple flower and bigger than the ones I did for Miss J.  Using yarn from stash.  Her sister wants a Jessica Rabbit.

This afternoon I made cherry jam, it took me 90 mins to pitt them.  Then .............

we picked a load more...... I had said I would do them this evening but I've changed my mind.  Job for tomorrow, and there are still loads and loads more, it seems a shame to leave them. The birds seem happy with the other tree, they are so sour but they seem to like them.

Cherry ripe

It has been a bumper year for the cherries in our garden, in fact in the time we have been here I don't remember so many.  Even the birds can't cope with them.  Peter and I picked 10lb this afternoon and hardly made a dent.

This batch is destined to become jam and I just used 3 lbs to make cherry gin!!

This is the cherry gin - 1 lb (454 grams) washed cherries,you can leave in the stones, 4 oz (100 grams) of granulated sugar, 70cl gin.  Just pop them into jugs, jars whatever as long as you can give it a stir now and again until the sugar dissolves.  Cover, then give a shake when you think about it.  Leave for 3 months maximum 6, then strain off into clean bottles, you can add more sugar at this stage if you wish.  Drink and enjoy. Up to you what you do with the cherries....

We also plan to make Sweet Pickled Cherries which are great with duck or gammon.  The recipe we have is from the Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziebrich.

I shall freeze some for later use and also make pie filling and/or pies

Think of me tomorrow as I stand a pit all these cherries.

Food for free or cherry ripe part 2

Our normal morning walk gets extended when Rachel works from home on a Friday. We are marching along today, as you do, when Rachel spots a cherry tree, now not ones to pass up some free pickings we take a look, there are loads.  Problem, no bag.  Solution, Rachel's t-shirt, she has on a sports bra so is happy to continue our walk in that.  We tie up the sleeves and make a bag, and then get picking.  There are cherry trees every third tree along the guided bus way, but I'm not telling you where! Different varieties as you can see below. We picked around 10lbs. I will be making more jam and some pies.

Rachel's t-shirt, not sure that stain will come out but its a old one anyway!

Washing the grit off - I let go of one end of the t-shirt!!

Cherry ripe.......

This year our neighbours' cherry tree is laden with fruit; even the birds can't keep up with it. As the majority of the tree overhangs our garden it seemed rude not to pick them.  The neighbour certainly doesn't seem to be bothering with their side.  We picked around 12lbs over the last couple of days.  I've been having them for my lunch and decided that I was never going to eat them before they went mouldy so have spent 2 hours pitting around 6.5lbs to make some jam.  It tastes really good.  I have enough cherries over to make a pie or crumble for tomorrow evenings dessert.   There are still lots on the tree to pick, just wish I could reach the ones at the top of the tree, they hang their in the ripe glory teasing us!

We have started our annual round of preserving, starting as usual with Elderflower Cordial.  Peter has some beer on the go, the utility room has the scent of a brewery.  The first courgettes are nearly ready to eat and as we get sick of them I will make relish, same goes for the runner beans they get turned into Delia's Spiced pickled beans, so good I could just eat them out of the jar with a spoon.  I find it very satisfying making jams and preserves, perhaps I should have lived in an earlier era.