Saturday 27 April 2013

Bottling and Preserving

It is school HOLIDAYS!!! I LOVE HOLIDAYS!!!
(blog started Friday night)
draining the liquid
reducing/thickening

This Wednesday gone I attended a Bottling and Preserving Course with Rural Health.
There were 10 recipes and as it turned out 10 course participants so we took a recipe each. I took the marmalade as I have not ever made a marmalade before and as it turned out, I choose the hardest one ;) Lots of peeling, slicing the peel and boiling...and I had to write out my labels as there were not any left. 


It was a great experience to be working with people from our community that I had not previously meet and to be learning in such a fun atmosphere. It renewed my passion for getting a Fowlers Preseving kit similier to this one. Although I will look out for new or secondhand one on ebay or gumtree. I have also asked my mum for all of her old fowler  jars.


I have been preserving apples too; straps/roll ups, pies, dried rings, apples in jars (for crumbles or pies) and also been adding them to the sauces.

So as we sit now, just having finished watching a movie, jars are popping (sealing) and Aj chuckles as they do so.
combined goodies
what I bought home with me




I finished painting a car track on some MDF to go into a old cupboard draw. The kids love it and it keeps the track and cars contained.


I have painted a wall in the kids room, a nice neutral grey, I have also painted a set of draws in the same colour. The plan is to glue a map on the draw front. More pics as I get more done.





 



Saturday 13 April 2013

Planting in the rain


Ducks like rain and I love planting in the rain...with a big jacket on and my back to the rain that is.

Pink Cascade
I love planting in the rain as it means the plants get an extra watering. The natives I planted today were as follows:


Flora Mason Grevillea
Flora Mason

I planted  #2, #4 and #5 up the back near the chook house to give them shade and shelter. The others I planted out the front, inside the fence. They will fill in the garden bed so that the road will be blocked off and the fence will not be seen. They will also attract birds to the yard. The Leucadendrons also make lovely cut flowers.

I also moved some roses*, planted a new rose and planted a new orange dahlia. I have some small foxgloves in a pot to grow before planting out the front in the cottage garden, as the ducks and chooks ate the last lot. 

*I know that it isn't the right time of year but I don't ever seem to do things at the right time. I cut the bushes back, getting rid of the up coming flowers and old leaves which means the plant focuses on the roots not flower production. I also water well for a while. 

***
The front yard
We have also been working on the Secret Garden/Cubby that we have put inside the Pittosporum trees in the front yard. We have one central tree and lots of runners that have come off it. Someone suggested using the inside of the trees as the cubby. We cleared the lower branches and some the the main tree trunks. Miss Z was the one to find it...she thinks it's great. I need to make a seat to fit around the central tree and I want to build a door with an old window on the right of the cubby garden. That and waiting for the trees to bush up, which I'm sure won't be that long ;)

On the plan to the left:
1. Pittosporum
4. Front path
5. Cubby cottage garden
Learning to use the chain saw and creating the doorway.


On the right is the central tree and seat position.

All done.


Monday 8 April 2013

Butchering Day




March 19th was my last post. I can't believe it has been so long.
I have had trouble posting, and much on here at home.
An email from a friend and follower prompted me to get on and say hello and catch you up.

Here is the post from the butchering day.


Wednesday (the 27th March) was cut up the steers day.

At about 11.30 the butchers arrived and it was go go go. It was fast paced but I wasn't as stressed as I thought I would be. The first steer went into large bags per cut. Which was just as well as I was by myself. The second, went into meal sized bags which took more time but Aj was home and helping by then. We were blessed to have Friend#1 looking after the kids until 1 and then Friend#2 took over. I seriously could not have worked as well without the help so it was so greatly appreciated. The butchers were all done and driving away by 3pm. 

I'm sure if I had wanted different I could have asked but the cuts of meat we were offered, and that I took, were as follows: 

Eye Fillet, Porter House, Scotch, 
Rump, Blade Steak/Roast, Oyster Blade, 
Rolled Roast, Silver side 
and anything left over minced.

We ate the best steak ever on Thursday night and it was only rump...can't wait for the eye fillets!

We went out to turn and rotate the meat in the chest freezer after dinner Thursday. None of it was frozen! The frezer was not coping with a full load. SO we sorted out the inside frezers and made things  fit. Only a few bags of mince and stewing steak had to remain out in the chest freezer. I think it would be okay if the meat was already frozen but the fan on it has not stopped running. We can't be sure it will not happen again next year and what if we have other things in the freezer? So it's off to buy a new chest freezer...some time before next years butcher :)