Bliss.

Ok, not stroke related. Again. But as Terry Pratchett (bless 'is cotton socks) says in one of his books - "bugger it, bugger it, bugger'em". If you get the chance, read his stuff. Highly recommended, if you want a chuckle muscle transplant.

Uh, oh, got a journalist added (added? is there such a word?) as a follower. Quite a wonderfully scatty one too :) Now I'm in trouble..... ~chuckle~ !

Ahum. Anyways.....

This, for me, is the most satisfying time of the year.

Bottling, pickling, preserving, and most of the ingredients free. The local fields are bursting with blackberries, and seasonal fruit, such as apples, pears and plums are going to find themselves turned into jams and chutneys. There's something very rewarding about picking it yourself and seeing the finished product. Other than that, I insist 'Er Indoors looks for 'buy it quick before we chuck it' fruit and veg offers at the supermarket. Three cheers for my grandparents who lived through the war years.

I've been doing this for thirty years, and being one always conscious to watch the pennies, and hating waste - heck, even cauliflower leaves get turned into a creamy, peppery soup with garlic and croutons - I find it very satisfying. Oh, already said that.

Until about three years ago I only made it for the home, and since I use seasonal stuff, found October through to Christmas was my busy season. With All Hallows, Bonfire and Christmas in quick succession, Home Made's are our little bit of luxury. Besides it's kinda nice, particularly in winter, to taste a self made jam and remember the freshness of the fruit from summer.

Don't let the recipes for jams on the net fool you. Sure, you can buy fancy jars. Yup, there's them there fancy 'waxed' disks, jam thermometers and expensive preserving sugars, pectin powders and liquids. I've even discovered you can buy breadmakers with a 'Jam' function. These things all work too. You'll save a lot though using a well washed jar scrounged from a neighbour, kept hot. You don't need a jam thermometer. A spoonful of jam on a cold plate - when it's ready it it will set and wrinkle if pushed with a finger. You don't need pectin either - the juice of a lemon and lemon rind or a little sour apple do the job. Need a disc for the top?
A cup a pencil and a roll of greaseproof paper do the same job. And use ordinary sugar. Nothing fancy - equal parts sugar to fruit. Honey is a great bactericide, so substitute honey for sugar or add a spoonful to the mix.

But autumn and winter are pickles and chutneys. Unlike jams, they last forever. Well, mine do, so there's not really such a thing as an excess, assuming it doesn't get eaten :)

About three years ago, as an experiment, I gave (and posted!) relatives and friends jars of home made piccalilli and sweet chilli sauce for Christmas. Oh, my. Guess who's having to make extra piccalilli today so it's well matured for December ? The demand for Wheelielilli is phenomenal.

I won't bother posting a recipe. Google it. It's so simple. A few tips though. Add a few spoonful's of chopped red, yellow and green peppers to each jar. They add a splash of colour., and they add to any sweetness.

Try Malt Vinegar. It'll give a darker sauce, but a gorgeous flavour. Likewise if you use a dark cane sugar.

If you can't get (or don't want to pay for) shallots don't feel guilty about it. Chopped spring onion, fairly big pieces, added raw to the mix before you pour the mustard/vinegar sauce on
works well, as does cheap, own-brand supermarket silver skin onions :)

A good Piccalilli should have a bit of crunch, and that's definitely true when it comes to the Cauliflower. I have my own recipe, but those on the web invariably say "boil in the sauce for 10-15 minutes" DON'T DO IT !! Instead, take your time with the cauliflower. Sit in the kitchen, put the radio on, and using a small knife work your way through the beastie cut the florets at an even size. Try and keep the stems short, but don't discard them. Put them aside. Afterwards, chop the stems into tiny pieces, and add them to your bowl.

That will take awhile. While your doing that, put a big pan - bigger than you need - on the stove with lots of water and a spoonful of sea salt, and bring it to a rapid boil. When you've finished, throw it in the pan. That'll cool it, but wait for it to come back to the boil, and when it begins to boil, time it for three (3) mins. Immediately sieve it into the sink and run it under the cold tap to stop it cooking. Allow to drain, then use as per the recipe. Voila, cooked but crunchy cauli.


Phew. Give me a little while and I'll post a quick and simple recipe for a sweet Chilli sauce/dip/preserve, and some tips on how to use it as an unusual preserve.

By the way, 'Er indoors went to my me some camouflage trousers t'other day. Couldn't find 'em. Went to the doctors, said I'd got back pain. He said it's my age. I said, "I want a second opinion." He said "You're ugly". I bought some HP sauce the other day. It's costing me 6p a month for the next 2 years.

And finally.... I went to the doctors the other day and I said, 'have you got anything for wind', so he gave me a kite.... ahum.