Warning: Food talk inside. Kitchen Supply shops for Jam/Jelly/Canning supplies?

I will def take some pictures of the tea :) It will be lovely to see Pat again, she lives in Canada so we only see her once every 2 years or so. Your whiskey marmalade sounds divine, my sister has decided we will make some over the weekend. I quite like the idea of the lemon/lime with limoncello too!!! Guess what all my mates will be getting for xmas!! We have also found some fab recipes for body scrubs and things which we will try and "brew" up so to speak, also for bath fizzies like the ones from Lush - which I adore but are quite expensive. Will let you know how it all goes, I feel like a witch over the cauldron currently, kinda need a broomstick and a pointy hat!!

Jez
xx
 
Sounds great Jez - can't wait to see the pics - I know they will be gorgeous!

Making spa products is fun - my friendd back home and I used to make soap. It was sucha womderful yummy smellig way to spend the day. Slmost as fun as cooking! And - almost as tempting to bite into everything smelled so lush!!!!

Have a great time with it all. :)

xx
 
The black cherry conserve is bubbling away on the stove, later I will do the xmas spiced apple and blueberry relish!! Woohoo I love this, ladies we should start a shop selling our lovely bits!

Jez
xx
 
Jez - I LOVE black cherry conserve! Please, please let me have the recipe!

And the xmas spiced apple and blueberry relish sounds gorgeous. I was out collecting blaeberries last weekend and there's loads more about.
 
Well the spiced apple and blueberry Xmas chutney is on the stove, and the cherry conserve is set and gorgeous!!! I have realised that I am obviously preparing myself for the fact that I will have to shop and cook in the house again sometime. Previously when I was doing my Eurostar work at home and the fridge was full while I was in abstinence, I really felt dirty and contaminated by having all the food around, but am now geting used to the smells of things cooking on my stove again.

Jez
xx
 
oooo all sounds gorgeous !!!!! read my bread book last night and dying to get going with my starter , but heading off to sol fest this weekend and dont want to neglect it so will start it sun /mon when we get back .... hubbas gonna be sooo impressed :0) .... or wondering what the hell im brewing ontop of the fridge :0) xxx
 
hubble bubble toil and trouble so they say!!! I am going to make a new starter in the next week or 2, so that when I am finally eating, I can make my own bread. This has really encouraged me to cook better for me, which was something I totally neglected before, I far preferred cooking for and feeding others, I think it lessened the guilt of food for me.

Jez
xx
 
Well, I have been to the Pick Your Own, and have a huge basket of Raspberrys ready for jam! And 2 bags of oranges ready for marmalade. Don;t reallly have all the equipment I could use yet, but I think I have enough to wing it. So tomorrow I am going to give it a go. Easier when hubby is at work!! lol

Sure was worth going to the farm though - 4.50 got me piles of raspberry!! Chuffed with that!

Jez- will get you that Jalapeno Chili Jelly recipe! It's a nice glaze for chicken, etc., or with other things as well.

Should we ask the Mods to move this to the maintainer forum? I am concerned that we are talking about food so much here - don;t want to upset anyone. What do you think? There are plenty of warnings - just wonder what others might think?
 
I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!! I made JAM! WHooop whooop!!!!

Couldn't wait til tomorrow - so made a jar of Raspberry Jam, and oh my days - its LUSH!!!! But I will use it sparingly myself - its just so nice to know I did it!!! ANd it was like a witched caldron bubbling away - gorgeous!!! From the vine to the jar in a matter of hours - can't get much fresher then that!

Marmalade tomorrow! :)

Also made the other half some Peanut Butter muffins - they look and smell gorgeous and he seems quite happy with them.

Man I miss my big kichen back home though!!! :D
 
Sounds divine BL, nothing smells nicer or feels more satisfying. I cannot wait to try my raspberry jam, that I made a few weeks ago after visiting mom and nicking some from the garden!! I think it might be a good idea to move this thread, as it is a little unfair on those who are in abstinence. Lol which includes me, but hey I can deal with it <G> its my inner chef coming out and I guess I will be in RTM soon enough.

Jez
xx
 
The first batch of sponges are out the oven, looking fab, second batch due to come out any minute :) Scone mix made and in the fridge. It was such fun making it all, just the sarmies to make tomorrow and the decorating of the cake. The sister also made yummy cappucino brownies and orange and walnut flapjacks.

Jez
xx
 
Hey you little night owl you - baking at this time of night!! :D

That all sounds GORGEOUS. You have good resolve to do all that and not have any- kudos to you madam! :)

I PMed Mini and asked her to move the thread to MAINTAINERS. Then its fair game. :)

Can;t wait to see your pics of all this gorgeous fare!! :)

xx
 
Will take pix when it is all laid on the tea table. Resolve is strong because I am determined to get to goal and win the battle of the bulge, but in reality I work with food every single day so it really does not bother me in the slightest. The lamb at the wedding tonight did smell divine though, as did the cheese, must make a point of watching out for cheese when I finally hit that trigger week.

I am a night person as opposed a morning one, just don't have much choice in the getting up at sparrowfart currently. The great thing is, since starting LL, I sleep brilliantly and wake up feeling great so it is not half as bad as pre LL.

Baking late because I only got in after 9 and want a bit of a lie in tomorrow :)

Jez
xx
 
Mmm I love this thread.

I made some blaeberry (or bilberry or blueberry!) drop scones for everyone tonight with the blaeberries we picked out on a walk. Nice that some actually survived the kids and made it home. :) Seems everyone really enjoyed the scones. My sis included. The scones followed and apparently truely delicious cottage pie using homegrown carrots and courgettes and potatoes. Everyone cleared their plates which is very satisfying for a cook who can only watch!

And I just took an impromptu pineapple upside down cake out of the oven. We're off to meet friends tomorrow and it will cut into nice size chunks to go with the picnic. Smells great, but no problem not to eat it.

You two are motivating me to be more motivated in the kitchen. I have had to deal with food throughout abstinence and I think I am definitely ready to gear up and get used to cooking meals from fresh and healthy ingredients. The family seem pleased with most of my ideas.

Would love to get into jams and chutneys though. Never tried that. But some of your recipes sound scrummy. xx
 
TI, yay, I love other peoples cooking stories, and what you have made today all sounds divine!!!! Take some pictures and post them for us:) You are right, it is so satisfying to see people really enjoy what you cook - lol I must be hooked on it because I do it for a living <G>

I will totally admit to being really bored with food pre diet, but now am so motivated. I know that abstinence is not for everyone as a diet method, but I really think I needed to step completely away from food to start to appreciate it again. I am so glad I did,and cannot wait to start experimenting with healthy options instead of all the usually full fat stuff I usually cook. I was always a great one for butter, cream etc, rich rich stuff. Now I realise there is another way and food can be just as tasty without.

Jez
xx
 
Sounds yummmy TI! I must try scones - never had good luck with them, always ended up with a tiny amount of dough and tiny rock hard scones? Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?


Orange Marmalade on the go - and it smells like FLorida in here!!! Sunny inside - gray outside!! Lovin it! :)

FIngers crossed - I have no thermomemter so just waging it with myeye and the cold plate test!
 
It's that time of year

That's Harvest Festival is coming up. It's the best time for fresh produce in abundance and affordable too.
Lovely pictures in my mind of everyone's kitchens full of lovely smells and bubblings, aromas of fruits and baking................just off to the garden to pick pears, some for a sort of chutney probably with plums and apples and ginger and I'll probably do some kind of relish with elderberries and pears. Pear jelly with baby basil would be pretty too..........oh, i hope everyone else stays asleep upstairs, just me cooking and my cats hanging around, Mayfair following and suprvising as usual and montague monitoring with his nose twitching at every new smell. Heaven.
Must check out the prettiest jars which I hoard all year in the garage. Bye.
 
That sound wonderful SB!! I love having my quiet house and all the goings on in the kitchen. Have always loved that.

Well - another success for me!

6 jars of marmalade! Certainly much more rewarding then the 1-jar yield yesterday!! LOL

I do though think I definately could benefit from a thermometer - certainly while I am learning. I am doing it my eye - and as I don;t REALLY know what I am looking for I think I may be boiling slightly to long. The raspberry is quite thick - its still spreadable, and the range seems think - but maybe as it cools it will be better. It certainly tastes lovely. Had to lick the spoon ya know. :D

I have enough raspberrys left to make one more pot, and will not cook as long and see if I cant get 2 jars.

Then its off to the ou-laws to pick blackberrys.

I love this - it just feels so....erm....."earthy"....taking what the soil give us, and putting it up - to have for a long time - I just love it.

I should have been a pioner woman I think, living off the lands of the plains!! Certainly would have saved money - no charity shops - just a few bolts of calico fabric and a needle and thread!! :D

Have fun in your quiet kitchen while it lasts!

XXX
 
I don't think Karen Millen has reached the plains yet. You wouldn't survive!
Did you ever see Felicity Kendall in the British TV series The Good Life? If not you can probably get it on DVD - worth a watch.
 
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