'ot and 'oomid....

....that would be the weather, so it hasn't helped spending the last 2 days slaving over a hot stove!

Never mind, fruit needed preserving.... 

No you're not seeing things, that is a bath...with a shitload of plums! And that's just windfall fruit that I've picked up off the ground! There's heaps more on the trees. We have two trees and two varieties but I have no idea what variety they are. There is a dark flesh plum, Black Doris ? I think, quite a tart flavour. The other has a yellow flesh and a red - purple skin, and much sweeter.

The best $20 I ever spent was on the preserving pan!

I use jam setting mix when I make jam, cos I'm lazy, no other reason and it pretty much guarantees the jam will set....except for the strawberry jam I made today, although it might eventually.

Add the jam setting mix, 1 packet to 1.75kgs fruit 

(I used 2kg cos I'm a rebel)

Stir until it begins to boil, then slowly add 2.1kgs sugar, allowing to dissolve.

 

Let the jam (rolling) boil for 6 minutes, pour into hot/warm sterilised jars.

Usually I do that in the dishwasher but I had them boiling away in a large pan of water

I made a batch of plum wine last year and it's pretty good, so I'm making more. To the plums I poured over boiling hot water, allowed to cool off then added a campden tablet and pectinase, it's been steeping for 24 hrs now and I'll let it go another night as I added more water today.

To be continued....

...and I still have a basketful left!

The veg garden is starting to produce, we'll be well fed for a while now.

Last nights dinner, all home produced...even the plum wine.

Home made tomato sauce too (last season)

Corn on the cob (last season) frozen in it's husks and then nuked in the microwave for 3/4 mins

The only thing we didn't grow was the onions! Total fail, thanks to the weather and the chooks.

Today's efforts.....

5-6kgs of strawberries picked, second cropping

I used 4kgs to make jam, which hasn't set properly and yet I did it exactly as I did the plums yesterday. I wonder of it's because strawberries have a higher water content? 

Ah well it tastes bloody lovely!

I would show you the garden, but I'm saving that until the first Monday in February. 

I was recently invited to join a Garden Share Collective, an idea set up by Lizzie Moultand over at Strayed from the Table who is a writer, cook and fourth generation farmer on their property in Australia. The idea of the Garden Share Collective is a community of bloggers that do seed swaps and get ideas from other gardeners. As well as get advice on problem areas in the veggie patch. The more the merrier to help problem solve the better. All that is required of me is to do is a monthly blog post (over view) of our garden, to share what we  are doing and planning to do. Hopefully we can all support each other in our endeavors and encourage others to attempt to grow things for themselves. 

I will add a link in the right hand column if you would like to go check it out.

Just look for the Garden Share Collective logo

Laura over at Our Wee  Farm is also part of the group.

Anyway that's me done for the night, I'm off to watch TV and I get to choose whatever I like cos himself is on night shift tonight.... and I get a kingsize bed all to myself! Woohoo!