Potting and poaching

OK, so the reason I starting this blog in the first place was to kinda document the sewing/printing I was doing, so I didn't forget it all. I don't seem to have done any of that for ages and ages (or not much, anyway) - I wonder if that's because I spend too much time doing other things, like poaching delicious seasonal fruit (this time: helllo quinces) and working on my new-found love of pottery. Hmm.

Relish is delish

OK, so after quite a bit of preparation the night before (cutting 8kg of tomatoes and nearly 3kg of onions into little bits!) I thought yesterday's main activity of relish-making would be a breeze - just cook the stuff, bottle it and be done. Of course it took way longer than expected (9am to 6 or 7pm, I think it was) but I reckon it was worth the effort - it is tasty and will last at least a year (and make a nice gift).

Here's how the day progressed:

Note the Keen's Mustard container - it gives an idea of how big this container is!


That's a lot of jars, and I used all but one of them.


All done!

And while it was bubbling away I tried my hand at some hot cross buns (half currant, half chocolate for Mr. I Don't Eat Dried Fruit). They're from the Delia recipe, as recommended by Loobylu - think I printed the recipe when she made them two years ago but only got around to making them now but it was worth the wait.

Necklace, anyone

One of the other things I made on the weekend is this necklace. I've made a few other jewellery pieces out of coloured clay, but this is my first necklace. It's got a gloss finish on top and has a bit of weight, but I kinda like that.


Also made a mini batch of chutney (toms all chopped up, above) from a Stephanie Alexander recipe, with CERES tomatoes that a friend gave me. It's nice, but I really love the stuff my mum & dad make, so I went back yesterday and bought my own box full. Tomorrow will be fun!