tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845982384856671422024-02-07T02:04:58.341-08:00Susannah's DiarySusannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07132044454683106362noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484598238485667142.post-7384390885798244912013-02-28T21:24:00.002-08:002013-02-28T21:24:43.824-08:00<a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/ContestGallery.pl?ContestID=180" target="_blank" title="Read more about this contest"><img alt="Pattern Stash Contest " border="0" src="http://images.patternreview.com/siteimages/contest/2013/patternStash_ientered_150px.png" /></a><br />
<br />Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07132044454683106362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484598238485667142.post-65213818584891663152010-04-09T17:18:00.000-07:002010-04-09T17:18:43.588-07:00A slight diversion...Ok, I know I said I was going to focus on sewing, but autumn can be very distracting.<br />
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First, I would like to stress that I am not a gardener. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to me that there is one plant that grows prolifically in my back yard.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK3nXkP2XkomnIgxJLxeKQa7xH48FkBolFl2Lprf08tikvPYxTfpMA71NuMmwShVQmSoHoNgWrNpOVuZvQtpZoL7ztPwAIoBVkjxgUl075Vs18OOVeVInQW10U5fsYDHk8UmuCA37gdCF/s1600/100_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK3nXkP2XkomnIgxJLxeKQa7xH48FkBolFl2Lprf08tikvPYxTfpMA71NuMmwShVQmSoHoNgWrNpOVuZvQtpZoL7ztPwAIoBVkjxgUl075Vs18OOVeVInQW10U5fsYDHk8UmuCA37gdCF/s320/100_1691.JPG" /></a></div> Regrettably, rhubarb is not one of those items of garden produce that can be eaten without considerable processing (unless it is eaten very fresh, and dipped in a saucer of sugar between mouthfulls. But I think you need to be under the age of 10 to really indulge in this manner).<br />
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But it looks so lovely - that brilliant pinky-red is just divine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Djh9KlZ0gDKau0YuitKkRkZRbfwzIAKllPah1TGXSN7xsDL6LMa4SARtppaqyR1LYJ5mMdRhpubxJdG39_mblM6zclp0QGLvqcEKVaeZS42TJtXQ5HcORzGrC81KgJ8-Qrc7e_sopqsu/s1600/100_1692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Djh9KlZ0gDKau0YuitKkRkZRbfwzIAKllPah1TGXSN7xsDL6LMa4SARtppaqyR1LYJ5mMdRhpubxJdG39_mblM6zclp0QGLvqcEKVaeZS42TJtXQ5HcORzGrC81KgJ8-Qrc7e_sopqsu/s320/100_1692.JPG" /></a></div>Time to harvest. I made rhubarb cakes. I made rhubarb muffins. I poached rhubarb in sugar syrup with a slug of Cointreau (served with King Island yoghurt on pancakes - bliss!)<br />
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And still the rhubarb kept growing. (why aren't the blueberries as prolific? They are so much easier; just pick them into a bowl and eat while walking back to the kitchen!)<br />
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And then some inspiration...<br />
<a href="http://misssmithathome.blogspot.com/2010/03/jelly-its-tight-wads-friend.html">http://misssmithathome.blogspot.com/2010/03/jelly-its-tight-wads-friend.html</a><br />
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Jelly. Of course. Undertaking a bit of research, I decided I would need a bit more acid and pectin to get the rhubarb to gel properly. No problem - a few nice green apples and some lemon juice should do the trick.<br />
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The rhubarb and apple looked magnificent in the preserving pan.....<br />
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but after simmering for a while, looked a little less lovely.....<br />
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and by the time it was finished, it was an unappetising grey sludge.<br />
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After dripping through a cloth, the liquid held the promise that I had hoped for, with the lovely blushing colour that rhubarb can impart.<br />
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I managed to resist the temptation to squeeze the fruit pulp. Apparently it makes the jelly cloudy.<br />
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So this lovely pink juice was then cooked up with sugar until it reached setting point, and put into jars. <br />
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Despite my concern about the colour of the sludge, the final product was crystal clear, and a fantastic jewelled ruby colour. Apple jelly has a nice colour, but the rhubarb adds an addtional depth that looks just lovely.<br />
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I was very pleased with myself. None of my recipe books had the apple and rhubarb combination for jelly, so I felt quite smug. Until, sorting through some very old issues of Gourmet (before it morphed into Gourmet Traveller and had stories of journeys to exotic and unaffordable destinations), I found a recipe for rhubarb and apple jelly. Had this memory lurked somewhere in the recesses of my mind for the past twenty years? Pehaps.<br />
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But a lovely jelly anyway.<br />
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Having got some of the autumn harvest out of the way (including the honey harvest, with a sticky residue on the kitchen floor that has defied numerous washings)......I'll be getting back to sewing before the end of the weekend.Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07132044454683106362noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484598238485667142.post-2641689611260051282010-02-27T21:25:00.000-08:002010-02-27T21:37:42.792-08:00And so it goes....I enjoy reading blogs, I enjoy commenting on blogs. So why has it taken me so long to actually do entries on my own blog??<br /><br />Two years after setting up this blogsite, and still nothing has been written. Not enough to say? Or perhaps too much? And what to actually write about?<br /><br />The blogs I enjoy fall into two categories - food and sewing. I'm sure that other people share both these interests, but there don't seem to be many blogs that combine these passions.<br /><br />I decided to focus on one, at least for this year, and see where it takes me. But which to choose?<br /><br />By way of background, I would like to be able to say that my twin passions are a reflection of inspiration from someone - perhaps a home economics teacher from school? Regrettably, this is not the case. In fact, I suspect that both Miss F and Miss M (names disguised to protect the guilty) would be stunned to discover that I ever picked up a sewing needle or ventured into a kitchen again after the two years of tuition (before I was able to pick other subjects).<br /><br />In retrospect, it should probably surprise me.<br /><br />But which to pick? A difficult choice. A girl still has to eat, so I will continue to follow some of my favourite food related blogs, but for this year, I will focus on sewing and fashion.<br /><br />So here goes!Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07132044454683106362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484598238485667142.post-56620001579241498372008-02-07T21:28:00.001-08:002008-02-07T21:30:30.552-08:00Launching myself into the world of bloggingI am not sure if this is a smart move. Computers, and paddling in the world wide web (surfing doesn't seem to be the right verb for what I do) can absorb so much time, which is a commodity in very short supply in my world. I have, however, enjoyed browsing a few local blogs, and thought it might be fun to have a go myself.<br /><br />So here I go.........more to follow.Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07132044454683106362noreply@blogger.com8