52 Week Challenge - week by week through 2013

[Sheneval]

Hazel - many thanks! I have spent my life disclaiming to an expert at anything so will try the easy route. Am I to take it I don't have to strip the currants from their stalks which means I can cut them off with scissors rather than pulling off individual berries? Jim's wife spent 4 hours today stripping them off completely after removing stems from the bushes.

Apologies to VC for hijacking her thread

[Hazel at the Hill]

From the bush? Yes - I just nipped/pulled each string of berries off each branch near the cane/branch.

Delia says: The first easy thing is that there's no need to go through the tedious business of stripping the currants from the stalks. Just place the washed fruit – stalks and all – in a preserving pan, bring slowly to the boil and stir, pressing the redcurrants to break down the fruit and release the juice.


If I hadn't been involved in such a big scrap trying to do a comprehensive lopping of the bushes at the same time, I would have simply cut each fruiting cane out near the ground (thus pruning at the same time) then stripped each on into a bucket; leaving this year's new canes to bear fruit next year.



But as you can see, it was a bit of a tangle.

[Sheneval]

I just did the lopping bit but after a bit of practice my helper and me decided just to strip from the stems as it was fairly easy to do. Thanks for all your help.

[veggiechicken]

Shen, if you run a table fork down the berries it will pull them from the stems. You can pick them from the bush like that -with a bowl held underneath to catch them, of course

[Sheneval]

VC - You are too clever by half - I will remember that for next year

Sorry forgot to ask what is a table fork?

[veggiechicken]

A dainty version of a garden fork You can do it with blackcurrants as well

[Hazel at the Hill]

.. then stripped each one into a bucket; ......

Sorry, Shen - the addition of the words 'with a kitchen fork' in the above would have been mighty helpful to you.

However, your child labour with nimble fingers does seem to have done an admirable job.

[Sheneval]

Sorry, Shen - the addition of the words 'with a kitchen fork' in the above would have been mighty helpful to you.

However, your child labour with nimble fingers does seem to have done an admirable job.

the term 'kitchen fork' I can understand but we really did rattle through the 2.75lbs of currants - I am a great believer in 'child labour' - they may as well learn what life is going to be like once they get older - no point in them believing that they are all going to be football players, pop stars or benefits claimants.

To be fair I do slip him the occasional fiver if he works really hard as opposed to a couple of quid for just turning up and making himself popular with my fellow plot holders, just to impress on him the benefits of hard work.

In any case I have no doubt he will be a good worker - it is in his blood from both sides of his family - he won't be able to help himself.

[Tripmeup]

Similar to Hazel's, my challenge this week is to make jam for the first time ever...
Blackcurrants are picked and waiting for me..

[PyreneesPlot]

Well, I've got my mojo back so have started this weeks challenge which was starting AGAIN a really good online French course. I used to do an hour a day, so I should manage half an hour!!

Its this one, Learning, powered by imagination. - Memrise excellent for expanding vocab.

I've started Spanish too (Spain is closer than Toulouse, after all!) and even taken a look at Occitan.

[Tripmeup]

Similar to Hazel's, my challenge this week is to make jam for the first time ever...
Blackcurrants are picked and waiting for me..

Ended up picking raspberries too for jam..selection of some of the pots

[Sheneval]

VC - My challenge for the coming two weeks (31 & 32) is to enjoy a Boating Holiday on the Norfolk Broads - this will be really difficult as I am going to be spoiled for choice travelling from one drinking den to the next - hic

Here are a few pics in advance

[mothhawk]

Well, I've got my mojo back so have started this weeks challenge which was starting AGAIN a really good online French course. I used to do an hour a day, so I should manage half an hour!!

Its this one, Learning, powered by imagination. - Memrise excellent for expanding vocab.

I've started Spanish too (Spain is closer than Toulouse, after all!) and even taken a look at Occitan.

That's a good site PP. I had a quick run through some of the basic french - like the idea of memes to help you remember. And I had no idea that Noddy in French was oui-oui. Possibly not the way to teach young children to remember "yes" in French. Or maybe it is. They'd never forget...

[veggiechicken]

Week 30 Challenge - Done in parts - like the curate's egg
A surprise challenge, sprung on me on Friday afternoon, on this very Forum. Accept the offer of a free 8x12 GH as long as it can be dismantled and removed within 6 weeks!
So far, I've seen the GH, started work on clearing the site and, most importantly, delegated the job of dismantling, removal, base construction and re-erection
I have a feeling that the next few week's challenges may follow on from this one
July's Challenges
Week 27 - Clear a space for a hammock
Week 28 - Fit a Bath lift chair for my 93 year old Mum (not a success )
Week 29 - Cook a meal in an Electric Wok (used it 3 times - will keep it for a while longer)
Week 30 - Accept the offer of a greenhouse and make arrangements for its removal.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Week 30 Challenge

Re-arrange the Wine Rack

When I started making wine, I used to put the bottles in any old spare corner in the garage. In hindsight, that wasn't that sensible - with the car taking up most of the room, the floor space for wine bottles is limited; and I think we can all see the dangers of me bumbling around in the dark recesses of a garage strewn with bottles.

So I put up a shelf and a wine rack and devised a simple system of putting the bottles which had been made longest at the bottom, the newer bottles added at the top.

When I'd drunk the entire bottom row, I moved everything down one, like a giant game of Tetris. The system meant that I could just grab the bottle lowest on the rack and not have to fiddle around pulling bottles out to find the next in line to be drunk.

This worked really well as long as I keep all my wines for the same amount of time (a year) before drinking. A problem arises, though, when some wines can be drunk before 12 months (tea bag wines in - say - three months) and some need longer (parsnip wine benefits from 2 years in the bottle) - so the little sticky dot I put on the top of each cork so I can see at a glance what it is, and the 'month made' don't actually reflect when I can drink the stuff.



So this week's Challenge has been to get all the bottles out of the rack, replace the sticky dot with one that gives the month to be drunk not the month made, then put them all back in the rack in order of drinking date.



It's a little thing, but it's so much easier to just be able to grab the lowest bottle on the rack and know it's ready to go, rather than squeezing past the car and having to take the torch out to read the labels until I find one that's had it's 'maturing' time.



So that's my week 30 Challenge done - cheers!