52 Week Challenge - week by week through 2013

[veggiechicken]

Don't be so disparaging - please!! I'm growing some Purple Majesty for the first time and I don't want to be put off before I dig them up

[Hazel at the Hill]

These black olives were lovely black grapes

Oh! I'd better go and pick them up then - I like black grapes!

[Sheneval]

VC - I'm sure yours will look delightful and prove to be absolutely delicious - in any event everyone's taste is different and trying something new is always worth doing which is why I took them in the first place - bet you thought it was just to get my week 29 challenge completed

[veggiechicken]

Remember this http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...les_68929.html that turned into the "should you or shouldn't you butter veg" discussion

[Sheneval]

VC - I found it a most interesting discussion particularly the butter bit - I just love butter on my mashed potatoes - drool - I'm starting to feel hungry

[Sheneval]

VC - for my week 30 challenge I intend to replace my plastic cloche covers with debris netting - I should have done this weeks ago as this type of cover creates conditions which are far too hot for the plants involved. As a result I have been having to leave them open all day and return at night to fasten them. Next year I will do this in May.

Did you spot the deliberate mistake above - I should of course have said my daughter's plastic cloche covers

[Hazel at the Hill]

Week 29 Challenge

Make a Batch of Jam or Jelly

I'm not very good at making jams and jellies - it's the setting point bit. I guess that it's one of those 'practice makes perfect' things, but I don't practice very much as I'm not very good at it - a catch 22 situation.

Instead, if I have lots of fruit that needs making into something, it generally gets turned into wine. I'm quite good at that.

But as a consequence of spending all day yesterday fighting the bed containing a 6' high currant hedge with a pair of loppers in order to turn it back into a bed containing four bushes, I ended up with an awful lot of redcurrants and blackcurrants. There's certainly enough for wine and redcurrant jelly.



The recipe I have is rather vague (it's one of those that says 'simmer until cooked', and 'until you reach the setting point' as opposed to proper times. I mean, am I looking for the setting point after 3 minutes or 2 hours??) so I looked online and found that the sainted Delia has a super simple recipe.

You cook the currants for about 10 minutes, squashing them with the potato masher to get the juice out; add the same weight in warmed sugar, stirring till dissolved; then a rolling boil for 8 minutes; strain the lot through a muslin square and put into sterlised jam jars.

Marvelous!



A slight downside to the method is that the jelly starts to set as soon as it is being strained, so you can't hang around waiting before you put it in the jars. I am also rather sceptical about how solid it is going to get - I suspect that it might charitably be referred to as 'soft set', but I'll see in the morning once it has totally cooled.

No matter how the set is, one jar will be entered into the Hill Annual Show in a couple of weeks - and even if it doesn't do well, I've no doubt that it will taste superb!



So that's my week 29 Challenge - done!

[Sheneval]

Nice one Hazel - looks good enough to eat

[veggiechicken]

Week 29 challenge

Nothing too outstanding this week :-
Cooking a meal in an electric wok that I was given last weekend.
I've used it twice and its quite effective and satisfying to use BUT it takes up one heck of a lot of space on the worktop and is a bit of a chore to wash up - because its so huge.
I had intended to try the Steamer as well but I honestly couldn't think of anything that I wanted to cook in it - so that's still in the cupboard.
If I only keep one gadget, it would be the wok - it seems to fit my cooking style more than steaming.
I'll keep the steamer up my sleeve for another challenge

[veggiechicken]

Week 30 - July 22nd - 28th

Last week of July so list your month's challenges as well as doing something new. I know Shen has given us plenty of notice for his What about the rest of you - what will you do?

[bearded bloke]

I shall be lifting the garlic (not a challenge) & attempting to plant out my leek "grass" in an attempt at getting a first ever leek crop (challenge)

[PyreneesPlot]

No idea where I'm at (very behind) or what week it is (July?) but last week I learned to drive the ride on lawnmower. Ok, not much of a challenge, but it does mean that when we have grass cutting jobs, I can ride and MrPP can strim.
And the week before I started a hoeing regime. Previously, I've always reacted to weeds when they appear, but I'm determined to stop them in the first place. Even got MrPP to sharpen the hoe, too - his challenge, not mine!

[Sheneval]

Week 30 challenge - replace plastic cloche covers with debris netting.

This was an easy one - week 30 challenge complete

[Sheneval]

Make a Batch of Jam or Jelly

Marvelous!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38190[/ATTACH]

A slight downside to the method is that the jelly starts to set as soon as it is being strained, so you can't hang around waiting before you put it in the jars. I am also rather sceptical about how solid it is going to get - I suspect that it might charitably be referred to as 'soft set', but I'll see in the morning once it has totally cooled.

No matter how the set is, one jar will be entered into the Hill Annual Show in a couple of weeks - and even if it doesn't do well, I've no doubt that it will taste superb!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]38191[/ATTACH]

So that's my week 29 Challenge - done!

Hazel,

Did it turn out as you hoped? - I have inherited a load of red currants and want to copy you

[Hazel at the Hill]

Did it turn out as you hoped?

Well, it is certainly jelly within the definition of the word, but it is a soft set.



The recipe I used (Delia's here) was very easy, 1-stage bubble up with idiot proof timings. And TOP TIP: you don't even have to strip the berries from the stalks - something I wish I had known before I spent an hour with a fork doing just that.

If I did this again, I'd strain it straight into the sterilsed jam jars, not a saucepan from which I had to pour semi-set jelly into the jars.

I've a load more in the freezer with which I am toying with the idea of making another batch with more traditional 2-step instructions (i.e. cook the berries down with a little water, strain the juice out overnight through cheesecloth/muslin. Boil the juice up with an equal amount of sugar until it reaches setting point), but given my lack of competence with the setting point thing, it may well come no different for a lot more faffing about.

In all, if you're a whizz on jam/marmalade making, go the traditional route - for a give it a go and see what happens vibe, go for Delia.