Jelly !

 

Word of the Day

Tripendicular - Akin to, or the disorienting view one has while falling or moving as in an arc, or in a direction other than just horizontal or vertical.

~~~~

One of the most difficult parts of making jam and jelly is the prep work. I dug through my supply of jelly jars in the basement, hauling all of what I had upstairs (28 jars), washed them, removing labels, and sterilized the bunch. I set out my ladle, my funnel, my spoons, my bowls, collected more sugar from my stash, found my recipes, got the lids sterilizing in a small pot, got my timer set and at hand, and got the rings and the pectin in reach along with a clean dish rag for wiping off the rims....oh...and butter so that I wouldn't end up with too much foam. Ready, set, go...

After making two batches of Prickly Gooseberry Jelly, it became obvious that I didn't have enough jelly jars for the five batches of jelly I planned to make, having already used up twelve jelly jars. I figured that I'd need at least two more jars. I called BW Babe and she told me that she indeed had a dozen jelly jars that she could give me if I would replenish her supply when I got the chance (I'm going shopping on Wednesday...it's on the list).

Upon returning home with the jelly jars that BW Babe gave me, I noted that it looked a bit like rain. I decided that it would be a good idea to pick the raspberries while the picking was good. The remaining three batches of jelly would have to wait. Actually, I would have loved to postpone the picking until tomorrow but, rain and raspberries don't mix. I could just imagine the smashed and moldy fruit on the bushes. Besides, it's supposed to rain on Monday AND Tuesday too so... Thankfully, it looks like the season has peaked. I only ended up with two buckets of berries which I'll take care of tomorrow.

Back to jelly making. In total, I ended up with twelve jars of Prickly Gooseberry Jelly, six jars of Black Currant Jelly, and twelve jars of Raspberry Jelly. Plus...I had enough leftovers for sample jars of each to enjoy. I brought BW Babe a small sample jar of the gooseberry jelly to try. There's always that little bit leftover that doesn't fit into a sealable jar.

My kitchen is once again clean. I'd have made myself some dinner but exhaustion set in so I made do with some chips and the guacamole that I made the other day. There are days like this that you just don't have enough remaining energy to eat....not a bad thing if you need to lose weight.

~~~~

Random Quote of the Day

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), Speech in New York, September 7, 1903