Bird Mobile

I had come across this template for a bird in one of my friends sewing book and as we have two babies, in the family, due in the near future, I decided to make my first bird mobile.

I found, in a charity shop, a baby lamp shade so I sacrificed the large ring to make my mobile.  

I cut out the template, making sure I had a few.

I then cut out different fabrics using the templates, including wadding ensuring I had 24 sides to make 12 birds.  I sewed the wings on with a zigzag stitch, using this to also attach the wadding.

Once I had done this with all 24 sides, I attached the birds right side to right side and sewed them leaving a small opening to enable me to turn them right side out.  I hand sewed the opening, adding ribbon for them to dangler by and made eyes using a sequin and a bead on both sides.

To finish the mobile I hand sewed ribbon around the hoop, setting the birds in place and did the same across the hoop, leaving extra ribbon to allow for hanging.  I am very pleased with my first attempt and I may make another for the other baby

Cinnamon Apple Butter

 

 Part Two....

To recap...we received a bag of windfall apples, peeled and cored them, sliced them into the slow cooker and placed the peelings etc in a large pan.

To the apples was added sugar, cinnamon, all spice, cloves, a dash of nutmeg and a small amount of water.

 The apples were set on high in the slow cooker and left to soften down, with the lid on and occasionally stirring them.

When the apples were dropping they were whisked with an electric hand whisk and left on low for a few hours with the lid raised.  

When ready we put the jars through a dishwasher cycle to steralise them.  When they were ready we bottled the Cinnamon Apple butter and we got 4 large jars out of a bag of free windfall apples.  All we paid for was sugar and the spices which were already in the cupboard.....yum!!!!!!!!

Posted 1 minute ago by Holiday Girl

Economic Apples 

 I have been in Scotland for a few days and someone gave my friend a bag of windfall apples.  My friend decided to make apple butter (instructions to follow) and apple jelly and as I haven't made either of these before I was interested in the technique.

The apples were peeled and cored, and then chopped up, added to a slow cooker with sugar, cinnamon, small amount of water and nutmeg.  This has to be left overnight to cook slowly.

Apple jelly is so economic, costs very little and is really lovely either as a jam or with pork or cold cuts.  It is a very versatile preserve.

The peelings and cores were placed into a large pan and covered with water on a high heat.  They were left, stirring occasionally until they were very soft and the fluid had started to reduce. 

 The apple mixture is then poured into a jam making stand with a large bag attached, over a large bowl and left to drip.  Occasionally press the mixture down but DO NOT squeeze the bag as this makes the jam cloudy.  When the mixture has ceased to drip, discard the peelings mixture and pour the liquid back into the pan a pint at a time.    

 Add a lb of sugar for ever pint of liquid.  Then add 100 mls of lemon juice.  Stir the mixture until the sugar has desolved and let it come to a rolling boil, stirring regularly.










Place a small plate or saucer into the fridge for a few moments until cool and spoon some of the jam onto it to see if it has reached setting point.  You will know if the jam is set as it will wrinkle on the plate when you move it with your finger.

Ensure that your jars are steralised by putting them through a dishwasher cycle or heating them in an oven or microwave.  Fill each of the jars and ensure that the lids are fastened very tightly.  Be very careful as the jars will be very hot.  The jam will be ready to eat in a couple of days and can be stored unopened in the a cool dark place for as long as you wish.  We got 7 jars of apple jam out of the cores and peel of apples which is usually thrown away or composted.  It cost just the price of 3lb sugar and some lemon juice.

Instructions for the apple butter to follow.

Posted 13 minutes ago by Holiday Girl

Bread and Butter Pickles

 Today I decided to make my bread and butter pickles.  I cut up 4 onions, 2 cucumbers and 3 mixed peppers, red, yellow and green.

I covered them in salt and left them to settle for a couple of hours with a weighted plate on top.

In a pan I put white pickling vinegar (I used a mixture of red wine and pickling vinegar because I had loads of red wine vinegar to use up).

To the vinegar I added mixed pepper corns, a few cloves, mustard seeds and coriander seeds.  Rather than trying to find the pickling spices in a box, I bought each of the ingredients in bottles at less than a pound each and I get quite a lot out of them.  I let the vinegar and spices warm a little and then I added the sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolved.  At this point I added the veggies and brought them to the boil slowly and gently cooked them for a few minutes.  When ready I bottled them into sterilised jars and fastened the lids tightly.  They now need to go away for a week or so when they can be eaten.  I can assure you that they will not last very long.  I have been having complaints about the smell of vinegar throughout the house.

Chutney, Chutney and more Chutney.......

 I found a recipe for apple chutney and decided to have a go.  I have never made chutney before but by the time I had finished it I realised just how easy it was to make it.  The chutney includes apples, onions, sultanas, red wine vinegar, mixed spice and sugar.  The tasting was good before I bottled it.

 I managed to get 7 bottles of tasty apple chutney, some for us, some as presents and one to my friend for providing the jars.  Can't wait!!!!!!!!

 I now had the chutney bug so decided to make green tomato chutney with the homegrown tomatoes which hadn't ripened.  Besides the green toms I included onions, sultanas, pickling spices, sugar and vinegar.  It tastes gorgeous.

I managed to bottle up 6 jars of chutney and again some of this will go as presents.  Roll on Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!




Tomorrow I aim to make some bread and butter pickles using onions, cucumbers and peppers