I heard a lot of banging noises coming from the wood the other day, so I went to investigate. Looks like the volunteers have been hard at it restoring and rebuilding some of the footpaths. At the moment they are empty boxes, they will probably fill them in to make giant steps. They are doing a grand job.
Then we met Barry with Scruff, and the two dogs had a chase around game.
I finally got the elderberries stripped from the stalks, and cooked them in this big pan I rescued out of a skip a few weeks ago. Now I need to squeeze them through a cloth and bottle the juice. I will freeze some in ice cube trays as well, to put in cold drinks. Hopefully it will keep the winter colds at bay.
Mayze wanted to help me, she jumps up everytime I am doing something in the kitchen to see if there are any titbits for her. She always wants to share my food, and loves toffee flavoured yoghurt, sweetcorn in mayo, grated cheese, and scrambled eggs.
You will see a link at the top of the page, I'm going to be doing a few stand alone extra pages when I think of some ideas. They will offer a bit more explanation on what I am about for people who come to the blog for the first time. Toodle pip.
That pan was in a skip!!!!
ReplyDeleteIts great. Why throw something away when it could go to a charity shop? (be useful AND keep it out of a landfill)
Jane x
It's good to see the walkways being maintained, volunteers do such a good job.
ReplyDeleteIf you boil the Elderberry juice to reduce it, it saves on storage space. do you not put some sugar in it?
Mayze looks gorgeous, such a pretty thing. My OH's cat eats everything too, except lemon flavoured things.
Yes Jane, it was in a skip, along with a lot of other useful things which I removed. It's like brand new, hardly a mark on it, it's got a glass lid.
ReplyDeleteYes Toffeeapple, I did put four desertspoonfulls of sugar in it.
Struth Ilona, those links at the top of your page are technofabtastic - pleeeeease do a short post on how you did it, using monosyllabic words only please. Drawings would help. Or a video. I expect you get the idea - I need a simple explanation. Think of it as your Good Deed for the week, and the weak minded. :O)
ReplyDeleteJane
Rattlebox
I got a wooden lounger chair from a skip the other day. For some reason, when people buy a house they get a skip in, remove the bathroom and kitchen and gut the b****y place! The houses were built early 80s! I was going to ask but never found anyone to ask. Then I was cycling back home, through the paths, spoke to two ladies I know slightly, they encouraged me to take it, kept it at their house whilst I went back for my car, it was a little too heavy to carry wheeling the biike.
ReplyDeleteWent back later to pick it up, had a lovely chat and cuppa together with biscuits with the two ladies, and it transpired they knew some of my ex-inlaws. Some very interesting local facts were gained too.
I now need a cushion for the chair! Watch out all you skips!
Your little cat is gorgeous. I want to stroke her.
Skip surfing! Is that what they call it? Excellent.
ReplyDeleteWe had a bit of luck recently. Found a lovely but broken office chair in a skip, mentioned it to a friend who we were helping move into her offices and she said she had one in great condition she didn't need you anymore.
RESULT! THANK YOU SKIP!
I always look at in skips.
Mr Sft and I were admiring your pan, it's a beauty!
Wasn't all the commenting yesterday a scream!
loved it!
Sft x
Oooo elderberries... the very thing to keep away the colds and flu. I sweeten my cordial with honey and add a glug of Brandy to help preserve it, it lasts well, throughout the winter...and tastes so yummy!
ReplyDeleteVicky x
Mayze is such a little cutie!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll make some elderberry juice this year. Do you water it down when you drink it?
I get the juice from Elderberries by putting them in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering hot water, with a large lid over the fruit.
ReplyDeleteWorks well for currants and blackberries too, I'd add half a pint of water to about six pounds of fruit as it seems to draw the juice out better.
This way you don't overheat the fruit and it keeps its colour and nutrition better, uses less power and makes less mess !
Thanks for the tips about juicing berries. I add a small amount of water to them while they are simmering to stop them burning, and I pulverise them in the pan with a potato masher. I haven't tried steaming them as gz suggests, I like the idea of less mess.
ReplyDeleteLBMouse, I find pure elderberry juice on it's own is a bit tasteless, it's not like Ribena, the more water you add at the drinking stage the more wishywashy it becomes. So I add something else to it to perk it up. A dash of lemon juice from a bottle, or a dash of a shop bought cordial. I like the idea of honey and Brandy, as A Allsorts suggested. Really anything is possible, experiment to your hearts content. I find elderberry juice is like a medicine to ward off colds and it seems to work with me. I bottle some and freeze some and store it in the fridge.
I love your kitty. I'm sorry but British is my second language having grown up in the U.S.! What is a skip? Is that what we call a dumpster? I like using your words better than ours. Bum bag sounds much better than what they call it here.
ReplyDeleteIlona, I mixed my eldeberries with blackberries before making cordial. I also put some lemon juice with it. It tastes great, slightly diluted, hot or cold. Your cordial can be frozen in undiluted stage, as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes it is a great cold remedy when you drink it hot, mixed with some paracetemol powders. I drink some of mine now, over the next few weeks, to stave off any colds in advance.
Hi anonymous, yes a skip is a dumpster. People hire them for a day or so when they are emptying a house, or doing some building or gardening work. The lorry comes along and deposits it on your driveway or nearby. It has an open top, a bit like a square boat. I am always looking in skips for anything usefull.
ReplyDeleteGood idea about adding blackberries Sarina, thanks for that. It was reading your blog which reminded me to get on with this job before the berries went past their best.