Last year, Kevin and I cleared a parasitic vine off our concord grape, and in August ended up with more grapes than we knew what to do with. So we froze them.
Having pruned our vine, this year it’s looking like a bumper crop so I thought we had better take the 2.7kg of grapes we’d frozen and do something with them. Like turn them into jam.
Well, it seems like the internet is not in agreement with regards to how to make jam, so I averaged out some recipes, included the lemon juice for acidity and the butter for reducing foam and spent the afternoon boiling jars and simmering grapes.
The result is ten (and a half) jars of the most fabulous grape jelly I think I’ve ever tasted.
It’s currently cooling, and then I’ll test for airtightness. But oh my word, it tastes amazing! I never really understood the whole making jam thing, but now I really do!
Welp, it’s been another one of those weeks. The emergency crochet continued until I had four reliable patterns ready for Tuesday’s workshop. The third figure is Dr Anandibai Joshi, who is also my favourite:
The fourth will be published next month.
Interrupting all that was the arrival of parts for my new Hackintosh, which has necessitated a few evenings spent dealing with computery things. My poor laptop is struggling somewhat, and really will need a factory reset and a new keyboard soon, so getting a desktop Hackintosh became a bit of a priority. The new desktop goes like shit off a stick and is a joy to use, so it was worth both the money and the time.
But finally, today, I got the chance to do more embroidery, the second of two days that have so far gone unblogged. I’m still of two minds with the knight’s tunic, whether or not I like the darker plum with the lavender. I’m thinking not, right now. I also tested two strand long-and-short stitch (below the belt) against the single strand stitch (above the belt) and really do prefer the single strand. It’s just easier to get a smooth finish.
I’ve also dug out the silk and backing fabric so that I’ll be ready to get the final set-up done one evening this week, and then I can start embroidering in earnest.
However, this week has emphasised that I am getting into my busy season now ahead of ALD on 10 Oct, an I just may not have the time to do something every day. So it goes.
