Green Tomatoes

This is the last but one crop of tomatoes from the greenhouse. They seem to be taking forever to ripen up (I'm guessing that's due to lack of sunshine) so I've had enough and plan to turn them into Green Tomato Marmalade, which can be found here. I have to leave it all overnight to 'macerate' apparently, so I'll let you know how it goes. This year I grew plum tomatoes, two kinds of cherry toms, marmandes (the lumpy-looking one middle left in the basket) and tigerellas (stripey). Next year I'm not sure I'll do as many if I grow any at all. As nice as fresh toms are, they're very hungry and time-consuming to grow, so with baby no. 3 due in March I don't think I'll have time.


macerate |ˈmasəˌrāt|
verb [ trans. ]1 soften or break up (something, esp. food) by soaking in a liquid.• [ intrans. ] become softened or broken up by soaking.2 archaic cause to grow thinner or waste away, esp. by fasting.

Last night I started composing the third piece of the white quilt, but it hasn't come together as easily as the first two, so I'm wondering if it's a sign I need to be getting on with something else for a bit instead. Sometimes I think it's a good idea to just let a project sit for a while so that you can come back to it with a fresh brain. I do have plenty of other things I keep meaning to finish, and of course there is still the allotment which needs to be dealt with before winter sets in for good. There is one last window for sowing seeds in the Autumn before the big wait until Spring (which will be a busy time anyway) and I've already run out of time for a few things I had wanted to do, so I have to get going with peas and beans for a nice early Spring crop.

This morning I sorted out all the girls clothes into boxes to put into the cupboard in Jess's room, which Jude has built new shelves for at last, which was very satisfying. I always collect stacks of clothes for when they're older (as well as keeping everything no. 1 has worn to pass down) and every now and then it just needs a good sort out so I can actually get to them when they're needed. My lovely friend passes on anything she can't use as well so it all usually ends up just piled up any old how, so it's a real relief to have some order to it all. At the end of the day there is WAY too much - more than they could ever wear - but I can't bear to donate it Just In Case. Left to my own devices I'm a terrible hoarder anyway, so it's even worse with a family.

So - on with the curtains! Gosh, my life's exciting ;)

A spot of sunshine

It never stops amazing me just how much difference a bit of sunshine can make. We've had glorious weather here for the last couple of days and as a result have spent most of the time at the beach, the nearest one to us being about 20 minutes away. We've had a lovely time! It should set us up nicely for the dark days ahead.... I do wish we lived in a more temperate climate, and whilst I could never cope with the incessant sunshine of say, California, just a few months of real summer would make us all happy.

Jude hasn't heard back from his last job interview, so I'm guessing he didn't get it. I don't mind, it's so nice having him at home, though he, I know, would prefer to be earning. The new car we bought for £600 seems to be OK apart from an odd suspension-y noise and a little smoke. The girls think it's great - it's our funbus! - and they love just playing in it on the drive, so if it does turn out to be a lemon, we'll just park it up in the allotment and they can play in it up there!

I've been meaning to make some curtains for our front room for a while now, especially as the nights are starting to draw in. I've had some lengths of fabric which I made when I was first given my sewing machine earlier this year just sitting around waiting to be put together but haven't got round to doing anything more with them, so any day now I fully intend to get cracking with it... but I've been feeling so lazy lately, that sitting and handsewing seems a much easier propositon. I still have loads of things I need to do in the allotment - it's such a mess up there - but again, it seems like hard work at the moment!