All ye oul wans and oul fellas out there! Wakey wakey, rise and shine!

looksee

Not much I can do about it really, been staying out of the way a bit, but he seems to have cast iron resistence!

Chucken

I've been down with coughy, sicky, sleepy disease for ages now. I'm sick of it

Jellybaby1

Sorry you are so sick Chuckie, it just like Looksee's germs too. Himself isn't too great at the moment either. He's never sick, it's odd to see him so coughy. Wonder what germs are going round these days. Are any of ye experiencing sweats too?

Chucken

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Sorry you are so sick Chuckie, it just like Looksee's germs too. Himself isn't too great at the moment either. He's never sick, it's odd to see him so coughy. Wonder what germs are going round these days. Are any of ye experiencing sweats too?

Oh, have the sweats but I'm delighted to say it's not down to the aul menopause...My blood work says I'm officially over it

looksee

Yes, it sounds like the same bug, all those symptoms, including mad attacks of sweatiness. The tired thing is the worst though, and the cough. I am much improved on most fronts except the tiredness, it has dragged on for nearly 4 weeks though, as Chucken says, you'd be fed up with it.

OldGoat

I made jam!

looksee

Goat jam?

OldGoat

Bumper harvest of blackcurrants. I made my usual few bottle of crème de cassis for christmas but had loads left over. It was my first time making jam, a role that was my mothers and woe betide anyone who dared try to interfere with her. Admittedly it's a little more syrup than jam but it tastes wonderful.

looksee

OldGoat wrote: »

Bumper harvest of blackcurrants. I made my usual few bottle of crème de cassis for christmas but had loads left over. It was my first time making jam, a role that was my mothers and woe betide anyone who dared try to interfere with her. Admittedly it's a little more syrup than jam but it tastes wonderful.

Sounds as though you did not bring it to setting temperature, or keep it there long enough. Did you do the 'wrinkle' test? If you really wanted to you could re-boil it, or use it as pour over for icecream etc. It may not last as long as jam if it was not brought to boil sufficiently (could go mouldy).

Do we get to test the créme de cassis (yes that's a fada)? And how do you make it?

OldGoat

It really depends on your own tastes and how ripe the berries are. I'm not font of overly sweet liquors so I tend to go light on the sugars. A rough guide is for every kg of berries use 750ml brandy (or vodka if you like a cleaner taste) and 150ml water. I'd only use 150g sugar with that but you could easly double the amount of sugar.
Like sloe gin I find that a vanilla pod in there helps too. This receipt works wonderfully with blackberries too which are just coming into season.

Wash the berries, and put into a large jar/jug/container and cover with the booze. Leave this sitting somewhere dark for months...about 6 or so. For the first couple ow weeks shake the jar to get everything well mixed.
After this initial 6 months mash the berries into a pulp and strain the lot to get as much juice as you can. The oul pillowcase tied to the back of a chair and over a basin overnight is still the best filter I know of.
Dissolve the sugar into the water and let cool. When it's cool you can add the fruit syrup to the sugar syrup and decant the mix into bottles. Note, if you add the fruit juice to hot sugar syrup you'll just burn off the alcohol.
Now comes the hard bit. Put it aside for another 6 months.

You CAN shortcut the times but (trust me on this) you realy want to allow the flavours to develop. I'll be drinking last years batch this Christmas and this years harvest next year. It's beautiful in champaign (kir) or on it's own. Add it to any desert especially ice cream. Sip it on it's own. Rum and blackcurrant is an old favourite and do you remember the days when people (wimmins usually) would add a dash of blackcurrant to their Guinness for that bit of sweetness?

looksee

*sigh*

Jellybaby1

What a man! What comes next after jam making? The blackberries are on their way, I chomped on some last weekend, not ready yet though. Got to get back to them before the boidies get them all, or the worrims! :eek:

Rubecula

I have made marmalade, and I wassurprised to find you actually added s knob of butter to the mix to prevent foaming. Iam diabetic so I gaveit all away. Everyone wanted more of it,so it must have been ok.

Jellybaby1

Wow, another superman there making the marmalade!

Rubecula

I do make wondeful pies too lol

oh and cakes I make cakes too lol lol

Jellybaby1

Do you knit too, or crochet, or embroider, or make quilts? Sure, 'tis multi-talented you are, so you are!

Rubecula

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Do you knit too, or crochet, or embroider, or make quilts? Sure, 'tis multi-talented you are, so you are!

Would love to, but never learned those skills.... I can throw a mean dart though lol :pac:

Jellybaby1

We are all very impressed, aren't we ladies? Ladies? Sorry Rube, nobody else around for you to strut in front of.

Steve

Wait, what ??

This forum needs a testosterone boost!!

We need a 'garden shed, men only' thread... but, of course that would be sexist, so we'd need a 'hoovering' thread as well to balance it all out with the wimmenz... yeah, that would work..

Jellybaby1

I think a forum for a Shed is a great idea. I think I already started one for the Ladies ages ago but everyone just seems to congregate here in the Waiting Room. So what's the plan for the Shed then? Rube will you sew up a few curtains for the Shed?

looksee

Ok, will we give that a go? A shed thread? Has a nice sound to it.

Jellybaby1

Great! Can I be the fly on the wall?

OldGoat

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Do you knit too, or crochet, or embroider, or make quilts? Sure, 'tis multi-talented you are, so you are!

I can knit and weave on a loom.

When I was a younger man and much more eager for female company way back in my college days I hatched a cunning plan with my friend and wingman. We joined a knitting society in the college.
We were the only two men surrounded by a bevvy of beautiful wimminz hanging on our every word*.
The fact that the society was called "Knit one, pearl one, drink one" may have been a selling point too.


*Don't disillusion me on this, it's how I remember it.

Rubecula

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I think a forum for a Shed is a great idea. I think I already started one for the Ladies ages ago but everyone just seems to congregate here in the Waiting Room. So what's the plan for the Shed then? Rube will you sew up a few curtains for the Shed?

errrrrr ..... No

Jellybaby1

So......I've been strollin' around O & O's but there hasn't been anyone around for ages. Even the Shed is empty. Wot has happened to everyone? Wuz it something I said?

Rubecula

I have been offline all week JB

Came back online tonight to do my show so here I am back again

Jellybaby1

Two's company, but more makes a partay!

looksee

Party!! Will there be trifle and buns?

Jellybaby1

Trifle is already in the fridge, including custardy and sprinkly stuff. Someone else has to produce the buns. Where's the soup lady when you need her?

looksee

Reminds me of my mum in my youth - at the mention of parties she would sing

'Will ye come to me party, will ye come
Bring your own cup and saucer and a bun'