More for the store cupboard

Spent half an hour yesterday sorting through my jam shelves; some dated back to 2006, so a bit crusty on top :0) Turned out all the unwanted jam into a brewing bucket, and will get the jam wine on the go this morning after the washing. Bit unscientific - I pour in a couple of gallons of water then taste it, to see if it needs more sugar or not - difficult to tell sometimes, with the sweet jam. However, it works well, usually, and the resulting wine is good - fruity, and you can actually discern soem of the different wines in there. Rhubarb and ginger makes a nice addition! It's a good way of using older jam, and I do it at this time of year to make way for the new stuff; I still have some of last year's left to get through, but that's all looking fine. I found a couple of jars of greengage at the back too, so pleased about that as it's one of my favourites. I made strawberry jam at the beginning of the week, with the first of the English strawberries - not from my garden yet, but I'm hoping my new plants will bear a few berries soon; they just went in this year. I also got the elderflower champagne made and bottled, so it's now in the outside store room with the rest of the brews. Not many gooseberries yet, but I pruned the bushes , so maybe I did it wrong - never mind, I shall have high hopes for a bumper crop next year! In the meantime, I need to get to the redcurrants before the birds do................ The warmth and now mroe rain will have the garden out of control in no time, so I need to get out there this afternoon and do a bit of weeding and sorting, and get another bed ready for the winter veg - onions, kale, leeks.

Need to get the wholesaler's order tweaked too,aa nd get it organised to send off; some stuff for the newly tidied shed to put by for prepping, the rest for general use. I'd like to shoe horn in some spinning today too, and some knitting and sewing, but might need another 6 hours to accommodate all that!