Itsy Bitsy

Today before meeting Ann for lunch I made 3 batches of courgette & ginger jam

The grapefruit & apple marmalade that I made yesterday seems a lot thicker than I think it should be, so I'll get it checked out by Janet on Thursday before deciding whether or not to inflict it on a wider audience.

Ann brought me a bag of more very welcome jars, which I think I will fill with blackberry chutney - I like to be able to offer something not widely available.

I'm aware that my life is becoming taken over by this preserving, but it's the time of year when so much fruit and vegetables need something doing to them. When I run out of jars I will have my life back! When I visited the allotment today to water the tomatoes I brought home courgettes and raspberries - I ignored everything else because I didn't have long enough to harvest if anything was ready. That's a job for tomorrow.

This afternoon I discovered that it's not the time of year to realise that my swimming costume could do with being replaced - all the reasonably priced ones have gone, and all I could find were horrendous prices or "itsy bitsy teeny weenie" (I can cope with "yellow polka dot" although I draw the line at the last part of this song title for the sake of everyone around). I shall keep looking because there will be a small swimming pool where the team is staying in Zambia which I suspect I'll appreciate using.

excuses, excuses

Yesterday I collected a box of jars from Sarah in Winchester - I think the jars were really just my excuse for an evening catching up with her. I don't think I've seen her since June, so it was about time. I have mixed feelings about the jars - I am very glad to have them but I think secretly, deep down, I was enjoying the excuse of time away from the jam pan! So this evening I was able to get on with grapefruit & apple marmalade (recipe provided by Janet from w*rk) and preparing 3 batches of courgette & ginger jam from 2 giant courgettes that my allotment neighbour (Trevor) gave me on Wednesday evening. Hopefully I'll get them jammed before I go out for lunch tomorrow morning with Ann (who might bring yet more jars!). If anyone asks what extreme jam making is.... I think this is it.

The 4th of the patterns sold on eBay went in the post at lunchtime. This weekend is another free listing one, so I'll have to think what I could offer for sale.

Making a difference

A few months ago a team went from Romsey Abbey to Burundi to grow the link between our parish and the town of Matana, both between the communities and the churches. Yesterday Tim, Bridget, Mark, Sharon and Harriet (the team) shared their experiences and hopes for the link at a presentation. It began with a bit of background to Burundi - the poorest African nation, with an average annual income of only about £95 and with very little in terms of infrastructure. The schools in Matana (high in the mountains, very rural) don't have electricity or water, the hospital doesn't have water.

I was hit by the gap between those we are helping in Zambia and those in Matana - and yet the project in Zambia is so needed.

During the presentation I kept thinking of the story of the boy and the starfishes that is part of Mission Direct's Mission Statement: 

A boy was standing on a beach that was covered with thousands of dying starfish. He started to pick them one by one and threw them back into the sea.

 "What are you doing?" his mother asked - "We can't make any difference here." 
"Well, I made a difference to that one and that one....." replied the boy.

 So many starfish, but it's good to have the opportunity to make a difference.

So when I got home I made a batch of blackberry and apple jam ready for the next preserve sale.

Sales update

Yesterday's marmalade-ing was worth it - after church today I made £55 from marmalades, chutneys (sold the final 2 - I'll replenish stocks with the last of the rhubarb that I'll pick later today), jams & cards. This was a good sum to raise considering that very few people came into the hall for after-church-coffee because that didn't happen today - no milk!  

So far I've raised £615 through kind donations and sales on Amazon & eBay & at car boot sales, and of course these preserve/card sales. This is around £500 more than I thought I'd manage. It looks like I'll hit my new target - will I be brave enough to raise it again, this time to the k!!

I'll build up my stocks and try again in a few weeks time - maybe I'll also take some milk with me just to make sure coffee happens and I get more customers!

marmalade sandwich

Today has been an inside-out marmalade sandwich - I began and ended it by making marmalade. I'm wondering if this is slightly heroic because I seriously don't like the stuff. Or perhaps it's the buyers who are heroic because I won't be sampling it before they do. Over breakfast I also made the first blackberry & apple jam of the season, which I did sample and it passes my quality check :-)

The middle of this sandwich was a lovely time helping to celebrate Ruth's 60th (which was in February) on a river boat trip on Southampton Water and up the Hamble, with a delicious lunch. It was good to catch up with some people who I've not seen for a long time (including David who is going with MD to Uganda next month). 

Afterwards another Ruth (M) and I sauntered around IKEA, trying out this (Ruth) and this (me) which we found so comfortable that we stayed nattering and watching the world go round before we remembered where we were! Ruth managed to escape the store with no purchases, and I came away with what I went in for (oh, plus a box of these) so I can organise the airing cupboard before work gets done in it.

This evening I found that 3 of the patterns that I listed on eBay have sold (£11.88 total, including postage) and another has sold but I've not yet been paid for it, so that total should increase. Of the remaining 2 patterns, one hasn't sold and the other still has another 2 days before I know.

My fundraising is slowly and steadily coming along, and people are being generous so I've now increased my justgiving target by £200 to £700. If I sell 49 jars of jam I'll hit that target - tomorrow I'm taking 33 jars to sell after the morning service along with some greetings cards and a couple of shawls that I brought back from India. So maybe tomorrow I'll be increasing the target again - that would certainly be good.

Just in time - jars

Just when I thought I'd run out of jars, Mary brought some around this morning. So this evening I'll use some of the blackberries that I picked yesterday for some B&A jam and a bit more marmalade (I really can't understand why it is so popular!). Next week, as long as I have enough jars, I plan a trial run of grapefruit & apple marmalade when I get the recipe from a colleague.

Today too I've had more donations of bandages etc and knitting supplies - I wonder what 24kg (my baggage allowance) looks like because I am beginning to think I might have to stuff my pockets full of the lovely gifts that are coming in.

Jammin till the jam is through - for the moment anyway

Today's lunchtime jam sale was a great success - colleagues bought around 30 jars of chutneys/jams/marmalades and about 10 cards, and gave me ideas of other preserves they'd be happy to buy.

So if you were one of those people "Thank you !!!"

I've still got enough jars for Sunday morning to sell at Romsey Abbey - but can see I'll be jammin' again soon to build stocks up.