So Much To Do, it should have already been done..

Over the next month or so I am going to be busy.  I will not know from one week to the next what days I will be here.  Husband will be coming and going I know not when.

And tonight the son was out here and says he heard a fox.  He reckons it was just out the front of the yard.  I do not want a fox here if I am not going to be here.  Well, I don't want them here even if I am here but you all know what I mean.  I can't do much about it though as the main pen has too many chooks to be locked up overnight and though I am going to separate some of them into other smaller pens...I hope that the foxes don't come.

Because I don't know when I will or wont be here I have been trying to get the yard cleared up.  It's an ongoing process made harder because I do not put away after myself.   I have been spending the last couple of days mowing out the front, cleaning out chook sheds, mowing the front yard.  I have planted out dozens of onion seedlings given to me by a daughter.  Thanks L, they are in.  I have weeded and mulched, cut back and mulched, pulled out and will mulch that area today sometime.  I have more mowing to do.  Lots more but it wont all get done today.   My house needs some looking after and that is on todays list as well.  I need to cook up a big pot of soup, some to take some to freeze.  And I really want to get a bikeride in...I need to pack some warm clothes and some food that doesn't need refrigeration.  And a pile of books because where I am going doesn't have TV or computer.  How will I cope without my internet!  If I can see to read at night, there will be light!, I will read otherwise I'll be in bed early.  But so much to do before I go...

Best get out there and make a start though it is too wet to mow yet and too cold to garden...Might get that ride in then start.

Capsicum Jam.

We have heaps of Capsicums at the moment and I happened to see a few different recipes for Capsicum Jam so thought that I'd have a go at making some too.

The recipes that I had seen though had ingredients that I didn't have here or that I don't eat so I had to do what I always do and change them to use what I had.

I had capsicums. I had the vinegar and sugar.  I also had chokos and even though none of the recipes included those I figured they wouldn't hurt.

I chopped up the capsicums, maybe half a dozen red and a couple of green.  Most of the seeds were removed but not all.   I chopped up 2 peeled chokos.  If I was using small chokos I wouldn't worry about peeling them but these were quite big.  That was all put in a pot with a cup of vinegar and a cup of sugar and boiled until it thickened.  I didn't take notice of how long it took as it was on the wood stove and I just kept coming back to give it a stir now and then.

When I thought it was reduced enough I put it into sterilised jars and put the lids on. 
OK, something didn't work here, usually the lids pop down and they are good to store but this time no popping down.  Seeing as I only had 3 smallish jars though I am keeping it in the fridge and they will be gone within a few weeks.

I think it would make a nice dip if added to yoghurt.  It is nice on crackers, it's nice with cheese, it's nice stirred through soup, it's nice on meat...I like it.

I intend making some more but next time I will add onions and some chillies as well.  Because I have them here.  And that's what I do.

Pleased with life...

It's been raining here so everything I've planted so far is growing really well.  Coupled with some sunny days and we have even had a couple of feeds of fresh mushrooms from out in the cow paddock.

I have a few peas that haven't come up so will stick some more in sometime over the next few days.  I pulled some caterpillars off a couple of the broccoli seedlings.  I was a bit disappointed with that as I thought the netting I have over the garden would protect the plants.  Apparently not so I may have to get out the old net curtains that I sometimes use.  *Millions* of lettuce have come up so I will need to shift heaps of those.

Slaters have built up again so I plan on taking the camp stove out there and boiling water to pour over them.  I have set up food stations for them with choko leaves and they are gathering under those and munching on them so if I keep the leaves up in that place I will then be able to pour the boiling water on them.  Quick, easy and saves on having to use poisons.

The wet weather is bringing snails and slugs out so I am patrolling for those most mornings. When I think about it.   There aren't too many so they should be easy to get rid of.  I have a rat living somewhere among he choko vine.  I have seen it and am finding gnawed on chokos on the ground.  I have traps set but haven't caught anything yet.

Chokos are in full production so I will make some bread and butter pickles using those instead of cucumber.  Capsicums and chillies are the same.  I made some Capsicum jam last week, just a small amount to test and taste.  It turned out OK so will make some more but add *something* else to give it a tad more flavour.   I have run out of Sweet Chilli Sauce too so will try my hand at that.  Next time the fire is going which will probably be next week sometime. 

Not much else is happening.  The chooks aren't laying much, maybe it's the cold, maybe there are too many of them, maybe they are laying but in a secret nest...Hubby did find one of those in the Isa pen.  Oops! 
We have too many roosters again so a job for the husband over the next couple of weeks.  I really think I should be able to do this but I know I couldn't chop the head off of a live chook.  If I could use the gun better that might be a way but really, if he didn't do it I wouldn't be eating chook.

I have started, again, at trying to get fitter by moving more often.  Going OK with that so far but am a long way from where I want to be.  Closer than a few weeks ago but not as close as I will be next week!

And I have a few *adventures* in mind so they will have to be fit in somewhere...I might have to spend less time on this thing!

All in all though, life is pretty good and the things that aren't are my own fault and totally fixable by me.  Who needs more than that.