chilli

The chillies have been generous in their production, unlike other things growing in the veggie patch this summer.

I did a little Internet searching for a chilli paste recipe (mentioned in this post) and came across an easy Sambal Oelek paste. I honestly thought that I had enough chillies, however my home grown chillies are very light in weight and this recipe calls for 200gms of chillies!! So I did need to purchase a small amount.

Ingredients:

200grams red chillies

1 cup water

1 tspn salt

1 tspn sugar

1 Tblspn white vinegar

1 Tblspn oil

Method:

Place de-stalked and roughly chopped chillies into a pan with water.

Bring water/chillies to the boil and reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the chillies/water into a food processor, add other ingredients and blend until finely chopped.

I also made Sweet Chilli Jam. 

This one is a favourite and has become a regular on my stove top.

Ingredients:

1kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 

500g sugar

3 Tblspn lemon juice

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

6 long red chillies*, sliced (leave the seeds if you like a bit of heat)

2 tspn salt

Method:

Place the tomatoes and sugar into a large bowl, cover and leave overnight at room temperature.

Transfer this mixture into a large pan and add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, simmer mixture for approx 1 hour or until a nice thick consistency.

Place into sterilized jars and seal.

*I use my home grown small chillies and use approx 12-20. 

Enjoy!

How do you use up your chillies?

all in a weekend

1. pickings from the veggie garden

2. discovering purple chillies

3. early morning trampoline stories in p.j's

4. making washing powder

5. sewing on a hot Saturday

6. a new bag made from a thrifted pillowcase, instructions found here

7. a new skirt made from a thrifted table cloth

8. & 9. new bath mats made from thrifted sheets and towels :: SouleMama style 

10. jam drops made with my neighbours' homemade strawberry jam :: Gooseberry Jam style

11. a spot of crochet

12. Sunday afternoon thunderstorm

a most enjoyable weekend here, how was your weekend? what did you get up to?

sunflowers, small pickings, and a swap:

I like to grow sunflowers!
I love them, they are bright and cheery and put a smile on my face every time I look at their golden sunshiney-ness.

I like to keep the seeds from my sunflowers.
I keep the seeds to plant the following year and I also like to share my sunflower seeds with family and friends so they can grow their own beautiful sunflowers.
This morning I went to visit my sunflowers, I hadn't checked on their progress for a couple of days.
And this is what I found: *huge gasp*

Now I don't mind sharing some of my seeds with the native birds or nocturnal creatures, but I definitely am not sharing all of them!
After a little huffing and puffing, I cut the sunflower heads off so I can salvage the remaining seeds.

They are going inside the house and into an old pillowcase.

In the veggie garden also this morning I harvested some more small stuff;

yellow toms

the lovely large beetroot, which will be roasted up tonight Jamie Oliver style.

I am looking forward to harvesting these Golden Nugget pumpkins,

The bush cucumbers are making progress,

And I am planning on making a chilli paste with these beauties....I just need to find a recipe.
Have you ever made a chilli paste? How do you preserve your chillies?

This morning I also discovered a Swap!! I have heard of this swap before but never participated.
It is the Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Swap hosted by Kel over at green tea and red nails

I have signed up and added a link in my sidebar.
I have a couple of vintage sheets in my material stash and I will be venturing out to the op-shops to find some more!
What are you up to on this sunny Monday?

small things

* striking red flower
*miniature garlic - very disappointing
*caterpillars by the hundred and one slug
*growing golden nugget pumpkins
*resting ladybug
*miniature lemons - not sure what has gone wrong here....
*flowering parsley
*ripening yellow tommy tomatoes
*bush cucumber flower

Lately...

I have had plenty on my mind, too much in fact that I have been totally pre-occupied.

I had a disastrous day in the kitchen last week, 

I burnt a pot of rice on the stove top, filling the house with smoke. 

Yes, I could hear the smoke alarm urgently beeping away but I had immersed myself in the vegie garden in an attempt to clear my cluttered mind and completely forgot the rice was cooking, 

or should I say burning. 

I literally thought that it was a neighbour's smoke alarm beeping away!

the burnt pot after several scrubbing attempts... 

Lately....

I have been knitting and crocheting Christmas presents and decorations, 

Lately....

I have been stressing about flash flooding in the backyard and cleaning up the aftermath mess
(twice in a fortnight).

Lately...

I have also managed to squeeze in a little time to get some more granny squares done on Evie's blanket. 

The stack of granny squares is growing!

Lately...

I am hoping that next week will be a better week! 

And I am planning on doing some more spring cleaning/de-cluttering in preparation for visitors next weekend, and a little bit of Christmas present sewing.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

in my garden;

there is lots of flowering spring colour;

and plenty happening in and around the vegie patch too;

 silver beet, lettuce, cabbage (that hasn't been eaten by a pesky possum since I put in the solar lights) and leeks.

sunflowers, parsley, baby spinach, spring onions, and garlic....

and new beetroot and snow pea seedlings are on their way.

 In the old bath tub I have sunflowers growing well, also broccoli, butter beans, and continental parsley. In the pot is lemon thyme.

These freshly picked beets have been cooked and preserved for Christmas! 

The 4 large beets filled 2 medium jars with goodness!