oomph.

Blueberry picking this morning. It's the end of a very dry season so the pickings are slim, only four cups in two hours. That isn't enough for jam, so I made it into the beginnings of cordial.

We found "Cordials from Your Kitchen", by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling, at our favorite antique shop and I have been itching to try some recipes. While I was reading the blueberry cordial recipe, I noticed the cranberry recipe on the adjoining page. Yanked out the lonesome bag of cranberries from the back of the freezer and started that as well. It will take about two months for both of them to reach drinkability.

Our massive harvest of shallots would be too much for the three of us to eat before they rot, so I have started brining about one and a half pounds of them to pickle. It is a two step brining before I can even get to the pickling part. Miss Critterpants helped me peel the cloves for the second step brine.

When I pulled the cranberries out of the freezer, I discovered the strawberries I had mashed and frozen last year to make into jam during the winter. Why not? Made strawberry jam laced with a little bit of grand marnier and finished at 11pm. Tired. Hands are a little sore and stained purple and red and I am a little sticky from all the sugar. Off to bed.