TODAY THE ALMIGHTY

Today I am a domestic goddess. Today I am almighty. I think.

The wings of the butterfly are spreading, and I have washed, blocked and dried the Haruha Scarf. It is stunning. I have folded clean dried washing, and even put it away. I have washed even more clothes. I have made sandwiches. I have cleared toys which miraculously appear underfoot whenever my back is turned. I have picked up more pairs of shoes than I care to count. I have changed sheets on beds. I have picked mandarins. I have defrosted meat, remembered to buy Guinness and it is now all slow cooking for Beef and Guinness Stew for dinner. I have packaged, invoiced and posted orders made last week, and caught up on a couple of other parcels which will go out tomorrow. I have emailed a sketch design proposal for a piece for another book (yay!!). I have swatched an odd combination of wools for my next project, and I have ordered half of it in the colour I need to make it work (the rest is in stash). I have vacuumed the crumbs on the floor while at the same time playing 'let's pretend you are a council worker who does cleaning and I will follow behind you and check that you have vacuumed up all the pieces' which was Max's choice of game but not necessairly my choice. Mummy would have prefered 'let's pretend we win lotto and she never has to work again and we can have someone do the bathroom of our dreams, in fact we could move to the house of our dreams and each of us could have our own bathroom'. Tonight I will fill in more forms for more child related things – it never ends – but my list will be infinitely smaller as a result and I will almost be ready for the new tax year.

And I have made Mandarin Jam, with vanilla beans and a dash of cinnamon. This feat alone is worthy of goddess status I’m sure. And it is a very high point today, because 8 weeks ago I didn’t think we’d be making jam this year. Even 3 weeks ago I was saying to people there would be no jam this year. Our tree was swollen with fruit….and just about every infestation a poor citrus tree could have. It looked awful. So awful I cried one afternoon looking over its scaled and mouldy leaves and branches. I sprayed vigorously through April hoping we could keep the tree going through fruiting. I pruned back all heavily infested branches, and culled fruit which looked like it wouldn’t make it, giving more energy and nutrients to the remaining tree to try and reduce the amount of spraying. All of this mindful of timing for fruit and possible eating. And now here in mid June, we have a tree covered in lush ripe orange mandarins, juicy and sweet without being too sweet. They are delicious. I started gathering jars….

And it is possibly the best jam marmalade I have made so far. It will be excellent on sourdough toast. The tree is still groaning, so when more jars become available, I will make more jam. I have always used the recipe for 'Mandarin Jam' in Apples For Jam. Really it’s more a marmalade than a jam – tart and sweet and full of flavour. It is an easy and uncomplicated recipe which is possibly the only reason I ever decided to give it a go when I first started doing it. I add a scraped vanilla pod and this time half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (if I there were sticks in the cupboard I would have put sticks in). I am now impatiently waiting for the jars to cool before plundering one with some toast. I may just have to taste the stew though first...

Comments

[Steffen]

yes, this book is a favorite. . . sounds like you were a bit of a 'whirl' (girl) today

[Sara]

Wow! What a day. I just love it when one like this comes together. You are most certainly entitled to plunder.

[di]

Indeed you are. Isn't it a wonderful feeling when everything happens so wonderfully? (the bathroom stuff aside. My sympathies with you there, from the bottom of my still vanity-less heart). The jam sounds divine!

[Theresa/tdoeswool]

my day is just begining...I hope it can be as productive as yours...as for the jam...could you spare a jar? that sounds simple wonderful!

[jen]

Nigella move over, we have a new domestic goddess who can do much more than just cook.

[kitty kitty]

What a day.... I absolutely love the kitty photo.

[Ali]

That book has single handedly converted me to jam-making. I did mandarin last Christmas and strawberry just this month. Yuuuuum. Just waiting for the raspberry season to begin now. And collecting pretty jars of course.

[Tracy]

Beef and Guinness stew. That sounds awesome.

Go you and your domestic goddessness. You rock.

I thought of you last week as I went into a knitting store to buy yarn for a gift, and I stared longingly at some gray and muted purple wool yarns.

[tien]

love your cat. Those Abessians, they always are nearby when food is involved. Mine are sitting next to the stove, and in my neck on the shoulder of the chair i'm sit in while cooking.

[cari]

Oh, that marmalade sounds fantastic. I'm SO looking forward to making jams and preserves this year. Fingers crossed my strawberry harvest works out!

[danica]

that is a breathtaking day...

[sue]

Isnt it great to have days where you feel as though you have acheived so much. I love the Apples for Jam book, such lovely recipes and pictures too.

[patricia]

What a great day! Those aren't as common around here right now but I do remember how good it feels. Goddess indeed!
Jam? I admire that. Never tried it. Maybe I should.

[kirsten]

i don't even like marmalade but this sounds sensational - esp. the part about the sourdough.

[blogless michelle]

aloha! the beef and guinness stew sounds like the next best thing to drinking the drink right now (which i'm not doing due to pregnancy). any chance you can refer us to a link to that recipe? i'm only halfway through my pregnancy and really craving those yummy flavors right now!
mahalo,
michelle

[tracy]

i'm exhausted just READING this!

...to have a tree like that would be lovely.

[michelle]

Oh!
I have fallen off my chair.
You rock.:)

[stinkerbell]

you are a domestic goddess... and now I want jam :)

[tyler]

i am in awe once again. domestic goddess indeed. i love those insanely productive days. i seem to thrive on them, the rush is dizzying! well done you. the jam sounds divine. i'm attempting to grow a very sad tomato plant...nothing yet.

[Carson]

Oh yum! I remember that marmalade! is that really already a year ago? How frightening...and I just knew there had to be some vanilla pod lurking in there :) (the marmalade that is)

[michele]

so many delicious words here. my favorite is plunder.

[charlotte]

ooh i loved reading this post! i have just entered the realm of Apples for Jam readers. I am very excited about the chocolate strawberry meringue and the wholemeal apricot pie.

Our mandarin marmalade should be here soon – I packed six one litre jars of it in the shipping.