brandied apricots

last you heard from me was spring

and now we are in summer

full stop

hmmm...

been busy on the farm

baby

chicks

ducks

geese

goats

enough to keep us very busy

i have been cooking and crafting and lots of other things

but not much blogging

my late nights are taken up by

deep and heavy sleep!

we picked a bucket load of apricots the other day

and i have been working to preserve them for our

winter larder

this year

i have decided to brandy some 

which is a fancy way of saying

infusing with brandy

i've loaded my jars with 

freshly washed fruit

(sliced in half and pitted)

a sprinkle of sugar

(about a tablespoon per jar)

and 

poured on the brandy

in some 

i added a few extra bits

rosemary in one

cinnamon stick in another

vanilla bean in a third

there are so many lovely combinations to try

i am popping these onto a shelf, in a cool pantry

but the fridge would be a great place too

(if only i had room in the fridge)

Brandied Apricots

tomatoes!

in the dog days of summer

gardens overflow with tomatoes

i find myself

with 

stores of the fruit

and

preservation on my mind

here are a few 

ways to preserve  the bounty

to enjoy

when days are not so long

Sun Dried Tomatoes

(recipe here)

Tomato Chutney

(recipe here)

Tomato Vodka

this is really simple.  peel tomatoes and cram into a jar, use a skewer to secure tomatoes if they start to float to the top.  fill the jar with vodka and store in the refrigerator for at least 5 days.  i make several jars because i like to use the tomatoes and the vodka for pasta alla vodka sauce. leftover vodka is really great for a bloody mary pick me up.