Make It Monday 11th March 2024

Hello!

If you're in southern Australia I really hope you are surviving this ridiculous heatwave. It is exhausting, with overnight lows in the mid 20s making sleeping rather unpleasant.

Even so, looking back at my notes, last week was a good one for adding to the pantry and the present box. When I sat down I wondered what I'd be able to share. Thank goodness for notes and lists! It felt like nothing much has been accomplished. 

I made fig jam (my favourite).

I made another batch of tomato relish, using the last of the tomatoes from the garden. Some of this went into small jars for Hannah's pantry.

All our meals were cooked from scratch, using ingredients from the pantry, fridge, freezer and garden. Homecooked meals are so much nicer, especially the salads we've been living on. Bought salads just don't have the same fresh crunch or taste. I made a double batch of potato salad, coleslaw and pasta salad. These three are my stock salads, everyone likes them, they're quick and easy to make and keep well in the fridge. 

I made sandwich bread and raisin bread. Hot cross buns were on the plan for the weekend but honestly it was just too hot to even think of putting the oven on. I'll get to them this week when it is cooler, and do a few batches for the freezer. 

During the heat of the day I stayed indoors, and worked away on small projects. Some round dishcloths were added to my linen cupboard, some were put aside for Hannah's Christmas stocking, and some went into the present box.

​I finished knitting a dishcloth that had been on the needles for a fortnight!

I finished another beaded jug cover for the present box. Now I'm on the lookout for pretty milk jugs to pair them with. Op shops will be my friend for this, and I have Hannah looking out in the oppys in her area too.

​Pinterest brought up a pattern for kitchen towel toppers, and I love it. It's crocheted and uses the smallest amount of yarn, perfect for using up scraps, so that's what I did, and added three kitchen towels to the present box.

​The Easter cards have been made, written in, addressed and are ready to go to the Post Office tomorrow. 

In the garden, the last of tomato and cucumber plants have been pulled out, chopped up and added to the compost pile. 

Rosemary was picked and dehydrated and added to the pantry.

Rhubarb was picked, cooked and frozen for winter. 

I picked a handful of raspberries every morning and it was hard to resist eating them, they are so sweet and full of flavour. 

I'm not sure what to do about the winter garden. We will be away for nine, possibly 10, weeks. Timing the planting so things aren't ready too soon will be the trick to a successful winter garden, and that means timing the seed starting and planting out, and yes, it's making my head ache. It will work out I'm sure.

I didn't get any sewing done this week. I did get lots of fabric washing and cutting out done though, I'm hoping to get it all sewn this week.

What did you make, bake, grow and sew last week?