New Year's & Beyond

We had a fantastic dinner, with hibiscus kir royals, roast duck and cherry sauce that used cherries in wine that I put up last year as the base.  I think, other than the odd jar of rhubarb jam, that was the last of the 2009 canning, so I'm on target for using up what I've put up.  I'm looking forward to many more canning projects in 2011.  Lemon curd is a big hit, as is the pickled asparagus and strawberry balsamic jam.  Putting together our open house was pretty easy with the more elegant items I'd put up.  This year I want to make some different jams, start a rumtopff, do proper dilly beans, experiment with fruit butters, and try my hand at pressure canning.  And then there's cheese ....





This weekend I spent some time finishing the sweete bag from a kit I picked up when we visited Plimoth Plantation.  I'm quite pleased with the results.   While the design is out of period for the SCA, I think the method of construction fits (backing first sewn to each piece THEN assemble) and I made my first twisted cording and sewn eyelets, so as a learning experience it was useful, and while I wouldn't enter it into a competition, I think it'll look spiffy with my late-period garb. 




The back side.