January is the month for OS ...

Queenie

... homemade Seville Marmalade

Save those jars from your mincemeat! Seville oranges are in season this month and it's time to make homemade marmalade.

Tip: If you don't have time to make it, freeze the fruit and make it later but you'll need to add extra lemon juice as freezing will lower the pectin content; add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to each 1lb fruit in addition to that stated in the recipe.

1lb Seville oranges
3 pints water
3lb sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Wash the oranges in cold water and then halve them and remove any pips. Put the pips into a muslin bag. Shred or mince the peel and pulp. Put the fruit and the muslin bag of pips into the water and soak for 12hours. Tip the water and contents of the bag into a pan and cover. Simmer for 11/2 hours or until the peel is tender. To test, remove a piece of peel and press between your thumb and finger ... don't scold yourself! Remove the bag of pips.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and return to the heat. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached then remove from the heat to cool until the marmalade has stiffened slightly. Stir well and spoon into hot, sterilised jars. voila!

Tip: Do not stand your hot jars on a cold surface or they may crack! Use a long handled wooden spoon for stirring - a splash from the hot contents of the pan can be *very* painful!

Queenie

Use up any leftover mincemeat.

Queenie

Jobs for the garden in January and the Kitchen garden

BBC Essential Tasks for January in the Garden

Queenie

Spring clean your medicine cupboard!!

Here are some links I posted last January when I was spring cleaning my medicine cupboard

Checklist for Medicine Box - I've printed off their list (with tick-y boxes ) which I'll use as a shopping list, but also keep a copy inside the lid of the box.


Another List + Where to keep the medicine box

Airing out the medicine box (includes a bit on Winter meds/symptoms/what to use )

Where to Dispose of safely - this has an audio bit to listen to and relates to Tesco Pharmacy.

thriftlady_2

January has a few special days which can be marked by serving up some special OS food.

Twelfth Night is January 6th, celebrate with a Twelfth Night Cake (just in case you haven't had enough rich food lately )
http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk/recipes_result.asp?name=twelfthnightcake

Plough Monday is the first Monday after Twelfth Night- 8th January. It's when the Spring ploughing traditionally started. Eat Plough pudding to celebrate. It's a suet roll with bacon and Addiscomber posted these recipes
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=3128012&postcount=410

January 25th is Burn's Night, so whether you're a Scot or not celebrate by eating haggis and bashed 'neeps and drinking lots of whisky.
MacSween's are a widely available brand of haggis, they do a veggie version but there is a recip for a veggie haggis here.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=570603&postcount=157

For more traditional and not so traditional happenings in January check out this site
http://www.england-in-particular.info/new/n-jan.html

Queenie

Thanks for those links, thriftlady, very interesting reading on the 3rd one Nice site!

Glad

Queenie wrote:

To test, remove a piece of peel and press between your thumb and finger ... don't scold yourself!

only if I'm a naughty girl :rotfl:

grannybroon

I have only done real marm once because Mum used to do it. Major hassle, straining etc plus time. I do Mamade now as DH only one who likes it - kids and I never did marmalade. He is more than happy with it - a compromise between homemade and shop bought. Still quite OS I think.

anniebooklover

Thriftlady, Bell's haggis is also very good and is available in Lancashire for those who are interested. DS, DD and I usually have a Bell's haggis with tatties, neeps and gravy on 25th January. The neeps must have pepper in them or they are just not quite right.

They are also used to having a wee bit of Burns quoted to them on the day. It's important to me, as a Scot living in England, that they don't forget their heritage (here speaks a medal-winning Burns' Competition Winner! ). DS and DD can adopt quite the West Coast accent when they want. It really throws their friends when they speak "Glesga". :rotfl:

Queenie

anniebooklover wrote:

Thriftlady, Bell's haggis is also very good and is available in Lancashire for those who are interested. DS, DD and I usually have a Bell's haggis with tatties, neeps and gravy on 25th January. The neeps must have pepper in them or they are just not quite right.

They are also used to having a wee bit of Burns quoted to them on the day. It's important to me, as a Scot living in England, that they don't forget their heritage (here speaks a medal-winning Burns' Competition Winner! ). DS and DD can adopt quite the West Coast accent when they want. It really throws their friends when they speak "Glesga". :rotfl:

Yep, thats on our meal plan for the 25th too Except, our 'neeps' will have nutmeg in them instead of pepper :laugh:

Edinburghlass_2

Burns Night, 25th January