Pineapple, Pear, Pineapple

As you would have suspected, I of course did some impatient bottling.

I went to the market an bought lots of things to bottle. I got about 1.5 kilo's of pears, 2 average pineapples, 2 kilo's of apples, 2 kilo's of tomatoes, about 8 garlic's and 2 giant cucumbers. This was just for me to bottle. Also bought stuff for eating during the week an some to go through the juicer... (Special note: We walked there an back, carrying all this in green bags. My muscular SH* carried it all for the last 100 metres or so)

When we got back I took a short rest then couldn't help myself. I began to peel, core and cut the pears, an rub them in lemon juice. I heated up the sugar water; an threw in a jar to sterilise, an encouraged the water to boil in my big big pot.

The pears were so juicy. SH* even nicked one for his own breakfast consumption. As I worked SH* kept asking where the hard part was. He (as I had) figured if it was this easy why didn't everyone do it. I bottled the pears added the syrup and put it in the pot to process.

That wasn't enough for me though, so I began on the pineapples. I cut an bottled one pineapple then began on the other. I think it was having not eaten, the exercise and the heat of the kitchen that then paid a toll. I got dizzy and shaky. SH* made me sit down an finished the second pineapple for me.

The processing went extremely well. Two of the jars sealed themselves whilst I slept to recover from my episode. The third had been very hot when I tried to screw on the top an I had not done a good job at it. It sealed with a little encouragement from SH*, but I think we will eat it this week just in case.

I am trying to wait till Thursday when my jar lifter should arrive, as it was difficult getting the jars in an out of the pot. But I have big plans. Pie apples, gherkins, pickled garlic and pasta sauce. An that is just this week. I had hoped to get peaches an nectarines as mentioned in my last post, but they were $3 a kilo this week, way over budget. So maybe I just wait an see what winter brings us. Tempted to buy a dragon fruit, told they taste ok. Dunno though... they look weird.