Blackberries, brandy and sundry for a new cordial. I've been studying http://www.dragonbear.com/cordials.html a lot, and find it instructional and helpful. This is what prompted me to put away my first two autumn cordials, at least until October.
Cucumbers, dill, fennel (anise) and turnips for some fun pickling projects.
A bottle of commercial mead, for discovering how horrifying that is (hint: very; I have an excellent picture of Serra's reaction to it).
Jug, bottles, bung, airlock, yeast and sundry for my very first batch of mead!
It sounds odd, but I'm particularly excited about the turnips. Thomas Hill's "Gardener's Labyrinth" contains instructions for ferment pickling these beauties, and I'm eager to try my hand.
Stolen directly from:
http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/pickled-foods-msg.html
This one is period-- Thomas Hyll, The Gardener's Labyrinth
"And to preserve the Rape or Turnup roots to serve the winter and Lent
time, the owner may work after this manner, by washing first the roots,
and these raw, bestow in ranks one upon another, and in each rank strew
salt, fennel seeds and sauerie [savory], or onely cover them with salt,
close couched, and on such wise letting these remain for eight days,
powre so much fair water on them as will cover them, which done, let the
vessel stand in some vault, or seller, to serve for the above said
times, or longer if the owner will, if so be he fill up the vessell,
when these lie bare and drie." p. 171.
Clearly, I need to invest in a paperback copy of Master Hill's work if I persist in mangling vegetables.
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