In My Kitchen December 2012

A weekend in the country has inspired me to make a selection of preserves. These were on sale at a market in Young.

Is it just me, or are you also feeling more than a little overwhelmed at how quickly the last few weeks and months have flown past?! With three solid (enjoyable) weekends away from home recently for the Human Brochure event, Eat Drink Blog and the Cherry Festival, I am not as prepared for Christmas as I'd like to be. Although I've made a good start! 

In my kitchen this month is an goodies for preserving and baking... and my kitchen bench is loaded (overflowing, in fact) with packets of yummy ingredients, an assortment of jars and lids, baking paper, my (new) funnel, pinking shears and a bundle of cloth remnants that I bought in an antique store in Young, NSW.

An assortment of goodies for preserving: my (new) funnel, jars and remnants of pretty cloth

Also in my kitchen..

In my kitchen is some Lemon Butter made by Coolong Gourmet, bought from a country market in Young, NSW

In my kitchen are packets of dried pitted cherries, from a roadside stall in Young. Watch this space for a recipe, soon.

In my kitchen are cherries galore! We picked six kilos at Wombat Heights and I pitted some four kilos for preserving.

Also in my kitchen are (were) enormous cherries from Cherry Hill Orchard in Victoria (thank you for sending them to me!). You can order online vie Cherry Hill for cherries delivered to your door.

In my kitchen is (was) a rather scrumptious cherry pie/tart that I baked this weekend

In my kitchen are some exquisite dried figs. Watch this space for a recipe.

In my kitchen is the makings of a simple, but great tasting, salad. Market fresh ingredients and a home grown baby cos. Watch my market people pages for upcoming snippets on La Barre and Homeleigh Grove.

In my kitchen is a CD from the National Gallery of Australia. A prize I won via Twitter (thank you, NGA!). The Toulouse-Lautrec (Paris and the Moulin Rouge) exhibition runs from 14 December until 2 April.

And finally, in my kitchen is a very old box containing some very old, much treasured Christmas decorations that belonged to my mum and dad. Note, my mother used scraps of old wool for string to hang the ornaments. I have not wanted to renew this.

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 My friend and fellow cook, Celia, at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial hosts a monthly series titled In My Kitchen, where you can meet food enthusiasts, cooks and bloggers from Australia and around the world. Pop in and visit, and say hello to Celia and our friends.


Tell me, what's happening in your kitchen this month? Are you prepared for the festive season?