I'm back from shopping.
I got all of the stuff you asked for- but unfortunately for y'all I either ate it, wore it, drank it or did unseemly things with it already.
Sorry. You know I can't be trusted with "to-do" lists. C'mon! Have we met?
What I bought:
This tank top for $5:I can't decide if it's ugly, but hey- it was $5!
I also bought curtains for the entryway (you'll get a pic when the whole thing is finished and my fancypants light is installed), weird soaps and candles on sale at Pier 1, Three giant bags of groceries from Trader Joe's, and a buttload of cheap wine, also from TJ's.
When I got home I got started on my project for the day: Making currant jelly.
For those of you unfamiliar with red currants, they are teeny-tiny little berries that grow in clusters on a big bush (tee hee. Big bush.)
We had two such bushes when I was growing up, and currant picking day always seemed to fall on the same day that the temperature was so high that it made your face melt the moment you stepped outside. And man oh man, those tiny little fuckers sure are a pain to pick. My mom would do spot-checks on us during the 15 hours it took to pick them, bringing us tupperware glasses of Kool-aid and allowing us a 15-minute lunch break for bologna & cheese sandwiches with potato chips on the side. We were not to miss ONE SINGLE CURRANT. They all had to be picked. Each and every one.
Currant jelly was a sacred and holy thing in our house. I believe some sort of ritual happened on the eve of the harvest. I vaguely remember a naked midget, a bonfire, chanting and bobbing for apples...
but I could be wrong.
So, as an adult you would think that I would have put those days behind me- that I would push those memories deep into my psyche only to be extricated in future years by a highly-paid professional.
I went and planted one of those beasts in my own yard, and wouldn't you know it- I can't kill the thing. It's coated with currants. Beautiful, translucent red orbs so tart they make your cheeks pucker.
I missed currant jelly, my sisters miss currant jelly. If you've had homemade you get it.
I have to make currant jelly- it is my destiny. Kind of like Highlander with fruit- there can only be one lady of the jelly.
So, here's the first stage:
Pretty currants in a bowl. I picked out all of the leaves and about 1/2 of the stems then gave them a rinse.
Aren't they pretty?:
Oh, and this is what I made for dinner last night. Isn't it pretty too? Mixed greens, bean sprouts, chicken, rice noodles, radish and fresh basil with a spicy peanut dressing. I also cooked up some potstickers (came frozen in a bag).
So, back to the currants. I put a bit of water in, mashed them a little with a potato masher, then brought them to a boil. I cooked them for 5 minutes or so.
Then the whole mess got strained and this ruby red liquid was the result:
I added a ton o'sugar and some lemon juice, then let it simmer for a looooong time.
To kill some time, I made the cats a maze out if IKEA boxes:
I think Trouble won, but Pooter seemed to enjoy it more. I just ended up getting lost in the dang thing.
Finally! It's ready!
The end result of my labours:
Only 7 (!) jars of the liquid gold. If I am feeling ambitious, the rest of the currants will be ripe in a few days.
Anyone have some toast?
Happy Wednesday, my ruby-red, sugar-drenched orbs of tarty tartiliciousness.