Resurrection of Pre Loved Goods

Like many other new home owners, we embarked upon renovating our little home.  Full of vim and vigor parts of the project took shape relatively quickly.  I made a conscious decision not to use a skip for all materials pulled out of this 1950’s home.  This proved a challenge for a number of reasons.  Just what do you with what many would perceive as rubbish.

Plaster board can now be separated and processed through a local composting plant…a no brainer considering the amount we had to dispose of.  Concrete from two fireplaces; heavy dusty work and as concrete can last for thousands of years in our environment a solution was required.  I relented and organised a “concrete only skip”.  This was not only much cheaper than general waste, I also had the satisfaction this concrete was going to a concrete crushing plant were it would have a new life.
Next came the 20 year old pink batts from the ceiling.  Having lost much of its heat retaining ability it still had a use.  The antique insulation was double layered and used to insulate the walls of metal garage/shed at the bottom of the garden.  What’s more, any salvageable sheets of plaster board removed from the house were then used to turn this once steel lined only garage into a much nicer storage unit.

The old fireboxes, wetback, roofing iron and any other metal was placed to one side and collected by Hawke’s Bay Scrap Metal who even paid cash. Easy money… just a bit of time to sort things out.
Now the renovations are nearing completion it is time to focus on the clutter of items in storage.  After twelve months of not being used, are they still needed? And if not, what are the disposal options?  Hastings has some great charity shops and second hand dealers, where once loved items are given the chance of resurrection.  I spent last night trawling through ‘stuff’ which I hope someone will enjoy as much I once did.  While an easy option is to reach for the bin; considering the amount of resource invested in manufacturing these products, this should definitely be the last option. 

Happy spring cleaning.

Marmalade

Every year for the past 4 years I have made my dad marmalade for his birthday on the first of August.  I am running a bit late this year because the fruit on their tree wasn’t ripe when I went to visit.  I have since sourced another supplier and will have the marmalade made in time for father’s day.  Dad is the dad who doesn’t like to receive presents and is happy with a block or two of chocolate but his daughter’s homemade marmalade is even better.  I make it just to his liking, nice and chunky and still quite tart in taste.

I’m all about giving presents that are made with love. This year for Christmas I am planning on making some fruit jams for my friends and neighbours along with some shortbread or mini Christmas cakes.

My Marmalade recipe

4 large Grapefruit
2 Large Lemons
3.5 Litres of water
10 cups of sugar, approx 2.5 kgs

Slice and chop the grapefruit and lemons into the desired size, depending on whether you like smooth or chunky marmalade.  I leave mine quite chunky and soak in the water overnight.

Boil until the fruit and water is soft and pulpy, then allow to cool so you can measure the volume of pulp.  Most recipes call for equal volumes of sugar, eg 12 cups of pulp suggests that you add 12 cups of sugar but as I like my marmalade tart I only add 10 cups of sugar.  Bring all the mixture back to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.  At this point remember to stir regularly otherwise the sugar will burn to the bottom of the pot. You can also taste it at this point to see if you like the flavour, but be careful not to burn your tongue.

Pour into sterilised jars, seal, label and enjoy.