Fairly Particular Cookery

I asked my Dad to teach me how to use a gun.

Not that I plan on using one in the near future; I just think that it would be a good skill to have. You know, just in case (of the end of civilization, of the need to life off the grid, of the need to make myself seem more useful in application to a commune, etc).

He said I’d have to wait until the summer, which did not work with the timeline of The List II.

Are people seeing a theme here? Building a shed in the wilderness, wanting to learn how to knit, learning how to make my own compass, desiring gun skills… what kind of future am I envisioning for myself?

Anyhow, along that self-sufficient-die-alone-in-the-middle-of-nowhere theme, I asked my mother to teach me how to preserve food through canning.

We picked a sweet recipe, got all the ingredients ready… and then an unexpected work thing came up for my mom, and I was basically on my own. Good thing I thoroughly read my book on preserving food.  Here’s hoping it actually worked; canning is ridiculous science. Proper ratios of ingredients, temperatures, times… fairly particular cookery.

The Recipe

Beginning to Cook

Two Pots Boiling

Concoction of Delicious

Processing

The (Almost) Finished Jars

I’ll have to wait a day to see if they sealed properly, and only a bit of time will tell whether everything went perfectly (or close enough).

“Yes, I spend my Thursdays canning chutney… why, what do you do?”

Jennifer

Never thought myself the type

Knitting, crocheting, needle work… all that genre of craft… very little of me feels inspired to do it. When I knit, I last about as long as it takes to make a dish cloth. A small dish cloth. I lack the patience for such things (or so I tell myself). Still, this Christmas I found myself developing an itching desire to learn how to use the old needle and thread to make pretty things on fabric.

The start to my learning began in two phases.

1. Auntie Grace teaching me from one of her books

2. Grambo teaching me by using one of her table clothes that her Godmother made for her (one of which I have now inherited. Beautiful. And also to ambitious for myself).

I am planning on incorporating it into my journals. And maybe with a quilt someday (if I can make it that far… I might just wind up with a lot of rags…)

Heather

You need to look this badass when you are stitching into leather...

Minuet Cretiens

I don’t know if we’re allowed to post about fellow contributors, but I’ve asked Sara to teach me to sing the French version of  O Holy Night for our solo this Sunday at church in which she will sing in Swedish. It’s amazing the tongue that’s on that girl. And yes, that’s a compliment.

Can I add the category “Tangibly Love Your Enemy” to this blog too? Just kidding, Sara. In all honesty, I didn’t think this would be such a difficult task for me. I’ve always been pretty good at imitating languages, except Russian. But I suppose I will have to add French to the list as well–I’m just not that great at it I suppose.

Welcome to The List II

6 women (see “Participants”)

3 continents (see the locations in “Participants”)

27 challenges (see “Items of The List II”)

1.5 months (December 1, 2009 – January 15, 2010)

many reasons (see “What Is The List II?”)

1 blog (bravo! you’ve found it!)

hopefully regular updates and reflections on how we’re all faring with this undertaking…