I have come to the realisation that I should really write down some of the things that Iwant to achieve this year, to present myself with some goals otherwise I will probably just let the year slide by. As I continue on the quest of self-reliance, I want to learn new skills around the house that will come in useful and can be built upon over time. Now, the list below is modest to say the least, but this year will be the yardstick against which I will compare my progress.
1. Build my vegetable garden. I am not sure that I will have the time or the money to plant anything, certainly not in time for the Summer (hey, I didn't say that the goals would be aggressive), but I would like to have something in the ground for the Winter crop.
2. Bake my own bread the entire year. So far I have baked bread five times and thoroughly enjoy it, albeit with very mixed results. A picture of the first loaf was posted on to the blog but the second was too salty and failed (I was experimenting by making it with apple juice and including raisins), and the results have been a bit mixed since, though last night's wholewheat bread was a triumph (even if I do say so myself).
3. Carry on with preserves and increase the range this year. Ove the last two years my wife and I have created apricot, plum, and raspberry jams and have been pretty successful at it. Not sure what this years flavour will be, but I want to increase the amount that we preserve and also the types of preserves.
4. Make my own sausages. I was given a meat grinder with sausage-making attachments a couple of years back and my first attempt at making them failed miserably (mainly because I was missing an important piece of the grinder). Since then I haven't gotten round to trying again, but this year I will.
5. Make my own beer. I tried this last year, but it didn't turn out too well. This year I shall attempt it again, and this time to try and actually get it right.
Like I said, there is not a lot to do there, but I want to make sure that I make progress in all of these matters, and maybe go above and beyond.
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