Make Bake Sew Grow

{ Make }

Teacher gifts. It's that time of year. 

I thought that once I went back to work I'd stop the handmade gift thing, but it turns out I do it because I like it, and people really do appreciate something handmade, and that makes me feel good.

So we have good old crocheted washcloths, from a very good pattern by Kate of Just Pootling via here. I'm not one for frilly edging as a rule, but I really liked the way this turned out.

Marmalade was also put to good use as gifts, jazzed up with pretty labels and fabric toppers. Nice packaging will get you everywhere. 

{ Bake }

A batch of apricot and nut biscotti, also for those lucky teachers. (We have a lot of teachers, two per class, plus teaching assistants.) 

These are from the excellent Popina Book of Baking by Isidora Popovic. I've written about this gem of a book before, when I made these biscuits (I'd almost go so far as to say the book is worth buying for that recipe alone) and these parmesan crackers. You can find an online version of the biscotti recipe here; you'll see that it should also contain figs but I didn't have any so doubled the quantity of apricots. Anyway, an easy and practical gift for teachers or otherwise, as biscotti keep really well for much longer than normal biscuits or cookies. 

Something else I've tried recently was courgette fritters, also known as zucchini pancakes depending on where you live. 

I kept the recipe simple (pancake batter plus courgettes, similar to this recipe) and they were light as a feather and very fluffy, but maybe just a teeny bit bland. They need a lot of seasoning, and might benefit from some onion or spice in the batter. They were very good with a poached egg on top but would've been better with some crispy bacon too. But I'd really like to make them again so if anyone has any good recipes or tips that would be much appreciated.

{ Sew }

One ironing board cover, sewn on a whim in an hour, without any measuring or precision. I just got so sick of looking at my stained, scorched, frayed old one that one rainy Sunday afternoon I I pulled it off the ironing board, drew around it, cut it out, hemmed it, and pulled some elasitc through. It's not Great British Sewing Bee material, but that new (old) floral pattern makes me like doing the ironing a whole lot more.

{ Grow }

Redcurrants!

Yes, that's right, we have some actual homegrown produce going on in the back garden right now! 

Now, I don't know that I particularly like redcurrants, or that I know what to do with them, but I'm not going to let stop me. They're now bagged up in the freezer (all 125 grams of them) and I think they will eventually be used in a summer pudding.

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One more day to go, one more day to go! Nearly there, nearly on holiday time... I'm so glad I started this Make, Bake, Sew, Grow thing as it's kept me blogging in a time of change and upheaval and for that I am grateful.

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{ Make } Something for my home.

 { Bake } Something from the kitchen.

{ Sew } Something crafty.

{ Grow } Something in my garden