my park gifts - Gifts Articles 10858

Badges
The basics of pin Badges stem back over numerous years but the fact remains that Badges are still as popular today as they have always been. When used as promotional pieces Badges can be highly effective and anyone that is considering putting a promotional campaign together might like to use Badges as a means of advertising. How many times have you seen politicians on the ?party` bus using Badges as means of promoting their party? You`ll see pensioners and kids, adults and animals wearing all types of the Badges in very prominent positions. The reason why badges are still popular as promotional pieces is that these little advertising aids are fun. IIf you want to promote your message in a positive manner then badges can be the ideal solutions. Bands that need the right types of advertising aids can use a variety of badges to good effect. Because they are relatively inexpensive to have printed, a cool looking badge can be given away to help build a fan base. In fact, if you look at the prices of batches of badges you`ll find that these inexpensive items can be printed for less than you would imagine. If you have specific artwork in mind you`ll be able to download it to specialist badge making companies and they`ll be able to make you a brilliant batch of bold badges. The basics of pin badges have remained the same for many years and they are still as popular today as they always have been.

Personalised Baby Blanket
What could be nicer than a Personalised Baby Blanket to give as a bespoke gift for a new baby? These gorgeous blankets come in a range of stunning colours and designs so no matter how fussy the new mum maybe, she is sure to like a Personalised Baby Blanket as she will be well aware of the extra trouble you have gone to, to get it. A baby can never have enough blankets and they often get to like a particular one as they get older. It couldn`t be easier buying a Personalised Baby Blanket you can find them for sale everywhere and they are most common on the internet. It is just like buying anything else all you need to do is let the seller know exactly what you would like embroidered or printed on it-anything at all! Just because they are personalised they are not expensive only a few pound more than the bog standard ones. Give a new baby something extra special that can be kept as a keepsake for the future.

So the strawberries are finally slowing down, the end of the season is in sight? and do I feel relief that I will no longer be chained to the kitchen counter, three nights a week, preparing strawberries for jam? Am I sick of the sight of them, turning into one myself, in a word, jaded? Surprisingly enough I?m not. Six weeks of making jam and I could carry on longer.

I sneak into the larder to count the jars?have I sold too many? Will it be enough for the family for the year and what about Christmas presents? Two weeks ago I was merrily flogging it at the market, secure in the knowledge I could make more. Now friends are ringing up asking to buy jam and I?m grudgingly parting with it but the Scrooge hoarding instinct is kicking in, a sure sign of the end of the season.

And I never did master the thick jam versus runny jam dilemma, the jam decided for itself what it would become, not me. So I cannot yet claim to be a professional jam maker, not when the jam is in charge of the process. Further experiments will have to wait until next year, when at the beginning of the new season I can afford to be lavish with the strawberries and if a batch burns in the attempt to thicken it won?t be a disaster, I?ll be able to use it for baking jam squares, where the caramel overtones are a bonus.

Part of the magic of strawberries is their cheerful colour as well as their scent. I?m going to miss the piles of fruit on the table, waiting to be sorted for selling, in the fridge in punnets, to be delivered in the morning, bowls of seconds for the family to eat and containers of the rest for jam. The youngberries will be starting soon, like blackberries, they have their own allure and make great summer puddings, but they just don?t quite have that special something that strawberries have?!

So what will I fill my jars with now? Well the good news is that apricots are just starting to creep into the shops. Unfortunately we only have one tree and this year it has very little fruit on it, we need to plant some more trees but it will be a few years before they produce properly.

So we check out the fruit in the shops. It?s a bit like playing the stock market. We?re waiting for the price to come down, to buy loads and jam them all, but if we wait too long and misjudge the timing the price will shoot up again or there?ll be none left, it?s a short season. So perhaps I?ll play it safe and buy a couple of kilos next week and then hope to splurge the week after on 5 kilos as cheap as can be, but I can?t risk being caught short of apricot jam. We?re on our last jar of last year?s and there?ll be a family uprising if I don?t get in next year?s supply.

The apricot jam recipe ? very similar to the strawberry jam recipe but less temperamental. The worst I?ve managed to do has been burn it and even then it was usable in baking, just a slight caramel added flavour!

1 kg apricots halved and stoned

750g sugar

Pack fruit and sugar in a stainless steel or enamel pan and keep in fridge overnight. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat a bit and boil rapidly (stir occasionally to prevent burning) for about 20-30 mins. Test a drop on a cold plate. If, after 2 minutes, when you push your fingernail through it, the skin wrinkles, it is done. If not test every 5 minutes till it does. Pour into hot sterilised jam jars and seal immediately.

NB apricots have plenty of pectin, so you don?t need to add lemon juice to get the set.

For more tips on jam making and the strawberry jam recipe, look at my article Strawberry Jamming Again.