some days are Mangolicious!!

It is mango season and how delcious!! Here they are cheap at this time and you can really indulge...in Australia, raising kids on my own they were always an indulgence to be savoured and only bought occasionally....

here for a few months you can wallow in them.... and that is exactly what I am doing...not just eating fresh and as salsa and salads but for making preserves.

I have always made preserves since a small child when I used to stand on a chair and help my darling Nana Charlton- so I grew up thinking it was a normal thing to do, squeeze a few minutes in the day to use up what is fresh and in season.

Coming to India the range of produce is quiet different but that just adds to the fun...I am asking all my local friends for their recipes and scanning through all my cook books, one is in Hindi and I am slowly working out the ingredients but mostly making up the istructions- so I hope they work out...

First off Freen Mango Pickle Rajasthani style, recipe from Kanchan...my hands are yellow this morning from rubbing tumeric into the mango last night!

adding salt and spices then pouring hot mustard oil over the top....about 2 weeks and we can taste.

Mustard oil is a great preservative and local lore says pickles made with it will be good for a whole year...if you use other oils you need to use the pickles up quicker.

Semi ripe mangoes for a Sweet South Indian Mango Pickle

and below another 5 kilos I am waiting to ripen a little more in the next few days to make Mango jam for the hotel- yum!!

I have to paas through the market again this morning and if I can find a few more big jars I have a few more recipes to try out as well- we use a lot of pickle at the hotel so they won't go to waste

We just picked up some goodies from the block printers and I realised they too were in Mango Colours!!

The rule in India seems to be if you want something specific you probably won't find it but if you keep your eyes open you might find the most amazing things!

There is a fabric guy I go to in Ajmer who has the perfect weight fabric for quilting cotton [and other assorted things]

I have an idea for a block printed range...lusciuos colours, hand block printed in permanent pidment inks....yummy bright colours...stay tuned to Pukka Components for more details as I get organized- aren't they just yummy to look at?

Made up into bold Ralli inspired quilt designs, played off against plain colours I can see they will be luscious.

Quilters interested in doing a test piece for me?- please let me know [ I will supply materials in return for good photgraphs of  two 18 inch blocks made up - you can keep one the block and one for me]

Have a look at these links, links, links, links  for some design ideas, or perhaps you could suggest something different?