Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

jenid · 21 May 2008 at 9:53AM

Good luck with the job interview Weezl! We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.

The other carbs were potatoes and cous cous, but don't worry about it for now, concentrate on your interview!

xx

Justamum · 21 May 2008 at 10:06AM

Just watched the Youtube clip. What an obscene waste of food! The supermarket spokesman reckoned any food still edible was donated. Obviously not true as there was plenty in the kitchen.

shaz_mum_of__2 · 21 May 2008 at 10:28AM

Not made this yet but thought someone might like it

Dandy wine recipe
Ingredients

3-4 pints of dandelion heads picked when they are open, with the sun on them, at midday.
Water to cover
3 large oranges (orange peel, no white pith and strained juice)
2.5 pounds of white granulated sugar.
Wine yeast

Method:
1. Pick your dandelion heads at midday when the heads are fully open. Remove any stalk but leave the green bits beneath the petals.
2. Cover immediately with boiling water and steep for 48 hours.
3. With a sharp knife carefully remove the orange peel (no white pith). Add to the dandelions and their steeped juice and simmer briskly for 15 minutes. Strain through muslin immediately onto the sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar.
4. Allow to cool (closely covered with a tea towel or tightly fitting lid) .
5. When cold add the juice of the oranges, proved wine yeast and yeast nutrient. Stir well and leave for five days in a warm place. Pour into a sterilised demi john and top up with boiled and cooled water to a gallon. Fit fermenting lock. Put in a warm place for at least a month. Rack and transfer to a cooler place when initial fermentation ceases. Leave well alone for at least a year.
6. If fermentation has ceased and the wine is clear rack into bottles and store for as long as you can (a year is ideal).

Shaz

weezl74 · 21 May 2008 at 5:44PM

Hi All, I'm tempted (for a brief moment) by dumpster diving

I didn't get my job, but now have adrenaline fatigue from going through the arduous process. I'm OK about not getting it, I was the least experienced one at interview!

Still feeling like my challenge is manageable, the freezer meals are filling us up nicely, rice and dahl tonight. I love it!:T

Shaz, I don't think I could leave booze for a year, is that a troubling confession?!

Going to try to do those extra bits of carb research now.

Anyone want anything else researching or costing up?;)

Love Weezl x

In_Search_Of_Me · 21 May 2008 at 5:51PM

aww sorry you didnt get it...big hugs for you...was thinking of you intermitently through the day...awful all the high & low of interviews, esp when you dont get it! Does that mean you just stay as you are until something else comes up?
I would be interested to know what the marmalde recipe costs but just realised I havent typed it yet so will get back to you! Feel a bit brain dead/bleugh after training & broke no spend for non alch beer (a compromise!!) ...unsure what to have for tea & may just go with rice crispies!!

et voila! Yummy recipe which I sell...now am I making a profit! Weezl do suggest cheaper way as some will benefit!

Lemon & Ginger marmalade – preserving book recipe

(makes 5 ibs)

8 lemons
2 oranges (2 large or 3 small)
4 pints (2.5 lit) water
4 oz fresh ginger shredded & slice (I use more!)
3 ibs sugar

If not using muslin you’ll need pectin – I don’t as worked out pectin cheaper than using muslin for each batch!

Thinly peel and slice lemon & orange peel and place in a preserving pan with water. Juice the rest of the fruit & add to pan with ginger. Bring to boil & then simmer for 1 ½ -2 hours until the rind are tender. If using the muslin tie the remains of the pith in muslin & add this to the pan while simmering for 1 ½ hours or use a sachet of pectin. Then at end of simmering remove muslin bag & squeeze as much juice out as you can. At this stage you need to put your jars in the oven on a cool setting, with lids too but not with lids on, to sterilise.

Add the sugar & bring to boiling point using a jam thermometer to check that its reached setting point. If you want thick jam boil for a bit longer when it reaches setting point but be careful not to let it born. Let the jam settle for 10 mins before bottling it up.

Then ladle the marmalade into the sterilised jars (a jam funnel makes this much easier but make sure this is also sterilised or you may contaminate the marmalade) and placed waxed disc & lid on while hot. Enjoy! Lids will “pop” while cooling but that’s not a problem.

ceridwen · 21 May 2008 at 7:06PM

Hi Weezl

Sorry you didnt pass that interview - one thought, from where I am standing, I think you are destined for "bigger and better things" myself. Just a personal view:D

ceridwen · 21 May 2008 at 8:56PM

Well - I've been wondering if some plants I have spotted on my "travels" are spear thistle - as I think they are - extending a tentative finger and thinking rubber gloves would be a good idea.

Anyway I've found:

www.wildfoodforagers.org/thistle2a.htm

and

www.countrylovers.co.uk

(I tried to give a direct page link for what I had found - but the site works a bit oddly to get into - but it includes a lot of wildfood info. - including a free e-book ....cor!):T

ceridwen · 21 May 2008 at 9:42PM

found that e-book:

www.countrylovers.co.uk/wildfoodjj

weezl74 · 22 May 2008 at 9:39AM

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

aww sorry you didnt get it...big hugs for you...was thinking of you intermitently through the day...awful all the high & low of interviews, esp when you dont get it! Does that mean you just stay as you are until something else comes up?
I would be interested to know what the marmalde recipe costs but just realised I havent typed it yet so will get back to you! Feel a bit brain dead/bleugh after training & broke no spend for non alch beer (a compromise!!) ...unsure what to have for tea & may just go with rice crispies!!

et voila! Yummy recipe which I sell...now am I making a profit! Weezl do suggest cheaper way as some will benefit!

Lemon & Ginger marmalade – preserving book recipe

(makes 5 ibs)

8 lemons
2 oranges (2 large or 3 small)
4 pints (2.5 lit) water
4 oz fresh ginger shredded & slice (I use more!)
3 ibs sugar

If not using muslin you’ll need pectin – I don’t as worked out pectin cheaper than using muslin for each batch!

Thinly peel and slice lemon & orange peel and place in a preserving pan with water. Juice the rest of the fruit & add to pan with ginger. Bring to boil & then simmer for 1 ½ -2 hours until the rind are tender. If using the muslin tie the remains of the pith in muslin & add this to the pan while simmering for 1 ½ hours or use a sachet of pectin. Then at end of simmering remove muslin bag & squeeze as much juice out as you can. At this stage you need to put your jars in the oven on a cool setting, with lids too but not with lids on, to sterilise.

Add the sugar & bring to boiling point using a jam thermometer to check that its reached setting point. If you want thick jam boil for a bit longer when it reaches setting point but be careful not to let it born. Let the jam settle for 10 mins before bottling it up.

Then ladle the marmalade into the sterilised jars (a jam funnel makes this much easier but make sure this is also sterilised or you may contaminate the marmalade) and placed waxed disc & lid on while hot. Enjoy! Lids will “pop” while cooling but that’s not a problem.

If you sell 1lb jars (ie you get 5 jars from a batch, then it's 48p a jar, similar to your chutney. (I costed up using smartprice fruit) I think your mark-up is about right as long as your gas/elec costs and cost of going shopping aren't too high!!!

When the Blackberries on the allotment come through, a jam of those would be very profitable, also when we discover some knotweed, and make that into a chutney :rotfl:

Re: what will I do job-wise, hmmmmm, interesting. I like what I do, but the strategic thinker part of me that applied for the post remains unused in my current role. And that's the bit that might get bored. I think if people get bored it's really hard to stay concientious and easy to become a 'let's just hang around chatting by the photocopier for hours' person. I think I'd be annoyed with myself if I let that happen!

Thanks all for your good luck thoughts and kind words of condolence!

Sorry, back on topic now, ahem:o

Weezl x

shaz_mum_of__2 · 22 May 2008 at 9:53AM

Shame about the job weezl i too think its a kharma thing something better is going to happen instead

ISOM could you add apple to your marmalade instead of pectin or use the sugar with it in instead

I would be interested in your costings as when i do lemon and ginger marnmalade i use the MaMade lemon kit and add crystalized ginger pieces(100g)(chopped) as hubby likes a strong ginger taste

makes 7lb's

mamade kit £1.18
sugar 2kg £1.53
100g ginger £0.50

total 3.21

How do you sell ISOM do you use new /recycled jars you can get a few more jars per batch by usung a 12oz jar instead of a1lb one and people dont always notice

Shaz

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Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

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