really old style living?

ceridwen

Gigervamp

I am wondering whether you could get the bees/hive/etc for free??

I know that recently somebody (the Co-Op?) had a giveaway of a start-up kit for beekeeping (worth £500?) and I have an idea I might have seen another similar initiative somewhere or other.

Worth having a google-round on t'Net to see what you can find...

ginnyknit

couldn't work out how to turn microwave down to medium so did it over a pan of hot water - the O/S way - and its absolutely fab! Grapefruit curd that is - sorry! AM going to try grapefruit marmalade when I get cheap sugar and am thinking I can prepare the peel and stuff and freeze them ready. I used to make jam years ago and now that I have a jam pan(fromCs 3.00) I am going to make more as I don't approve of the economy stuff I reckon its full of odds and sods, so now we can have real jam and marmalade. :T

mardatha

If we can combine the two - being thrifty/finding bargains , with old fashioned self-sufficiency.. then we've got a huge head start on this recession.

meg72

smileyt wrote: »

Could you not cover a bit of cardboard with tinfoil and stick that onto the back of a normal windowbox? Just an idea.

Yes that works also I find an old cd stuck behind a plant pot work as well.

Patchwork_Quilt

Had a very fortunate meeting with a friend of a friend the other day and she keeps bees. Not only that, but she was desperate to put some on our allotment. And she says she has a spare bee-proof suit so I can look over her shoulder as she empties the honey (or whatever she does). It does sound too good to be true. I hear that the problem is not so much the equipment but the cost of a swarm. I will let you all know if anything does come of this.

mardatha

Well I am SO pleased with my wee self tonight. I made yoghurt. Used a pint of UHT milk, TBS live yoghurt and TBS milk powder. It gave me a pyrex bowl of firm nice yoghurt ! whoohooo!

ginnyknit

So which method did you use for the yoghurt? flask, or slow cooker? Im going to try that as soon as we run out of whats in the fridge. Hmmm yoghurt and grapefruit curd, that would go well. well done Mardatha, another triumph.

mardatha

Heated UHT milk to blood heat, added the rest and left in a flask for 6 hours.

ginnyknit

1. no need to buy yoghurt again
2. leftover, or bought by an idiot by mistake ( well ruby grapefruit look like oranges!) fruit will make curd
3. Jam in the slow cooker or bread maker
4. homegrown veg
5. homemade washing liquid for clothes
6. homemade washing up liquid
7. tumble dryer redundant
8. forage for brambles
9. never buy cakes
10. buy hobknobs - what! never again

these seem to be the 10 favourite things a lot of us are trying at the moment, I think thats pretty good

ceridwen

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Had a very fortunate meeting with a friend of a friend the other day and she keeps bees. Not only that, but she was desperate to put some on our allotment. And she says she has a spare bee-proof suit so I can look over her shoulder as she empties the honey (or whatever she does). It does sound too good to be true. I hear that the problem is not so much the equipment but the cost of a swarm. I will let you all know if anything does come of this.

Further on that - I was correct in remembering about the Co-Operative helping out with beekeeping - I don't know if they are still doing this - but I found:

http://jaksie.com/free-bees-from-the-co-operative/

and I would think its worth asking the Soil Association too if they know of any help available.