really old style living?

Beccatje

NualaBuala wrote: »

Does anyone spin their own yarn to knit into dishcloths?

Runs away to hide from Mardatha and her lynch mob!

I do spin wool, but that's no good for dishcloths. :-)

Reevsey

:beer:ChocoClare you're a star - off out in a mo to find some bargain hams to christen my pressure cooker with! Thanks for the link too will have a nosey and report back of course on the culinary delights i produce (!not the words my OH uses but hey i'm in a positive NY mood). Luckily my cooker has the steam vent (or whatever its called) built in so cant be lost - fathoming it is another little challenge entirely.

mardatha

I got one a few months ago, use it all the time. Soups mostly but is good for a whole load of veg, like turnip or cauli. Cooked all at once then freeze it.

NualaBuala

Beccatje wrote: »

I do spin wool, but that's no good for dishcloths. :-)

Very impressive all the same!

I don't have a pressure cooker, waiting till I move but am now thinking of buying a canner instead as apparently it can double up as a pressure cooker and I can also do some preserving ... if I ever get around to it!

mardatha

Looking now for a good supplier of veg seeds, anybody got a favourite to recommend ? Am still flattened with flu but plotting the veggies and quite happy Who has cheap good seeds ??

stitching_witch

mardatha wrote: »

Looking now for a good supplier of veg seeds, anybody got a favourite to recommend ?

Not necessarliy the cheapest, but I get all my seeds, plantlets, sseed potatoes etc from Sutton Seeds as their customer service is excellent and I'm always pleased with the quality.

RAS

mardatha

Here is an old thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1251329

I get some from Lidl, Real Seeds, alanromans.com (Scottish), and via the allotment. This year i got some on offer from T&M - deal which ending up costing about £2.39 for over £10 of seeds.

mardatha

I knew there was an older thread somewhere but couldnt find it ! TY both

Hugo_Rignold

NualaBuala wrote: »

I don't have a pressure cooker, waiting till I move but am now thinking of buying a canner instead as apparently it can double up as a pressure cooker and I can also do some preserving ... if I ever get around to it!

Hi, I am new on here but just wanted to say a pressure canner is IMO one of the very best money-saving items one can (no pun intended) have. We bottle hundreds of jars a year of veg and fruit and juice - both stuff we grow ourselves and other people's gluts in the summer months. We put adverts up on freecycle in summer offering to pick people's surplus plums, apples etc and get a great response usually. We did enough apple juice this year to keep our kids quenched for the whole year.
You can even bottle meats. We buy discounted beef in the supermarket and rabbits 20 or 30 at a time from gamekeepers and make up huge batches of bolognaise which we then bottle. Saves money and loads of time as well in winter - just grab a jar and heat it up. No waiting for stuff to defrost or using up freezer space.
I absolute swear by the thing. The only hitch is getting a stock of canning jars in the first place as they are not cheap and not easy to find. On the continent they have them in supermarkets for pennies but here they are upwards of £2 a pop, unless you bulk buy. Once you have them though, with proper care they will last indefinitely. Only the lids need replacing every few years, and they are cheap.

ChocClare

Caterina wrote: »

No, seriously, where do you get cotton yarn for £1 per ball, I would love some! Thanks.

Here you go, caterina, I got the link from the knit your square thread originally, so am more than happy to pass it on!

mardatha wrote: »

Looking now for a good supplier of veg seeds, anybody got a favourite to recommend ? Am still flattened with flu but plotting the veggies and quite happy Who has cheap good seeds ??

mardatha, if you pm me what you're looking for I am more than happy to send you a selection - I have a CRATE of seeds through gifts/seed swaps and b..b...buying and hate to see them go to waste as I'll never have a chance to plant them all before they're out of date. Seriously, help me out here!

Hugo_Rignold wrote: »

We did enough apple juice this year to keep our kids quenched for the whole year.

Hi, hugo, welcome on board - just ignore the rubbish we all spout (well, mainly mardatha, lol - you know I don't mean it, mardatha) and you'll be fine! I have a pressure canner which I haven't really used yet as it is so HUGE, but I was really interested in the thought of doing apple juice - didn't get round to it this year. Can I ask you what you did to your apples and what you canned them in? I have a juicer - one of those wooden things with cast iron bits for making cider - did you use one of those? And did you just use the very large jars for the juice? I have loads of familia wiss jars and lids sitting unopened in the shed which we bought in France a couple of years ago, so the kit is there - I just need the instructions if you would be so kind!