really old style living?

kezlou

Hmm maybe that's why it is, its ridiculous though paying for fresh that goes off straight away.

Most of the past eighth months has involved me throwing out food because the electrics gone kaput. Apparently it was bad fuse that has now been fully replaced and everything should be back to normal. Yeah right, i'll believe that when i see it.

Just bee on ebay to look for chimneys got a few bookmarked, sent messages to some selers so hopefully will hear back form them soon. as soon as they bought i'll buy some oil.

Does anyone know the best place to buy oil for lamps?

D&DD

Kippers would love to hear how the potato harvest went..ours have been really weird this year due to such a dry start.

Must get off my butt and get in the kitchen but will try to catch up later have missed loads!!!

D XX

westcoastscot

These past few years have changed for me too - have gone from shopping 3 - 4 times a year, almost self sufficiency, to living weekly. I keep a deep pantry for bad weather, illness etc but don't rely on electricity - the freezer - much at all as our power goes out pretty often here. We too have had increased gales the past couple of years, and it feels as if winter is here already. I'm growing some stuff but not enough to rely on - going to look at hydroponics for next year, hoping to be less at the mercy of the weather.
Have spent the weekend putting up winter curtains and generally making ready for the colder weather. I've stocked up on more flour/pulses/tinned meat/tinned fish - shall buy in more this week to make sure we can manage well for a week or two if the icy weather catches us unawares. Also going to top up my electricity meter, as ours goes up by 11% on september 14th, and buy in a load of logs.
Off for a potter after dinner to check out the brambles - ours were just beginning to flower earlier in the week.

WCS

ginnyknit

I too am battening down the hatches for winter. The food is sorted, wind up lamps and radio for emergencies etc, lined curtains, got loads of quilts, hot water bottles. Now I need to stock up on things to do. Our main problem is OH cannot get out in the snow, can't walk in it and wheelchair is totally useless. So I need to stash some jigsaws and get him some models to make basically anything that will keep him interested as last few years have been awful for him. I am fine I have plenty of craft things to potter about with. He made me a couple of wooly pompoms last year fro something I was making as he makes them superbly, then he got carried away and made another 30 for something to do :rotfl:

oldtractor

I thought I had winter sorted. But I think a wind up radio will be a great thing to have. Thanks ginnyknit.

kippers

D&DD wrote: »

Kippers would love to hear how the potato harvest went..ours have been really weird this year due to such a dry start.
D XX

Thanks for asking.

We were all really tired after digging the potatoes but we managed to dig up 103kg which we were really pleased with. If we bought the equivalent weight of cheap potatoes from tesco today they would cost over £50, so we are very pleased.

The potatoes we dug up today were called 'sarpo mira' and they were supposed to be more blight resistant/drought resistant. However, I do think we got a bigger yield last week from my 'piccasso' as we dug up 180kg in just a slightly larger area. I paid more for the 'sarpo mira' seed potatoes so i'm not sure i would buy these again, i will decided after i see how they store and what they taste like.

D&DD

Wow I bet you're soaking in the tub now after all that digging!!
Would be interested to know how they store as well thanks
I grew Homeguard first earlies in bags which were awful,sadly the few we got tasted lovely but such a poor crop never had this before..Anya also let me down :eek: 1 bag had over 5 lb in it the other 3 had none at all!!!
I'm just wondering if someones been helping themselves as there were plants there but no roots,tiny potatoes or anthing in the actual sacks??? (they are in my front garden by a low fence)

Our maincrops are 3 x bags of rooster which are growing well and 3 x bags of King Eddies also growing well (had a furtle in both) and 5 bags of blue danube I got for £1 (these went in late as they were a T&M late special)
In the ground I'm pinning my hopes on the Arran Victories so far so good when furtling what a pretty potato too!

westcoastscot

Hope it's ok to bring this thread back?
I've been shopping weekly for some time now, and it's been going well. I can take advantage of seasonal produce - we don't have big supermarkets locally so don't have offers as such, but do have a smallish co-op and a good greengrocer, butcher and deli which I use. Our grocery bill has sky-rocketed even so, and I really need to address it.
I've been thinking back to how my mum and dad lived - I recall going shopping for mum and buying a pound in money of cheese each week - the piece getting smaller and smaller over time - we spent the money we had, and when prices rose our choice of food lessened - less meat, more pulses etc. I really need to look at the food we're eating and see where we can cut down the price but not the quantity nor the nutritional quality. I'm feeding myself and two grown sons, one a fisherman who can really eat and needs a lot of calories in a day, and it's getting tougher and tougher. I don't think I can make anymore savings in terms of cooking from scratch etc, eating basics - we do that anyway as one of us is allergic to dairy/eggs. I think I need to look at the type of meals we're eating - I'm thinking of making more effort to go back to old-fashioned ways of eating - soup before dinner, puddings every day for the guys, that kind of thing.

Because we have a dairy/egg allergy we eat meat 3 - 4 times a week (stews, chilli, bolognese etc) , the other days having lentil pie (nice and filling), fish dishes and baked potatoes plus beans/tuna/hummus. Packed lunches are tricky too, as they need to be meat most days to fill him up on the boat - he's out about 16+ hours. I do make pasties, sausage rolls etc too.

Any ideas? or anyone recall childhood dishes that I could borrow?

Thanks, WCS

mardatha

I can't help, not a cook. But pasties and pies would be good esp since he's working it off. We here are now doing a big meat meal every second night and a cheap filler-upper in between. Like sardines on toast or egg or beans or home made hamburger on a roll. But we dont work so dont need filled up.
I cannot believe the price of butter, it's unreal. Might have to change to marg and I hate the stuff.

HariboJunkie

westcoastscot wrote: »

Any ideas? or anyone recall childhood dishes that I could borrow?

Thanks, WCS

Are you padding the mince dishes out with lentils? What about a loaf of bread on the dinner table to fill them up and mop up gravies and sauces?
Our most frugal meal growing up was stew a la my Mum which was basically mince, spuds, carrots, beef stock cubes and fresh parsley boiled up together until the spuds are soft. A littler mince goes along way in that.

The soup as a starter is a good idea and simple sponge puddings and custard are alseo cheap and filling.

I often make toast and pate for a starter on a Sunday if I think the joint is a bit small. Even tinned mackeral blended with cream cheese and a little lemon juice and black pepper makes good pate and might fill your boys up a bit.

What about pasta salad (gluten free pasta) with veg and cold chopped sausages for the lunch.