How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

Primrose

I'm thinking back about the three day week, the shortages and all the panic buying. Around our part of the world the shortages centred around bread/flour, sugar and toilet rolls. Needless to say, I deemed it wise to stock up and when the three day week finally ended, we had enough loo rolls to last us for months! Actually, I don't think loo rolls were in short supply at all but once a poorly defined rumour starts about a shortage of something, it soon turns into a reality as everybody is anxious to climb on the bandwaggon. A marketing man's or a commodity trader's dream!

However I did read in the paper today a report by the Chief Executive of the National Grid that "the days of permanently available electricity may be coming to an end and families would have to get used to only using power when it was available." If that happened it would turn everyday tasks like cooking and doing laundry into a nightmare, trying to fit things into periods when electricity was available. On the other hand, there are still large areas of the world where electricity supplies are unreliable due to conflict, or poor electricity infrastructure, so I suppose you just learn to cope with it. Our parents certainly had to, during the last war, when bombing often disrupted power supplies.

We could end up seeing a whole new generation of modern-day high-tech hayboxes for cooking!
I actually had to build a Hay Box and cook something in it as part of my Girl Guide's cookery badge many, many years ago, to demonstrate I understood the technique. I made a lentil & vegetable stew because I wanted to be sure that it was something that cooked relatively quickly but it did work, so if we really have to revert back to those dire times, I might just about be able to ferret around my ancient brain cells and remember how to do it again.

[Deleted User]

grey queen, I make lots of jam and have done for 40 years. I use ordinary granulated sugar but I have some pectin in the cupboard (or lemons) for more `difficult` jams. My best friends are a jam thermometer with a clip to attach to the maslin (pan), a jam funnel and a stainless steel maslin (lakeland). I also use a jelly bag for some fruits like damsons when there are hundreds of stones and I cannot be bothered to pick them out. Other than that just jars and lids and a wooden spoon to stir. Tip: add 1 tsp of alcohol (whiskey or anything) to the top of the jam in the jar and mould will never have a chance. I never use wax rings just normal lids

My jams always open with a pop proving that the seal is good. We had a village fair the other week and I bought a pot of crab apple jelly but threw the jelly away because the lid was loose but I kept the jar and lid. I always fill as soon as ready into hot jars, put the alcohol and seal straight away, tightening the lids again after about 20 mins. They usually go pop soon after as the lids get sucked in

[Deleted User]

Phew, I have some catch up posts: I have sown sweet cicely as it can be used as a sugar substitute eg in rhubarb to only use half the sugar. Got the seeds on ebay and did the deed yesterday. They are a bit tricky and may take months to germinate, need 18ish for a couple of weeks, then fridge then cooler room. They have a long root so will need considered planting but are perennials so good if sugar is ever in short supply

http://earthnotes.tripod.com/sweetcicely.htm

am now making a lot of dhal as its very useful to have in freezer and one pot so more economical

mummysaver

Kittie, I make wine, beer and cider with ds! We haven't made any for a while and were only talking about it yesterday, think tis time to get everything out again and get brewing - though I do find I have to issue warnings about the cider, despite the fact that people drink so much scrumpy round here, the strength always surprises everyone! Will have a look at the site you recommend, have read on here about people using fruit juice, sure someone recommended juice from Lidl's the other day for it, and I'd like to have a go at the fruit tea varieties I've read about!

We have LPG, it's stored in a tank under our front lawn, and woebetide anyone who tries to steal it, after all the kerfuffle sorting out my heating I shall be storing their body in the freezer until bbq weather arrives! In reality any potential thieves would be caught in conversation by my neighbour, and would most likely run away! Lovely though he is, he can talk for England!

I can remember some bits of the 3 day week, I can remember filling cans with parrafin at the local garage for our heater - which my mum placed in the hall, so that in theory it would heat the whole house, in reality it meant none of the house was warm as the hall was bloomin draughty! I can also remember lugging heavy bags back from the supermarket, the trolley was topped with bags so was far too heavy for a child to pull or balance, I can def remember buying sugar, so I wonder if there was a per person policy at our shops and that was why us kids were taken along! As for the ice on the inside of the windows, it was the norm - my kids think I must've lived in Victorian times when I tell them stuff like that, well they did till we had no heating and they discovered ice really can form inside the house lol!

maryb

Primrose wrote: »

I'm thinking back about the three day week, the shortages and all the panic buying. Around our part of the world the shortages centred around bread/flour, sugar and toilet rolls. Needless to say, I deemed it wise to stock up and when the three day week finally ended, we had enough loo rolls to last us for months! Actually, I don't think loo rolls were in short supply at all but once a poorly defined rumour starts about a shortage of something, it soon turns into a reality as everybody is anxious to climb on the bandwaggon. A marketing man's or a commodity trader's dream!

However I did read in the paper today a report by the Chief Executive of the National Grid that "the days of permanently available electricity may be coming to an end and families would have to get used to only using power when it was available." If that happened it would turn everyday tasks like cooking and doing laundry into a nightmare, trying to fit things into periods when electricity was available. On the other hand, there are still large areas of the world where electricity supplies are unreliable due to conflict, or poor electricity infrastructure, so I suppose you just learn to cope with it. Our parents certainly had to, during the last war, when bombing often disrupted power supplies.

We could end up seeing a whole new generation of modern-day high-tech hayboxes for cooking!
I actually had to build a Hay Box and cook something in it as part of my Girl Guide's cookery badge many, many years ago, to demonstrate I understood the technique. I made a lentil & vegetable stew because I wanted to be sure that it was something that cooked relatively quickly but it did work, so if we really have to revert back to those dire times, I might just about be able to ferret around my ancient brain cells and remember how to do it again.

Primrose have you got a linky for that article? I'd be interested to read it.

I did a Google search and I came across reports of an interview he gave yesterday saying that 2011 will be an important year for renewable energy and Governement needs to invest, plus the shortage of skilled engineers is hampering attempts to renew the UK's stock of generating capacity. All of which he has said before, of course. But the articles I looked at didn't have the suggestion that electricity might not alaways be available in the UK 24/7. That would be alarming

cbsexec

Kittikins wrote: »

Bet you're glad you didn't go to Holy Joe's, I think their girls still have a bit of a reputation, not like girls from my old school in Reading - we had money belts as our embarrassing uniform item

I know which school you went to - I went there too!!

gailey_2

kittie wrote: »

I am so genuinely happy to see the thread back on track, I just needed time out while it all settled. I have only briefly skim read but want to give katolicos hugs, your dad will be very proud of you, he brought you up well

I decided that you sometimes have to spend money to save money and I am going back to a hobby that I used to have 25 years ago ie wine making. Hey we are surrounded by elderberries and damsons and some of my very best wine was elderberry. I am starting slowly though and not plunging into the starting from scratch way, with my head in a bucket. There are some good forums for wine making and I have ordered a book by cj berry from amazon for when I get into the ferment in a bucket way.

I have spent less than £100 and I reckon I have enough kit to fill 4 pet demijohns, including a red wine kit. I have all the bits in there including corks siphon and a corker, all I`ll need is bottles and I`ll just scrounge them. Google wow wine and you`ll find a brilliant recipe using a litre of orange juice and a litre of grape juice. Its actually very uplifting to get a new hobby that is also productive

Did my 1st attempt at brewing last year.

made elderflower champers from hughs river cottage recipie.
Was bit nervous so sterilised and brewed in large coolbox.
Sounds odd but it worked.Cant remember if I used cider or white wine viniger,used lots of lemons and normal bread yeast.
Was bit worriedabout comments on c4website about bottles exploding so thinkleft tobew for 4days with muslins over top.
The bottles in plastic and kept releasing the pressure.
Did think about getting the grolsh style slom bottles from ikea but was worried they would break.

Anyway made 6litres was bot sweet for me but nice,did have fizz toit.

Gave sometodad he loved it.
My mum and mil loved it too wished I had made more.
But I pickedflowers quite late inseason and couldent find anymore flowers.

Did want toattempt elderberry and sloe gin but felt too poorly in september.

Did do cherrybrandy as xmas presents with cherries picked in july and frozen.

Want to makelarger quanitities this year kittie.

wheres best place to buy suitable container at reasonable price?

Feeling rubbish still havent attempted jam feel quite nervous about it dont know why as fine with chutneys.

Wasent there a recipie for microwave jam/marmalade inlast itstough threadon os?

my newbread maker has jam making function.
got jam sugar incupboard already as dident think you could do with normal or do you add extra pectin.
Still got so much fruit in freezer to useup.

Weathers weird feels like winter again.glad my newcoat arrived as freezing and does up over my bump just!
Been resisting practical outdoor coat for years and opting for fashioncoats which either not warm enough,bottons fall off or get very wet.

Asked hubby if he wants matching and he said no plus he rarly walks and drives everywhere hes so lazy!
Told him I want to be more outdoorsey this year and walk more.
Hes exited about the garden but had no time to plant:(

New camera arrived as ours die but im not very technie and struggling to workout how touse it.Got so much clutter to list on ebay!

totally baffled by energy bill and scottish power.
When we switched to them was 90 a month gas/electric
The winter beforelast was bad one andhad newborn in2009 so had heating on a lot and owed them money so they upped to143 a month.

Wassent sure if we be in credit as have tried to use less energy but was worried as media said energy goingup?
Was going to look to maybe switchproviders too as convinced we paying too much.onlycentral heating uses gas everything else electric.

Hubby rang couple of weeks ago gave them meter reading they said we owed 160 and sent us a cheque.:D

Then man came round to read the meter.
Got a letter saying we 470in credit.hubby rang up again they confimed that and470on its way!
But then they said if we refund you dd will remain at 143hubby said no we got rebate as you taking too much and they agreed on new figure of 110 amonth,
Keep thinking they made mistake as seems like stupidly large amount?

we have heating on abit.
our fire is small electric heater on quite alot
1laptop
2tvs
electric oven.
electric shower.
washer and drier
large fridge.
large chestfreezer
2tvs inhouse

Right best go clean got inspection tommorow joys of being a private tennant.get so so stressed about it.

Kittikins

cbsexec wrote: »

I know which school you went to - I went there too!!

Coo - when? 1983-1989 for me Do you remember the PE knickers as well, *shudder*

cbsexec

Kittikins wrote: »

Coo - when? 1983-1989 for me Do you remember the PE knickers as well, *shudder*

You are much younger than me (unfortunately) When I had the uniform it was quite ahead of its time as although we were a grammer school we did not have to wear ties! The money belt was a great help in hiding the fact that I had turned the top of my school skirt over to make it shorter - oh happy days!!:rotfl:

floss2

ceridwen wrote: »

I really don't remember what interest rates I paid when I had a mortgage - I just recall that they were either "normal" level or "sky high" level. One thing I DO recall though was that the easy basic way to remember how much I would have to pay on a mortgage (of the standard repayment type) is that "standard" level interest rates mean each £1,000 borrowed costs £8 per month. For instance - £100,000 borrowed would mean:

£8 x 100 = £800 per month payment

Anything less than £8 per £1,000 per month is a "low" interest rate and only temporary - to be treated as an unexpected bonus whilst it lasts.
...

It was this that made the decision to stay put an easy one! Also, our endowment pays off in a couple of years so the house will be all ours & we can then use the extra equity if we decide to move.

Re home brewing - we've made sloe / damson / blueberry gin for the last few years, and in 2009 I made sloe jelly (use it like redcurrant jelly with meat & pies, it's lovely!). We didn't make any last year, but need to top up the stocks this autumn. There is a large country park near us, and there are lots of wild plums, damsons & sloes growing along the paths. I used to make wine & beer when I was first married to the ex, but haven't got any of the kit now, as have moved home several times over the last 25 years!

DS2 (23) is now considering moving abroad when he's done his PGCE course next year, he's concerned that there will be no jobs for RE teachers now the subject has been "downgraded" by the Education Minister. Personally I think that it would be a good plan, but he now thinks I'm trying to get rid of him!!