As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

ceridwen

JillS wrote: »

Actually, it's dock not plantain or, possibly, dock as well as plantain, as long as we're talking about broadleafed dock. Speaking as someone who was always getting nettle stings as a child and used dock leaves as the cure. (And I've tried what I'm fairly sure was plantain and it didn't work at all.)

I looked this up in Wikipedia (for a picture) thinking that I might have just got the wrong name for the plant I used to use and the one pictured under broad leaved dock, Rumex obtusifolius, is definitely the plant I knew as dock.

If you look up plantain in wiki look for plantago otherwise you'll be trying to rub bananas on your stings. :rotfl:

There may be an element of us both being correct - because of differing circumstances??

My own experience chimes with that of our local foraging expert - who says that dock simply doesnt work for nettle stings. I've never found it to work either. Hence - I mentally notched up "Next time I get a nettle sting - look out for plantain for it".

I see that James Wong states in his book "Grow your own drugs" that plantain (especially ribwort/Plantago lanceolata) "is thought to be more effective than dock leaves" and he recommends making a plantain balm to "take on trips to the countryside". As I said - I havent yet had occasion to try this out myself yet - but at the rate I end up getting stung that I dont suppose it will be long:rotfl::(.

Our local foraging expert made the point that the same plant can differ in different parts of the country - and that makes sense (ie because growing conditions will vary throughout the country) - so that might be one possible explanation. There may also be differences between different people - maybe those native to one area might have genes predominating that rendered one plant useless and another efficacious and vice-versa?? (thats just me speculating on that point re human differences - but it certainly sounded highly feasible to me that plants would differ in differing conditions).

EDIT: Been googling round t'Web for further info and came across the websiste of the "Hedgerow Medicine" peeps (ie Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal) and they think dock is usable for stings - but use plantain themselves and describe it as "even more powerful remedy". Shouldnae have done that - I feel another course coming on.....LOL

ceridwen

tryingtoruletheworld wrote: »

Suma has both a wholesale and consumer site now, and although they are based in Leeds I am pretty sure they deliver country-wide. I would add a link but the site is down for maintenance this evening!

Infinity foods based in Brighton also do retail and wholesale
http://www.infinityfoodswholesale.co.uk/

The Suma site is back up - but just as I was raising my hopes and planning on a price comparison shop visit - I found that they state they only sell direct to the public where there is no retail outlet nearby selling their products. I've got NO chance of buying direct from them then:rotfl::rotfl::(.

silvermaid

Wet and dull here at the moment and cold.

Have flowers on our runner beans now along with the french beans. So hopefully we will eat hg beans soon.

We are lucky enough to have eaten loads of strawberries, salad leaves, onions, cucumbers and spinach from the garden. Had the first courgette yesterday and the first potatoes are nearly ready. Tomatoes have little baby tomatoes on them and the melon has flowers.

We have had quite a lot of rain here, so the water butts are full. We are having to have serious gastropod safaris to protect our babes. Tried to water in the poly tunnel with the watering can - no water came out! A snail had wedged itself in the spout!!!

Would like to play with the big yellow ball but I don't think that will be happening.

BTW I've always used dock for nettle stings. We do have plantain in the garden as well, so next time we get any nettle stings I will try an experiment to see which works best for us.
Cheers m'dears, Silver x

7_week_wonder

Good morning. Something's not right: it's the weekend and the weather forecast is promising to stay dry until 4 pm:p I'd better get a move on with the washing and stuff.

jackieglasgow wrote: »

use it instead of porridge in twinks, muesli twinks are delicious.

Brilliant idea Jackie: I made half a batch last night when I had the oven on for something else (I'm getting the hang of this using the whole oven thing!) and they were excellent. Only trouble is OH loved them - so I bet he'll be asking for more shortly, good job I've got the rest of the packet of @lpen to use up!

Today's store cupboard challenge is a tin of "heart of palm": I honestly have no idea what to do with it, or where it came from - but it's been there for at least 18 months so I'm going to try and use it. Any suggestions?

And one for the Scottish folk (it may also apply down south too). I noticed an advert for becoming a member of the co-op - which I was thinking of doing anyway cos I like their ethical stance etc - but then I noticed it said if you become a member for £1 you get a voucher for £10 to spend in store. So I'll get OH to pick up a form from the shop pronto.

Have a good weekend all!

taurusgb

Finally got to sleep at past 1am, was awake at 2.15, and 4am, got so fed up of tossing and turning I was up and outside weeding the garden just before 6am :eek:

Early start meant I was at the Co-op when they opened so managed to get 400g mince that should have been £4 marked down to £1.25. It's already in the slow cooker with finely chopped onion, garlic, celery and carrots. I'll split it into 2 when it's cooked and freeze to use as base to pad out and make pasta dishes or pies or something-or-other

Sun is shining here, but rain due later. DH has gone to collect DD2 from university for the summer and she says they have heavy rain and thunderstorms there, so they will have great fun packing the car as you can't park right outside the student accomodation - hope they have the sense to wrap things like heavy duvet in bin liner before trying to carry it through the rain.

I spent a lot of time while lying awake last night thinking about money and the coming year. Expensive bus pass for DS2 to get to college will have to be paid for. DD2 needs ferrying about to do river measurements for her dissertation so more diesel will be used than normal. The kitchen is badly in need of painting, the worktops need replacing and the laminate on some of the cupboard doors is starting to peel off, so we really need to do something (something VERY cheap) about that. Outside of the house is also in need of painting and woodstaining (we have wooden cladded dormers front and back) and if we don't do it soon then it is going to start having an impact on the house and will end up costing us a lot more. I didn't get as far as worrying about the rises in gas and electricity as I got up to do the weeding when the need to to scream out loud with anxiety got overwhelming

Lots of people much worse of than us too - I can't begin to think how they are going to cope

ceridwen

Re the kitchen - would this book give some ideas:

"kitchen makeovers" by Catherine Cumming?

Other thoughts - if its that bad that its irredeemable - then maybe just ripping out whatever bits are AWFUL and remove doors/replace units with secondhand or cheapie bookcases, old filing cabinets spraypainted, secondhand wardrobes spraypainted? Dont know if its possible with laminated units - but maybe ripping off the remainder of the laminate and stencilling/limewashing/colourwashing them?

******************

My little "savings" thought for the day - just been doing a "production line" run of making bread for LETS peeps and worktop left with flour on after. It weighed out at only 2oz - but think I must be able to do "summat" with it and am looking meaningfully at my cute tiny little frypans I have and wondering....hmmm...bready sort of thing/pancake-y sorta thing for a little snack for moi? Bearing in mind eggs normally cost me about 20p (freerange cost) - and I am looking for a "dirt cheap" use up way - any thoughts anyone?

redlady_1

When I was married and we moved from MQ's into our own house I had enough money saved for a new kitchen. However, on entering the house after the carpet cleaner had been in there it soon became apparent that the Boxer puppy (the previous owners) had peed everywhere - and I mean EVERYWHERE!!!!! New carpets, floorboards throughout so there went the kitchen. I was gutted. So the H took all the doors off and painted and stencilled them, moved the cupboards up the walls, retiled using B and Q value white tiles, B and Q value lino and new worktops. And there you have it, one spanking new kitchen for the grand total of £139!

Thanks Kittie for the flour advice

And can you lot stop sending your pant weather to the South please? We are enjoying our tropical days thanks.:D:rotfl:

Pink.

ceridwen wrote: »

My little "savings" thought for the day - just been doing a "production line" run of making bread for LETS peeps and worktop left with flour on after. It weighed out at only 2oz - but think I must be able to do "summat" with it and am looking meaningfully at my cute tiny little frypans I have and wondering....hmmm...bready sort of thing/pancake-y sorta thing for a little snack for moi? Bearing in mind eggs normally cost me about 20p (freerange cost) - and I am looking for a "dirt cheap" use up way - any thoughts anyone?

Potato bread? One potato and a little butter would be all that you would need for 2oz of flour....

It isn’t an exact recipe so I haven’t included measurements but the main thing to remember is that you want to add enough flour to make a stiff dough.

Mashed potato – I use left over rather than make it specially
Butter – a good couple of knobs
A pinch of salt
Plain flour

-Warm up the left over mash

-Add a little salt

-Add the butter and stir through until completely melted

-Start to add the flour and mix it into the mash (I use a large metal spoon to start off with, but usually end up using my hands)

-Continue to add flour until the mix feels like a stiff dough

-Divide the dough into balls

-Roll into circles that will fit into your frying pan (about 5mm thick)

-Cut the circle into quarters

-Lightly dust both sides with flour

-Preheat the frying pan (or flat griddle if you have one) to a medium heat

-Dry fry the potato bread (no oil or butter). At this stage you just want to cook the dough rather than fry it.

-Turn occasionally. It’s ready when it’s beginning to brown in patches.

-Cool on a wire rack.

At first just try making one piece at a time so that if the consistency isn’t quite right you can knead more flour into your dough.

It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and freezes very well. I normally make it in batches and freeze.

For variations, add black pepper or chives

To cook: Preheat frying pan to hot, fry in butter and serve immediately.


For pics have a look here

Pink

7_week_wonder

ceridwen wrote: »

Re the kitchen - would this book give some ideas:



My little "savings" thought for the day - just been doing a "production line" run of making bread for LETS peeps and worktop left with flour on after. It weighed out at only 2oz - but think I must be able to do "summat" with it and am looking meaningfully at my cute tiny little frypans I have and wondering....hmmm...bready sort of thing/pancake-y sorta thing for a little snack for moi? Bearing in mind eggs normally cost me about 20p (freerange cost) - and I am looking for a "dirt cheap" use up way - any thoughts anyone?

Chapatis? Just bread and water: make a dough, roll out and fry with a *tiny* bit of oil. I made some a while back and they were yummy. Though beware - one recipe had "Step1: remove smoke alarm" they weren't joking!

redlady_1

I can vouch for that. Same when I make flat breads!! I always dry fry mine.