It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

Hobsons_Choice

the_cake wrote: »

Agreed ... what about badger? I hate to see these dead by the road, such a sad sight, but there might be quite a lot of meat on them ..... (I do hope it doesn't come to this!)

There'd be plenty of meat on "our" badger! He (or she) comes every night for his treat of peanuts and badger/fox food from the pet shop. Sandy soil round here, so plenty of badgers setts. Couldn't think of eating one though (not even road kill)!
Had to give up on our bird table, the bl**dy wood pigeons cleared it before we had time to get back to the house. Bought one of those wire hanging tables coz someone said the pigeons didn't like the movement....nope...they just sit there and laugh at us. Now just relying on hanging peanuts, seeds etc so the smaller birds get a look in.
Pigeon pie is looking like a rather tasty idea!!

Red_Doe

I know a few folks who keep hens but won't eat surplus or old hens past their laying because they are essentially pets. I do understand it, but come from a poaching family and also from one which reared animals for meat. Having kept various livestock in the past (goats, sheep, pigs and poultry) myself, am also lucky I was taught to humanely cull, butcher and prep them for the table. Now though all I have here are hens, though I also shoot rabbits for meat and skins.
I like your grandmother's attitude Clare, and recognise it from the older folks in the country round here too. Almost everyone I know has a gun of some sort used for vermin control and shooting wild meat. I don't know anyone with a gun who behaves irresponsibly with it, they all know what it can do used wrongly or carelessly, and they also have the attitude prevalent in many country areas of viewing the killing of animals with that kind of humane practicality...yes, we eat them but that's no reason to cause suffering.

ChocClare

mardatha wrote: »

Sorry - forgot to say thankyou very much to choc clare for that French site . i will learn to cook s'il me bloody well tu.

J'espere que cela ne te tuera pas!

If French cooking doesn't kill you, then it sounds like your chimney might :eek: Hope you're both OK.

VJsmum

As someone said, in other countries they eat all sorts of things that we wouldn't

in FRance a couple of months ago, I had seen "Andouillette" on the menu in various places, asked the waitress what it was and was told Pork, in mustard sauce, "Sounds nice" I thought, "I'll have it".

Well it wasn't like any pork i've ever seen (or tasted) being a fairly fat sausage with "bits" in, and tasted very "porky" (i know, but this was REALLY porky). Even the mustard sauce couldn't save it and i left nearly all of it. When the waitress came back she said (in her broken english - but much better than my french "the chef said you wouldn't like it. English people never do". Turned out it was tripe - bleurgh. I'm glad i ordered it though, cos now i know i don't like it I've also had far more mileage out of the story than if i'd ordered normal pork.

I have eaten pheasant and guinea fowl and loads of rabbit. In fact one of the nicest dishes i've had out in recent years was a game casserole of pheasant, venison and rabbit - delicious. I've also eaten Ostrich (s'alright, nothing to write home about), crocodile (like fishy pork), snails (yuk - chewy, gritty nothing), frogs legs (fishy chicken and soooo fiddly), the pickled herring i had last week in scandinavia was delicious. i'll try most things but have to admit I couldn't do the butchery. Ox steak seemed quite popular in scandinavia. I love liver but not kidneys, mussels but not cockles or winkles, but actually i don't think it would bother me if i didn't have meat again.

Stories of food in our family always revert back to the "tete de veau". "Oh", we said "tete means head, but it can't really be the head - can it?" Oh yes it can, brains swimming in a bowl of greasy dish water looking liquid. Soooooo nasty.

ceridwen

At this rate I can feel a "barter" coming on - ie if anyone is in my neck of the woods and tries "harvesting" "wild" meat (and you're the one preparing it!) - then I'm developing a fine line these days in lesser-known foraged plantfood (darn well having to - as the "low hanging fruits" are increasingly being taken by everyone else:() - so I'm currently working my way through the ones that take more time and trouble to find and prepare - so most other peeps arent prepared to put in that much effort - as they just want the "easy/recognisable" stuff.

So - trade yer - your "wild meat" (prepared by you) for my lesser-known foraged plantfoods :rotfl:

Charis

kittie wrote: »

Next experiment re preserving today is in process and I have got 2 lb of small tomatoes in a 1 litre jar and they are in a water bath as I write. My thoughts so far is that I much prefered doing the roasted tomato passata as the mouli did the hard work, plus the sauce is tasty and ready for immediate use. That took 1kg for a 500ml jar

Another lesson for me is to grow less of a variety of tomatoes ie I will be growing larger but tasty ones plus sungold outside and not such a mish mash

Kittie, have you thought about collating the results of your experiments and producing a slim volume? Together with some of your anecdotes about growing up it would be a treasure for those of us who are somewhat half hearted about the Good Life after one or two wretched harvests. I'm a similar age to you and forget that a whole generation has never experienced some of the things you mention. I have no idea what lacto fermentation is and as I will be a one person household soon, apart from end of term holidays, it's probably not worth it for one, but I'd be interested to hear about your experiments. I'm sure you have skills to share in the make do and mend department too. If you don't fancy writing a book, how about a blog? You wouldn't have to write every day if you didn't want to.

pennib

Up here at the top of Scotland (mainland) it is usually very windy and you don't come here and expect to see the sun! However, our blackcurrants were a month early this year and absolutely groaning with fruit but the blackberries that creep through the fence unchecked are rubbish (last year loads) and the cultivated ones are tiny, tiny blobs.

Tayberries, lots last year, nowt to speak of this year. Carrots always seem to grow well. Grew onions/parsnips for the first time with great results. Cabbages were infested with caterpillars so didn't bother with them this year. First time with caulis, which at the moment are doing nothing much. Runner beans are just forming.

Apples on some trees doing very well on others not!
Bought a Goji berry bush (was rather tongue in cheek but it was £2 so couldnt resist having a go) and to my suprise it has taken very well. Although no berries as they take a couple of years to settle in.
So everything is a hit and miss. Was a lovely day today, yesterday was cold and very wet.


May was a nice month and then we had a very dry (in the main) but very overcast June and July, which saw me hosing the garden nearly every day! And then the rain came and didn't go:(

Can you put rhubarb leaves into the compost bin, never quite sure what to do with them.

The start of growing


How it is now


Not too sure when you are supposed to dig up the onions as the stems are upright and very green although some have got flowers now, the onions are very big. They are the red variety if that makes any difference.

There is something intensely satisfying picking your own grub.:)

kate1974

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Ah, the 70s/80s.... Tony Hadleigh's leather trousers (sigh)

The blackberries are coming to an end round here but I've now found damsons :j Thought they were sloes then realised they had no thorns - looked up sloes without thorns and got damsons - hurrah! And there's loads and loads of them

Can't go fruit picking tomorrow though as the hot water system has failed. The heating has been dodgy for a bit but I decided to let it pass until this month when the boiler service is due. So tomorrow morning it's service/repair/whatever. The boiler is over 15 years old and the central heating/hot water system several years older than that - I can feel a BIG bill coming my way soon but it has to be sorted as last winter was utterly miserable with semi-functioning heating. Does anyone have all electric heating/hot water? I'm seriously considering getting rid of the gas system (no other gas appliances).

I've started making my own bread again - the first loaf was a disaster (probably down to the age of the flour) but subsequent ones have been fine and they are now filling up space in the freezer to keep it efficient.

Pigeons - no problem in the garden due to the cat, but as I go on to plant more and more in the allotment they will be a serious issue, mostly thanks to a neighbour who feeds them! I've got a small portable solar panel - wonder if I could power a radio or other noisemaker with that?

Hugs for those worried about family and friends and a full Paddington Bear rain kit for those of you stuck in the rain.

Hi!
We've got all electric heating/water-I'd say I could swap this miserable system for a gas one any time.We've got our water and heating are on lower rate but it's a real pain if you want to put the heating on and it's not 6-8am or 1-4 pm yet.You'd definately need freestanding electric heaters(and they're very expensive to run) especially if you've got kids as our bedrooms were freezing last two winters.

LumpyMoo

kate1974 wrote: »

Hi!
We've got all electric heating/water-I'd say I could swap this miserable system for a gas one any time.We've got our water and heating are on lower rate but it's a real pain if you want to put the heating on and it's not 6-8am or 1-4 pm yet.You'd definately need freestanding electric heaters(and they're very expensive to run) especially if you've got kids as our bedrooms were freezing last two winters.

I'll second that! Just moved from house with only elec storage heating - main condition for new house was 'proper central heating'!!! I hated the storage heating with a passion

Lumpy x

meanmarie

Jealous of all you people who are harvesting blackberries at present....I have found 5 ripe one so far this year!

Pennib...I normally just throw the rhubarb leaves back on the patch, have never put them in compost bins as they are poisonous and am not sure what effect they might have. You can use some by putting in a bucket and covering with water, leaving to 'ferment' for a couple of weeks and using as a spray to deter nasties from cabbage and other plants....smells vile so be warned!

We always bend the onion stalks in July, leave until stalks wither and then pull onions and leave somewhere to dry...outside is ideal but depends on weather, store in cool airy place for winter. If some of yours have flowers they have gone to seed so I suggest you pull them asap and see if there are any usable parts which you can use now....if lots are like this you can freeze them for future use.

HTH

Marie