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

mardatha

Whole new shiny thread and I AM STILL OFFLINE !!! no sign of internet yet. Please send nice yellow vibes to AOL and BT - who are busy accusing each other and nobody will fix it.

CRANKY40

mardatha wrote: »

Whole new shiny thread and I AM STILL OFFLINE !!! no sign of internet yet. Please send nice yellow vibes to AOL and BT - who are busy accusing each other and nobody will fix it.

Aww, I saw your name and thought you were back online. I hope it gets sorted soon, we miss you!

suzid

At last I've caught up, it's only taken me a couple of WEEKS!!! Welcome all new comers and ((hugs)) redlady it sounds like you had a horrible time.

I was nearly jumping up and down with delight when I read that Bob Flowerdew stores apples in an old fridge (thanks GQ), thinking I've got one of those in the garage, what a good idea. The apple tree has it's first apples in the past few years after a heavy prune knocked it for six.

The plum tree is groaning with (still) very green plums and I'm going to have a go at plum jam for the first time as well as freezing. The strawberries and raspberries are almost over now but the blueberries are still providing a tasty treat. I have far less hassle from the fruit than I used to have from the veg and the freezer is groaning from the weight of all the fruit sauces I've made and the cupboards are full of jam :T.

My only excursion into veg growing this year is the runner beans in pots and they are in full flower and reaching for the sky. I noticed bumble bees on them this morning so fingers crossed that they set.

I feel as if money has been slipping through my fingers like water since I last posted. DS4 has been officially accepted at the Uni of his 1st choice and the accommodation of his 3rd choice. I've had to buy him new clothes, pay a deposit, pans and stock of essentials. On the way to the Uni open day on the 6th July the car decided to light up like a Christmas tree with warning lights. After stopping to check, DH decided to carry on and we got there and back ok, but the decision about putting it off the road has now been taken. It's also making an unpleasant noise from one of the wheels too.

The oven door also decided it wouldn't close properly so I had to buy another latch and fit that. Amazing what you can do when needs must. Now my newer washing machine has decided to play up. I opened the door yesterday to take out the washing and it smelt like someone had been smoking cigars in the drum :eek:. Will have to take that apart and check the brushes and if nothing obvious will swap it for the old garage machine. I'm starting to think everything mechanical hates us.

We've started decorating the outside and DH has had to practically remake the office window, it was so rotten. We've got the front to do and then DS's bedroom window for this year. Next year will be the rest of the window surrounds which are hardwood stained. I spent all last summer painting inside and am starting to feel as if I'll need to have a paint brush surgically removed by the autumn .

Right I'd better stop waffling on and get some lunch before tackling 101 jobs all calling to me. A1 is happily doing well and both he and Pupkin are looking half the dogs they were last month. The moulting has been huge this year, has anyone else found this?

Take care everyone.

redlady_1

I am now feeling more human and am going back to work tomorrow. I need to get organised as I am on holiday next week!!! I just feel sooooo tired. thanks for all your wishes.

Have just been outside and harvested a load of potatoes and I have heaps of the things. Am very happy and may be able to trade with a girl at work.

Winchelsea

Thanks folks for tomato advice - will go out and have a look at them etc in a minute!

Ceridwen - I too buy the Sainsberry's basics muesli, and throw in some dried fruit, nuts, or seeds, or all three - and it's fine, and still works out a lot cheaper than the all-singing all-dancing varieties!

silvasava

OOOh sparkly new thread - thanks Kitty

Mrs_Veg_Plot wrote: »

I have harvested 16lbs of what I think are wild plumbs. I think they are Mirabelles. They have gone from green to red to yellow and are like a very large cherry. They have a plumb stone inside them and taste like a plumb. I was all ready to make jam with them when my dad turned the offer of them down and now I am not as confident that I have identified them correctly. I have bagged them up and frozen them for now. Any ideas anyone.

.

Hi Mrs V - you have correctly identified your plums! We have one in our garden that we think must be at least 70/80 years old - it crops early, regularly & heavily. I make jam, crumbles, one year I had so much I made Plum Sauce for stir fries AND they are lovely to eat. My late mum bought me a greengage about 20 years ago & its gone really mad this year - I've already picked about 30lb (neighbours love me!) & there's loads more.

DH finished off the flue for our woodburner last night so we tried it out before the Building Inspector came - BRILLIANT (I can't wait for the cold weather haha) Inspector came bright & early this morning & passed it all so we're ready for winter. Thanks to the person who posted the tip on stuffing toilet rolls with junk mail - should make good firelighters.

Winchelsea my tomatoes seem really slow this year too but I bought 2 mini cucumber plants in the garden centre & they've gone mad - they're like flippin' triffids! And they're cropping really well (shame you cant freeze them!)

redlady_1

I have just had my BT bill through and nearly had a fit. Given how poor their broadband service is I have just switched to O2 home and broadband and have managed to save £40 per quarter plus as I am with O2 already I get 3 months broadband free. Happy days!

kidcat

Rant alert - am so upset I could cry - I am supposed to have my tooth taken out tomorrow - but its agony again so I assume its infected which means he wont touch it again and i wll have to wait. I am terrified of the dentist as it is and have been building myself up for tomorrow and now I will have to wait again.

If anyone has a B&M bargains nearby and needs a plastic greenhouse they have loads all reduced - theres a nice hexagonal one reduced from £49.99 to £14.99.

3v3

kidcat wrote: »

Rant alert - am so upset I could cry - I am supposed to have my tooth taken out tomorrow - but its agony again so I assume its infected which means he wont touch it again and i wll have to wait. I am terrified of the dentist as it is and have been building myself up for tomorrow and now I will have to wait again.

The pain may not be due to an infection, so try not to second guess the outcome, yet!

I don't know anyone who "enjoys" going to the dentist for an extraction, but, you will be numbed - and if you still feel *anything* after numbing, *do* put your hand up and tell them so you get another shot!

And, remember ... it really only takes a small fraction of time for an extraction and the relief ... oh, the relief!! ... it will far compensate for the agony of toothache. ((hugs))

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

Morning all!

Re storing apples, you do need to have a cool and airy place (said GQ who once had the misfortune to work in an industrial unit which had been an apple store and was barely adapted for human beings...brrrr).:rotfl:

It's critical that the fruit be absolutely blemish-free or it'll rot and also that the apples don't touch as one rotten apple turns the barrel rotten as per the proverb. You shouldn't use windfalls for this purpose and can put blemish-free fruit, individually wrapped in paper, in trays where they can't touch (I'm thinking maybe those flimsy orange crates from the market/ greengrocer? perhaps with those purple foamy dimpled inserts?) and then store in a cool dry place. They'll shrivel eventually so won't keep until the next year's crop are ready. You'd need to check them regularly in your loft/ outbuilding/ unheated back bedroom/ wherever.

I'm sure I saw in one of Bob Flowerdew's books that he uses decommisioned fridges or freezers in a shed for this purpose.

I can recall that in the war, when they were making staunch efforts to preserve everything, apple rings were dried on home made wooden frames (made to fit your oven, naturally) covered with thin gauze. The idea being you had the oven on it's lowest setting and the door ajar. Perhaps this might be easier for those who have those Aga thingies which are always on?

I have also heard of people using a car as a dehydrator by putting fruit on trays on the parcel shelf on hot days.

BTW, I have a vague memory that one of my books on simple living has mention of how to make a dehydrator as a cheapy DIY project; have just checked and the book isn't indexed so I can't find the info in a hurry but I can check it out later and will post it, if it would be of interest.

You could perhaps llok at cooking down some of the apples into a puree (freezable or bottlable) and preserving some of the bounty like that. Apple puree is nice with porrige (well, I think so ) HTH.

This chimes with what I've read - and if you cant find the relevant info. GreyQueen then I can post up a link or two on how to make your own dehydrator.

....and, yes, I agree apple puree IS nice with porridge and thats one of my tasks for this evening - ie to make some apples into apple puree and store most of it in the freezer (as I kept some apples that hadnt got as far as ripening figuring that I should be able to add a bit of water/honey/spices and make them up into apple puree). I am guessing that slightly unripe eating apples about equate to cooking apples in terms of using them for cooking purposes??? - hopes I'm right with that....

EDIT: Bob Flowerdew does indeed recommend storing apples in an old fridge - see his book "Grow your own - eat your own" (a book I can recommend borrowing from the library). In this he describes an old fridge as an excellent fruit store, insulated and rodent-proof.