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

Charis

lil_me wrote: »

Catzine - Freezer bags - reusable freezer cartons, goodness direct do Eco friendly bags, you could freeze in a dish then knock out into bags which could be washed then reused and defrost inside a dish (sock hangers work for drying washed bags) tin foil the same

Thanks for the sock hanger idea, something I hadn't thought of.

I'm looking at getting a second freezer and keeping it in the shed, DP has said yes

Make sure the shed floor is well supported. A full freezer weighs a heck of a lot and shed floors can sometimes be a bit lacking in support.

Seakay

Evening all!

Softstuff IF you can't see Teak oil for your garden furniture then Boiled Linseed Oil is just as good and often slightly cheaper

Slightly more active day than I anticipated; having had no computer, phone etc for a few days while new contract being sorted out I was going to catch up with the thread and have a relaxing mooch, but a friend offered to give me a lift to her allotment to do some picking and you just can't turn down an offer like that, can you?
So I have a bowl of beans salting (didn't salt them straight into a jar as want to put them into small jars when the brine has formed so that I don't have to keep on opening a jar to get out small portions) and I'm looking for other runner/French bean ideas, I'm about to have a go at broad bean pate for the first time (never liked broad beans as a child but probably this because just podded them and didn't take their 'jackets' off) and try to find non-freezer things to do with half a dozen courgettes, 3 nearly marrow courgettes and six grown outdoors cucumbers (don't eat the skins).
I have already spread the love by presenting next door with 2 nearly marrows and a pile each of French beans and broad beans. Hope that they are appreciated (not a huge amount of English there so most comunication is comments on the weather and lots of smiling but they are lovely neighbours and often take parcels in for me if something gets delivered unexpectedly and I am out) and not just regarded as a lot of work. I did explain about just stringing the French beans but podding the broad beans but there's not a lot of miming you can do when you're holding a box of veg in one arm!
Also have a few greengages which I've stewed and some windfall apples to process.
I keep offering to do a little work for all this generosity of produce, but we don't live that near to each other and basically she just hates to see good food go to waste so when gluts happen she always calls on various freinds to come and pick their own. Had some lovely redcurrants and raspberries earlier in the year.

There's a place in Earlsbarton that sells Bokashi bran and also the EM liquid which you can use to innoculate your own bran amoung other things. Can't remember name of the company but if you Google
EM liquid Earlsbarton
then you should find it.

ChocClare

Righty-ho, any mint ideas please?

I have a bed of garden mint right next to where my DH needs to paint the outside wall. I am therefore going to have to harvest it sooner rather than later.

I have a dehydrator, a freezer and a steam juice extractor thingy. Gadgets, I got 'em

Is the consensus that it's better to freeze, dehydrate or suck the juice out of and make into jelly?

Any experience/points of view/caveats please as I have to make my mind up about it in the next couple of days

Oh, and there's quite a few chives there too. Suggestions for those also gratefully received!

westcoastscot

Thanks Ginnyknit – that sounds like something I need here – shall have a look around and see what’s available.

Grandma247 what a great idea! Have shown that to eldest and asked that he incorporate some wheels for me – he thinks we will have some up the loft.


ChocClare, I dry my mind hanging from the pulley in the kitchen - inside paper bags so I don't lose any - gives me enough for the winter. Chives I usually let die back for next year, am usually sick of them by winter so no help there I'm afraid.


It really hasn't stopped raining here today, but I got lots of tidying done, a little baking and some knitting.


WCS

3v3

ChocClare wrote: »

Righty-ho, any mint ideas please?

I have a bed of garden mint right next to where my DH needs to paint the outside wall. I am therefore going to have to harvest it sooner rather than later.

I have a dehydrator, a freezer and a steam juice extractor thingy. Gadgets, I got 'em

Is the consensus that it's better to freeze, dehydrate or suck the juice out of and make into jelly?

Any experience/points of view/caveats please as I have to make my mind up about it in the next couple of days

Oh, and there's quite a few chives there too. Suggestions for those also gratefully received!

There was a post within this thread, a couple of days ago, re mint advice mint sauce/mint jelly/mint tea .... it will take less than a couple of days to read through the previous posts :rotfl:

Reverbe

3v3 wrote: »

It can be, in some circumstances. For example ( a good few years ago, admittedly), a friend of mine was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She was convinced of the worst case scenario and wanted to "live" her final 6 months to "the fullest" and maxed out on credit cards: *.

3v3 with respect thats not the same . Brain tumours have a proven chanceof ending in fatality.. being a bit depressed isnt the same

I also dont understand how you can be responsible for debts in another persons name unless you have cosigned on something etc..

weeze210

Hi everyone, quick question- I cooked some beef in red wine in the slow cooker yesterday, I've sieved and skimmed off the fat from the juices. Now how do I make that into gravey?

Thanks

Weeze x

3v3

Reverbe wrote: »

3v3 with respect thats not the same . Brain tumours have a proven chanceof ending in fatality.. being a bit depressed isnt the same

I also dont understand how you can be responsible for debts in another persons name unless you have cosigned on something etc..

Please could you define: "a bit depressed"? :huh: As far as I know there are only two definitions of "depression", reactive or clinical? I don't know what "a bit" means, exactly? A dash? A splodge? A dollop? A landslide? Earthquake? As you may know, depression has a proven chance of ending in fatality

Personally, I do see a link between a brain tumour and depression - at least, I think her having been diagnosed with a brain tumour could be "depressing" and impact on a (previously) rational mind. But, that would fall under "reactive" depression as opposed to "clinical" depression

You can be responsible for a spouse's debt by virtue of being .... a spouse as you well know, because you assert that your partner is responsible for his x-wife's excesses, (from a period in time while she was not an X but a current). Likewise, look at the debt-free-wannabe board to see examples of one half of a couple running up massive debts on a joint bank account soon after breaking up the marital partnership! It's that ambiguous area where, being married means you carry responsibility for your partner ... until you try to alter a domestic bill but the bill is in your spouse's name and the company quotes back at you "data protection! Can't discuss this with you!" and the meaning of "spouse" evaporates

Hmm talking of which ... really must write to my MP on that issue! Duel standards and all that!

3v3

weeze210 wrote: »

Hi everyone, quick question- I cooked some beef in red wine in the slow cooker yesterday, I've sieved and skimmed off the fat from the juices. Now how do I make that into gravey?
Thanks
Weeze x

Easy peasy! Do you use Bisto or flour to make your gravy? (Or, maybe you're a Gravy Granules lass?)

Take your juices ..
BISTO: add cold water to your bisto to make a "paste", add to your juices, bring to the boil (stirring all the time) until it browns/thickens
FLOUR: melt some butter in a pan; add equal weight of flour and "cook" (blending all the while) the concoction; gradually add your "meat juices" to this, stirring all the while, until it is the desired consistancy (e.g. thick gravy/thin gravy)!
GRANULES: bring meat juices to the boil, add to gravy granules

I'm currently cooking oxtail in red wine in my slow cooker; I coated the oxtail in flour, then I browned it off in the frying pan (with some butter added) then, I added some stock/red wine to the frying pan with the oxtail ... equals, thickened "gravy" ... then added to the slow cooker. If, towards the end of cooking, it looks too fluid, I'll add a handful of oats to thicken it up

SDG31000

Another mostly lurker de-lurking for a while. Depression can lead to debt in lots of ways. I know people that shop as a comfort mechnism, one who's partner has had to stop working to look after them and some who have had to pay for services that they can no longer cope with.
In my case my DH had to stop doing all overtime and come off the on call rota for over 6 months each time after I have severe PND. Our income dropped by a third and we had our DS1 and DS2 to support. I still have patches of bad clinical depression and DS1 is now 15.
So blanket statements about depression not being a reason for debt are wrong.
My apologies for going off topic. I have no desire to derail this thread and will not comment on the subject again.