A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

gardenia101

All this talk of gardening has got me determined to sort mine out. My fence is still broken, so I'm going to try & get a low wall built with fencing on top so I can have raised beds around the perimeter. But I'm pretty useless with plants so we shall see...

Love the idea of the Ikea bags though - would never have thought of it. Do they last for more than 1 year? I've got a few up in the loft, but I'll need to sort out the stuff in them if I want to use those - dilemma.

artybear

Hi All,

As you all seem to be full of wisdom I thought I would pick your brains. I have a huge bag of sprouts that haven't been used up, we are going on holiday for three weeks on Tuesday and I don't want them to go to waste, does any one know if I can freeze them at all?

Mrs_Chip

Yes Arty, they freeze fine. Prepare as usual and blanch for a couple of mins, plunge into icy cold water to chil them quicky, drain very well, then I would open freeze them on a tray before transferring to a bag (this is to keep them seperate so you can use only a few out of the bag if you need to).

kidcat

Our IKEA bags are still going ready for this year if needed, they really worked well.

Am never paying kids with cinema trips again, ds friends wouldn't see the film he wanted so i am now sitting in cinema with him instead!!! Cannot believe how expensive it is, they are charging three pound for a bag of sweets Asda sell for one pound. Thankfully I packed before we came, only buying popcorn when we got here.

LavenderBees

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Yes Arty, they freeze fine. Prepare as usual and blanch for a couple of mins, plunge into icy cold water to chil them quicky, drain very well, then I would open freeze them on a tray before transferring to a bag (this is to keep them seperate so you can use only a few out of the bag if you need to).

Yep, I do the same, except I don't freeze them on a tray. I let them all clagg together, and thoroughly enjoy bashing them on the kitchen counter to separate them, before cooking from frozen. Better than therapy, I've found :rotfl:

Jaspie-Kitten is having a great time in the kitchen this evening. While I was cooking (!), he suddenly shot down the side of the oven, and dragged a HUGE SPIDER out :eek:. This was quickly dispatched, while I skipped around the kitchen ineffectively in fright. No doubt kitten thinks it is fresh protein...oh yuk!

NOW, he is sitting staring down the side of the oven, and every now and then shoots down the side and drags out.....fluff!!!:eek:

Oh, the shame of it.....:D

Am going to watch Sherlock later. I watched the Hound of the Baskervilles last night on Beeb3. Was I the only one in the country who didn't understand what on earth was going on?:rotfl:

stiltwalker

I have an Ikea bag about to do its 4th year and it has moved house as well. Bet my neighbours all thought we were mad when we moved in as we only moved from about 150 yards away (to a bigger house!) and brought the garden round in umpteen trips on a sack trolley, including a tub of runner beans complete with cane wigwam which the plants were already about a third of the way up! Got real earth to grow in here but still fill up all the pots as well. Hoping for a good crop this year as last year was a bit hit and miss partly due to the mad weather but mainly due to me having DS at a crucial point garden wise - I was to be found earthing up potatoes at 40 weeks cos it needed doing although even that didn't encourage him to turn up on time!

shegar

Hello to you all, ive only just found where you are, I kept looking on the old T thread and nobody was posting..!!.....So I was just having a look about and found you all here, hope you dont mind me popping in now and again.............I dont know why but I keep wanting it to snow.:eek::eek: now that really is out of character for me, but there , if it just done it for a day or two id be happy, at least the nights are now slowing pulling out abit each night .so haps spring isnt too far away.............take care all of you.....:D

Byatt

LavenderBees wrote: »

Yep, I do the same, except I don't freeze them on a tray. I let them all clagg together, and thoroughly enjoy bashing them on the kitchen counter to separate them, before cooking from frozen. Better than therapy, I've found :rotfl:

Jaspie-Kitten is having a great time in the kitchen this evening. While I was cooking (!), he suddenly shot down the side of the oven, and dragged a HUGE SPIDER out :eek:. This was quickly dispatched, while I skipped around the kitchen ineffectively in fright. No doubt kitten thinks it is fresh protein...oh yuk!

NOW, he is sitting staring down the side of the oven, and every now and then shoots down the side and drags out.....fluff!!!:eek:

Oh, the shame of it.....:D

Am going to watch Sherlock later. I watched the Hound of the Baskervilles last night on Beeb3. Was I the only one in the country who didn't understand what on earth was going on?:rotfl:

I remember those days of cats eating spiders! :eek: :rotfl: It's the crunching I couldn't stand.

At one of my cat sitting stints, I kept finding spiders, alive and dead, of the humungous sort, I made the mistake of thinking I didn't have to worry as there were 3 cats! I am spider phobic.

I didn't follow Sherlock and the hounds; (was a bit disappointed it wasn't more about dogs and less about weird scientists), but that was partly due to me uuhhmm multi tasking! Being on here and watching tv. I love it though, especially the music. My theory is that music can make or break a programme and that's why Downton Abbey was so popular. :cool:

ginnyknit

We are avid Shelock Holmes fans here and I loved Jeremy Brett with a passion. But I admit I quite like the new guy, and I did follow last weeks but OH didnt and hasnt taken to it at all. Im loving the music too reminds me of an Eagles track.

I grew pea shoots too last year, thanks to Alyss Fowler and they are fab. Also lots of salad mix on the kitchen window ledge, perfect to add to a butty. Hoping my new walk in plastic greenhouse puts me ahead of the game this year added to my two mini plastic ones I should do well - crossing fingers ...and toes...:rotfl:

Hi Shergar, how are you doing hunny?

silvasava

Byatt wrote: »

I remember those days of cats eating spiders! :eek: :rotfl: It's the crunching I couldn't stand.

At one of my cat sitting stints, I kept finding spiders, alive and dead, of the humungous sort, I made the mistake of thinking I didn't have to worry as there were 3 cats! I am spider phobic.

Sorry to hear you are Spider phobic - I used to be until DS1 when he was about 12 had a rubber spider on a suction cap - he kept putting it in unlikely places just to hear me shriek:eek: In the cutlery drawer and on door knobs were faves.

Upside was I am now totally OK with spiders. In fact what's not to like - they're all ladies 'cos they eat DH when he's fulfilled his obligations, when they feel at home they put up their home made curtains and catch all the nasties to dry out & put in their larder - very MSE! They dont bite, smell or leave a mess - they might not look very nice (some are quite beautiful) but they're completely harmless. So give the girls a break :T