make do and mend for tougher times

Jennie_2

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

JENNIE - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes Gravad Max with mackerel. You cure it in just the same way you do salmon. The recipe is in the first River Cottage Cookbook and uses up 10 fresh mackerel. If you haven't got the book and fancy a go let me know and I'll give you the recipe. Cheers Lyn.

I would love the recipe Lyn, thank you!

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

I enjoyed the Katherine Stewart one better because she lived that way all her life - she's over 90 now and still lives up near Loch Ness although in the village not the croft. Plus she lived in a high exposed place like I do, and I empathised with her struggles re weather. I felt that the hovel people just sort of did it for a short time to try it, and it wasn't the same somehow.

I've never read the Stewart book(s) and want to, but have read the Hovel books and they never resolved the matter of getting a living from Hafod, their bleak Welsh holding, and fought tooth-and-nail to hang on there, and left with much heartbreak after several years to move into town, where they continued Old Style type living. I have a lot of time for those books, personally.

Pooky

Morning all

My get up and go has gotten up and toddled off somewhere.....pesky thing.

DD2 isn't back to school until Thursday and DD1 starts college next Monday so a few more days of lie-ins here.

The food and petrol bank account gets tallied on the 2nd of the month and we had £1 left in there yesterday :j. Even with the stocking up I've been doing its come in under budget (even if it's only £1). I'm going to be sneaky and put £40 less in there for the month coming and see how we do.

3 pairs of jeans are sitting waiting to be turned into aprons, not sure I should start them today considering how little "ooommph" I've got, it normally leads to something going wrong and my temper fraying.

I think chocolate may be the way forward today....that and copious amounts of tea.

Possession

Thankyou ever so much for the shreddies ideas. I shall have a clear out of the pantry as I suspect there might be some more cereal lurking in there too!

katieowl_2

GreyQueen wrote: »

I've never read the Stewart book(s) and want to, but have read the Hovel books and they never resolved the matter of getting a living from Hafod, their bleak Welsh holding, and fought tooth-and-nail to hang on there, and left with much heartbreak after several years to move into town, where they continued Old Style type living. I have a lot of time for those books, personally.

Yes I agree... I found it useful to pick out what I could and couldn't deal with, being a city gal

I knew we probably couldn't cope with acres, especially as we didn't want livestock. So we've ended up with just under 1/3 acre, which is plenty for OH to do battle with. We are sufficiently outside town to have only cows for neighbours, but could trudge in under dire necessity. The house had to provide one of the income streams, as Hovel and other books had pointed to the necessity of having several means of making money, I like to think that all the things I've read had a bit of input into our decision. We toyed with being off grid, but as DS pointed out in one of his blinding flashes of wisdom it would be far better to buy a house already ON the grid and NOT use the electric!!! (Irony is that he is the one who complains if the power goes down that his 'pooter isn't working!!! :rotfl:)

Another book you might enjoy if you haven't already read it is 'running for the hills' by Horatio Clare, about his (batty) parents buying a wreck in Wales. That doesn't have a good outcome, but it's certainly the sort of thing that should be required reading. Also worth a look is Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett. They fell in love with a listed building....

Kate

[Deleted User]

If you like 'in the hills books', there are a whole series set in the Scottish Islands by Lillian Beckwith - the first one I read was 'The Hills Is Lonely' and they are funny, gentle and full of charachter. Worth looking out for Cheers Lyn x.

savingqueen

Morning all

Pooky - my get up and go has vanished too! Lots of cuppas and biccys to get through the day punctuated by essential chores for me.

I think I know why I feel this way- kids are back to school tomorrow and I feel anxious for them (both have issues at school & DS2 starting school proper in year 1) and feeling a bit sad and sorry for myself if the truth be known - actually getting teary as I type. Cheapskate and Fuddle - know what you mean. My boys have driven me to the end of my patience at times throughout the holidays (7 weeks is a looong time) but we have had so much fun and I feel really connected to them again and I will miss them like mad. I hate thinking of them struggling in some way and the adult in charge not dealing with it well (I know most teachers and support staff are fab but not all and they don't know them as I do.)

Anyway I have been proactive and just texted two best local friends so won't get too down this week. Meeting one tomorrow for cuppa in an expensive tea shop in the posh area next to our very un-posh area. I promised said friend would take her for a 40th birthday treat a while ago and its never happenned. Feel guilty already about spending but I stuck to budget in school hols and this month shouldn't be too bad spends wise. Meeting other friend round hers on Weds. Both will be nice and help me (and them) through first couple of days back to school.

Also need to do zillions of chores and get started on my Sept new year start aims properly - CHECK OUT THE THREAD ON DFW DIARIES!! Will start back volunteering at school and check out the free courses for parents which start mid Sept so will have lots to do.

SDG - glad you had a lovely birthday weekend

right off to do couple small chores, hang washing and then another cuppa methinks and check out some other OS threads

lets have a big virtual group hug:grouphug:
sq:)

[Deleted User]

Hi JENNIE - this is the fourth time I've started to type and got interrupted. I stop for no-one this time!!!!!

You'll need a little bit of kit -
A plastic box with some holes made in the bottom for drainage.
A non metal tray to stand it in (liquid from the cure drains out on to the tray).
A board (wood or plastic) to fit inside the top of the box
A couple of heavy tins, or weights to stand on the board.

HFW uses 10 filletted mackerel (20 fillets).

I've made Gravad Lax with salmon, but not tried it with mackerel, it should be very nice though.

General Cure Mix for Lax.

3 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
3 heaped tablespoons sea salt flakes
3 heaped tablespoons of chopped fresh dill (without the stalks).
2 teaspoons ground pepper, either black or white.
Mix all together very well in a non metallic bowl.

It's very easy, sprinkle some of the cure into the bottom of the container with holes in. Put in a layer of fillets, overlapping slightly on the thin bits, skin side down. More cure on top and them another layer of fillets, skin side up. Then more cure, more fish skin side down, cure, fish skin side up and so on until you have none left. Finish with a layer of cure. Put the board on top and weigh it down how you choose. Cover it with a bit of cling film and put it in the fridge. Once a day take off the weights and board and spoon over the liquid that drops into the tray. Then back on with the board, weights and cling film and back into the fridge. You can use the fish after 24 hours, but can leave it in the cure for up to 72 hours, you'll find how you like it. I find 48 with salmon is how we like it.

You'll find the exact HFW recipe online I suspect, but the general one is used all over scandinavia and is one from my Swedish Grandma that we've used always. Hope you enjoy it Cheers Lyn.

It's nice with a mustard and dill sauce - but you can have it just as it is too. No need to take the cure off to serve it unless you want to.

fuddle

Yes I'm afraid no fun activities in the house for me today as I have to do housework.It is September and I have had more washing on the line these past two days than I have all summer!

It's kitchen day so best get the apron on and clean while all the time think that I don't have to...



There, can do those horrible chores thinking I'm lucky and with a smile on my face.

HariboJunkie

Lucky you fuddle! So far this morning I have scrubbed the stove glass with a brush and cleaned the floor on my hands and knees too... Maybe I need to move with the times. :rotfl:

It's been raining for a couple of days but tbh the garden needed it. We seem to have been living in a weather bubble here for the summer. We had very, very few days of rain and have eaten outside most nights, and spent many nights sitting on the beach until sunset. The garden has flourished too and I've even had tomatoes ripening outside :eek:. It's hard to believe we live relatively close to eachother Westcoastscot.

Hoping to get more preserving done today with the garden fruit I froze during the summer. Also hoping for a foraging trip this afternoon as the chanterelles are out and they're even beter than last year. Will need to dry them as I'm still using frozen ones from last year.

Enjoy your Monday everyone.