Preparedness for when

elaine241

Hello All

Operation "Quack" went very well and they have settled in and started laying. Now for some recipies for duck eggs as my OH says they are too rich to eat on their own! ( I think just being a miserable s*d as he doesnt want them!)
Just planted my spuds as the soil is only just ready, I could grow in bags but its seems a bit of a faff when I have so much space.
Beans are going mad, this wet weather really has boosted them. COurgettes look like they are charging off and the currants/goosegogs and strawbs look like a bumper crop this yr.

All this talk of elderflower champs makes me realise I think I have poisoned myself for life after my 3 day hangover/drunken 48hrs!!!! maybe I will pick and make elderflower fritters or possibly cordial.

Bought some interesting bits in A*di, a mini tool and knife with carabina attachments ( £5.99) and two sets of camping cutlery/knife/corkscrew/can opener for £1.99

Just got the second book After America, had to order it via books for you as my library only had the first of the trilogy. I will let you know what I think.

Got to sign off now, drunk 3 large glasses of wine and typing very difficult, having to concentrate a lot!! LOL:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

elaine241 wrote: »

Now for some recipies for duck eggs as my OH says they are too rich to eat on their own!

I disagree.

I eat duck eggs on their own, all the time.

They're delicious.

twiglet98

[QUOTE=elaine241;61932319_Now_for_some_recipies_for_duck_eggs_as_my_OH_says_they_are_too_rich_to_eat_on_their_own![/QUOTE]

I particularly love them hard-boiled and eaten fridge-cold - the rest of the family prefer chicken eggs so most of my duck eggs go to people who appreciate them, and most of those prefer them soft-boiled! Fabulous for making cakes and batters (mmm... pancakes :j) but the whites don't whisk so they're no good for souffle omelettes, for example, where you'd beat the whites separately from the yolks.

spanishlivinginUK

The eldeflower champagne is definitely not fermenting at all.....
Could it be because of the bucket it is in, it's black and no light gets to the liquid....:(
I added the yeast this afternoon to see if it does anything... I'll check before bed to see if anything happens.
I am going to Dubai with work till Saturday evening so I'll just let it be till then, if it works it would be ready to bottle on Sunday, wouldn't it?
I hope it works, it smells amazing right now!

thriftwizard

SpanishlivinginUK, a friend on another site where elderflower champagne is also being discussed says it will not bubble until it's in the bottles, but it will within a couple of weeks. She says you don't need to add yeast, but it won't do any harm if you do.

Mods please forgive, if mentioning a discussion elsewhere is forbidden!

[Deleted User]

SPANISH I'd bottle it now wether it shows signs of bubbles or not. I bottle mine after 24 hours and get a secondary fermentation in the bottle even if it's not showing signs of bubbles in the mixing vessel. If you leave it too long in the bucket you run the risk of contamination which might make it taste off.

the_cake

Attention Bee Afficionados! (That will be all of us?)
There's a programme on BBC4 at 9.00 tonight called 'Who Killed the Honey Bee?' about "the decline in the bee population and the impact the extinction of the insect would have on nature and the world's food supply". Sounds interesting ....

craigywv

annie123 wrote: »

Sign up to blight watch
http://www.blightwatch.co.uk/content/bw-Home.asp

I get a text message when it could strike, so I know when to keep a close eye on things. It's not perfect I got a text 2 years ago as I was looking at blighted toms but most of the time it's gives a good warning. No good looking at the map on there as it only list commercial growers and there aren't any in London for example.

Just for info blight on toms isn't the end of them if you pick the leaves off/ cut the branches off as you see it spreading. Kept mine going for 2 months last year and got a full crop of tasty toms.

thank-you for that info:T

[Deleted User]

I have just raided my stash of tins for a tin of ham to go with muffins for breakfast. The ham is lovely, it's quite expensive for a small tin, it's from M unt S and cost £2.19 I think, but it's proper ham and solid, not full of water. I shall aquire more of these to store, it is real meat and would cube up for stew/casserole and stay in the chunk, not fall apart and the small tin is just the right size for two people so no worries about storing leftovers if the power is out. They also do a tin of cured turkey and a tin of cured chicken in the same range, I have some of these and will try them in the week, if they are as good as the ham, they are worth the money, Cheers Lyn xxx.

GreyQueen

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I have just raided my stash of tins for a tin of ham to go with muffins for breakfast. The ham is lovely, it's quite expensive for a small tin, it's from M unt S and cost £2.19 I think, but it's proper ham and solid, not full of water. I shall aquire more of these to store, it is real meat and would cube up for stew/casserole and stay in the chunk, not fall apart and the small tin is just the right size for two people so no worries about storing leftovers if the power is out. They also do a tin of cured turkey and a tin of cured chicken in the same range, I have some of these and will try them in the week, if they are as good as the ham, they are worth the money, Cheers Lyn xxx.

The point about managing leftovers from tins in a powercut situation is very real, which is why I've concentrated on small tins of fish as I should be able to eat them in one sitting.

They're also excellently stackable.

We've been accustomed for several generations to living with refridgeration, although I lived in bedsit land for three years without a fridge. It was made easier by not having heating, either, lol. But seriously, we'd need to be careful not to poison ourselves but allowing things to grow bugs, or to be contaminated by flies.

Can I just plug a fabulous book I've just read, Exit Kingdom by Alden Bell.

It's a post-zombie apocalypse novel but is one of the most extraordinary, lyrical, evocative things I have ever read, in any genre. Sparse and elegant, postively poetic. The zombies are the background but not the heart of the story. It's absolutely superb. There is also a related novel The Reapers are the Angels, which I intend to get my mitts on asap.