Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

I have a nose that can smell, eyes that can see and a brain that can process the information they both send to it so hopefully we will be safe from off food! I am old enough to remember well the halcyon days before sell by and use by dates, it never occurred to any of us that tinned or bottled food would not be safe to use, unless the tin was blown in which case you didn't open it or the seal on the jar was damaged in which case the contents were put on the compost heap. It is another area where we have been conditioned to only accept the directions fed to us by TPTB, some of which are sensible and some of which are not. I use tins and jars well past the best before date as I know that this is only going to give me a product that might have lost a tiny bit of flavour or texture, not something that is going to be dangerous and as has been pointed out previously my home made things don't have a best before or use by date and we've never had problems in all the years I've been making preserves or freezing surplus produce, Cheers Lyn xxx.

elaine241

Hello everyone,
Been a wet day today so been processing my blackcurrant harvest. Averted a minor SHTF as I picked them the other day and then didnt have time to do anything with them, thought they were going to go mouldy before I got round to them, what a waste!
Anyhow I have ended up with,

1 kilo processed into home made ribena for the kids and any fancy cocktails I may make.

1 kilo into Cassis (brandy based) and Creme de Cassis (vodka) although they will need more work in a couple of months.

1/2 kilo into blackcurrant vinegar.

1.5 kilos picked over, washed, dried and then tray frozen.

1 kilo bottled in kilner jars with heavy syrup and one jar of redcurrants and blackcurrants layered.

5 jars of red and blackcurrant jelly.

2 kilos draining quietly overnight to make into blackcurrant jelly.

The kitchen is a right tip and my t shirt looks like I have murdered someone! I do feel a sense of satisfaction that I have used up all my harvest into products I will use in the future especially the booze!!!

It has got me thinking, I have never kept track of what I produce in the garden. This year I am going to keep a list of what I harvest or forage just to see how much I actually produce. I am also experimenting with different preservation techniques; I have already dried chillies, bottled fruit, turned produce into booze! I am going to try salting beans and if I can afford one buy a dehydrator off fleabay to preserve things like courgettes, toms and apples.

Thanks to Lovefullshelves I have the preserving your garden produce book from the library and have just got Booze for Free after reserving it. I will probably look out for copies of both to buy.

Anyway when the SHTF or Zombie Apocalypse hits Cwmbran (sometimes I think it already has when I go to the shopping centre, chav central!!) I will be fine for all things blackcurrant!!!:rotfl:

DawnW

I love the idea of keeping a record of produce from the garden. I might do that next year (too late this year, as I have 'missed' the new potatoes, broad beans, spinach, some of the carrots, strawberries, beetroot, lettuce, radishes etc, and wouldn't get a true picture).

I have a small garden, but it is amazing how much produce I get

I have frozen another large bag of French beans and one of loganberries today

[Deleted User]

Was browsing Amazon Uk, for solar/wind-up radio.

Pretty much all seem to have "knob and scale" tuning.



By contrast, the Americans seem to happily embrace digital tuners.



BTW. They also seem to include SHTF planning into their radios.

The Adventurer includes an automatic weather alert feature.

daz378

thriftwizard very public spirited taking exchange students http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/eatinghabits.cfm here is a website what they like to eat..... google translate might come in handy, although their English will be functional, i lived in germany for a year in the early 90s used to be fairly fluent.......but now i have forgotton a lot, you probably speak excellent german.... anyway good luck

pineapple

DawnW wrote: »

I love the idea of keeping a record of produce from the garden. I might do that next year (too late this year, as I have 'missed' the new potatoes, broad beans, spinach, some of the carrots, strawberries, beetroot, lettuce, radishes etc, and wouldn't get a true picture).

Just a reminder you can get 'late' seed pots in some shops now for planting for new potatoes at Christmas! I've done this before with potato sacks and it worked very well. :j. Can't do much worse than my Sharps First Early this year - which ended up being Sharps Last Late!

pineapple

Edward Snowden has left the airport having been granted temporary asylum in Russia.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/01/edward-snowden-leaves-moscow-airport-live
There has been some debate as to whether there will be political repurcussions from this so maybe one to watch.

[Deleted User]

According to my thermometer (which I admit is currently pointing at the sun), it's 100f outside right now. :eek:

ginnyknit

Its just registered 90 degree's here in Manchester, thank goodness I am organised and only had to nip on the market for a cooked leg of lamb and some grapes for OH. This prepping malarky is really worth it isnt it? The thought of the bad old days, trailing round shops ...oh wait ..no I never really did that Made a couple of ginger cakes with my delivery from AF - WOW, they are Morrisons and I got 2 x1lb cakes and I think they were 50p.

I must have a look for powdered egg for my pantry now, for baking and pancakes etc. Sorted the pantry yesterday and its much more organised now. Think Im still short on tinned meat though so will have to do that as I go along.

OOh Elaine what a fabulous harvest. I only have one blackcurrant bush and it was new this year but still got a few off it. The elderberries look good this year here so am going to keep an eye on them. Mr A seems to have the cheapest sugar locally so need to start buying that in. We dont really use much normally but with blackberry season fast approaching I dont want to get caught out.

GreyQueen

Evening all. Tis a mere 29 celcius here, temp has been climbing steadily since early afternoon. Gonna be a sticky night.

Ginny, I got my blackcurrant bush as a mere twiglet cast-off from a pal. The first three years it barely grew at all and produced about a dozen currants. Then, in autumn 2011, I had 4 tonnes of manure dumped on the end of the lottie by a farmer and it sat around (and even on) the shrub for weeks.

Lawdy, but that beggar quintupled in size and produced oodles. I gave it some more manure this spring, pruned it heavily and it is back again as big as it was.

Blackcurrants adore heavy manuring, give yours a few dollops and stand back and watch the beggar grow.

Decided to add some more tins to the stash as there seem to be intimations of Interesting Times in the global financial markets around Sept this year and we need to secure the dinners. Nine meals from anarchy? Not in this wee flat it's not.

Sooo, went and discovered that canned Tosspots Basics spuds are now 25p/ can as opposed to 15p and various other bits have gone up. I'm good for tatties for probably a year and will move onto the tins when the HG are over, so I left them there.

I did have some more peas at 20p a pop and some more porridge oats. I'm eating porridge every day now; its cheap, nutritious, filling and easy to cook. Mostly with a small handful of sultanas in it, sometimes with stewed fruits. I have frozen my blackcurrants and will be adding them, too, once I've gone past the sultana phase.

Right, better have a cuppa to keep me properly hydrated, really hope it's cooler at the weekend or I'll be on that lottie at 6 am to get some stuff done before the heat.