Preparedness for when

ALIBOBSY

homesteadchick wrote: »

I've made 6 litres of elderberry syrup. They are ripe or ripening all over my town, so much more to come! haha! Free for the picking. And packed with vitamins and antioxidants, the stuff is great for winter sniffles. So I'm stocking up.

I love to harvest free and wild stuff.

And tonight it's rabbit stew on the menu. With carrots (seems a bit like revenge to eat rabbit with carrots haha) and thyme dumplings.

This prepping stuff is not so bad after all huh? ;-)

Plenty of rosehips as well, I love rosehip syrup especially on my porridge yum yum. Will defo get some elderberry as well

Ali x

jk0

ArthriticOldThing wrote: »

JK0 - now you've put me in a tizzy. I don't use much milk so buy the long life sort in plastic bottles as my arthritic hands struggle with the cartons.:mad: Can see am gonna have to have another think.

Sorry AOT, I absolutely didn't intend to alarm anyone.

I only mentioned my milk precautions out of general interest. I think in a SHTF situation, maybe I would not worry about the plastic.

elona

Margaret

I agree with you about food prices. DH has a friend who brings him beetroot and runner beans from the allotment as well as DH growing what he can in the garden.

I have started pickling the beetroot as DH loves it and out of curiosity looked at the price of shop bought - a 750 ish jar was just over £2!! At Mr S. there is an offer of two jars of pickling vinegar for £2 - so I can pickle four larger jars for around two pounds.

He was given a huge carrier of plums yesterday so they are now cooked in syrup ready to be made into crumble or pies etc.


Two large marrows are about to be stuffed with a Bolognese type filling or with spicy cous cous then topped with grated cheese and baked.

Managed to present a visitor with a medium size marrow to take home as it was doing me a favour. I can't keep up with the veg!!!

Butterfly_Brain

Ali, I would love to do the fasting diet but the doctor won't let me because I am diabetic so I just stick to low to medium GI.

[Deleted User]

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

BB, I've seen those, are they worth the extra cash considering you can get a cheap hurricane lantern from a camping shop for under a fiver?

Personally, I don't think they are worth the extra.

My local hardware store sells 10", tin plated, Hurricane Lamps, similar to this, for £4.

I've got two, and I have to say, they are excellent.

Solidly built, and not a hint of a leak.

I'll find out the make, tomorrow, when the shop is open.

If you want to be doubly sure, £world sell a 16cm white, ceramic dish, which makes a perfect bund for the 10" lamps.

[Deleted User]

elaine241 wrote: »

and one not so stealthy storm lamp (Vapalux? or something like that).

You got the name right.

They were made by a company called Willis & Bates, in Halifax.

I have rediscovered two Mag lites in cupboards but both need spare bulbs/parts any ideas BB?

Bulbs are easy. You just need to know the number and size of batteries (C- Cell, D-Cell etc.) the torch holds, and to decide if you want a regular or a xenon bulb.

Other parts may be more problematic, given the manufacturer is across the pond.

[Deleted User]

ragz wrote: »

DH said he has paraffin in the garage, I don't like the smell, is there an alternative?

Yes, you can use lamp oil, but be warned, it's bloody expensive, as in about £5 per litre. :eek:

Personally, I like the smell of burning paraffin. It takes me back to my childhood. :cool:

Please be warned. DO NOT try to use low flashpoint fuels, like petrol, methylated spirits, Bio-ethanol, turpentine, etc.

The consequences can be devastating.

[Deleted User]

ArthriticOldThing wrote: »

I suppose in a SHTF situation they would be better than nothing - won't take up much space.

Dried soups etc. are OK, provided the SHTF situation isn't a shortage of water.

kat360

[QUOTE=ArthriticOldThing;63040212
JK0 - now you've put me in a tizzy. I don't use much milk so buy the long life sort in plastic bottles as my arthritic hands struggle with the cartons.:mad: Can see am gonna have to have another think.[/QUOTE]

Have you tried something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/151-Products-LTD-Cap-Opener/dp/B003ZJCMQI/ref=pd_cp_kh_1

I have one and its a huge help when I'm struggling to grip things.

My dad gave me a solar powered lantern that he hadn't even had out of the box! I occidentally left it on our living room windowsill ( the best light) when my mother in law came round. She couldn't understand why I'd want such a thing!:eek: Having the lights go out and 3 children scream at the same time isn't really fun.
Then again she doesn't understand half the stuff I do, i.e why keep a large store cupboard when there are shops that deliver food! Other than that she's quite nice really:o

maryb

I did the 5: 2 for a while and really liked it but it's difficult for me over the summer with holidays etc disrupting routine. I'm going to get back on the wagon next week when we are back from a short break for our silver wedding

What I found was that I felt much happier and calmer the day after a fast and far from feeling wiped out, I had plenty of energy. I think I may have some sort of food allergy but I've never been able to work out what sets off my IBS.

I did try going gluten free for a few weeks to see if it helped but I couldn't say for sure that it did. I have never been able to pin down what sets me off

It did help my liver enzymes though - I'm one of those people with raised liver enzymes for which there is no reason they can determine. They found that out when I had ME 20 odd years ago and was so tired and pale and feeling the cold the whole time. I was interested to see the comments about kelp (not sure if it was on this thread or the OS doorstep) because every doctor I have ever consulted looks at my eyebrows, see that the outer third is so scarce as to be non existent and orders thyroid tests - they always come back normal

Complete abstinence from alcohol makes absolutely no difference so they told me I'd die with it, not of it - great!

When I cut out gluten, my results were the best they have been in a quarter of a century. So I had the blood test to see if I had coeliac antibodies but it came back negative. And since eating gluten free is very restrictive I drifted back into 'normal' eating. But the 5:2 diet automatically cuts back on gluten and carbs because they are very calorie dense so I do wonder if that is why I feel so good on it