Preparedness for when

mardatha

Brill softstuff, ta xx

2tonsils

Since we still have hot sun between heavy rain I decided to spend some time sorting out myself...so on to my winter fitness schedule. I can go back to power walking from tomorrow so going to go foraging while I am up on the mountain.

Might just start collecting what dry pine cones I can find and store them for lighting the fire in the winter. There will also be dry twigs under the trees so will take a couple of carrier bags with me.

Have changed our eating plan as my OH needs to lose another 10kg for the sake of his back.....so having one fruit and yogurt based breakfast, one salad based meal with protein and one cooked meal later in the day. now I have set on that plan it will be easier to figure out. Problem is, he sticks to it for a while then 'deserves' a treat of chips or a pork pie!

Just done my washing while the sky looks clear, bed stripped and changed, clothes washed and now out on the line in the breeze. Washed with olive oil soap liquid from Lidls that makes them smell fantastic and super soft. Cheap as well and they have it on offer.

While I was busy with that I got my other half to mend my steam iron..bought it years ago at Lidls opening day for 19 euros (usual price 120 euros)....the handle was loose so he fixed it for me and I came downstairs to find he had cleaned it all as well...bless!

Not looking forward to hearing the next round of taxes and austerity that are going to hit us ....but we may not get that far as I think the current government are going to fall.....but we shall have to wait and see.

Dinner tonight is braised lamb chops and veggies that I cooked extra of last night, so it only needs warming up and some extra veggies. Just opened my birthday card from my sister for friday and she sent me a surprise of ten euros....how nice! Will try and think of a nice treat to get with it. Have some money left over from the housekeeping in my purse as well as I wrote a list and stuck to it! Both freezers full to bursting so I can't buy any more frozen stuff till I use some of it.

I must say I am enjoying reading all your posts and following your personal sagas.....it makes me feel better about our challenges over here in Greece, knowing we are not alone. Off to do more jobs, have a great evening folksxxx

prepareathome

For anyone interested in scouting ways

This is the original 1908 publications. You can download each one.

maryb

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9545597/Armada-of-international-naval-power-massing-in-the-Gulf-as-Israel-prepares-an-Iran-strike.html

One more reason for prepping. I went up to university the day the 1973 war broke out. The oil embargo followed and our architect designed but 1960s shoddily built college froze throughout the following North East winter. Notwithstanding turning off the heating they still struggled to keep the place going because of inflation wrecking their finances. The food budget was slashed and we were, frankly, inadequately fed. I went down with one infection after another. Styes, colds, a cold sore that covered my entire upper lip and went onto the skin (Those take ages to heal). Etc etc. I'd been at boarding school since my parents died so I was used to living in an institutional setting and I wasn't a picky eater.

That brought home to me how easily you can slip into sub-wellness. Lazy journalists always repeat the 'fact' that the British population was never healthier than during rationing. Well, if that is true, it's because the war eliminated unemployment and therefore eliminated poverty. That's far from being the same thing as optimal health. In fact Ministry of Health officials were very worried in 1945 at how exhausted the population seemed to be with low resistance to infection and how long it was taking people to recover from minor ailments.

Knowing what I know now I can see how I could have made adjustments so that I didn't get so chilled even if the heating was inadequate. I didn't even have a hot water bottle let alone waterproof shoes and, of course, at that age there is no way I would have considered a thermal vest. :rotfl::rotfl:

I don't think I've seen anyone mention a pressure cooker on this thread. I would opt for that in preference to a slow cooker especially for people with gas cookers. It's as economical as a slow cooker because it cooks so fast but if you have a power cut you can't use a slow cooker whereas the gas will stay on even if they have to cut power over a wider area. And I personally prefer the taste of food cooked in a pressure cooker to a slow cooker plus I think it's more versatile. Nothing like a thick soup knocked up in 10 minutes in the pressure cooker to warm you up when it's cold. Allow for prep time and for the cooker to come to pressure and it's 20-25 minutes max even for a stew

[Deleted User]

DH and I have just sat and podded out our home grown Borlotti Beans. They have been hung up in the greenhouse for the last week to finish the drying and I've now got a couple of pounds of fully dried beans, stood on a tray on top of the boiler for a couple of days to really finish them off. That should see us OK for chillis through the winter. They are really easy to grow and give a good yield for the ground tied up while they mature. Would reccommend them as a crop to grow if you have the room Cheers Lyn .

fuddle

How do you cook in a pressure cooker? Could you use one on an induction plate hob? Pressure cooking is a whole new idea to me. Will it save energy then?

Have you got an allotment MrsL?

RAS

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

DH and I have just sat and podded out our home grown Borlotti Beans. They have been hung up in the greenhouse for the last week to finish the drying and I've now got a couple of pounds of fully dried beans, stood on a tray on top of the boiler for a couple of days to really finish them off. That should see us OK for chillis through the winter. They are really easy to grow and give a good yield for the ground tied up while they mature. Would reccommend them as a crop to grow if you have the room Cheers Lyn .

Mrs LW.

Once they are fully dry, whack them in the freezer for two days.

1. If there are any eggs from pea moths etc, that will kill them.

2. Put a handful aside in a paper bag, duly labelled to grow next year. They are a type of french bean and come true as long as they are separated by at least 1 metre from other french beans.

RAS

fuddle wrote: »

How do you cook in a pressure cooker? Could you use one on an induction plate hob? Pressure cooking is a whole new idea to me. Will it save energy then?

Gosh yes.. Things really cook quickly so you need a lot less fuel.

But do not be tempted to open the lid until until the steam has fully vented. Say numptie who scorched her boob being stupid when distracted.

be a bit careful with things like potatoes as they can become overdone really quickly. I think it is better to cook them in the PC for slightly less time than expected and then finsh them "normally" if needed. Another 2 minutes in the pc would reduce them to mush when they just need that much cooked without pressure.

Also really good for bottling stuff.

mardatha

I've got a PC and love it, I do a lot of soups in it because I use Calor gas and am trying to save it.
I have posted this link in the other threads but maybe here is where I should have posted it first -
http://iceagenow.info/2012/09/thousands-sheep-buried-alive-snowdrifts-video/

[Deleted User]

Hi FUDDLE - yes we have an allotment as well as a good sized garden. We grow things like the Borlottis on the allotment as they stand for the whole growing season. We grow salads etc at home because we can plant a succession to follow on and always have ready to use. Pressure cookers are wonderful things, if a little noisy and a bit like a dragon on the hob as they hiss away. Get a book from the library and have a read - but before you try to use one on your own find someone who already has one and ask for a demonstration. It's really easy but best shown by someone familiar with them.

RAS - thanks for that, we grow every year as one of our staple crops so we're used to the preparation before storage thing. I love Borlottis, think the flavour is smashing and this year is quite a good crop. I'm always amazed at the different patterns on the individual beans, you never know what is going to emerge next from the husk. Have a good evening all Cheers Lyn x.