Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

PINEAPPLE what you're talking is a FOOD CO OPERATIVE and as such if you could get it organised you might qualify for a cash and carry card if you have such an establishment near you. Bulk buying of wholefoods is usually considerably cheaper than small amounts but it needs transport, financial accumen, someone to weigh out the individual amounts required by participants and make up the individual orders and money up front from everyone or you'd have to fork out the lot for the order and hope that people paid and even more important still wanted the stock they'd ordered and hadn't changed their minds altogether. Then a base where the stock could be stored until collected or the means to deliver it to co operative members, nothing is ever straightforward is it?

I am a member of the Co-op and suggested this to them. It does not have to be a wide range of goods, but basic bulk staples like flour, rice, potatoes etc in bigger than usual bags so not likely to disrupt store sales. Spices could be in 250gm bags rice flour etc in 5kg bags and 10 kg bags.

Frugalsod

maryb wrote: »

I tried reusing smart price tomato sauce bottles for bottling rosehip syrup as it was the cheapest way of getting hold of suitable sized bottles. The syrup was totally tainted with the vinegary smell even though I boiled and bleached and bicarbed the caps three times over before using them.

I am considering making my own ketchup at some point and have kept the bottles for this reason.

maryb

That would work because the ketchup would have vinegar in as well. Another time I used cheap mint sauce jars when I ran out of jars to cope with my apple glut and put chilli jelly in them. I still get a whiff of mint sauce when I take the top off but the jelly has a strong enough taste of its own not to be tainted

thriftwizard

For anything fermented, especially if you're aiming at a second, in-bottle fermentation, you need to use jars/bottles which are designed to take the pressure of the gas that forms the bubbles - i.e. dimpled bottoms! Or in the case of wine bottles, with that upwards curve in the bottom, not flat; you'll notice that true "bubbly" bottles are much thicker & heavier than normal bottles. Also you need to use the correct tops; metal screw-tops aren't likely to take much pressure before deforming & letting the precious gas escape. If you can get hold of them, BB, some old swing-top Grolsch bottles are ideal.

Perplexed_Pineapple

Doing my daily catch-up, if I leave it for more than a couple of days it takes forever this thread moves so fast

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I've just been looking at a row of empty ASDA Smart Price sauce bottles, currently standing on my kitchen window lodge, awaiting a trip to the recycling bin, and having a bit of a muse (I enjoy a good muse ) and wondering if I could put them to some use.

It occurred to me, would they be strong enough to store Home Brewed Beer?

Any thoughts?

BB, there's one way to find out but I wouldn't risk a whole batch at once. I've been collecting bottles for a YS wine kit I picked up but I've just taken a look at the instructions and it says recommended temperature for fermentation 20-25 degrees C. since the whole house is about 15 degrees for most of the day I'll probably just wait for spring
maryb, I like the sound of your chilli jelly, how do you make that please?

nuatha

Frugalsod wrote: »

I am a member of the Co-op and suggested this to them. It does not have to be a wide range of goods, but basic bulk staples like flour, rice, potatoes etc in bigger than usual bags so not likely to disrupt store sales. Spices could be in 250gm bags rice flour etc in 5kg bags and 10 kg bags.

Unfortunately the Co-op supermarket groups are just another supermarket chain these days (there are still some independent local societies, but even these seem to toe the CRS/CWS line)

A thought for a simple start to a food cooperative, if you have a Asian supermarket within reasonable distance, would be to start with a 20/25Kg sack of Basmati rice (locally 25Kg for about £18, or broken Basmati for £12) possibly adding a 5Kg bag of red lentils (or two) and some herbs and spices.

daz378

apparently the gagging law was passed today....which restricts campaigning near to an election...... not quite sure of the details...38 degrees were campaigning against it..... but its yet another piece of democracy being taken away from us

Frugalsod

nuatha wrote: »

Unfortunately the Co-op supermarket groups are just another supermarket chain these days (there are still some independent local societies, but even these seem to toe the CRS/CWS line)

A thought for a simple start to a food cooperative, if you have a Asian supermarket within reasonable distance, would be to start with a 20/25Kg sack of Basmati rice (locally 25Kg for about £18, or broken Basmati for £12) possibly adding a 5Kg bag of red lentils (or two) and some herbs and spices.

I actually get the big sacks of Basmati rice, from Lidl or Tesco. I have bought a large food barrel to keep them in as well.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

so basically with this gagging order, no one can protest near an election, or dish the dirt on mp's?


what the hell happened to free speech??? and they kept that one quiet in the news. or did they have a gagging order put on them about not speaking about it..lol..




I really do wish some normal person, who lives and struggles in a normal day to day life would stand against these bunch of wassacks... as with all this BS about how the country is recovering well with growth and more people in jobs.. is just blantant lies and figure juggling.

DawnW

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I've just been looking at a row of empty ASDA Smart Price sauce bottles, currently standing on my kitchen window lodge, awaiting a trip to the recycling bin, and having a bit of a muse (I enjoy a good muse ) and wondering if I could put them to some use.

It occurred to me, would they be strong enough to store Home Brewed Beer?

Any thoughts?

Hello Bob, we used to make loads of beer, and always used either proper glass beer bottles (used ones) and the special crimped caps (we had a thingy that secured them onto the bottles) or plastic fizzy drinks bottles. I personally wouldn't use bottles that had not been made for carbonated liquids. Eventually we moved over completely to the plastic lemonade / coke bottles and had no problems. With the glass ones, even proper beer bottles, we had the occasional one break, with all the accompanying mess :eek: