Preparedness for when

D&DD

Possession wrote: »

I don't know about mars bar wine but you can certainly make mars bar vodka - I'm sure that would be very useful when the SHTF. I wouldn't recommend adding chard though.

I haven't drunk for years but may well have to start again...that sounds luvverly!!!:D

[Deleted User]

Ouch SUNSHINE - 11 out of 10 for effort, we'll have to give you a vegetable related award for that!!! Hope you at least are relatively pain free, and thank goodness you had the prep in place, it's a salutory lesson to us all, you just never know when or what do you? Get better very quickly and be very careful from now on Cheers Lyn x.

valk_scot

How about one of these widgets you make "logs" from newspaper with? How do they work? Could they perhaps be adapted in some way to make compressed bricks out of cow pats?

I live in India as a child btw and from what I remember the pats were collected from the fields and then dried on wooden frames next to the houses. I remember seeing it being mixed with straw too but I think that was for building material. Not for use in a wet climate I suspect!

ETA> In the long ago days when we were allowed to burn things on the allotment I used to make fire starter blocks by stuffing cereal boxes with tightly packed shredded newspaper. You could use similar boxes filled with dried cow dung and newspaper perhaps?

RAS

valk_scot wrote: »

How about one of these widgets you make "logs" from newspaper with? How do they work? Could they perhaps be adapted in some way to make compressed bricks out of cow pats?

In much of the developing world where there is no wood easily available cow pats are collected, dried and burnt for cooking fuel. Not very good fuel but... Smoky and contributes to eye dieases. Also means that the potential fertility is removed from the land. One of the reasons for developing the methane generators which provide something cleaner to burn and produces fertiliser.

valk_scot wrote: »

I live in India as a child btw and from what I remember the pats were collected from the fields and then dried on wooden frames next to the houses. I remember seeing it being mixed with straw too but I think that was for building material. Not for use in a wet climate I suspect!

Old wattle and daub walls and cob building used to contain some dung as well as earth and straw. Do not think they add it these days.

Both need their feet keeping dry and water resistant coating (limewash at least). I have seen cob reduced to mud very quickly when un-roofed and the rain let in.

Karen_

Dried cow pats can be burnt as fuel. They also make excellent frisbees.

bupster

Frisbees? :eek: You wouldn't want to accidentally try to sling a wet one.

GQ, I am MADLY jealous of your chard. Mine self set for a few years which was brilliant, but has been defeated by the couch grass now. I could eat chard for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rocket has also self seeded and grows happily among the couch grass so I just let it get on with it. I take my surplus veg to the pub and give it away, which is generally worth a few pints :beer:

VJsmum

catznine wrote: »

Must get back to making my own yogurt again, just can't seem to get it as thick as the lovely greek stuff.

Yep straining will thicken it - I bought one from [EMAIL="Lakl@nd"]Lakl@nd[/EMAIL] many years ago that does the job.

kittie wrote: »

dried cowpats :rotfl: :rotfl:

cheap cowpat logs

or

paint them, cheap presents, eg wall hangings, frisbees

or keep handy, good as ammunition

We always used to buy BIL useless presents back from our holidays - cowbell from switzerland, a copy of "Dr No" in turkish, paella fridge magnet from Spain and a copy of "Build your own Car Port" from Zimbabwe - that sort of thing. In America we saw these things called "poo pets" - animal ornaments made from cow pats - so we gave him one saying "now we really have bought you a $h!t present" :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I really should pay more attention to what people post, having just read all about cowpats, I didn't realise we'd changed subject matter when I read your 'Yep straining will thicken it'!, most thought provoking VJsMUM!!!!! So glad you meant yoghurt, what a relief!!! Cheers Lyn x.

Sunshine4

D&DD Yes I do have a slow cooker, I also had some HM ready meals and soup in the freezer. So it hasnt been to bad also OH has learned to make bread in the BM and its turned out better that mine( but dont tell him that lol).
I really cant help much cant even cut any vegs up, so I just supervise.:)

valk_scot

Lidl Greek yoghurt is very thick and very creamy. And cheap. Lovely stuff.