Preparedness for when

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

:question: Can anyone else recommend some seasonings that they've chosen to stock, and their reasons for their choices?

Morning GQ . I always have spare jars of Oregano, Marjoram, Basil, Garlic granules, Bay leaves, peppercorns, & Worcester Sauce for my spag bol. Also HP sauce adds a little pep to tinned curries.

FTA: They have freeze dried herbs at Waitrose. I think those really should last indefinitely.

mardatha

Daz, I have tons of those tins of potatoes too and I found they make nice tattie and leek soup.

GreyQueen

Goshdarnit, so many options for seasonings I hadn't thought of, and I need to take notes and I have to run out the door to work right now, catch up with y'all this evening sometime. Have a preptastic day, one and all. GQ xx

Doveling

Sad news over the weekend. A friend of ours has been kiled in an accident. Makes you think hard, keep prepping but don't forget to live a little as well.

Margaret - yes Future Learn looks good thank you. But just lost my headspace for anything new.
Mrs.LW - those snow boots sound fab!

We would like a woodburner which can run the central heating and which we could also cook on; any recommendations? Also, which pans?

[Deleted User]

DOVELING go and visit your nearest woodstove centre and talk to the folks who know which model is best for which job. We have a CLEARVIEW stove, it's an inset stove so is set into the fireplace space in the chimneybreast and is flat against the wall and it heats the entire brick stack so well that it's still warm to touch in the morning, long after the fire is spent. It is only a heater however, but very efficient in fuel and heats the house very well in the winter, in fact so well that we don't actually use the central heating any longer only use the boiler to heat the water tank twice a day. You might find that the right sized stove would also allow you to drop the central heating off and still keep your home warm. Pans for cooking, I would opt for heavy cast iron or agaware as they are robust enough to withstand the heat but I only have a narrow shelf I can use to cook on with out stove and I've a pair of half moon saucepans, a camping kettle (titanium one) and a pair of rectangular aluminium mess tins that I heat things up in, scramble eggs in and make soda bread in very successfully so I guess you could use what you had and still make nice meals.

1Tonsil

GreyQueen wrote: »

That sounds very tasty.

I think it's very important to think about flavourings and seasonings as part of your food preps. If we were limited to very few choices, we'd be climbing the wall for something with a bit of a flavour punch.

I've also heard about the phenomenon where your palate can get so jaded that your appetite dwindles below the point where you're eating enough for survival.

I have also socked some black peppercorns (whole) into my preps. These apparently are almost immortal if left unground. I have mine sealed in a jar in a dark cupboard. That stuff would be so valuable if you were stuck on a potatoes-and-wild-greens type diet.

Also, don't forget oils. We're acculturated to think of oils and fats as the bogeymen, but they are a crucial part of metabolism, so aim to have some long-lasting oils, in a cool dark place for storage.

I also have dark soy sauce by me, got some at a sweet price a while back and it seems to keep well.

:question: Can anyone else recommend some seasonings that they've chosen to stock, and their reasons for their choices?

I have stocked up on Himalayan pink sea salt as it tastes wonderful and has minerals in it that are good for you. I find I need to use less than ordinary salt and it does not have a bitter taste. It brings out the flavour in food.

I have some oils, sesame, basil and oregano as these keep well and add a lot of flavour with just a couple of squirts of oil. Sesame, along with five spice powder, gives things an authentic Chinese flavour. I buy any oils like peanut or walnut that I see on offer. You can make your own flavoured oil by putting olive oil in a small bottle and adding the herbs to it...you can do the same with garlic cloves or real cloves to add flavour. When I was in Thailand I discovered fish sauce, which is rather like an oil. It is mostly made from anchovies but does not taste fishy....it adds salt to food and increases the flavour and makes it have body...more oommpphhhh!

Lidl here do tubes of garlic and basil paste along with other flavours, they only cost about a pound and they are really good quality. Have a look if they sell them in the UK. They are often on offer as well.

I have a pile of stock cubes, but for me they have to be gluten free. The vegetable and fish ones make really nice soups with few other ingredients.

I keep a wide range of herbs that can be used for flavouring or medicinal use, multi purpose anything is great for prepping.

I also have a few of those small bottles of food flavouring in the prep cupboard.....peppermint, lemon, vanilla, almond....and so on....they can add a bit of flavour to the blandest of things and would be wonderful if you had to flavour something you would not normally eat except in the direst of circumstances.

On a weather note, Spain and Italy are trying to clear up the devastation from the storms so far, but Italy is on a red alert from this afternoon when even stronger storms are going to hit them. My heart goes out to them all.......that could be me with my business and home in tatters....we are all on earthquake alert till the end of the month as a big one has been forecast for Italy or Greece.

lillibet_dripping

A question for GQ (when she gets home later!!) (cos I know she listens to Radio 4) I have a radio alarm clock that goes off at 6 a.m. whereupon I lay, dozily, until about 6.20 a.m. (Bear with me, I'm getting to the point!!). Said radio is tuned to Radio 4. In my drowsy state this morning, I seem to recall a discussion about electrickery and power cuts this winter. OR WAS I DREAMING?

pumpkinlife

I'm so sorry for your loss Doveling. Please take care of yourself. Even hearing about an accident can be traumatizing, especially if you lose someone you love.

Grey Queen - Cajun Seasoning. On EVERYTHING. I could snort it, I love it so much. You have to pick one you like, all the blends are slightly different. I am going to try blending my own. It has hot, sweet, salty, piquant and earthy all in one spice mix. I'm partial to really salty jerk seasoning too. But seriously, CAJUN.

Also, have you considered growing Szechuan Peppers on your allotment? I have heard good things about them. Citrusy and peppery hot with a menthol thing going on.

pumpkinlife

lillibet_dripping wrote: »

A question for GQ (when she gets home later!!) (cos I know she listens to Radio 4) I have a radio alarm clock that goes off at 6 a.m. whereupon I lay, dozily, until about 6.20 a.m. (Bear with me, I'm getting to the point!!). Said radio is tuned to Radio 4. In my drowsy state this morning, I seem to recall a discussion about electrickery and power cuts this winter. OR WAS I DREAMING?

I don't know about Radio 4 but this was published last week on the Beeb:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29038804

Karmacat

Doveling wrote: »

Sad news over the weekend. A friend of ours has been kiled in an accident. Makes you think hard, keep prepping but don't forget to live a little as well.

pumpkinlife wrote: »

I'm so sorry for your loss Doveling. Please take care of yourself. Even hearing about an accident can be traumatizing, especially if you lose someone you love.

From me too, Doveling.