Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

CRAIGY vaseline on a little bit of cotton wool is the surest fire starter I know of if I'm using a flint and steel striker, gets the spark away very quickly. The 99p shops here sell a big jar for 99p (as they would!) so I've always got one in the preps pile.

craigywv

Thanks for that lynn good to know xxx

GreyQueen

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

ITS HIT THE FAN!!!


Came back to the house and no tea bags!!!!
what was I thinking, how did I leave that slip?????


I think I am sooo used to having a large stock of things stashed away, I don't think about that product, thinking I have loads, and WHAM its all gone... think I need to start doing a check/stock list of my essentials and tick off every time I start a new pack etc...

:eek: ARRGGHHHH!!!!! Nooooo, not teabag deficiency, anything but that....:eek:

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

IMO, only shallow people, judge others by their looks.

I always judge by looks, as I'm a bit wary of the drop-dead gorgeous lads and lassies, as have seen too many of them too up-themselves; arrogant and careless of the feelings of others. Getting preferential treatment due to a happy accident of DNA can lead to the impression that they're somehow special people and the rest of us aren't. Not always, of course, but often enough to be noticable.

Or that's prolly just the sour grapes of one of life's plain-lookin' gals. Anyway, I don't give a toss, aging is beginning to even things out and some of my peers are looking a tad rough these days, whereas my skin is unlined and I still have an evil sense of humour.

I did once have to have my sense of humour surgically removed to meet the criteria for a previous job, but it grew back.....mwahhaha.

nuatha

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Or, you could wear one of these.


What do you mean, you don't have on? :shocked:

And you call yourself a prepper?

Haven't had an NBC suit in years, do have several level B hazmats around but these have airshield visors rather than SCBAs and I can confirm that an airshield is not complete protection against horseradish.

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

Thanks for the horseradish tips nuatha, I'll give it a go. What I had in mind when I planted it, was to try to use more indigenous seasoning, in the interests of self-reliance. If imported spices became a luxury few could afford it would be good to know what to do with native flavourings. On the other hand, I guess the global trade in spices would survive in most circumstances,. There must have been a reason that the Elizabethan era explorers focused on the spice trading routes to China and India, my guess is that it's because the diet at home was dull as anything and people were desperate for something to liven it up.

Spices are very portable, small and generally worth a lot more than gold pound for pound. If you are going to look for easily transportable wealth, spices are a better bet than jewellery metals.
Horseradish can also be turned into a fairly convincing version of wasabi (2 teaspons grated horseradish, 1 teaspoon prepared English mustard, (an anchovy fillet is optional) a few drops of soy sauce (to moisten and help everything combine) green food colouring is optional. Mix well.

A decent range of herbs and spices can transform otherwise mundane food.

[Deleted User]

Age is a great leveler when it comes to how you look. We're all going to get wrinkles and our hair is going to grey it's really a matter of how you cope as to how you continue to look. I have never minded changing with age, it doesn't matter a jot to me that the hair is going white and the wrinkles and face lines are building up. I'm still me when I look in the mirror but I sadly know quite a few ladies and a few men who do mind and are trying to outjockey nature by having the hair dyes and face treatments and continually exercising and watching their diet to stay a small size then dressing a little too young and trying to still be seen as party animals. So sad, yes they all look fine from a distance but as you get closer you can see the white at the bottom of the hair, the putty in the lines and the saggy skin, usually artificially tanned, at the necklines. Much better to say OK this is actually what happens as you get older, much happier life if you do!!!

Perplexed_Pineapple

nuatha wrote: »

Spices are very portable, small and generally worth a lot more than gold pound for pound. If you are going to look for easily transportable wealth, spices are a better bet than jewellery metals.

I'm sure that's right, actually some decent spice stores might make really good bartering material if the economy collapses. Thinking about things like cinnamon and ginger, I know fresh ginger can be frozen, I guess cinnamon sticks would last a good long while if they were maybe vacuum packed rather than loose. Black pepper would probably be really valuable too, I don't know how best to preserve for long-term storage, maybe in an airtight container with some of those silica gel dessicant things.

nuatha wrote: »

Horseradish can also be turned into a fairly convincing version of wasabi (2 teaspons grated horseradish, 1 teaspoon prepared English mustard, (an anchovy fillet is optional) a few drops of soy sauce (to moisten and help everything combine) green food colouring is optional. Mix well.

I read somewhere that most "wasabi" sold in the UK is actually native horseradish with green food colouring, nothing suprises me any more :rotfl:

GreyQueen

I think the useful life on whole peppercorns is numbered in years, possibly even more than a decade. Imagine how happy you'd be to have a peppercorn stash if there was no more to be had.

I have a modest cache (half a jamjar), kept in a dark cupboard. Will need something to liven up the post-Apocalyptic gruel.

You can also pickle the fruits of nasturtium as if they were capers. Have no urge to try this IRL, just supplying it as a random fact-ette in case someone wants to give it a go.

the_cake

Ageing ... most days I don't mind! Our current litigation is speeding up the process, though, and the amount of time I have had to spend on the laptop recently is not doing the rest of me any good at all. This afternoon I popped out to spread some yummy well rotted horse manure over the veg. beds, and my back really aches now ... BUT ever since OH's brother died of cancer at the horribly young age of 38, I am so grateful still to be here, in this lovely world. His death really made me re-evaluate everything, and every day that I am alive and well I am really happy. (Sorry to sound so corny!)

StanwithaPlan

the_cake wrote: »

Ageing ... most days I don't mind! Our current litigation is speeding up the process, though, and the amount of time I have had to spend on the laptop recently is not doing the rest of me any good at all. This afternoon I popped out to spread some yummy well rotted horse manure over the veg. beds, and my back really aches now ... BUT ever since OH's brother died of cancer at the horribly young age of 38, I am so grateful still to be here, in this lovely world. His death really made me re-evaluate everything, and every day that I am alive and well I am really happy. (Sorry to sound so corny!)

That's not corny it's how everyone should see life and it's sad that people don't and waste their days until it's too late

Good luck with your litigation case, you sound like a great client for your solicitor with all the work you are putting into it, organised ones are the best! I am sure it will pay off (and that comes from a 'litigator in training' ... bit of a way to go yet but I'll get there eventually) x

StanwithaPlan

GreyQueen wrote: »

You can also pickle the fruits of nasturtium as if they were capers. Have no urge to try this IRL, just supplying it as a random fact-ette in case someone wants to give it a go.

I need to google how to do that with nasturtiums, by garden gets overtaken by the triffids every year! I leave them for the caterpillars but it would be good to find a use for all those seed pods...apart from the caterpillars, my son quite likes eating the leaves too