Preparedness for when

Karmacat

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Mind you....I suppose it might help sometimes if history books got written in a somewhat different way to the ones I seem to recall from schooldays

Ooh, have you read Barbara Tuchman, A Different Mirror? The 14th century through the life and times of a European nobleman. Fascinating! Or Alexander the Great, by Robin Lane Fox (I love Alexander, but its quite old now, that book).

Whereas I used to regard history as a steady onward march towards progress (like one of those graphs with the line going steadily upward), I now tend to regard it as more of a spiral. It goes round in a circle, heads "upwards" to another level and then goes round in that same circle. Its the Coiled Spring way of visualising history, rather than Steady Onward March you could say...

Totally agree with coiled spring vs steady onwardness ... if we're lucky, that is, and its not going "downward"!

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

One can NEVER have too much spinach, one can definately though have too many nettles unless one is a peacock butterfly in which case nettles are a necessity for ones offspring to overwinter on. Do you humans overwinter your offspring in those Polytunnel things? Very odd things humans!

**fond look** :j

I have a swedish nettle soup recipe which is made as a spring cleanser and DD1 and I tried it for the first time when we visited the British Museum for a Viking Exhibition last summer. It's garnished with chopped egg, dill and other herbs and it's really tasty. Can post the recipe with my own tweaks if you'd like to try it?

Yes please! A partner of mine sort of grew up on nettle soup, but I never got the recipe. Lots of healthy nettles round here, along a footpath, its a nature reserve so they don't get sprayed, I'd love to try it this year.

daz378

we found a leak from my dads downstairs toilet as it was leaking from overflow,,,,only made a mess outside....housing association are coming to fix tomorrow, if they confirm a leak...... may be able to get leak allowance from united utilities

Frugalsod

maryb wrote: »

Zerohedge seems to be suggesting that time is running out for Greece

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-08/greece-risks-bankruptcy-europe-rejects-varoufakis-payment-plan-another-referendum-fi

It would not surprise me if the Greeks had plans to bring the house down around everyone's ears in ruins if they are forced out of the Euro

I think that the Greeks were trying to stay within the Eurozone, but that was their error. They really needed a mandate to exit the Euro or the EU. If they have that referendum then they would have far greater negotiating power. As it stands everyone knew that they did not have a mandate to exit the eurozone so they were powerless.

That said it could be rise of Golden dawn to power that could devastate the German government. How can they be seen as moderates if all their policies lead to extremist right wing governments taking over?

boultdj

Well I'v made a start on the seed planting this weekend, with a helping paw off furry owner, I 'should' be alright for broad beans, pak choi, nastursums, kale[sorry Mar] tomatoes and sunflowers. If the s.h.t.f then I'm going to have fun making meals with that lot.

[Deleted User]

Lyns version of Swedish Nettle Soup

1 large onion peeled and chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
21/2 pints good chicken or vegetable stock 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2lb/250g young nettle tops (just the 4 top tiny leaves)
5 fl oz single cream
salt and fresh ground black pepper 4 eggs either hard boiled and chopped or poached.

To serve
the eggs
chopped fresh dill
finely chopped watercress
garlic croutons (rye bread is authentic)
seasoning
crispy fried onions
crispy crumbled bacon
creme fraiche

In a large pan gently cook the onion until soft but not browning add the stock and nutmeg and bring to just boiling then add the nettles and simmer gently for 20 - 25 minutes. Use a hand blender and blitz the soup until completely smooth. Add the cream, season to taste and reheat but do not boil. Add the garnishes of your choice, all or any combination and serve the soup with a nice rye/brown crusty roll

It's a spring traditional cleanser and blood purifier plus it tastes nice too!

Karmacat

Thank you Lyn! I don't use cream at all (except I use soy cream once a year on Christmas pudding ) so I'd probably need something else to give it body ... potatoes, courgettes, more seasoning (and a splash of something alcoholic, maybe ).

[Deleted User]

You can thicken it with potato flour/mashed potatoes/cornflour you can also add soya cream/milk almond milk any of the unsweetened and unvanillad non dairy alternatives, all taste good.

Karmacat

Excellent, thanks again


Bob had gone missing, and now I'm a bit worried about GQ ... got to work now, though ...

BHB

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

You can thicken it with potato flour/mashed potatoes/cornflour you can also add soya cream/milk almond milk any of the unsweetened and unvanillad non dairy alternatives, all taste good.

Thank you - Think I would opt for the potato thickener also..... though will have to try 'As Is' first

GreyQueen

Karmacat wrote: »

Excellent, thanks again


Bob had gone missing, and now I'm a bit worried about GQ ... got to work now, though ...

Bless you, I'm reading along between cooking my supper and yakking on the phone. Plus I did the ironing after work (boo! hiss!). Tomorrow is archery evening, so panick ye not if I'm not around.

But Bedsit Bob is MIA and that's just not right - pls check in with the thread, Bob.