Preparedness for when

nuatha

mardatha wrote: »

I love this thread

I had a French friend who used to say that a revolution was a very useful thing to have had ... you only have to do it once, and forever afterwards TPTB are wary because they know if you did it once then you can do it again...:D

We've had three, first one failed (Peasants Revolt) The Commonwealth and then the Glorious Revolution, problem being that by and large the same folk stayed more or less in charge.

mardatha wrote: »

Wondering how many of us use hand gadgets instead of elect. How many gadgets are available in OS hand versions. I know proper strong good hand mincers are either hard to get or dear and that led to this post .We were just talking about how people couldn't live without all their stuff like breadmakers and kenwoods etc, and I wondered how many of us are actual real fulltime Wartime Farm type women who do it all from scratch and by hand... Not slighting anybody who doesn't, not a competition, just an idle ask lol

Though I have an electric mincer, its possible to produce fine mince with a pair of cleavers (though I admit to being seriously out of practice). I think the only electric gadget that I don't have (and often use) a non powered equivalent for is the vacuum packer (and I'm sitting here pondering how to do that with a mechanical air compressor). There's some of my woodworking tools that I really wouldn't want to be trying hand powered versions of, though I could revert to shaping and rebate planes (just need a bigger workshop to house them) instead of the routers.
Generally I use powered tools because they are easier on my hands and are generally quicker.

BessieBooBoo

Hello all

Just been catching up with this thread - lots on here!

Glad to know you are ok 2T; and that there's good news for some, new baby, yay! DD safe, etc...

Really interesting to see what's going on, although quiet where we are.

Went to Q & B to get an axe for chopping wood fuel up for the m-f stove. Was so happy I was getting it I was grinning at the cashier whilst waiting in the queue, and when she started to look nervous realised I must've looked a bit 'mad-axe killer' to her! I couldn't help it, so happy to have my back-up heat and cook stove...:o

Oh, and my neighbours think I have gone from slightly eccentric (e.g. why grow veg when u can buy it in the shop?); to mildly insane as they saw me gathering spent fireworks in the streets. Very OS MS, all those sticks from rockets make good kindling, I say. And yes, I did remove the remnants of the fireworks, don't want anything exploding in the stove....

Perhaps I ought to do my firework gathering under cover of darkness. Even the dog joined in, picking up a rocket stick, and proudly strutting along the street to the bemusement of passer-bys.

Love reading your posts GQ, makes me realise I have a long way to go to be a super-prepper.

Kind wishes to all those madly prepping,

BBB

P. S. I feel I can now add 'Mad Axe Woman' to my CRAPROLLZ title....

siegemode

mardatha wrote: »

Well you had to check it was ok! So now you can buy more...:)

My thoughts exactly, theres nowt wrong with a bit of quality testing

mardatha wrote: »

Wondering how many of us use hand gadgets instead of elect. How many gadgets are available in OS hand versions. I know proper strong good hand mincers are either hard to get or dear and that led to this post .We were just talking about how people couldn't live without all their stuff like breadmakers and kenwoods etc, and I wondered how many of us are actual real fulltime Wartime Farm type women who do it all from scratch and by hand... Not slighting anybody who doesn't, not a competition, just an idle ask lol

I prefer the os way. Havn't got a mixer, a wooden spoon does the job and when my wrists/hands give up I call on oh to take over. I now have him making all our bread I barely use the microwave. I always cook from scatch and so would be ok I think. What I would miss though is the american style ff.
Have found myself stocking up on salt, now I know its good for preserving meat just not sure how yet. Got some cheap haloween paper plates today and another clip on reading light (it looked useful for £1) I seem to have become obsessed with stocking up on washing powder and toiletries to, probably have enough for 3 yrs :rotfl:
Vitamins too. I found loads in waitrose reduced and on 3 for 2 so they paid me to take them away. Also have loads from the boots glitch earlier this year. I figure that if we are limited on food then they will be really useful. Joining this thread has me thinking even more intensely my mind never stops and I only sleep when totally exhausted. I seem to be in over drive at the mo.

twiz21

mardatha wrote: »

Wondering how many of us use hand gadgets instead of elect. How many gadgets are available in OS hand versions. I know proper strong good hand mincers are either hard to get or dear and that led to this post .We were just talking about how people couldn't live without all their stuff like breadmakers and kenwoods etc, and I wondered how many of us are actual real fulltime Wartime Farm type women who do it all from scratch and by hand... Not slighting anybody who doesn't, not a competition, just an idle ask lol

No, I don't do it all by hand.
I used to, but got RSI in wrists and tennis elbows.
It doesn't take much to start it off again.

I had a breadmaker for years but it died.
I use a Kenwood for mixing. If I had no electricity I might have to get someone else to do the kneading if my wrists were playing up.

I have a wonderful moulinex hand grater/slicer, you put the required plate in, insert the handle and turn.
It's the next best thing to my cheese grater and a much better result than any of the electric devices.
I can put it over a huge bowl and grate a couple of blocks of cheese into it. Much easier than a box grater.

JML nicer dicer. Fast and easy for chopping onions.
Also for small carrot sticks for freezing or dehydrating.
I have to go gently with it though and it wont do hard stuff like swede.

I do have a cast iron grain mill which I have not yet used. It's a prepper SHTF item. Alas, I've yet to find suitable wheat grain for my stores.

mardatha

I'm very interested in manual hand crank thingies, I really hate my kenwood, I have to get OH to use it lol!

wondercollie

OOO, I have a thingie. Well, it's the egg whipper thingie that has two beathers and you turn the handle. Instead of a handheld electric mixer. Found it at a garage sale a couple of years back.


BUT, I really love my Kitchenaid. I waited 20 years for that bad boy and love to troke his shiny red head and stainless steel bowl.

Is it wrong to say I really, really want a bread machine?

GreyQueen

The sum and total of my gadgets are a cheap-as-chips stick blender and a slow cooker, which is the cause of some anxiety and irritation tonight. Perhaps I could pick the collective brainpower for your input?

It's an MR slowcooker and I haven't used it for a couple of months and when I got it out of the box today, the brown ceramic pottery dish was covered in fuzzy grey mould.:( On the inside and the outside.

Close examination revealed that the pot is badly glaze-cracked inside and out.

I'm dead ticked as I've only had it a year, have used it less than 20 times and am always very careful about not subjecting crocks to thermal shocks but putting them in water/ water in them etc until stone cold. Once I've washed the pottery bit up and dried it, I let it air-dry for several hours before assembling it back into its box where it lives in a warm sitting room.

I can't for the life of me think that anything I've done to the SC has done could have contributed to this glaze-cracking, can you? I used to share a flat with a potter and recall that glaze cracking happens when the body of the pot expands faster than the glaze but can't see how that could have happened.

I've washed it up again, it's air-drying and I'm contemplating taking it back to the shop to have a good whinge.

Anyone else had the same thing happen to their SC and do you know what caused it?

Helen2k8

I would take it back, I have thoroughly abused my cheapy slow cooker and although the pot is stained the glaze isn't crackled.

I also have a cast iron mincer AND a hand cranked beater thingy, courtesy of grandparents. Love the mincer but I need something solid to anchor it to, I end up "walking" the table all over the place! It also struggles a bit with sinews. Pestle and mortar works surpisingly well for pesto, after I killed my food processor...

2tonsils

Well the SHTF for me a few minutes ago...the back tooth I had root canal work done on in March has just broken in two places...why do they have to break on a Friday night every time? Might have to wait till Tuesday before I can get to see my dentist.....if there are no strikes next week.... damn, damn , damn....and my OH was going to take me out for a nice meal tomorrow night as a treat...protein shakes and soup it is all weekend then.....

Butterfly_Brain

wondercollie wrote: »

OOO, I have a thingie. Well, it's the egg whipper thingie that has two beathers and you turn the handle. Instead of a handheld electric mixer. Found it at a garage sale a couple of years back.


BUT, I really love my Kitchenaid. I waited 20 years for that bad boy and love to troke his shiny red head and stainless steel bowl.

Is it wrong to say I really, really want a bread machine?

:rotfl:I have one of those hand beater thingies wondercollie. As for the statement in red, I nearly choked on my coffee, I am such a bad girl :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Trust me to lower the tone
Anyhoo I have a cast iron mincer that was my Mum's, a mandolin, a hand cranked food processor, and an old fashioned hand cranked singer sewing machine.
But I love my panasonic bread maker, kenwood mixer and dehydrator. I have a slow cooker, but I can easily use a hay box and have done on camping trips when I was still active. Bread making would have to be done by DS who has huge hands because I have carpal tunnel in both of my hands it would be difficult unless I used a no knead recipe.
I know how to make butter. cream, yoghurt and cheese and preserve lots of things by pickling, salting plus jam and jelly making. I am a dab hand at Hm wine and ginger ale and can make dandelion coffee (an acquired taste to be truthful)

2tonsils ouch