The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

ginnyknit

Bunbun, glad it went ok today and hope the results are good. Its all this waiting that drives me mad.

Am definately going to try the kelp tablets anything that helps my Arthur-itis is worth a try. Having a break today so have just made a nice tea for me and DS who forgot dad was away but is coming to have quality time with me and pick up his parcel. I always get his parcels delivered here as he is always at work which means I can steal the delivery bags to re-cycle for my parcels

I think I may buy a mint plant and fill up part of the empty back end of the garden with it. I have apples on my little tree's :j I was so chuffed when I saw them. Am still waging late night war with slugs and seem to be winning as I have lots of veg nearly ready to pick. Counted 15 courgettes earlier and not long to wait. having salmon that I found in the depths of the freezer with the rest of my ys jersey royals and home grown salad leaves - yummy.

Yes me too monnagran, I have oranges laying around in the fridge, Oh is mad on satsumas at the mo and dont want to waste the oranges.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

EstherH wrote: »

MRSVEG PLOT: it is only in the last few months that I have started making soup from the carcass. I find it a real faff to have to make sure I get all the tiny bones out and every time I am tempted to just not bother but I am so glad and feel so good after I have done it. OS has that effect on me.

A question though: when the chicken has been cooked in the slow cooker why isn't the liquid that is in there good enough for stock? Why does it have to be thrown away and then new stock made from the carcass?

Esther x

Ester if I do cook the whole chicken in the slow cooker; I use that liquid to make soup or chicken gravy. I just put it in a jug in the fridge first as the fat rises to the top and solidifies so I can remove it easily. Once I have removed the meat from the carcass I then put the carcass in the slow cooker with water, carrot, celery, bay leaf and onion to make a stock for soup.

People who are more OS than me keep the fat skimmed off the top of the cooking liquid and use it for roasting potatoes.

bunbun2

ginnyknit all the waiting is driving me mad too. then I start analysing what the consultant said and trying to come to a conclusion. the boys also see an endocrinologist and we just phone him up for any results so i am not used to all this waiting!

our elderflower cordial is almost ready for bottling. I hope it tastes as good as it smells!

Possession

So glad it went well for DS today Bunbun.
My plans were today were rather thrown by DS being sent home from school poorly, but did manage to get some work done and also fix an internal door with a dodgy handle. Tomorrow we must plant the apple tree we've got, and have yet to decide where to put it. Our lawn gets very boggy which I'm presuming an apple tree won't like. Who does?!

EstherH

Mrs Chip, does planting potatoes really improve the quality of clay soil. Ours is very heavy clay and we get very waterlogged as we have so much rain. Esther x

monnagran

I have just come up from the garden. Found that a couple of the drowned slug's mates came to his funeral and followed him to the great hereafter. Or it might have been his relatives, come to think of it there was a distinct family likeness.
The runner beans are growing apace but showing great reluctance to attach themselves to their poles. I'm thinking Gaffer Tape.

Then I did a bit of watering during which I laid the the running hose down on the garden for a moment. It promptly kinked itself, reared up and treated me to an unscheduled, al fresco, very cold shower. Not funny.

Okey Dokey. Orange Squash...............

3 large oranges
21/2 lbs of sugar (it's an old recipe)
1oz tartaric acid
1/2 oz citric acid
1oz Epsom Salts
2 pints boiling water.

Grate or zest rind and extract juice of oranges. Put into a bowl, add sugar, salts and acids and pour over boiling water. Stir and leave until cold. I leave mine overnight.
Strain and bottle.
Makes just over 2 litres of concentrated squash.

You can get the acids from a wine making place or a chemist.
If you have trouble getting tartaric acid you can order it on line.

In the 70's and 80's I used to be able to get everything from B00ts but they seem to have stopped doing the acids.

Good luck.

x

[Deleted User]

Ohhhhh I've just been having a pootle round the interwebulator looking for elderflower recipes and found one for Elderflower Cup Cakes. The cake mixture is made using elderflower cordial as the liquid constituent and after they are cooked they are iced with icing again made up with neat elderflower cordial, what a good idea, yes? Sounds yummy, Cheers Lyn xxx.

MONNAGRAN wipe the bean poles wiv a bitta slug!!! that'll make em good and sticky, kind of the ultimate revenge for them having designs on yer beans Missis!!!

Mrs_Chip

Hi Esther

TBH I don't know, perhaps it is just the digging you need to do to get the tatties in! This was obviously the prevailing advice in the early 60's, things might have moved on.

I know it needs turning and a lot of good humus dug in, once you get clay into a good condition it is a very fertile soil, but I know getting there is a major slog!

monnagran

Paragliding Fuddle? Paragliding? Have you heard of barrage balloons?

bunbun2

thank you monnagran! I have to go to the chemist's tomorrow so i will see if I can get the acids and give the squash a go.


the elderflower cordial is now bottled. had a taste but i think it was a bit warm. my dad always makes it with water from the fridge so that is what I used to!