Preparing for Winter V

Cheapskate

MrsL, thanks so much for the rosehip syrup recipe, I'd forgotten about it, and we'll have plenty of hips this time! Do you have an elder or blackberry one, too? Sorry if you've posted it before, having a brain dead week...

Going to harvest plums today, although quite a number have some sort of mould on, not had it before. Should still be enough to cook and freeze for a couple of crumbles, maybe a few more for some plum brandy... Eating apples, same story, some look good, others rather dodgy, and cookers look perfect but minuscule!

Pooky, I didn't know you stored your wood like that - we've been debating how to store ours. It's currently filling the wheelbarrow, on a shelf, and some bought stuff in nets, but I want it all in one spot in the garage, although lots of folk tell me it should be stored outside under a shelter?

Continuing to use up wool stash to make crochet blankets, and have joined that same sock page, fuddle, as I'd like to get to grips with knitting socks, too.

A xo

Laura_Elsewhere

shoei wrote: »

We noticed the trees were changing at the weekend.


I wondered if anyone could advise. I'm looking for door mats that can cope with Great Dane paws that have come straight off the farm. She never goes in mud but wet dirty paws show up on our tilled floors.

We don't have dogs, but we do have rented laminate flooring we need to look after, so...!

Two suggestions:

1. have an area of matting, not "a doormat" - the National Trust reckon it needs about two metres of matting to clean visitors' feet enough. We have three doormat covering the area of floor inside our door and it works well and looks fine.

2. be inventive about the matting! We got ours from Ikea a few years ago and they don't do them now, but keep your eyes open - bright green astroturf! Seriously, it makes brilliant resilient effective doormatting, and you can cover as large an area as you want and it comes in great colours...

But basically, I think it's less about the mat itself and more about the area covered...

Laura_Elsewhere

I'm currently hemming a skirt which is ludicrously summery - floral pattern in pastel colours in lightweight cotton...!

I feel a fool doing it, but will get it done and be able to wear it with cardigans a couple of times, I think, before putting it away...

Two skirts to be made in nice fine wool, asap. My autumn is going to be in black and damson and moss-green and russet...

[Deleted User]

Hi CHEAPY same method for Elderberry and for Blackberry syrups. With the elderberry you add in spices, a cinnamon stick/ I teaspoon ground cinnamon and also 1 teaspoon ground ginger (can be exchanged for a few cloves if you prefer the taste).

Fruit Syrup

1/4 pint of water to every 3lbs of blackberries/elderberries
12oz of white sugar for each pint of juice
spices as above for the elderberry

put the fruit and water in a heavy based pan and heat until the juice flows freely. Drip overnight through a jelly bag. In the morning measure the quantity of juice you have, pour it back into the cleaned pan and heat up to simmering, add in 12oz of sugar for every pint of juice, stir continually until it is fully dissolved and doesn't 'crunch' under the spoon on the bottom of the pan, bring it back up to a slow boil and simmer for 15 minutes stirring once in a while. Leave it to cool, remove whole spices if used, pour into sterilized bottles and store in the freezer (leave a space for expansion in the plastic bottles so they don't 'pop'. To use fresh keep it in the fridge for up to 6 weeks, kept at room temperature it might ferment, if frozen keep in the fridge afterwards and use up within 6 weeks. Frozen syrup will keep in the freezer indefinitely.

Blackberry is lovely as a hot drink and also just poured over ice cream, yoghurt etc.

Elderberry is really good as a hot drink and is well known for helping with colds/sore throats in the winter time.

Pooky

shoei - we have the wondermats (I think they're called that) from Dunelm, they're about £20 each but do trap a lot of the dirt and wet (5 cats)... I have a large one just inside the back door and then one next to it that their food bowls are on....by the time they've walked across both it's absorbed some of the damp. They're fully washable too - I have a runner of the same type in front of the sink and a large one in front of the oven too as they do seem to stop crumbs and spills from spreading.

CHeapy - the reason to stack wood outside is to let it dry naturally, let all the bugs do their stuff and I'd imagine to stop it being a fire risk. Our garage is very cold and draughty and the bags don't trap and moisture so keep it nice and dry....I find it's far easier in the dead of wi tear to go haul a bag in and stack it on the log stand that it is to find a basket and bring it in bit by bit......really does make my inner "neat freak" gremlin happy too.

If we had room for an out door log store I'd have one too but I'm not willing to lose garden space to one osodering I've lost a fair chunk of garden to DHs observatory.

I really do need to tackle my knitting demon....I can knit but never really mastered it and would love to knit socks.....my Mum used to knit the most amazing things but would never entertain the idea of socks and since her brain haemorrhage she's stopped knitting altogether which is such a shame. I'd love to see your results Cheap and Fuds

Cheapskate

Lyn, you're a lovely, informative, human google of a star - thanks so much!!

A xo

Cheapskate

Pooky, our garage isn't too draughty, but all the wood in there is bone dry, and we have bit less garden, too, after the house extension. Therefore, I'll keep my wood where it, albeit a bit more organised!

I'm going to treat myself to some knitting needles next week, when the family allowance goes in, so will show you some pics when I get started.

A xo

[Deleted User]

You're welcome poppet, it's nice to share knowledge and nice to know you youngsters are continuing traditions, makes me happy xxx.

herbily

shoei wrote: »

I wondered if anyone could advise. I'm looking for door mats that can cope with Great Dane paws that have come straight off the farm. She never goes in mud but wet dirty paws show up on our tilled floors.

A lot of friends swear by Splendid Pets and I'll probably get my next mats here: http://www.splendidpets.co.uk/dirt-trappers-c12/large-mats-c38


I've got both Turtle Mats and Hug Rugs, and they're both good but expensive. My 15-year old Turtle Mats are wearing out now but they do take the worst of the wet off, and can be machine-washed - mine have been, a lot.


The other thing is training your dog to stand on a foot towel and wait for a biscuit - this soaks up a lot of mud, and worked brilliantly when I only had one dog. (Depends on space and whether your dog will co-operate!)

Primrose

Have had surplus redcurrant and blackberries this year so have made bottles of fruit syrups. They make a lovely comforting hot drink in winter with a slice of lemon and help with my daily dose of vitamin c. Also good for livening up porridge on a winter morning.