Preparing for Winter V

boultdj

Laura_Elsewhere said:

So, based on the scientific meta-analysis of the fully-representational cross-section posting here.... your birth-season has zilch to do with whether you love heat or cold  

That seems about right.  It does not help in my case as I always run hot any way, throw in the menopause and it does not take long for me to overheat.
I wonder if anyone will do a paper on the birth season/ weather liked theory?

jamanda

MingVase said:

We've had what seemed to be a practice run of winter the last few days, wind & rain.Today and tomorrow are to be nice but a high of 20C which suits me fine, I don't want it any hotter

We need a handrail at the back door before winter as one of us is going to fall down the steps soon, but the social work dept seem to be working from home and busy. We have 3 steep biggish steps out to  get coal.

Can u contact OT?  They put us a handrail up when my very poorly dad was skipping down our steps.  I think the Parkinsons nurse gave them a gee up, so it's worth contacting whoever either of you is under with the NHS (or you seem to go to the bottom of the pile).

MingVase

We just got told we had to go through the council social work dept jamanda - but we're just going to sort out something oursleves, SIL and son will make a railof some sort.

[Deleted User]

I have just made a batch of spicy tomato chutney from homegrown tomatoes and have unloaded a batch of dehydrated courgette slices from the dehydrator to put in a few trays of sliced cooked potatoes.  So far I've dried apple slices, onion slices, sliced bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, runner beans, French beans, mixed berries, mixed grapes, strawberries, blueberries. blackberries and loganberries for cereal toppings and semi dried tomatoes in oil in the fridge.  I've got a batch of marrow chutney in store, a batch of military pickle, a batch of curried rhubarb chutney and quite a lot of rhubarb and ginger jam.   The plums and damsons are almost ripe enough for more jam and plum chutney and then it's apples for jelly and chutney and that along with whatever I dry and preserve between now and the colder weather should see us through until next season.

Floss

Mar, ring your GP and ask them to chase it up - technically you are trapped inside until it's done 😳

Floss

boazu said:

... So far I've dried apple slices, onion slices, sliced bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, runner beans, French beans, mixed berries, mixed grapes, strawberries, blueberries. blackberries and loganberries for cereal toppings and semi dried tomatoes in oil in the fridge....

How long does it take to dehydrate all that? 

[Deleted User]

Not all at once you understand but bit by bit as it comes available and sometimes if it needs using up from the fruit bowl or veg rack.  Some things dry in a day and others need about 3 days altogether depending on how thick they are, halved cherry tomatoes took 3 days to dry enough to go into oil and potatoes that are cooked and sliced took 5 hours this morning.  It means we're wasting very little unless something 'turns' very quickly and I don't notice it until it's too late.  The grapes were halved and the berries whole and took about a day and a half in total.  I try to make sure the dehydrator is full to get maximum for the electricity used.  Just looked up times dehydrated foods will keep and apparently potato slices will keep for 20 years.....not in our house they won't but it does mean never having to throw the tail end of a sack of potatoes away because they've sprouted before we're able to use them.

MingVase

Thanks Floss, I will do that. Waiting for hubby's bloods to come back so I will mention it when I phone about that.

Living_proof

Boazu I am in awe! The only thing I can think of that you haven't done (and I air-dried this rather than in the DH) is sourdough starter. It can only be dried at max 85F and my Excalibur doesn't go that low. I do have two starters in the 'fridge, but belt and braces I thought I would have a fall-back situation. I have been getting the Lidl Too Good to Waste boxes regularly (£1.50) and there are masses of assorted fruits and veg, so I freeze or dry what I can't immediately use or give away. I've started vacuum sealing the items for long-term storage but haven't quite got to the stage of Mylar bags yet!

VJsmum

I think my tomatoes are not going to ripen - or not many of them anyway.  it's a good job i grew them just to make green tomato chutney! 

Do you get through all that chutney yourselves, Boazu?  or is a lot of it gifted?