Preparing for Winter V

maryb

I made some sloe gin a few years back and my younger DD who was at school at the time tells me the jar on the kitchen worktop was an object of awed fascination.  It looked like an alien life form apparently.  I'm not sure her friends aren't a bit nervous of me to this day and the most innocent preserving projects (think elderflower cordial) are referred to as witches' brews.
After all that, I found I could take or leave sloe gin.  But it makes the most fabulous sauce for venison, it really complements it superbly.
I will make some elderberry cordial next month - it's very good for ordinary winter coughs and colds.  I could always make some elderberry gin, I suppose , and have it in hot toddies.  There's a thought!
Flooding not too much of a problem here on the whole as we live on a 1 in 8 hill!  But if we get really torrential downpours, it does sometimes get into the cellars.  That's more an issue with summer thunderstorms (the sort we may well get today!) than with winter rain.  Ice and snow on an ungritted steep hill are my winter nightmare.  I still have a lot of the salt I got back in 2010 because we haven't had a bad winter since.  A hard winter on top of COVID would be bad news.  Does anyone know if any of the long range forecasts are available soon?

Si_Clist

Islandmaid said:

Sloes can be bletted in the freezer ...

Forgive my ignorance, but how exactly might that be done?

PipneyJane

Si_Clist said:

Islandmaid said:

Sloes can be bletted in the freezer ...

Forgive my ignorance, but how exactly might that be done?

Just freeze them, Si.  The liquid inside will expand and break down the cell walls, causing the skin to rupture.  Result:  no need to skewer them before using in sloe gin.

- Pip

boultdj

Greenglockenspiel said:

I think next year we should have a preparing for summer thread, as I count this heatwave as extreme weather! <melts>

One thing that makes flooding worse is paving/astroturfing over the garden so if anyone has done that, it is easier for the water to drain back into soil without a barrier. I suspect gravel without a membrane would be the best option for driveways. Sandbags around doors are the other obvious thing that springs to mind. And keeping your important documents upstairs!

Blackberries are starting to ripen here, have already picked some. We have what I think is a damson tree in our garden and I think some of the fruit on that is ready but I’ve never had damsons before so not sure what to do with them. Any suggestions?

Damson and green/ yellow gage are part of the larger plum family, when fully ripe I find them sweeter than plums, but you use them the same way.  They make a lovely jam, which is one of the expensive one's if you can find it in the shop's, that is if you like jam.

GreyQueen

One thing I’ve noted from holidays in Greece is that it is common to run one course of floor tiles up the adjacent wall, meaning no wooden skirting boards to get sodden. Perhaps a thought when home renovations are in the picture? Makes daily mopping very easy.

Ive also heard about lifting the sockets. Another thing from a flood prone house was to have tables and chairs on metal legs and with wooden seats and tabletop. I also saw pictures of one ancient place where big tables were set up on pulleys to be winched up just under the ceiling when flooding looms.

I guess having clean up supplies like buckets and those rubber bristled brooms you can use to shove water around with already in place, sure to be a run on these if your area flood.

[Deleted User]

Family came to visit today as they had the negative test results last week and we've had a wonderful day.  We took them for a walk up to the arboretum and found yet another laden tree of ripe bullace plums so I've introduced my boys to the delights of wild plums warm from the sun straight off the tree and they couldn't get enough of them.  I may go with a basket and gather some in tomorrow and then visit the footpath tree too, more jam in the cupboard seems a nice idea.  It's nice to make home made and it keeps good  for years which is useful if we get a poor year when there's not much fruit on the garden bushes.

Nargleblast

I remember many years ago when the river overflowed with the excess rain and high tides in early January. Several streets were flooded, and my parents had to stay with my brother for several days. Going into the house was soul destroying, the water level went halfway up the television, so about three feet deep. The insurance paid up, but it was a long time putting the house to rights again. It is important, I think , to keep a close eye on the winter weather forecasts, not just for snow and ice but  also flood warnings. Good suggestions from Greyqueen and LauraElsewhere.

Islandmaid

I am so thankful that I have never been a victim of flooding 🙏 thankfully we live above any possible high tides or rain impact. 

I took a few minutes to look around our home today and realised, that forgetting the obvious high value items, the stuff that has an emotional connection would be really vulnerable, photos from present and past generations, those silly things kids make for you at school chucked into cupboards after time, bedding in our downstairs linen store, grandsons toys, stored under a ground floor bed for when he comes to visit, those documents you need, insurance docs, health information, payslips, contracts, certificates etc - all down stairs.

A couple of those big plastic, sealable plastic boxes with your memories and essentials popped under a safe bed would make life easier if the worst was to happen.  

Sorry if I am preaching to the converted, but I was surprised at the amount of things would be lost if flooding happened here 🥴

annieb64

We are half way up a steep hill so fairly safe from flooding , I hope. There have been floods at the bottom of the hill. Some of the houses down there have slots each side of the front door so a board can be slotted  in. If it rains heavily a lot of houses put out the sandbags. 

Emptynester

Our house has never flooded but plenty of others nearby did in 2007.  The field in front of us is currently a building site where 500+ houses are being built.  It's a field that fills with standing water all winter, every winter.  There is little we can do but our photos, documents and sentimental items live upstairs.   
There have been soom useful tips on here today, thank you.