Preparing for Winter V

Floss

@Jellytotts have you looked at whether an EV tariff might be suitable for your car, if there is limited solar available?

Laura_Elsewhere

Preparing for winter by picking several pounds of elderberries and making pints and pints of elderberry syrup - proven by modern scientific studies to a) reduce incidence of a range of respiratory infections inc unrelated ones like cold and flu, and to b) reduce length and severity of infection when you do get one. We have a large spoonful every morning and have really noticed the improvement in our colds! (and that's before lockdown, back when we mingled with folk). 
Also found a hedge full of damson, so making some damson jam

[Deleted User]

@Laura_Elsewhere would you mind posting how you make the Elderberry syrup? I would really like to make some with the glut of elderberries we have. Now the children are back at school, the coughs and colds are rife again xx

Jellytotts

Floss said:

@Jellytotts have you looked at whether an EV tariff might be suitable for your car, if there is limited solar available?

Didn't even know it was a thing! Thank you.  Just checked and no, it's working out £120 more a year as we're on the last year of a 2 year fix but I will bear it in mind for next year. 

Laura_Elsewhere

Deleted_User said:

@Laura_Elsewhere would you mind posting how you make the Elderberry syrup? I would really like to make some with the glut of elderberries we have. Now the children are back at school, the coughs and colds are rife again xx

I make it dead simple - tons of recipes online adding weird things like cinnamon and ginger, but frankly if someone dislikes the taste then a bit of cinnamon won't persuade them, and if you do like the taste then why mess with it?!  

I use a fork to get the berries off the stalks - I don't worry much about little bits, just get the main bits and spiders out Then I tip them into a bowl of clean water and the unripe or wizened ones helpfully float to the top and can be skimmed off. Again, I don't fret about every last one, just get most of 'em out. 
Then into a pan and enough water to completely cover them, bring to the boil and then I usually leave it in the pan to cool for quite a few hours rather than simmering for a set time. Sieve he liquid off and then add just enough water to only just cover the berries and repeat the process. If the berries are still very black and you haven't got a lot then you can do a third simmering, but if the berries stop being black then there's no point... 
Put a clean small jam jar in the fridge. Put clean dripping-wet glass bottles in the oven at 150C, and their lids in a jug of boiled water.
Tip your sieved liquid through a muslin or a sieve lined with kitchen-paper or whatever. Measure it out, and for each pint, add one pound of sugar. 
Stir over a low to medium heat til all the sugar is dissolved; bring to a low boil and let it roil and coil for a while until a bit taken out and put in the cold jar in the fridge is syrupy enough for you. You can always re-boil in a day or three, it if it's a bit too runny still  
Pour into the hot bottles and get the lids on asap as tightly as possible. 

Unopened, our bottles are fine for well over a year; once opened, we keep our 'ongoing' bottle in the fridge because he flat hasn't anywhere cool in warmer months and so it's easier to keep it refrigerated to avoid mould- if you have a cool place, it'll probably be fine there. 

Enjoy!  

[Deleted User]

Thank you so much x

Fiona236

Ive just applied for the edf warm home discount. Check if your supplier is open yet. 

Primrose

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Preparing for winter by picking several pounds of elderberries and making pints and pints of elderberry syrup - proven by modern scientific studies to a) reduce incidence of a range of respiratory infections inc unrelated ones like cold and flu, and to b) reduce length and severity of infection when you do get one. We have a large spoonful every morning and have really noticed the improvement in our colds! (and that's before lockdown, back when we mingled with folk). 
Also found a hedge full of damson, so making some damson jam

Laura - you,ve given me a good idea for trying to reduce the soft fruit mountain.  in our freezer - convert some of it into syrup, which can be preserved and used for hot winter drinks, as well as using on porridge and certain desserts.   I used to make a lot of it years ago.  Have got out of he habit. No elderberries alas, but  plums,blackberries and redcurrants can substitute.

Fiona236

Bought a huge cream padded quilted eiderdown and 2 pillow shams for £6 charity shop. Have cut it down to a single for daughters bed for winter.  That's my sewing project tonight and see what I can make with the leftover and the 2 shams. Probably lengthen her couch blanket that was also made out of cream pillow shams. 

Have also decided if I can save £1,000  the garden stray can move in. 

Lucy5781

I need to add a bit more to our pantry drawers.

We've been eating Keto to shift some lockdown weight but I'd like to know there's food regardless if we have issues again over the winter.

Also meds. Paracetamol, ibuprofen and the kids versions (I have 3 & 5 year olds), obviously can't stock up in one place due to the guidlines about no more than two packs etc but shockingly in our little town centre I could easily pick up a pack each in two chemists, Iceland, Poundland, Savers, Boots and Asda as as well as at least 2-3 newsagents/polish supermarkets in the space of 30mins, ten packs of 16 tablets at least if I tried....