Preparing for Winter V

BritishBibliophile

Don't have any new Winter Prep news, just wanted to say Welcome Back Kittie!

[Deleted User]

We've no squash flowers as of yet on the allotment, plenty of courgettes and some pumpkins set and growing on. What is really concerning me is the state of the apples on the big tree that is our main source. It's been so dry here and then suddenly two separate whole days of constant soaking rain and many of the apples have split! Reading up advice is that they may develop a cork like seal but that likely they will rot on the tree and infect the sound apples with whatever rot they have. Torn between seeing what happens but keeping a very close eye on the damaged ones or taking the split ones off now, unfortunately that would seriously deplete the crop and mean my usual freezing, chutneying etc. would be curtailed this year. We seem to have an invasion of brown and orange small butterflies this year and despite spraying my cabbages and the beetroot leaves are like lace, not looking good for some crops but the runner beans are going great guns and the potatoes look to be going over, the raspberries and blackberry bushes are laden, we have many many leeks and 6 whole rows of parsnips all looking healthy along with a good crop of onions, I don't think we'll starve this year.

I've left the french bean vines up on the net in the polytunnel and left on them all the beans that had gotten big and hoary. They will dry off beautifully and the beans will be harvested from inside the pods and dried to give home grown haricots to use through the winter in stews and casseroles. I do the same with old and fibrous runner bean pods, the beans in them dry well too and are a really useful think to have to bulk out chillis/casseroles in the colder weather. When they're really properly dry I'll bag them up and seal them well then pop them in to the freezer for 48 hours to make sure that I don't get any pests hatching in storage. Waste not want not eh?

Cheapskate

Growing edibles didn't happen here this year - supposed to have major building work that's been postponed until next spring, but we have loads of brambles, the basil and parsley I managed to sow is sprouting, will do more this week, and some beetroot seedlings DS got from school are looking healthy - even if they stay in tubs inside the children will think they've achieved something! Foraging-wise, we have tons of brambles and elders near us, so I can at least have some fruit in the freezer for Vit C or turning into syrups, liqueurs etc for the winter!

My Milletts order arrived today, 4 lovely fleece tops all fit, and a bargain at £25 for the lot! Weather is rubbish again, but should pick up later in the week, so will do a lot of blanket and winter coat washing. We're dejunking clothes this afternoon, probably have around 50% of everything to go to CS etc, but at least then I will be able to see the gaps in our winter clothing and bedding.

I'm also giving the sewing machine a good practice run this week - need to make some new French window curtains for mum from some sheets, door curtains for us, and use some nice oddments of ancient fabric from mum's stash to start some patchwork.

It's so nice to 'see' you back, kittie, been MIA for a while so have missed why you were AWOL - hope life is being better to you.

A xo

Rummer

My DS was young last winter and we made sure that we had plenty of the things that he needed so that if the weather was from there was no need to venture out. Things like:

• Nappies - we had reusable but disposables in incase of power cuts
• Milk and sterilising tablets
• Range of medical supplies and first aid kit
• Room thermometer
• Sleep bags
• Snuggly sleep suits

Apart from that winter proof their room where possible to keep it snuggly although remember babies can be at risk of being too warm.Also remember to take care of yourself with plenty to eat and things to keep you entertained if you are stuck in.

Rummer

We are working on running down our stores at the moment with a view to stocking up with what we really need over the winter. That also involves clearing out to give us more space for storage. OH is learning how to make bread from scratch and by hand so I think we will need plenty of yeast and flour.

It is unlikely that we will be snowed in, however there will be times when we just do not want to go outdoors. Clothing wise I am looking for a new winter coat and am knitting/crocheting frantically to accessorise.

Where is the best place to purchase sacks of flour and rice?

pinkparrott

Hi - though you guys could help with this one - we will all need new hotvwater bottles this year, but I've not bought any for a. while and noticed they appeared really expensive in boots. Just want the bottles , no fancy covers as we've got hand knitted \ homemade ones. Any suggestions ?

betterlife

check out the smaller pharmacies , my local one sells just the bottles for about £2.99 hth x

shanks77

pinkparrott wrote: »

Hi - though you guys could help with this one - we will all need new hotvwater bottles this year, but I've not bought any for a. while and noticed they appeared really expensive in boots. Just want the bottles , no fancy covers as we've got hand knitted \ homemade ones. Any suggestions ?

I got mine last year in poundstretcher and IIRC they were £1.99

Lucy5781

Didn't have need of excess wintery protection last season as had moved in with OH. Flat is double glazed and well heated etc and not so far up the North London Hills and my old spot!

We made sure car was well prepared just in case but winter was rather mild despite a few snowy flurries. We bought a new car a couple of months ago so that's been prepared with items from the old car.

DsS's main winter coat is normally bought by his Nana in the Autumn, but he may well need new wellies, his current ones are a size 2 and he's been nearer a 3 for a while.

We'll see how this year fares!

SpikyHedgehog

DS1 is preparing for winter by changing job location - he's been a chef at a country pub since last May and rides his motorbike the 15 miles. Though his bike is pretty solid and he has waterproof textiles, sometimes the road from the pub to the main road was nasty last year, so's he's moving to another of the company's pubs in the Autumn. That will give him 3.5 mile ride to work and not down narrow country lanes to the riverside.

Last time I washed his kevlar jeans, I used nik wax, and he said he could really see the difference, though they still took in some water.

DS2 is now a size 7 in shoes so new winter boots will be needed, but I'll wait till the Autumn for those in case his feet grow again. This means I have two pairs of winter boots as last year he needed a 5, which is what I use.