Preparing for Winter V

Primrose

I don,t think it,s too early at all to start planning for next winter.  When the sun is shining is exactly the time when people are most tempted to take their eye off the ball.

if stocking up for months ahead one needs to be super efficient about checking Use By dates and storing them by date use as there,s always a risk thwt older items will be shoved to the back of the cupboard.

Also with fuel prices forecast to rise even higher next winter it,s worth thinking seriously about the type of meals one eats.  Would a slow cooker be more economic for cooking casseroles, for example than the gas or electricity needed to heat a whole oven?  Batch cooking and freezing will become a more important economy then ever althiugh even the electricity to run freezers may be questionable for some.  I read today that some food bank clients are refusing to accept potatoes because the cost of boiling them is too high.  When one is reduced to this level of food planning, some innovative new cookery ideas are desperately needed.  Ready cooked meals in tins like tinned mince which just need heating may be part of the answer but of course you need to be able to afford to buy such items in the first place.

Anybody with a garden may now want to consider growing a few easy vegetables like leeks.

Uniscots97

For anyone with a window ledge lots can be grown there and lots of veggies can be prepped and frozen or dried for the winter months 

cuddlymarm

I work in a pie shop and am finding people buying the ready cooked pies to just warm up later.
It might get to the stage where food banks can’t give out veg anymore or find someone that can make it into easily heated up meals.
I’ve ordered a Too Good To Go bag from a local supermarket which I’ve never done before. I’m not sure what I’ll be getting but I’ve been making room in the freezer in case there’s anything that will need freezing.I’m determined not to waste anything. It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle moving it all around 😂 

London_1

I am eating down my freezer in the hope it will be defrosted by Easter. But then I shall start squirrelling away stuff towards this coming winter.
Never too soon to start, and any bargains I see in meat will be prepped for the freezer. Lots of chilli,lasagnes .cottage pies fish pies etc.
I will also be making my own chicken and leek pies as well. Hopefully with the onset of spring, winter veg may fall slightly in price, as last year I manage to get quite a few leeks that I prepped and froze and they did me almost through the winter when the prices rose.

At the moment a kilo of carrots is 39p which is a good price and once prepped with be so useful during the coming winter I shall get some, and portion them up in DDs chest freezer until mine has been defrosted.
I will also see if I can get some flour as I like to freeze it double wrapped for a week to sort out anything that shouldn't be in there All flour has a problem but a weeks freezing sorts it out and once defrosted will keep for months.

I must remember to have a small corner left clear for blackberries when I forage for them later this year as they are a great fruit to freeze to make an apple and blackberry pie with when its cold and nasty outside .my late husband used to say I was definitely a squirrel reincarnated to a human at times ,but its saved me quite a bit over the years.

It may be spring on the way but I like to be forward thinking and with high fuel prices on the way the more I can save the better

JackieO xx

Primrose

Even small economies will help save fuel.  If you,re planning on using frozen food from the freezer it will help to menu plan,, removing it the previous day and lettting it thaw out naturally on a kitchen worktop overnight instead of using electricity from a microwave to thaw it. 

Cooking potatoes with others vegs in the same saucepan reduces fuel - just cut the veg smaller so they all need the same cooking time, use minimum water,  a lid to help the water heat more quickly and turn the hob as low as possible to keep simmering heat. It,s surprising how much excess power can be used accidentally.

And does one really need a hot shower or bath every day?  For centuries people managed perfectly well with a strip wash.  Certainly navy personnel on military ships rapidly learn the art of hot water economy!

cuddlymarm

I try to get the next days meat out and leave in the fridge overnight and use the air frier and slow cooker as much as possible.
I treated myself to a small slow cooker in the sales and use that for smaller meals while using my bigger old one for batch cooking.
The tumble drier most definitely won’t be getting used unless in an extreme emergency. We haven’t got any outside space as we live in a flat so dry clothes on a rack. The washer gets used on a quick cycle as much as possible. All little things but they will all add up over time.

[Deleted User]

Thank you for bumping this thread up.

The past winter made me realise how woefully unprepared for winter I was, despite having what I deemed to be good stocks. The main reason behind this was Arwen - no power for 9 days meant keeping both fires burning all day and night for warmth, cooking and boiling water. 

I am setting aside around half an hour per day to chop kindling - I have lots of lovely pallets to chop, which will avoid the need to buy any at all. I also collect sticks on my walks where I can.

I will be getting a coal delivery next week in case prices do rise this winter. The lpg tank is at 60% and won’t be getting used at all now if we can avoid it. 

Candles are also on the list. It’s a worry indeed x

MrsCD

I bought a pack of 100 tealights (4 hour ones) at ikea for £4 the other week, plus some cheap candle holders for tall household type candles. I think they'll be more steady than melting a bit wax on a saucer to stand them on!

Laura_Elsewhere

Re veg - many of them can re-grow indoors in water for free extra veg!

Leeks, spring onions, some lettuces (little gem/Cos types), and celery are ones I re-grow a lot.

You won't get a full-size new one, but you'll get a surprising amount, just by putting as 2-inch stump in a jam-jar with a bit of tapwater.

you can google but my experience is:
- don't totally submerge the stump, or it will just rot. A bit of trial and error to learn how much water. 
- change the tapwater every 2-3 days

I've got a celery plant that's a clear foot high now, giving me slim tender stalks with leaf at the top - finely-chopped they do an excellent impression of parsley to scatter over soups or salads, or you can just enjoy them like you would a stick of celery.
Leeks will re-grow a good six inches or so, which is plenty to chop and add to a soup for flavour or chop and add to eg chopped cabbage to jazz it up a bit. 
Spring onions will re-grow green tops to about 18 inches high if you accidentally forget about them Sometimes there's some liquid inside the leaves but that's totally edible - just rinse it off under the tap if you don't want it. 

Helebore

 I have an Instant Pot, well have 2 now, one has a lid to air fry but I can make a stew/ casserole in approx 30 minutes once it has quickly come to pressure. (They are electric) They have the facility to slow cook but I haven`t tried. Cooking quickly like that, food actually tastes better than in a slow cooker, I always felt there was a strange taste for slow cooked food.