Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

[Deleted User]

I tell ya GQ Peapod Burgandy's got nothing on our cider!!! You pull a face with our cider and the wind changes and you'll end up just like Towser did, stuck with it.

It's a lot of hard work at this time of year but it's a lot of fun too and we both enjoy all the growing, nurturing, harvesting and making useful comestibles from it so much. Tom and Barbara had it right, we don't need all the peripheries, we don't need all the status posessions or holidays, we don't need dinners out at fashionable expensive places what we do need is more growing space and a decent pair of wellies each with which we are as happy as tom and Barbara/Larry, wouldn't change our lives by so much as a hairsbreadth, we're the luckiest people I know.

Just podded out another 8 oz of dried beans from pods I harvested from the polytunnel the other day, 1 lb 9 oz so far and quite a few still drying, can't be bad for saving what I have previously picked off and discarded can it?

The promised greengages didn't materialise thank goodness, they are rock hard little bullets and so far from ripe that after picking a few he decided it would be a waste.....mind you he did say he'd been invited back when they are ripe!

Lynplatinum

Evening All

today has been a far more economical day! I did buy a loaf of bread - went to the local co-op and was hoping for YS bargains but no such luck but treated myself to a small 65p loaf. it is my treat at the wkend to have some bread. Have had peaceful and slightly self indulgent day - slowly getting bits done and having a lovely long soak in a bath. Then went for a fabulous walk with my friend along Dunstable Downs - I belong to the N!tional Tr!st so the parking was free. I feel the annual membership is well worth it - it works out to about 70p per week - the parking would have been £3.50 so that is 5 weeks worth of membership fee in one day :T:T If you visit just 3 places a year you make your money back and if not then keeping beautiful places going is well worth it.

Food wise have eaten less (omelette and tomato salsa then a black pudding sani and a peach for tea! Weird combination - i know - its one of my sinful treats! Although black pudding is full of nutrients!) so might balance out what I ate yesterday! Tomorrow back to routine so salad for lunch and a protein and vegetable tea!

Much admiration for those of you (MrsLW for example) who are so industrious! I ve been a bit of a Lotus Eater today!:o
well, tomorrow is another day! Frugally onward! Nite all

silvasava

Iamsalt - we've got a mirabelle plum in the garden that I think has been here at least since the house was built in the 30's - just made 4lb of jam from them, its lovely and I always try to have enough to see us through the year.
Elona - thanks for the WD40 tip - I'll try that as my remover is nearly gone.
MrsL - my Mum bought us a greengage years ago - its not a heavy cropper but the fruits are gorgeous - too nice for cooking, I tend to eat them straight off the tree!

[Deleted User]

Dinner on Saturday night that my DGS treated us to was delicious.We had a sort of italian Tapas at this very smart eaterie in Covent Garden and there were five main dishes which were as follow
1. tagliatelle with lots of fresh grated parmesan (very yummy)

2 small baby roasted chicken (not much bigger than a pidgeon ,but very nice coated in herby

3. small lasagne oozing with cheese
4. The really nice veg dishes, which I want to try to recreate
Roasted sweet potato with onions
5. minted peas with diced crispy bacon.
The last especialy were fantastic.The restaraunt was an Aldo Zilli one apparently, and I must admit it was rather fabulous(good job I wasn't paying :):) I sat there like royalty being waited on hand foot and finger by very handsome young Italian chaps
Its a restaraunt where DGS takes clients so he knew it would be nice
I could probably have made the whole lot for under a tenner for the two of us:D but it was a lot more :)we finished it off with a sort of dessert platter which had small bites of all different desserts on the menu plus a very lively masala wine
DGS Danny was so pleased that I enjoyed it and it was lovely to have such a delicious treat,but I'm not sure I'd want to eat like that all the time and will be just as happy to get back to my Aldee and Liddly shopping :):) Nice to see how the other half live though .I am going to have a go at making the minted pea and crsipy bacon dish as it was so lovely and not something i would have put together.
yesterday having done all the repairs on my three youngest DGS school trousers and washed and pressed them there were 10 pairs of them !!! I gave them to DD so the boys school trousers are all ready for next month when the holidays are over.
Today at DDs house the boys and I are going to get all the clothes out for packing for the holiday and any that need buttons ect will get repaired and washed ready for packing.Youngest boy Mikey is in charge of finding the 'play' stuff,cricket bats kites,fishing rods,scrabble ,cards,buckets and spades ectso that will keep him occupied for awhile.Our holidays are planned like a military operation as there are so many of us . three adults four lads,one g/f two dogs and the hamster :)plus all the luggage has to be packed and ready to go this saturday morning.My fridge is looking a bit bare as I am running down stuff this week.NSD for me as I try not to have much left and will be eating from the freezer.I only have three nights dinners to make this week so i can easily get something from the freezer and it save me binning food on Saturday morning. Right time for a cuppa chums have a good day, whatever you are doing enjoy doing it
Cheers JackieO xxx

vulpix

Jackie let us know your minted pea and bacon recipe please,sounds lovely.I like the idea of a sharing platter for desserts.We had one in Harrogate with Yorkshire foods,lovely.

Lyn I have had a relaxed weekend food wise.Made cauliflower pizza with potato salad and greek salad for lunch then lasagne with green salad later with carrot cake.Oo also had an ice cream at the car boot sale.Back on it today.I love bread so much that I cannot give it up completely,I have 1 slice a day for breakfast.

Son and gf came from Yorkshire as a stop over for the Rugby then filled their car with stuff from my Mum's and did a carboot Yesterday.I filled my car and met dd1 and bf there,he lives in Sheffield.Lovely weather for a change and after pitch cost and buying everyone an ice cream I made £70,daughter £50 and son £20.We were much encouraged as there is enough stuff in my Mothers front bedroom to do at least half a dozen more sales.Now next week dd1 is working in Manchester at the uni as it is clearing,Son got a call yesterday offering him a job in a bar near Harrogate,starts tomorrow and doubt he will have weekends off!Youngest dd goes to kick boxing on a Sunday and Mr V works.I am not sure I could do one by myself anymore.I am not up to lifting stuff in and out of the car these days.They WILL get rid of this stuff if it's the last thing I do...and it could be!

Builder came Friday and knocked the cupboard under the stairs out(dust)
ready to install a downstairs loo.Joiner coming today to reinstate the floor where the spiral staircase was and to put a loft hatch and ladder in.

I have got a lot of tidying in the kitchen to do then hope to get in the garden and finish my flag laying.A lady stopped at the car boot yesterday and said she was my neighbour and she had seen me sat in the garden,as in sat on the ground.

Question for you,Slugs indoors? I have put a mat down in the kitchen and have noticed trails on it this morning.How do i get rid without sitting up all night and being a big game hunter?Pellets?

Must go,builder will be here soon. Vx

I have bought a period door off eeebay,it is in London.Need to pick it up.Jan ,where are you by the way, are you anywhere near NE London?

[Deleted User]

We struck lucky today when we went to the garden centre, found some nice healthy spearmint plants and also a Moroccan Mint all for £1,79 each. I love mint tea made the Lebanese way with green tea and spearmint it's such a lovely flavour and hopefully if I can get these plants growing on I'll be able to have a cup whenever I want one.

vhalla1478

Morning Everyone,

My, you have all been busy especially with your garden produce; it always makes me think of autumn when I start bottling and squirreling away for the winter months.

I've also been sorting out my warmer clothes - rather a lot of them! As anyone who has been on this forum knows, I do like nice clothes. However, there is very little to throw out as I do rotate my clothes, shoes and handbags and look after them so they do last a long time, I watched 'Inside Aspreys' last night, did anyone see it - talk about how the other half (a tiny minority) live - handbags at £70,000+, rings over £1m!! I'm pleased I live a simple life. I cannot think that those are items that make you happy - love and health and hopefully enough money to pay the bills and keep the wolf from the door are the most important things in my view!

I've unearthed some nice recipes so will post another one later. I'm on the last gallop of the rug and should have it finished in the next few weeks, so better get today's quota done now whilst I'm in the mood!:rotfl:

Speak later.

Viv xx

janb5

vulpix wrote: »

J
I have bought a period door off eeebay,it is in London.Need to pick it up.Jan ,where are you by the way, are you anywhere near NE London?

Hi- no I am in SE London! xx

Living_proof

Mrs LW is making me feel tired, just reading of her activity! I have just cleared the dehydrator and expect it will be running quite a bit in the next few weeks, depending on what produce I have in the new allotment and what foraging I find time to do. To give you an idea of what happens when you dehydrate food, two heads of celery chopped now fit in a peanut butter jar with room to spare. Half a leftover cauli is in a box the size of a matchbox. The same for courgette crisps, sliced to 1/8" and covered in garlic and chilli, etc. in a similar sized box. One marrow sized courgette was sliced lengthwise and will be used instead of pasta in lasagne - now sitting in a plastic bag no bigger than an envelope. Ditto squash. Something odd happening with the formatting now!

meritaten

hi all - oldest granddaughter (aged 12) and I did pickled beetroot today - she was gobsmacked how easy it was! she thought there would be some long, mysterious, drawn out process. She went home proudly bearing 'her' two 1lb Mason jars. she also helped me start a scrapbook of my fathers old family photos (jeez some are from the 1900s and its a good thing some of the names and dates are written on the back). its not something I meant to do just yet, but thought she would enjoy it and it kept her occupied. I want to do one featuring just mum and dad - but cant face it yet. that's one for the winter months maybe.