What things do you make from scratch, to be more wholesome for you and your family?

suki1964

Two other threads you may be interested in, The not buying it and Make do and mend thread. Whole load of us turning our backs on commercialism

Twinks hobnobs are a lovely quick biscuit My grandson loved to make those

I scratch cook. I can no longer tolerate processed food at all. The only time I cave in is for a Chinese every couple of months, even though I know I'm going to be ill all night. We do make our own Chinese but sometimes I just can't resist a box full of gloopy msg laced , additive packed yummy ness lol


Pizza, look up Gordan Ramsays reciepe. It is the easiest most authentic tasting pizza I've made. You cook it in a frying pan to get the base crisp then under the grill. Works every time

I have now started to make bread. Don't have a bread maker , I use the magimix. Not had a total fail yet

We have now turned most of the back garden over to veggies. We aren't brilliant, we've had some epic fails over the years, including this year with a very hard frost. But we persevere and do succeed with some crops. Like you the courgettes have had us stumped, couldn't get them to even germinate, but managed to get two healthy plants for a quid and we will see how they go

When it comes to meat and dairy I am fussy. It's butter here. Nothing else. No spreads I like to know what's going into my food and at least if I buy local butter I know it's as good as it's going to get ( made with locally produced milk, no chance of any foriegn imported messed about milk). Same with cheese. I do my best to only buy local or if not from smaller producers

Meat, I will only buy locally sourced as well. Bit of a pain when it comes to pork, but once again I want meat that's been produced to the highest standard. I rarely buy pork as we don't have many pig farms in this country and I can't be sure where the animal came from

Fruit and veg that I buy is seasonal and locally grown whenever possible. Obviously it's not always feasible However there are a few countries who's produce I refuse to buy and if that's the only option we do without

Cleaning materials in this house are flash and bleach. Microfibre cloths and hot water are used for most everything. Dishwasher gets half a tablet and the washing machine gets a half scoop of powder. Vinegar is the fabric softener. Yes there is a slight hint of a smell when the clothes come out of the machine, but this goes as they dry. My mum who lives with us was a great one for following guidelines on how much soap powder to use and also lashed in the comfort, until she saw the effects on the drain when the septic tank backed up :rotfl: Actually it was moving off grid that got me thinking about what we used within the house and the effect it has on the envoirememt. When you have to pay to get a tank de sludged, you need it working as well as it can and the more chemicals being poured into it, the less effective it becomes


You have had your LBM, well done :T. but remember Rome wasn't built in a day and too many changes at once can have the effect of derailing you. Small changes over a longer time are more sustainable

Good luck x

the_cake

Just popping in, many thanks for an inspiring thread! Can I recommend a heated propagator for starting seeds off? I have a small one (wish it was a bit bigger) but it really gets them going fast. They germinate within a few days with the gentle heat under them; leave the lid on until you see them appear, then take it off, leave them in it for a couple of days before transferring to windowsill/cold frame/wherever you are lucky enough to have. I have one of those metal framed plastic covered mini greenhouses, and love the fact you can buy replacement covers for them. Had it now for about 8 years. That and the heated propagator make growing our own veg so much easier. HTH, the cake

moneyistooshorttomention

missymoo81 wrote: »

moneyistooshorttomention, are these the things you make? can you please please, give me the recipe for tahini, is it just whizzed up sesame seeds? And the same with kefir and bread spread?

TAHINI
4 cups white sesame seeds
quarter cup olive oil

- Spread seeds over 1-2 baking sheets
- Place in preheated oven at 180C
- Stir with spatula from time to time (making sure they go golden, but not brown).
- Blitz seeds in blender.
- Add oil
- Blend till smooth and pourable (adding more oil if need be).

KEFIR
- You need to have some kefir culture (about a dessertspoon worth)
- Put that dessertspoon worth into something like a small kilner jar and top up with milk.
- Leave somewhere reasonable temperature (eg kitchen work surface) for around 24 hours
- Strain to remove kefir once it has started "jelling" a bit and re-use the kefir grains to make another batch

...and so on ad infinitum

BREAD SPREAD
150 ml decent oil
80 ml milk
1 packet of butter

- Put in blender and blitz together.

missymoo81

wow thanks for all your replies. I am currently munching on some home made bread its nice and I know exactly whats in it.

Tilltrotter1 thanks for advice re the yogurt, may have to purchase some starter stuff.

The cake, thank you! I will definitely look into it, especially if it means i can grow far more of my own fruit and veg.

moneyistooshorttomention, thank you so so much for taking the time to post your recipes, I think I'll try and put a link to a list of recipes, that I'm going to start using.

Suki1964 I would love to live off grid, we try our best with wood burners and solar panel etc. But thats about it.

I am definitely going to look at my cleaning materials, I have a box full, which is ridiculous. The drain is partially blocked in the kitchen sink, so I think some hot water will clear it? Rather than an expensive caustic Mr Muscle type product, I am learning

I had to buy some things today including some clothes for my smallest and food, as I was buying things I thought about whether I could make them myself, at the moment time won't allow, but when the smallest goes to nursery in June, I will have more time, and will use the dresses I got as a pattern for some dresses as I have some material. And I went to the supermarket today as I had completely run out of some things, looking at ingredients again I was horrified by bread and other products. I bought some oat cakes and some biscuits, and will look at the size and ingredients, and will see if I can make them.

I am going to have to start small, I really want to do everything at once, but my head is spinning and time is difficult to find. But the small steps I can make today are,

buying only british dairy products where possible, or make my own, until I can source a dairy that will provide me with the small amount I need.

Making all biscuits, cakes and bread.
Making jam and chutney and curds.
Making soft cheese, yogurt and mozzarella - really want to try this.
make my own sour dough yeast.
Grow a lot of vegetables from seed, and what I can't grow get from a local organic farmer
get chickens for eggs, or in the mean time, buy the ones in the next road, that someone sells outside their house.
Find some local raw honey to try and fight my hay fever and to use as a natural sweetener.
start making my own compost, I have compost bins, but haven't really used them.
Use water butts for watering the garden

I already make most meals from scratch not using things like jars for curries or sauces, but I know I can do better. I will try and make some tahini so I can make some hummus too as my children love it.

more thinking to do.

ooh have found a butcher that sells local meat! I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to maybe buy half a pig or something like that, and deep freeze it for the year? Does anyone else do this?

suki1964

Can't beat the home made bread,killer on the waistline though lol


I'm not totally off grid we have electric multi fuel stove for heating and oil for the winter. Solar panels are a no no here a - we don't get the weather and b- the one side of the house that will get sun faces the road and I live in an an are of outstanding natural beauty and the planning won't allow them

Seeing as you have a stove, do as we have and get a set of rods with the extra attachment for the drains. When our tank backed up it was a plug of solid soap powder, the diameter of the drain and around a foot long. Rodding was the only solution We also sweep our own chimney twice a year,,made the money the rods cost in the first year

I think I may also try making yoghurt. I rarely buy it now but used to have it daily with my muesli Have a couple of flasks laying around the house


Good luck with the cheese, let me know how it goes

missymoo81

ooh thanks suki, we already have the rods, OH (who works away) is quite savvy with money, (well sometimes!) and he cleans the chimney.

hmmm more thoughts - herbs, I would like to grow these too, and grow enough fruit to make fruit leather for the children, as they dont really eat sweets but eat the little fruit shape things. with those thoughts in mind, I'm wondering whether a dehydrator would be a good purchase, in the long run, I could run it mostly off of the solar panels in summer...

ps suki I meant to say earlier, I'll take a look at those threads you mentioned, thank you.

kettlenic

I love this idea! I have never given my toddler squash as I know its a hard habit to break. I cook from scratch and bake for our treats - cakes/cookies etc.

Yogurt.. I buy full fat greek yogurt and I buy frozen fruit, I cook the fruit up in water - mash and freeze in an ice cube tray and add one a day to my daughters yogurt. She really loves it!

I make pizza bases and obviously homemade pizza is much healthier

Easiest cookies - 1 cup oats and 2 mashed ripe bananas, add what ever else you like - fruit/choc chips/raisins etc
form into patty shapes and cook at 180'c for 15 minutes

Steam wrinkly apples and freeze in ice cube trays - great alternative to sugar in oats etc.

I cook everything from scratch as much as possible and my toddler takes home made food to the childminders everyday, I also work full time. Its tiring but works if organised and I wouldn't survive without my freezer or slowcooker

missymoo81

Wow kettlenic, my hat goes off to you working full time and doing so much from scratch too!

I love the freezing fruit in ice cube trays idea! Will def do that! Ion those biscuits sound ace, do you not need sugar or butter? I think I'll make some now! Thanks again.

DigForVictory

If your family don't eat a lot of pulses usually, introduce them gradually? As while some children find the whole "extra farts!" funny, others get embarrassed.
Have a wonderful time moving to happier healthier living!

Meadows

suki1964 wrote: »

Can't beat the home made bread,killer on the waistline though, lol

Have to agree you can resist everything but H/M bread toooooo tasty and tempting

missymoo81 wrote: »

What things do you make from scratch, to be more wholesome for you and your family?

I make all 99.5% of our bread buying the odd rolls or a quick loaf on vary rare occasions when I need some quick bread and have non in the freezer.

I make nut butters (yum in porridge/on toast/ digestive biscuits - with or without jam), almond milk (far nicer than shop bought and so easy to do - as is the nut butter).
All the soups we eat, I make my own pasta sauces, stuffing's, salsa's, bread sauce, sauces, coleslaws, potato salads, citric acid grapefruit salt alternative, dried seasonings, rubs and marinades.
I make my own spreadable butter with butter and olive/sunflower oil blended.

Have made jams, marmalade, mango chutney, pickles, chutneys and pickle onions, piccalilli etc. but tend not to do it now as only me thinks to eat it and that means it can last a long time.
Curry bases, curry powders, mole sauce
Panforte - boy do you have to work fast with that but well worth the effort compared to shop bought.
Kefir milk (a few times) & Cheese (once), again only me eats it so a lot of effort and time.
Chapatis
Clarified Butter
Blackberry Vinegar
Bran crunch (which I sprinkle over cereal or add to bread).

I used to make pasta but as we don't eat it that much just use the dried when I need it.

I will basically have a go at anything and it works, is easy or worth the effort I will do again.


Adding soda crystal to your wash with help to keep a washing machine clean, wash powder washes better than liquids, tabs etc. killing bacteria, if you mix anything up to 50-50 wash powder to washing soda nor only does it bring down the cost per wash but keeps the washing machine clean.
http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/soda-crystals-for-laundry.html#.VUjZtzPQPcs

You can peruse the internet to find ways of making household cleaners with store cupboard items, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and bicarbonate of soda being the main four.