THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

GreyQueen

Thanks for that, thriftwizard, I've bookmarked that for future reading. As mentioned, there are a lot of apple trees on the plots, in small groups dotted around the place but often, even the plotholders don't know what kind they've got as they inherited them. Such a lot of things to consider.......... but I'll get there in the end. What season do apple trees get purchased and planted in (so I can tailor my clearance of the carp in the corner to the timescale)?

I know one place on the main road outside my Nan's village where apple cores have obviously been hurled over the years and where there is a wonderful show of apples every autumn, large ones not crabs, and some of them only 4-5 ft above ground level.

If hungry for apples, roadsides are surprisingly productive places to forage, which may be worth socking away in the old memory bank.

mardatha

Nice to see you back nuatha, I thought about you and your lady wife often.

Caterina

GreyQueen wrote: »

Good thinking, lyn.

For my lottie growing plans for 2017, I really want to suceed with outdoor cucumbers, as I eat 3 shop-bought ones per week. As well as saving food miles and packaging waste (those pesky polythene sleeves they come sealed in), home-grown would save me about £1.40 per week for each week I can cover my own needs.

...

WARNING! Once you taste a homegrown cucumber you will never be able to go back to those tasteless, watery specimens you find in the shops. We happened on this by chance, having neglected our plot due to a big house refurb. We went to the gardening centre to buy a few veg plants as we had not planted anything, but by then they only had a few sad-looking cucumber plants, which were reduced. We bought them just for the sake of filling up space (saying to ourselves "bah...cucumbers..."), little did we know that they actually taste different, they have proper taste and the consistency is lovely, fresh and crunchy. We have planted cucumbers ever since. You won't be sorry, but you won't be able to enjoy the shop-bought ones ever again.

GreyQueen

:j Yippee, I can't wait for my hg ones.

[Deleted User]

Something to consider... I read on the newsfeed yesterday that Mr Trump would like to see the EU disbanded presumably leaving each country separate and a state in it's own right. If anything did kick off between the US and Russia or Mr. Putin decided to flex his muscles over something, most of Europe and certainly the UK are dependent on Russian gas and so are quite a few of our electricity generating plants. The gas has to travel through parts of Europe to get here doesn't it? Now if the Russians stopped sending we'd all be in the same boat but any of the countries it has to pass through might be able to shut the pipeline in their bit for any reason and keep the gas for themselves. It's January and has been really cold even in the UK, it's damp and we've had some snow ...the question I'm asking is IF we had no gas, no reserves and no more coming for the foreseeable future coupled with a diminished electricity generating capacity and very likely rolling brown outs HOW would you keep warm, be able to cook food, store foods, wash clothes, entertain yourselves without the electronics we're all used to? even adjust to the daylight hours being the only time any work could be done. In the beginning we'd all have candles, gas camping stoves, tinned foods etc. but in the long term when those things have been used up how will you cope with life them especially if you live in a modern house with no fireplace and no way of heating it? It's a bleak scenario but one I feel has some reality in 2017.

GreyQueen

Good thoughts, Lyn.

I don't think that the UK's overseas gas comes from Russia but they are definately supplying parts of central Europe, parts with much colder winters than we ever get here in the UK, and where the stakes will be much higher if the taps are turned off at the supplying end, or if the supply is interrupted by one of the intervening countries.

However, it's a complicated matter when a country produces more of something than it needs itself, but has other needs which it has to supply from overseas. If Russia's gas has to traverse other countries, it has to have amicable relationships with those countries to allow that to happen It cannot, for example, seize control of sections of several countries where the pipeline passes and re-supply them. Therefore, trade agreements will have to be in place.

As for Trump's opinion of the EU, I've been thinking and saying here that I think we're on the last days (almost certainly the last decade) of the EU anyway. Something else will come along, there have always been trading arrangements across Europe, such as the Hanseatic League.

As to how I'd personally manage, my flat is very well insulated and tiny, so doesn't get as cold even with no heating as some other places I've lived do with the heating on. I have back-up cyclinder gas and plenty of shelf-stable foods which don't require any cooking.

I've already decided if we were grid-down, and I had to strictly ration my canister gas, I'd have my morning pot of tea (boiling one pint of water) and then just boil eggs 6-8 at a time, as they are very nutrient rich foods and can keep for a few days and be served with other things or just eaten on the hoof. You can also boil eggs by bringing the water up to the boil in a lidded pan then turning off the gas and leaving them to cook - as you can with pasts, of course.

A hard-boiled egg, left in its shell and wrapped in a napkin, is a very portable and nourishing snack.

VJsmum

GreyQueen wrote: »

. Ask an employee who told me that the had the stuff out back but couldn't bring it onto the shop floor until they'd shifted the discounted Xmas stuff.

Oh baubles! I thought, as I ambled off.

Same in allidi. I bought some very discounted Christmas cakes that they were clearing to make way for Easter eggs :eek:

mardatha

I think the EU is doomed too. I know that countries will always buy and sell and trade, but think of the gap in the middle, until things get regulated. I'm glad I don't have gas really, as most of it seems to come in from Europe. I'd like to think that Scotland would be supplied from Norway.
I have read that Calor gas - which I depend on for cooking - would come from much further away maybe even the Gulf, and so cost a lot more. I'd be after a Kelly Kettle as I think they're fabulous. And if I was all gas then I'd be buying a wee mini oven/hob thingy.

Jazee

Greyqueen, I cook rice like that too, bring to the boil then put the lid on and turn off the heat.

By coincidence Withernsea is without gas today for lots if not all residents. The supplier are giving food vouchers to people which can be redeemed in a local cafe using electric to cook their Sunday lunches.

westcoastscot

Nuatha lovely to hear from you -hope all is well in your world.

Mar I have a kelly kettle - use it on it's side in the stove with the doors open - boils really quickly!

Lynn I've been feeling like something is coming for a while - I just don't see how things can stay the same and we're already noticing price rises and a lack of certain things up here. Also noticed that more and more people are not delivering to remote Scotland - was looking for something on amazon yesterday and had to try 6 sellers before I could find one to send a small package here. A vegan supplier I've used for years out of Germany has now womped upped their UK postage to euro 49!!

We're good for cooking and heating, as can use the stove but well recall the difficulties of brown outs in the 70s. I guess all we can do is look to our laurels, prep as much as we can and be prepared to adapt, adopt and improve our coping strategies over the long term.