THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Karmacat

fuddle wrote: »

... honestly, to me, it feels like power twisting this game for themselves and no one else.

Yup, yup and yup.

Current prepping is two things: the allotment (aka the back garden ) and also, after a recent online conversation, checking on my medical/first aid written information and supplies.

[Deleted User]

The world is watching, they will continue trying to be 'noticed', every single man and woman of them will be playing up to get the cameras attention on themselves so they can be seen to shout the loudest for their 'Cause'! I naively for most of my life thought politicians were elected to serve the populace and get the best for them and that that was what they spent their days doing.....sadly these days and with the coverage of the bruhaha that is the house of commons it more resembles a cross between the cast of West Side Story on a bad day and a chimpanzees tea party at the Zoo. God only knows when that changed and the purpose of politics became the domination of all other parties and the ridicule of their members but that's what it seems to be today. Interesting Times INDEEDY!!!

FUDS He Who Knows had a nice day out but the fishing wasn't great. He and Malcolm up the road enjoyed the day though so that's OK!

[Deleted User]

Prepping for winter has begun.....I've just made and potted up 10 jars of rhubarb and fresh root ginger jam and the jar lids are clicking as they cool and the vacuum forms and making me jump! The next picking of rhubarb will go into some farmhouse chutney in a few weeks time. I'm not going to let anything go to waste this year it will ALL get preserved/frozen/dehydrated/eaten or pickled and will hopefully liven up our food in the cooler weather to come. It will certainly give us something to spread on bread if that's all we can afford won't it?

jamanda

Oh thanks for reminding me. I have been busy removing something to plant a new greengage (and a new Bramley apple, having killed the other one). I had totally forgotten about the rhubarb.

Karmacat

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I'm not going to let anything go to waste this year it will ALL get preserved/frozen/dehydrated/eaten or pickled and will hopefully liven up our food in the cooler weather to come. It will certainly give us something to spread on bread if that's all we can afford won't it?

Exactly how I feel! So much of the edible perennial harvest in my garden has gone to waste in years past no more.

This afternoon, I gave an extra dehydrator session to the blackberry and nettle leaves I did yesterday. Most importantly, I can confirm that dehydrating for storage does *not* destroy whatever is in the nettles that makes them sting :eek: it's not quite as bad, but nearly! Never again. GQ has eaten nettle this year - maybe its a crop that just needs to be cooked.

I also had to water around the near edges of the blackcurrant bush so I could pull out the encroaching grass. And realised I'd forgotten that when I started doing this, at the end of January, there were a *lot* brambles that I just cut back, to be dealt with later. Well, this is later there was one huge root that had separated into three brambles, awful! All gone now. As well as cutting back some more box hedging. I *will* have crops, I will

jamanda

My DH and I have always grown some food crops as a "hobby". I told him that now it needs to be serious rather than playing. We have spuds and onions in, winter onions from last year will be ready in a month or two. Will also be planting kidney beans, leeks, spring onions, carrots etc.


We are still eating onions from last year's crop, although they are about done. I also have spring cabbage planted last autumn which will soon be ready.


Like Mrs. LW, everything will be used/frozen/jammed/bottled. I think, regardless of anything else, our prices will be rising quite sharply over the next year or two. I've already noticed increases in basics.


Sorry - I seem to have butted in. Am long time lurker.

[Deleted User]

And a welcome contributor too JAMANDA, nice to have you posting with the rest of us, don't lurk M'dear, dip a toe and play with us!!!

jamanda

Thanks. Have posted occasionally and you may remember I had a lurcher pup who looked like Docky.


However - he growed, and growed. He has turned grey and shaggy and is a bouncy idiot but bootiful. I also found a very neglected collie. They are bestest friends and something of a handful. No doubt what money we save on growing our food will go on toys/chews/bones.

maryb

I'm having a play with making sauerkraut. If it works, I'll try growing some cabbage, though we don't have a huge amount of ground to spare. The bacteria in lacto-fermented food like that are supposed to be the new wonder cure for every ill under the sun yada yada. Not sure about that but it certainly helps the digestion.

On a similar theme I have finally managed to get a decent sourdough starter going. My previous attempts ended with a sinister looking liquid sitting on top of cement and smelling like nail varnish remover. Now I know what I was doing wrong. Firstly, it doesn't actually smell very sour at all and I thought it wasn't doing anything. But if you dip your finger in and taste it you can tell if it's developing a nice sourness. Secondly, throw away much more than the half that they recommend of each feeding when you come to refresh it - you only need about a tablespoonful to feed about 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. That smell of nail varnish remover was actually the sign that my starter was starving because I left too much starter for the amount of flour I was adding when I refreshed it.

I've made some very successful loaves in a big Le Creuset used as a Dutch oven - the steam makes all the difference. But my favourite has to be ciabatta and ciabatta loaves. Very quick (well as quick as sourdough gets) and easy and OMG they taste sooo good. And they don't upset my digestion at all.

I'm using organic flour because I don't want any glyphosate residues in my starter. From what I've read, glyphosate acts like an antibiotic and kills beneficial bacteria in your starter.

Hope this helps anyone who is trying to get a starter going

[Deleted User]

Oh yes I do remember your gorgeous puppy, I'm glad you've found him a friend who is also adding fun and probably too much bounce to your lives (I know a few collies) but is undoubtedly totally worth it! We're still walking Cookie and are just beginning to come round to the tiniest fraction of a thought that it might soon be time to think about another houndy pal. We're contemplating moving closer to our daughters and would wait until that had happened until we thought about another boy seriously, He Who Knows wants another lurcher and I would like another Border Terrier so we'll see in the future who comes to make us happy again.