THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

He Who Knows has gone off fishing so I have a day to myself today. I'm looking on the 'net for some vegetable/bean/lentil stew recipes to write down in a separate book to a) use up what we grow and b) give us full tums this winter if the price of meat becomes higher than I can afford or am prepared to pay. I think it comes under the prepping umbrella and it seems like a sensible idea to me to have some 'pottage' style dishes to hand? after all our remote ancestors virtually lived on pottage, bread and ale didn't they?

elona

MrsL

That is a really good idea. I used to have some "emergency" recipes for when an unexpected bill or expense came up, like stuffed mushrooms, homity pies, pea and ham soup, home made pizzas etc.

I found I was using my soupmaker in the winter as it saved time and energy and also the actifry rather than an oven. A very large potato turned into low fat chips with an egg and beans added made a big and cheap meal. I want to get back into using my breadmaker as it is so much cheaper and nicer than ready made packaged stuff.

Home made soup and a roll or a home made pizza had my dds delighted and cost very little.

We forget that traditionally very little meat, if any would be used in soups, stews and casseroles. There were good reasons why things like oatcakes, potato scones, pancakes, pasties, pies, stovies etc were staple standbys.

Cappella

I used to cook this Tudor pottage when I taught the Tudors as a history unit. Filling and not as bad as it sounds when you read the ingredient list.
https://www.heritagelincolnshire.org/wp-content/uploads/repair-of-hussey-tower-early-tudor-food.pdf

We love thick vegetable/dried haricot bean stoups. I soak the beans for an hour or two in boiling water, throw everything in the slow cooker with a handful of pearl barley and cook overnight. I make split pea pottage the same way using carrots, onions dried lovage if celery isn't available and our own dried peas. In thevmorning I add kale, or spinach and leave it another hour. Freezes well, and if you're not dieting add dumplings. Although I'm probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here.

I've never successfully dried broad beans though (don't have a dehydrater but am saving up for one).

GreyQueen

Broad beans dry just fine spread out on a tray, Cappella, I've got shedloads of the dadblasted things, far more than I would ever need for seed, in kilner jars in the kitchen.

I suspect that their function in life is something akin to that of dwarf bread - you always know you have something to eat, you just always find an excuse not to do so.:rotfl:

daz378

my thoughts are with those affected with the horrific attack, i used to work at the Arena 20 odd years ago, i only live a short bus ride away.....to target young children is awful we should be careful with the oxygen of publicity and refer to those responsible as psychotic criminals..... you all take care

Karmacat

Good point about the publicity, Daz.

Had to come on and tell peeps about my result with the Lionel Shriver book The Mandibles, I'm sure I heard about it on here ... my library does it as an ebook, so I have it **now** :beer: am very happy

moneyistooshorttomention

It was on here I read about it - and duly got a copy of "The Mandibles".

Errrm...no happy ending on that book then....:cool:

But it was an introduction to an author I'd not come across before and I rather like her take on things and have duly read another one of her books since and now got a 3rd one. I guess it's the way that she looks at things quite dispassionately/objectively and doesn't go in for "political correctness" - but tells it straight in the way she puts things.

[Deleted User]

Just found out that, one of the victims, is the wife of one of the contractors, who does work for our company.

Thankfully, their daughter survived.

ivyleaf

Oh Bob The poor family.

[Deleted User]

We've finally (4th attempt) got some stringless runner beans to germinate and they are almost big enough to plant out on the wigwam. We've had trouble getting courgettes going too this year and the butternut squash plants are looking very poorly on the allotment despite being regularly watered. It's an aspect of prepping to perhaps have alternative crops in mind to grow if anything fails in the year. Runner beans, courgettes and squash aren't mainstream contributors to our diet BUT we'd notice the gap if they weren't available and it would mean no new seed for the following year if it was a complete fail. Luckily we've had a good germination rate with climbing French beans and a couple of pumpkin plants looking strong and healthy but if it had been potatoes/leeks etc. we'd have a big gap and if it was an emergency situation we'd have gone hungry. We'll sow extra beetroot to fill gaps it grows well and relatively quickly but this year we've very patchy parsnip rows, anyone else having problems?