THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Katieowl

I have a preppy question Can someone recommend proper airtight storage boxes (makers?) that I could store a good few kilo bags of flour in? We live in a dampish cottage, and I'd like to increase my Armageddon stash a bit. I don't want anything too huge because of moving it about, but I'd buy several if necessary. TIA.

mardatha

You got any room in the freezer katie?

GreyQueen

I'm a fan of Lock&Lock and a veteran poster rates the really useful boxes by BigDug:http://www.bigdug.co.uk/ but I'm not sure about airtightness, you'd have to have a poke around on that site. L&L are definately airtight and waterproof. HTH.

frosty

Scrimps wrote: »

Ive been re- lurking on this thread recently. We're expecting our second child and its kicked the prepping into gear. DH is also more on board than he used to be. Nothing major but I like to just ensure I always have enough food in the house if the shops run out (it took a long time for the southwest to restock during the winter snow) or we dont get paid for a month or something, we will have enough.

Im also prepping for two hungry mouths to feed in the coming years and have been looking at buying fruit trees for the garden. I eat a lot of apples so will be putting a couple of small ones in, and a pear tree also. Im not sure about plum trees - Im a bit worried about excessive wasps. We already grown a bit of veg but the slugs get a lot of it. Our garden isnt particularly productive due to my lack of input tp be honest so I really want to up that and really working on the slug and snail population! Nemaodes have helped with the slugs and i really need to start snail patrols when its wet, they took all my young carrots! I used to be able to kill them but cant bring myself to do it now so I will relocate them to the local grassland.

If anyone has any thoughts re the fruit trees/productive and a prepping to be able to feed yourself as much as possible with a small family, id love to hear them.

We have a plum tree and its full of fruit,they do attract wasps but we have found wasp traps from homebargains (pack of two) 99p are brilliant.We have an apple tree,2 pear trees,6 blueberry bushes,black currant bushes,raspberries,strawberries,blackberry.And a cherry tree,this has been a fab year for fruit,filled a freezer and told neighbours to help themselves.

GreyQueen

Evening all.


Well, minor hiccup here at Shoebox Towers as our communal heating and hot water boiler house is out for the count; a pump has gone. Normally that wouldn't be a problem as there are two pumps and only one is needed at a time.


Pump 2 has failed when Pump 1 just happened to be in the workshop for routine maintenance. Sod's Law, innit? It may be back tomorrow but the gas engineer who was telling me this isn't hopeful. If it doesn't get restored tomorrow it won't be worked on until at least Monday.


Fortunately no heat is needed at this time of year but the only hot water we have is what happens to be in our own tanks and once it's gone it's gone. I've told SG and she'll tell lots of others.


I shall be careful to use as little as possible of the hot water and reserve it for dishwashing/ taking the chill off a bowl of personal washwater.



I was thinking about methods of heating water and realised I am well equipped. I have three stovetop kettles, two large stainless steel dome type models and also a camping kettle, plus an elderly electric kettle which is stored against the day I need hot water and have electricity but not the gas on.


I can also use the clean water from the bottom section of the veg steamer pan to warm up dishwashing water.


There's lots of things you can do if you have a heads-up, I'm so glad I bumped into the gas engineer on my way into the block this afternoon, better to know in advance rather than find out once I'd run off the tankful.

Katieowl

mardatha wrote: »

You got any room in the freezer katie?

Not Usually....might have a bit apres Xmas, never thought of freezing it LOL

Karmacat

GreyQueen wrote: »

Well, minor hiccup here at Shoebox Towers as our communal heating and hot water boiler house is out for the count; a pump has gone. Normally that wouldn't be a problem as there are two pumps and only one is needed at a time.

Pump 2 has failed when Pump 1 just happened to be in the workshop for routine maintenance. Sod's Law, innit? It may be back tomorrow but the gas engineer who was telling me this isn't hopeful. If it doesn't get restored tomorrow it won't be worked on until at least Monday.

I was thinking about chains of events like that the other day ... yep, two events counts as a minor hiccup ... the bigger the chain gets, the worse the potential: if it had happened during wintertime, or a gale, or a toxic chemical spill, or a WWII bomb being discovered, or a flood ... :eek:

My own prepstering had to take a back seat for a minor hiccup - instead of planting my new mint, or chopping back more perennial weeds prior to digging them up, I had to have a phone confab with my brother, while my sister came over to me especially for the confab, about the details of selling the house we've inherited. Even though there's no issues between us, it's a stressful situation, none of us have any previous experience of online estate agents, its the nitty gritty (erm, no one else noticed they were charging £120 for a mortgage. No mortgage is concerned with any of this!) It's only thanks to MSE I read the quote line by line.

At least I've recovered enough to take out the rubbish to the bin for collection tomorrow

GreyQueen

If it'd happened in a few months' time, the lack of heat would have adversely impacted on the elderly and unwell but wouldn't have made an awful lot of difference to me.


These flats are miniscule and the kitchen opens off the living room, therefore any use of the stove, or even the castoff heat from refridgeration heats the place. They are also very very well-insulated, with double-glazing and cavity wall insualtion, so don't ever get really cold. I also have HWBs x 2 and a heatpad.


I think it's important to think about what you'd do ahead of time so that you can move smoothly into the plan as needed. The reason I have two identical stainless steel stovetop kettles is that Mum liked mine so much, she bought an identical one. Hers suffered an incident with an overfull gas flame and has a malfunctional plastic cover over the spout; it won't hinge open to pour out the water, you'd have to hold it back with an ovengloved hand.


For her, that's enough of a nuisance for her to replace it and the old one was going to recycling until I claimed it, cleaned it up immaculately and have it stored against there either being a fault with mine or having the need to heat a lot of water in short order.


The camping kettle is a smaller one than these monsters and aluminium, but is still a decent size, plus I have some very large cooking pots which could also be used for boiling water.


I remember when we toured with a doubledecker bus with a mini kitchenette that it was always a PITA getting enough hot water to wash dishes and pans properly.


Righty-o, going to head offline and do some reading before bed, don'l like to do screens much later than this, it seems to interere with my sleep pattern.


Love and peas to one and all, GQ xx

jk0

Sorry to hear about your heating problems GQ.



I had a SHTF at one of my rentals today, but fortunately it is vacant at the moment. This is a flat in Torquay I bought for my aunt to rent in 2005. Sadly someone turned a bungalow next door into a house wiping out all the sea views and about a third of the value. I have rented it out since Auntie left in 2008.



Recently I tried to sell it again, but have not a sniff of a viewer, so I told my agent to relet it. I was happy to hear someone was supposed to be moving in next week. However, today the agent did the gas check, and the boiler has been condemned due to the flue going through the roof of the block.


I have the choice of either installing storage heaters or sending the flat to auction. I'm going to sleep on it before making a decision.

DigForVictory

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm a fan of Lock&Lock

Likewise, and we were very pleased to find The Range had a generous selection at downright reasonable in comparison with other suppliers prices. They also have an online presence, which rather decided me on an otherwise longer than I'd bother with car trip, as not only could I see what they had at what price, I could phone ahead & check the store had all I was after...

Hurrah for a bit of forewarning on lacking hot water. Son working at garden centre would be met at local pool & told to wash there! In fact, I think we might make a family outing of it in the event, but for one who knows the delicate art of washing with a jug & basin I have only applause.