Family of 5 'shop from home'food storage challenge...

lil_me

CheekyLittleMonkey these links might help

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/no-cook
http://summer.about.com/od/foodentertaining/a/nocookdesserts.htm
http://busycooks.about.com/od/summerrecipesandmenus/a/nocookdesserts.htm
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/no-cook

Broth was very nice done with bacon pieces instead of a shank, DP decided it smelt funny and has refused it so has been told he can make himself something later, I know he'll moan trying to get me to make it, will say things like 'oh I'll just get a takeaway at work' can guess it now, but I'll say fine, as long as you are paying.... Somehow managed to burn quite a bit in the bottom of the SC so scraped it out and the dogs had that, 5 portions left for meals for me just potted up and cooling down to go in the freezer, plus one for tomorrows lunch. Steak stew fell out of the freezer earlier so have got that out for tomorrows tea, was supposed to be out but been cancelled.

Autismmum I am also in the north but was told in the areas I can get to I would be waiting 4 years plus for an allotment, so have given up on that idea. I can't dig up the garden where we are as the house is rented but will be trying pots again next year, I have about 50 alpine straweberry plants from this years 'didn't think many would grow so planted all the seeds' . Flour store would have to be air tight containers but if you end up with mites in a batch you can't get rid of them usually without fumigation, I have bought flour several times where they have already been present in the flour when I have got it home, I always check now as I don't want to put a bag in my cupboard with them because they'll contaminate the rest. Info on the little pests http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7g.htm

morwenna

Might help CheekyMonkey and JamieDodger

2 and 1/2 floz milk
2 and 1/2 floz water
1lb granulated sugar
1/2 oz butter
4 oz desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla
food colouring

Heat milk & water together to boiling point.
add sugar & butter, reducing heat to cook slowly, until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Bring back to boil, put on lid and boil for 2 mins. Take off lid and boil for another 7 - 10 mins. (Soft ball stage.) Remove from heat and add coconut and vanilla. Split into two, leave half white and add colouring to the other half. Press white into lined 7 inch tin and press coloured layer over. Leave to firm up and set, then cut into small squares.

JAMIEDODGER

i have just finished the candles for my yule log:D im really pleased with it so far. i wont be adding the holly and ivy until a few days before yule though.

yategirl - i will def be starting container gardening next year! i also want more hens, i have two at the moment, ideally i would like 7/8 to keep up with our egg use!:)

Dee - aww meltdowns are hard! none of mine are asleep at the moment, dd is singing the sally and the sunflower advert as thats what she wants for xmas, ds1&2 are on the other laptop and ds3 has put on ds2's boxer shorts over his nappy and is shouting shut up at dd singing! oh the joys of parenthood!:D

Yategirl

autismmum wrote: »

i am working towards small holding, researching chicken illnesses etc. we had 6 hens but they mysteriously died.... i suspect nxtdoor, as my dog did too.
so you need understanding neighbours or lots of land. here in my village up north you can have an allotment for 4.00 a year, not bad. but i am content with my 8 apple trees and soft fruit, trade my 45 lbs of grapes for organic veg boxes for 3 months, and hope that in 5 yrs i'll be ready for a larger garden smaller home. i think allotments are a good place to swap seeds or just learn from those more knowledgeable. i like to grow my own peppers but this year im also trying to grow cranberrys !! i know its will take a while... but its fun. perhaps we can have a seed swap site, where we can all send in seeds and instructions.
as for the larder idea, i'd love one so i'm converting my understairs cupboard into one, not perfect but my kitchen is tiny. the problem is flour, how do you stop it getting flour mite???? i suppose i need to invest in an air tight bin, any suggestions ?

I am getting cranberry bushes hopefully for christmas (have asked for gooseberrys, raspberries, cranberries lol!) plus I want to get another 2-3 fruit trees. It does take a while for things to get established but so worth it! I share a lottie but it is a trek for me to get there so am working hard on getting my own garden as productive as possible plus we are getting some chickens after christmas (when dh finishes the house and run!) so will be getting eggs too I hope that in a few years we will be able to move somewhere with a bigger garden/land and hopefully a workshop for dh... I can dream

I have space under my stairs (which I want to convert into a proper space with full width doors) for some storage and dh is putting some shelves up in the garage for me so I can get a larder sorted... I wish the builders think about these things in modern houses plus remember that not everyone wants to live in a concrete shoebox with no garden...............

Yategirl

What hens have you got Jamie? I have space for 6 but we have said we will have 3 (am stretching that to 4 though!! lol!).. ds1 wants a silkie so that will be one but am hoping to have at least 2 more productive egg layers.. I am trying hard to avoid eating wheat/gluten (I don't succeed... esp when I make jammy iced buns... yeah I know... I should take more notice of the tips in this thread!) so it would be nice to have fresh eggs for breakfast

sammy_kaye18

D&DD - LAMBCHOP ARRIVED SAFE AND SOUND THIS MORNING. Ben looks super cute but wouldnt keep it on long enough for dadd yo get a picture so i will try adn get him into it on the weekend (daddys at his course tomorrow and im not here friday - got work!) but he looks so cute in it, and ive improvised the black legs and arms, brought a twin pack fo tights, put one set on as usual, then the second pair i cut out the crotch :eek: and then cut the toes off the feet, put bens head throgh the crotch bit and his arms in the legs - tada - one sheep. Cant wait now

Im havign a better day today - wen tan dpaid the rent (£205!) and that awful council tax bill (£320!) today so feel a bit more at ease. have got other bills to pay, and got £85 to last me to pay day on the 6th then I have to pay otehr bills and attempt to finish christmas shopping. Got to finish off a swap im doing - will wrap them later on or tomorrow and post them as it needs to get there for the 1st December, need to send my first reindeer card and my elf gifts! Then tomorrow i need to go and do a shop - hoping i can get away with about £30 for now. my nans been a godsend with 'christmas treats' - she brought us down an industrial size bag of jelly beans (ie the ones that fill pick a mix tubs!), tin of quality streets, 28 twix fingers, tin of danish butter biscuits, tin of chocolate biscuit selection box, and a christmas cake but we cant have it cos theres nuts and cherries in it! Plus 21 thomas the tank engine books for Benji - so dont need too many treats as i know my mother in law has us a box of choccie biccies and a trifle too! so dont need any treats really now - have enough!

Will make up some peppermint creams though to practice ready for next year - also may add some to my sisters hamper and my mums hamper, am already getting ideas for next years chrismtas and im going to save my butt off next year

Also just had the proof for the family tree for my mother which is looking good - wanting ot find information on her father so may need to ring them tomorrow to get her fathers birth certificate. hoping i could get that for her birthday in february - she has the same birthday as her dad.

Store cupboard wise im doing ok =- things are startign to look a bit bare now thoguh which is making me uneasy

JAMIEDODGER

i have miss pepperpots now. and there is nothing better than dippy eggs from your own hens with soldiers from HM bread....ahhhh the good life eh?

i would love a smallholding. unfortunately with no Mr Dodger , its unlikely i will ever be able to as i can do a lot of things but building and carpentry skills i lack:D

luckily i have a decent sized garden, a courtyard and a newly built posh shed courtesy of my parents:D it has lighting, electricity and will be my new larder and food storage space. it has room for a chest freezer, fridge and a lot of shelving, measures 10x8 and is insulated! yay! i wont be moving for a very long time...if ever....so i am aiming on my own little smallholding where i am

Yategirl

JAMIEDODGER wrote: »

luckily i have a decent sized garden, a courtyard and a newly built posh shed courtesy of my parents:D it has lighting, electricity and will be my new larder and food storage space. it has room for a chest freezer, fridge and a lot of shelving, measures 10x8 and is insulated! yay! i wont be moving for a very long time...if ever....so i am aiming on my own little smallholding where i am

that is what I am doing.... getting my house and garden to work for me... if my dream doesn't happen for whatever reason.. then at least I know I have achieved as much as I can where I am now

Do you have an eglu then? I relate Miss Pepperpots to eglus now thanks to Omlet!

JAMIEDODGER

nope no eglu, just a basic wooden hen house. they make them just up the road from me, thats where i got the hens from and i get all my pets food from there too:) if i get more hens i will need another house as mine isnt big enough:( an eglu is just a tad out of my price range sadly!

lil_me

Oh D&DD not good, big hugs, meltdowns aren't fun. We had meltdowns earlier, 2 at once, DS1 went in a one and wanted to be on his own in quiet, DS2 wanted to spin and yell, so they clashed with each other, started lashing out at each other so both boys have now got scratches and bite marks from each other and themselves, I got scratched too as I was the piggy in the middle. Not nice.