Prepping for Brexit thread

Living_proof

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

This morning on the news there is an interesting item on climate change suggesting we NEED urgently to move from animal based diets to a plant based diet which on the surface sounds very sensible to combat climate change by using the soil more sensibly to grow veg and fruit and not graze animals on. I will be reading the thinking behind it to see if I can find the actual facts as the concept makes a great deal of good sense to me. It will be hard for many who are only used to a meat and dairy based diet but if that's what it takes to slow the climate related weather events that are happening with alarming regularity and perhaps reverse the reasons they happen then for the future of all of humanity we may have to make a commitment to actually do so.

I gave up all animal products two years ago. This followed a green smoothie diet for 10 days, when I realised I didn't actually miss meat, cheese, etc. Then I started looking into the nutrition side of things which led to considering sustainability issues and animal welfare. I am convinced we need to change and change quickly and drastically for the planet as a whole. The only food I do still miss is fish but having seen the state of the oceans on Blue Planet I think I may be wise to avoid them. If everyone could limit their meat and fish intake to a couple of times a week it would be a huge advance and I think the younger generation are accepting that with the great increase in vegan foods being sold (although processed food as a rule should be avoided).

[Deleted User]

Fuddle the way to make S/R flour is to add two rounded teaspoons of baking powder to every 8oz of plain flour.

cuddlymarm

We eat a lot less meat than we used to. I gradually introduced more veg by having veg curries, cauliflower cheese etc and having more veg and smaller portions of meat. The main thing is that plain veg can be quite boring but we use spices and chutneys quite a lot.
The important thing I found is to introduce more veg gradually. I tried once to change all at once and was met with opposition from the 3 carnivores in my life but by introducing 1 day a week, then 2 and so on they hardly noticed.
Now they understand the health, finance and eco implications it’s much easier.

DigForVictory

Just a reassurance to anyone dehydrating bell peppers - They Really Do Shrink.
Lots.
Even relatively chunky cut strips are looking like bright needles.

The jerky on the other hand has come out rather well - all credit to himself who mixed the marinade. I may be persuaded into making more once I figure out how to stop the chaps wolfing what was 3 lb of beef. A successful move towards plant based eating will require me to come up with something as flavourful & gnawable. That latter is a challenge!

Primrose

It would be sensible to prioritise running down our freezer and eating as much as possible out of it now so we can restock it in the period running up to October 31st but with lots of nice fresh vegetables ready for eating growing in the garden one is torn between enjoying them at their best and doing the sensible thing.

I'm also finding that in this warmer weather I often don't have such a big appetite and can,t face the heavier casserole or spag Bol type sauces from the freezer and just prefer a light salad with a hard boiled egg or piece of cheese. If I was starting with a new empty freezer from scratch I'd probably have a different strategy now but in most homes I suspect big freezer use and restocking is probably always a work in progress

[Deleted User]

A news item from a cheese making factory this morning gives me hope that if we do have no deal and no trade agreement with the EU the exports they normally send (some 30% of the cheese made there) will not be sent overseas but will be sold here in the UK! the whole import/export quota thing makes no sense whatsoever to me and the exporting of goods to Europe so they can reciprocate with the same goods imported into the UK is frankly crazy. Perhaps we will NOT be so very much worse off in terms of shortages if the growers/manufacturers/farmers/supermarkets here sell us UK produced products instead of European goods. Maybe we'll not have as much variety as we do currently BUT I don't think we'll go hungry!

[Deleted User]

I have also cut back a fair bit on meat eating ,most of the stuff I get now if at all is y/s if possible I mad a super veggie curry last week with lots of portions for the freezer it used up sweet potatoes and and part of a huge cauli that I had got reduced in price. I remember when it was the norm to only have meat around the size of the palm of your average hand so you really don't need to pile it up on the plate. I have found chicken thighs a great replacement for a whole chicken ,especially when making a chicken curry .I have a large turkey leg in the freezer which will be defrosted ,probably after my holiday and slow cooked and the meat from it will be turned into some pasties for the freezer mixed with a little sage and onion stuffing and some diced mixed veg I estimate I should get a good 8 pasties if I mix it with veg plus any meat left over will go into a curry, ot maybe even shedded into soup. I use every scrap I can to extend food with veg as much as possible ,with meat being expensive its definitely the way to go.it helps that I will eat almost any veg at all and for my main dinner at night I still use my late Mum's trick of either HM soup before the main meal or a pudding afterwards ,just having two courses also helps you feel more than full enough A nice rice pud or semolina pud made with evaporated milk lasts me a good 3-4 days at least in the fridge. And Veggie soups is great for using up the stuff from the bottom of the veg box thats perhaps past its best I don't think with a bit of rejigging we shall starve in the UK ,we may not have quite so much choice but as a poster said look in old recipe books and see what your Granny made do with. I was a war time child and grew up not knowing that you could buy food without coupons, but I certainly never went hungry or without ,mind you we didn't have snacks between meals either which wasn't a bad thing I notice that if you go to the cinema folk have to buy buckets of popcorn or hot dogs and pints of pop and they are only in the movies about an hour and a half Can folk not got that long without eating nowadays ?. I like a cuppa mid-morning and maybe a couple of biscuits but if I am busy then I don't bother and wait until lunchtime. Perhaps Brexit may improve the nation's health by folk not stuffing their faces quite so much

Ellidee

Hello preppers I mostly lurk on MSE and I just saw this useful link about the shelf life of food on another thread and thought it might be helpful to share it here....https://www.stilltasty.com/

DigForVictory

I am intrigued by the "foods that last forever" - and slightly bemused that hard liquor lasts. I suspect that depends on who else knows where it is...

<says she watching the beef jerky disappear...>

dreaming

When I had a clear out of my food cupboards earlier this year I came across a bottle of malt vinegar which was past it's "best before date". I was a bit taken aback as obviously vinegar is used to preserve food. I remembered bringing the bottle when I moved from my last house (2010) so it feels a bit like a family herloom and went back into the cupboard. To be honest I don't really use malt vinegar so it could easily go but maybe I'm hoping it will do the wine into vinegar thing = in reverse.