The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

elaine241

Well it seems everyone has worries that they are dealing with the best they can :-(.
I have my own drama where I am hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Yesterday I developed a slight fever, occasional cough and felt like I was going down with a cold. In normal times I would just take the L*msip and man up! But in these extraordinary times, I worried, kept away from everyone by taking my horse out for a long ride and then came home and explained the situation. I didn't sleep very well last night going worrying over where and when I could have contracted any illness let alone Covid. I have been very vigilant, wearing masks, disposable gloves and using anti viral spray every time I have gone off the farm. I have only left the farm once a week since before lock down. The only thing that has changed is youngest son went back to school for two hours a week ago, although again they had sanitiser, social distancing etc and he was very careful. Both sons have gone to school for two hours this week on one day each, and I have gone to town as usual for my groceries. The only thing I can think of is that I have picked up a virus from touching the gates on the farm where people lean on them when they look at the animals, either that or from post or grocery packaging that I haven't anti viral sprayed. 
Either way this morning I have ordered four home testing kits and as we are classed as Key workers, I am hoping they will be delivered quite swiftly, with the results being equally as swift. I have spoken to the doctor and she has said they results come back in two /three days so fingers crossed!!

Living_proof

All the best elaine, we will all be rooting for you and your family. My live-out other half managed to contract a really bad cold half way through the lockdown, even though he wasn't leaving his house or garden and we couldn't understand where he could have caught it. Let's hope your will fall into the same mystery illness, but better to be safe than sorry.

Zentimes

Very worrying for you, Elaine. I hope you get the test results back swiftly, with any luck it'll be just a regular bug.

DawnW

Fingers crossed for you it is just a cold Elaine.

thriftwizard

Elaine, I was advised to have a test a few week back, after reporting a slight headache to the Zoe study, and it arrived the next day, was picked up the morning after as I'd booked the courier (who turned out to be the postie lad who lives over the road) for then, and I got the result - negative, thankfully! - by text two days later, even though that was a Sunday. Hopefully whatever you have will pass as swiftly & benignly as my headache did.

Greenglockenspiel

Elaine, hope you are ok and it’s something benign. OH and I have been sniffling (no cough/fever) for the past few days and I’ve put it down to dust allergies and needing to hoover 😬 Could it be any kind of allergies/hay fever for you? 

[Deleted User]

We've put very substantial chains and padlocks on both the front and back gates to the garden and both sheds have pretty good padlocks on too.  Sadly the thing I don't want stolen in the beans growing in the back border and I feel any would be thef will be sadly disappointed at the contents of either shed!

-taff

Si_Clist said:

Well a few weeks back we really thought we were going to be scratching for gooseberries this year, but it hasn't turned out that way at all.  This morning we picked the last 12lbs off the Leveller in the back garden, and that makes nigh on 25lb off that one bush.  And we've still got one Howard's Lancer and two Crown Bobs to go ...

That's the second lot of bottling from it.  We also did 12 jars of goosegog and elderflower jam last week ...

@Si_Clist any chance of masterclass in your gooseberry bottling. I've read the MAF book and think I've got it, half sugar to liquid ratio for the syrup, add gooseberries and syrup alternately to bottles and process in slow water bath method for 15 mins when at temperature? I take it your bottles are screw band bottles, so I'm just checking the water doesn't go into the bottle while they're boiling if that makes sense?

euronorris

Fingers crossed for you Elaine. Hope results come back quickly too!

Si_Clist

I don't know about a masterclass but I've just consulted the Head Bottler for you to check, and FWIW this is how we do it ...

1. T & t goosegogs, wash, fill jars and pack down (otherwise when they're done and cooled down, you'll wish you had).

2. Add fairly hot syrup (3 or 4 oz sugar to the pint) to brim, twist jar a few times sharpish or knock on table to get out any bubbles, and top up with syrup if necessary.

3. Remove lid from pan of water where lids have been quietly simmering to soften seals (and to some extent "sterilise"), place on jar and fit screw band so that it just grabs.  The idea is to keep out the water whilst allowing any air in the jar to escape as it heats up.

4.  Bung in water bath and do for 10 mins at temperature. 

5.  When time's up, remove and twist bands to secure lids, wait a minute or two and then let's twist again (what happened to Chubby Checker?  And does it matter?).  Some will tighten a bit more, others won't.  It's all in the lap of the gods.

6.  Then put kettle on for a brew and hope that the lids snap down on all of your jars.  If any don't, have stewed goosegogs for tea as a nice surprise. 

HTH a bit

PS  We used to fret about the water getting into the jars, but IIRC the only time it ever did was on one jar, and that was down to Operator Error ...