The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Cheapskate

Hello, nearly a hundred pages since I posted, can't believe it's been so long!!  :
Will have a read back, but just popping up to say hello until I catch up a bit, and hoping you're all keeping as well as you can.  

A xo

MrsStepford

Crossing fingers for you.
I am an Amazon Prime member. I use it a lot. Amazon Pantry was due to end at end of June. Noticed more food in Amazon grocery. It's necessary to get the calculator out and compare prices to supermarkets, but it is possible to pick up good bargains. Don't assume that a photo of 6 jars of tomato puree means you will get six jars. Check wording carefully. Yes, paid 6.81 for 1 jar thinking I was buying six. 

Greenglockenspiel

Good point about the flu jab Elaine. I normally get mine at work but I might still be wfh by then - I’m not expected back in the office before September at least (and I’m definitely not keen to start travelling back into London just as cold and flu season kicks off!) so may need to think about having it done locally. 

3secondmemory

elaine241 said:

srn said:

Elaine, my adult son who lives with us became ill on Saturday tea time, high temperature, feeling ill, no appetite, bit of a cough, we were very concerned as my husband and I had seen our baby granddaughter a couple of days before, we assumed we were safe because no-one in our household had been anywhere for a couple of weeks.  He booked a drive through test for 1/2 an hour later, which went like clockwork, I drove him there because he felt too ill to drive, we both wore n95 masks.  We got the results the next day, mid afternoon, thankfully negative.

He is not working at present, had only been to the shops a couple of weeks ago and done a couple of click and collects for us, so we were amazed that he could have actually picked anything up!!  He was pretty poorly for 4 days, but is now better although no appetite.

I just wanted to reassure you that there are obviously other bugs going around, it's not forced to be coronavirus.

I was pretty impressed with the test centre and the speed of the results.

Thank you! In fact thank you all !
I have been religiously taking my temperature and apart from a half degree increase at one point it seems normal. I don't seem to be coughing as much today so fingers crossed. My Covid home test kit is due to be delivered sometime today, hopefully in time to get it into a priority postbox this evening. ( before this I didn't know there were such things as priority post boxes for Covid tests!!) I am annoyed that despite my precautions it seems I have managed to pick up a bug somewhere, be it Covid or a summer cold. It just goes to show you how many bugs are out there! I have been thinking that I will have to increase my precautions come the winter as I don't particularly want flu either. I may have a flu jab privately if there are any about and hopefully they choose the strain most likely to be prevalent this season.
I am looking at visors on Amazon as they maybe needed for the winter season. There seems to be very mixed reviews for the same product which is confusing. I am looking at the kmina pro, which does not fold up but seems to be supplied by a company supplying mobility aids and has been made to a good standard. Let me know what you all think? Maybe I am feeling vulnerable and going overboard with the ppe!
Amazon is actually addictive I think! Ok I live in the sticks so anything that delivers free/cheaper than I can drive to buy it seems good. I am busy looking at the rice/beans/flours etc so going full prepper mode. I will compare it with local shop prices to see how cost effective it is. 
I need to go and pick some veg/fruit from the garden, make bread and generally distract myself. I am keeping a record of what produce I freeze/bottle/use , I am sure I will be very surprised at how much a garden can produce.

I am now on antibiotics following a visit to a breathing clinic last week! To be fair, the specialist I saw, pointed out that because I have been in isolation since November, I’m going to catch a lot of regular bugs which can compromise you when it comes to Covid19. In short, his view was to ignore government advice – the risk to certain individuals hasn’t changed, it’s still fatal or life changing for us. he made no bones about the fact that we will need to remain shielded for the foreseeable future.



apparently all our flu jabs are going to be rolled forward and they’re going to start administering them from August onwards.  Try and get in the front of the queue. 😃

DigForVictory

Thank you for the heads up on the flu shot schedule - I will share that with my parents & husband & see if I can't get him neatly masked & T shirted to wherever the nurse wants him. Last year was a sociable thing, the seriously vintage down to teenage carers, everyone helping each other on & off with winter coats in the queue. This year won't have that, so the sunnier the weather the better. I may also haul young to the supermarket pharmacy for a shot once they're on sale. Yes they have human rights but do they want to help nurse their father through an avoidable & scary time?!

Time to go commune with my tomato & courgette plants. I don't know if a gentle murmur of "grow, you blighter" helps them, but it does wonders for me. (Even in the rain, which the offspring think is truly deranged).

missychrissy

I decided to show you why I keep eyeing up Si’s fruit and what I’m talking about re making wine. I can get 6 5 gall fermenters in my boiler cupboard. As you can see I have room for one more in there on top of that lidded bucket. When the wine is ready it goes up on the utility worktop. That’s grape, apple and pear at the moment. This was made out of cartons of juice and works out at 14%. I only bottle when I’m giving it away, which is quite often, my youngest took 3 bottles last week.
I set off 5 galls of apple wine on Wed: 8 1L cartons of Aldi apple juice (59p) each; 5 and a quarter kg of sugar (59p kg) in B n M (I know it’s cheaper in farm foods but I have to pay to park there); 3 teaspoons of pectolase, citric acid and yeast nutrient; the following day I add a sachet of all purpose wine yeast and off we go. Rack off in a month and approx. 2 weeks later clear wine. That’s 5 galls (approx 30 bottles) for under £10.

I do of course use real fruit when I can get it. Oh what I could do with Si’s rhubarb and goose gigs.  I’ve got 5 galls of elderflower (picked from the hedgerows) on the go at the moment. I’m hoping to do blackberry in the autumn, elderberry and hopefully sloe.

MrsCD

DawnW said:

@elaine241 Squires are cheaper than Amazon https://www.squires-shop.com/catalogue/bread-making-and-flour

I have no connection with them other than as a customer. They were straightforward to deal with, quick delivery. Local wholesalers who normally supply the hospitality trade around here have also opened up to private customers, may be the same where you are - supermarkets have been pretty rubbish, but I have found several sources of flour, if you don't mind larger sizes.

Thank you for recommending this company. I've just had a delivery of 16kg each of self raising and plain flour.  I ordered them on Tuesday and the arrived this morning. Really good service. Now... How to store it all 😉

srn

Missychrissy - I have started making my own wine, last autumn I tried apple cider and pear cider, made from my own and my sons apples and pears.  My clever husband made me a pulper and a press which worked really well, tried it this spring and it is great, although quite potent, only got 6 bottles left so planning on doubling up this year.  I got the bug and then made plum wine and bullace wine, it's a slow job and this has all just been bottled, a bit dubious re taste but hopefully it will improve with keeping.  If it doesn't it's nice mixed with lemonade as a long drink.  I also tried orange wine, made from clemtentines, which was a real hit, only made 5 litres of this and that has all been drunk, so now have 20 litres of that on the go.  I also make plum, sloe and damson vodka and gin, always a welcome gift.
I was interested to read that you use juices, I think I will have a go at that.
I also want to try my hand at beer, I think that will be from a kit though.
Lovely to meet a fellow brewer, although I fear you are far more experienced than I am.

euronorris

Well, we've returned from our break away (which was lovely), and found the mange tout had gone mad. Picked a whole bowl full. Some gone too far, so will let them go a bit further before harvesting for seeds. A lot of blueberries had ripened also. Tomatoes hanging on in there, and cherry tomatoes are starting to blush. 

I will get flu jab privately, as in previous years, as work will reimburse.

missychrissy

I’m glad to hear there’s another brewer. I would love a press but I have to make do with a juicer for now. In the absence of fresh fruit I use cartons. It was a jennyjelly recipe on here years ago that I use and adapt. I don’t know whether jennyjelly still participates on MSE. I’ve been doing it for about 12 years now. Initially I was trying to save up to help my 4 sons with wedding costs. I decided if I could halve the cost of everything (I called it the half rule) I would be able to make the necessary savings. I grouped the utilities together and made massive savings, along with food and clothing. I nearly put wine into my ‘giving up completely rule’ category but decided to have a go at making my own. I had a few disasters along the way but I can now produce a cheap and palatable glass of wine.