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Just had a power cut in the flat...only lasted 10 minutes...had candle set up in front room but couldnt remember where matches were found them now sit next to candle for next time also remember had led s set up in 2nd bedroom ....so not a total washout...but a wake up call nontheless18
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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-bird-flu-national-prevention-zone-declared Details here, Onebrokelady. We had no warning at all, apart from a couple of tiny articles in the news on Thursday morning. I have managed to put the polytunnel up again, so my bantams are now safely under cover; the new cover arrived on Saturday but the weather was too awful to even try to put it up, until yesterday. Luckily they don't seem to mind being confined; they have bark chips & straw on the floor to dig around in, it's light, warmer & drier than being outside, though well-ventilated, I've put a chair and some pots & old footballs & things in there to play "King of the Castle" and "oooh what's this" and both the coops are raised up off the ground so they have the full 2m x 3m floor area between the 5 of them. As 1m sq is the recommended stocking density for large fowl, and they're about a quarter of the size (though twice the characters) that's actually plenty of space for them and means we still have a little bit of garden left!
Angie - GC Oct 25: £290.57/£500: 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 40/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)15 -
Hi
Reading in the news that a food shortage may be imminent I would like to know any tips for long-term storing of fruit and veg.
I've started stocking up on tins and long-life milk etc but am concerned of the perishables.
Are those part-baked breads in plastic packets good to keep for a few weeks?
Many thanks13 -
The breads should have a best before or use by date so you should be able to work out how long you can keep them. Why not buy bread flour and yeast then all you need is salt and water to make bread. It's not difficult and there are lots of recipes online.13
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Thanks Annie.
What about fruit and veg?
Is there a good website to use for this?12 -
Tinned, dried or frozen. Depending on a) what tools/skills you have available (ie dehydrator, knowing how to can things) b) what space you have and c) how much money you have available to purchase will guide on you and what is best for your personal situation. Just don't buy stuff that you wouldn't normally eat. Choose things you enjoy now. ie, if you never normally use kidney beans, don't buy a load of tinned kidney beans as you're still unlikely to eat them!
February wins: Theatre tickets15 -
Unfortunately, I don't think our garden is big enough for birds and there's no grass at the moment. Lots of brambles though. I lurve eggs.
Husband is working from home mostly, so I've started freezing fresh organic milk in case we run out. Also bought some organic long life stuff. I'm freezing gluten-free sausages from farms and ASDA. Normally I would be stocking up on Christmas stuff, but we don't feel like celebrating in a pandemic and I figure let other people buy mince pies, I'd rather buy mince.
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I used my mother's small (6' x 4') shed to hold drinks, fresh fruit and veg and bread, last Christmas. I hadn't bothered to fight for a Christmas delivery, so the bulk of it came 2 weeks before. Everything lasted well into mid-January and part-baked rolls even longer. The rolls only last a few days once they've been open but no problems otherwise even when well past recommended date - I bought more at the start of lockdown and I still have a couple of packs (didn't buy hundreds but managed to get normal supplies after the original 'hordes descending' incidents). Some veg are best in sacks but string bags hung on hooks (in shed or garage) would be good for most things and any going off items can be weeded out before it spreads to the rest.
When I still had the big house (4 bed) I had a 'vestibule/ porch' thing which was cold in winter and warm- hot in summer. I put all the milk, juice, cheese and dairy (just a little bit in the fridge) in there and again was mostly okay for several weeks (then would use it for growing on seeds and cuttings). DS2 was at university and although I was the poorest, I was also the nearest parent and one of his housemates would drive him home in the car and they would strip the freezer (6 boys in one house and all ran out of money at the same time - I was a traidcraft rep at the time and they loved my bulk bags of toilet rolls). I have taken them to the SM and loaded a trolley for them to take back with them (is it any wonder I'm poor) and I once bought a double order at the freezer shop. They didn't turn up the day after, as I had anticipated but it had snowed, so I packed half the frozen stuff in an old plastic bin (I acquired several that people had thrown out when we changed over to wheelie bins) and packed snow all round it - it was intact when they finally turned up.
When the boys were younger and we lived on a series of other people's cast offs, I couldn't always afford to replace the fridge when it broke down. I've kept fridge stuff outside in a strong crate for weeks in winter and colder times (put it in shade behind the water butt when we had sunny days). The crates were one of the best toys the boys ever had. An old shop was being refurbished and a load of heavy duty plastic crates had been thrown into a skip (from the days when bottles were returned to the shop and thence to the manufacturer). They had obviously been kept in a cellar for many years, so after dark I rescued them, scrubbed them in the bath with lots of disinfectant and put them in the yard. The boys would use them to build (an aeroplane using the stripped box frame
of an old bed, obstacle/ assault courses for themselves, the cats or their toys - never underestimate the joy to be found from a leftover piece of drain pipe), used for extra seating/ table supports when lots of their friends came round and of course used to grow veg in (if it will hold soil, I've grown veg in it).My mission in life is not only to survive,but to thrive and to do so with some Passion, some Compassion, some Humour and some Style.NST SEP No 1 No Debt No mortgage20 -
Thank you mothernerd.
At the moment there is just me and my wife at home but shortly our son will be back from Uni.
In my shed I have stored a lot of tinned soups, beans and Fray Bentos pies already. I also, have 2 sacks of potatoes.
I've been buying cartons of juice and the Christmas drinks (while on offer) for the past few weeks.
I reckon I have enough to last us for a month.
I believe that apples can last a while if stored properly.12 -
We had a bumper crop of bramleys this year. We sorted them and are using the damaged/less than perfect ones first. The best ones are buried in boxes of shredded paper in the integral garage. Last year they kept until after Easter. I usually check them at regular intervals and remove any rotten ones.
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