The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

euronorris

I've been getting bits for Xmas for a while anyway. More to spread the cost, and take advantage of sales/offers when available.

Si_Clist

And I keep checking Tesco's website for the first sighting of Xmas puds.  Next year's diary's ordered and should be here midweek, so as soon as we've got our two puds and a couple of bags of lebkuchen on order, that's our festive spending all done

-taff

I got my pud in January this year. I'm very particular and I like ones with nuts. There's actually still some of last years in the fridge waiting to be eaten or made into something...And I will be eating it not throwing it away. I need some brandy though or rum which I don't have...*adds it to shopping list

Serendipitious

The local Co-op had chickens last week - following days of empty meat fridges - so I bought a large one, double wrapped it and froze it as a Xmas standby.

Harvested the last of the tomatoes today, they'll have to ripen indoors now, there's no warmth outside anymore. My bush tomatoes turned into unwieldy triffids but yielded about 200 fruit per plant which I am pleased with. Lots of people enjoyed them so I decided next year I will grow them each a plant of their own and distribute them when they're in their final pots.

I am very pleased with my efforts this year - my first outdoor space in many years. I have maintained what was already here, produced something to eat, a constant supply of flowers for the house, some lovely containers of fuchsias and  petunias to look at, and have put some perennials in the border. I've also sorted one difficult area and done some crevice planting of alpines in another, so lots to look forward to next Spring. Aiming for low maintenance generally, so I can focus more on growing food.

thriftwizard

It's likely we won't have turkey for Christmas, as my young farmer friend hasn't raised any poultry this year - so we'll have something different. I'll be making puddings & cake shortly & the girls are in charge of gingerbread, though I'll gladly pick up some liebküchen if I see any. I already have supplies to make mincemeat (loads of apples to use up!) including brandy, and gin for sloe gin, but may need to round some more dried fruit. One way or another - we'll cope. And have fun doing it.

Karmacat

As a vegetarian, I tend to make the most luxurious nut roast I can: whole cashews, whole chestnuts, and the gloop/setting mix has lots of ground almonds.  I may have a pack of cranberries left, but in any case, I have figs, dessicated coconut and coconut fat.  All very yum.

Auntycaz

Si_Clist said:

And I keep checking Tesco's website for the first sighting of Xmas puds.  Next year's diary's ordered and should be here midweek, so as soon as we've got our two puds and a couple of bags of lebkuchen on order, that's our festive spending all done

Did you see they have Nido on clubcard offer for £6 for the 900gm tin

boultdj

@Si_Clist, the puddings are in the christmas section on the tesco website when I looked on friday.

GaleSF63

prepareathome said:

pineapple said:

I'm the other way round. I've never thought of having an electric one! You can find excellent manual can openers these days - nothing like the instruments of torture some of us were brought up with.

I still have one of those (well hope I do must check the drawer I keep it in) - still has the sharp lethal point at end.  Many years old but I keep it as it's my true emergency option if now power so my Kenwood Electric Can Opener won't work and the new hand operated ones just wander around the top of the can, or fall to bits (both has happened over the years).    I have watched quite a few You Tube videos of people being creative if they find their can opener, be it power by electric or hand, is broken

That's exactly what happens - the cans seem to have too deep a rim for a lot of openers, and the only opener I've found to be satisfactory  (and not always) is the traditional "butterfly" opener. It is often too difficult for my hands now, but I can usually manage by putting a screwdriver through the holes and using that to turn it. 

Recently I had a tin of corned beef with the key opener, and of course the metal strip broke. I discovered that the metal of the can is sufficiently thin/soft that a pair of kitchen scissors could cut it quite easily so although I'll try to be a bit more careful with the key in future, at least there is an escape route and I don't have to stop buying corned beef. 

Next time I have a problem - although I try not to buy cans that don't have the pull rings - I will see how the big scissors manage to get through the tin's rim. They are such inferior products now; the tins bend so easily,  the scissors may manage!

evebeme

I tried umpteen dozen can openers til I found Swingaway. Has worked perfectly. Not sure you have them but possibly, since I've found them in Canada and Australia. Eve