I'm back! Trying to spend less on food!

boultdj

If you have some where to over winter the pepper plants they will fruit earlier next year. Most people don't know peppers and chillies are perennial plants. Same with tomatoes according to a lad on youtube.  The peppers and chillies I have done myself for a few years. hth.

mumtoomany

Thanks, @boultdj. I'd  forgotten that about pepper plants. DD1 had a pepper plant at school in the classroom, you reminded me. Problem will be finding somewhere warm enough. Very old, cold house! Must get my thinking cap on, and keep it on to stay warm. Haha. They are in the polytunnel, so hopefully a while of warmth yet. 

Pizza was good, both had seconds. Finished off the bread pudding after. 

Didn't get out to sort the bed in the end, too wet! Try again tomorrow. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Floss

I used to overwinter chilli plants in a polycarb greenhouse.

boultdj

Would one of the plastic green houses put up in side the polytunnel work if you have one spare, so it acts like double glazing but a plant version.

mumtoomany

Hi, @boultdj, that's an idea. I wonder what I could rig up to cover the plants in the tunnel. Hmmm? Watch this space, thank you.

Weather seems much better today, at least the fog has cleared. One disadvantage for living quite high. Will be outside as soon as my coffee is drunk. Lunch will be pizza, left from yesterday. 

Grandchildren will be back at school tomorrow. And we are now in the ber months, or as I think of them the brrr months. Will have to find time to look through my thermals. Last year, I found the elastic had perished in a couple of pairs of long johns. I replaced it, but some of the other pairs are of similar age. Mens long johns are much warmer than women's thermals, and seem to be more hard wearing. I must also buy some new wellies. The ones I've been wearing have had it! I've patched them twice, but now the splits have returned and are too big. I can't really complain. They came from a box of second hand wellies left by the previous owners of the house. I've been working my way through them for over ten years. Various sizes from 3 to 7. This latest pair were size 6, I'm size 4-5, maybe that's why they split. The box is now empty, I'll have to pay for a pair.

Coffee finished, hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Morning all. We went into town yesterday, dadtoomany needed some hinges. Bought two bottle of milk £2, pack of 27 mini chocolate biscuits £1.25, and a bag of tortilla chips 89p, total £4.14. The tortillas are for when we have enchiladas later this week or next. The biscuits are the cheapest I can find for dadtoomany and occasionally me. All these were from farm foods. I also got new wellies, as did dadtoomany, (his were also letting in water). £17.99 per pair, Dunlop steel toe caps. Reasonable I thought, but I've not bought any for a very long time. And clothes pegs, we were running short and a battery for my kitchen scales.

We had the remaining pizza for lunch. Tea was breaded chicken from the freezer. (These had been wrongly priced in farm foods months ago. When I had got to the till, they were at the correct price, but I pointed out the price label and the cashier put them through at that price.)  Along side them we had home grown broccoli, home grown tomatoes, (tomatoes are featuring a lot at the moment) and home grown potatoes. I pulled the potatoes out yesterday, got about 12 kilos. There were some more that were full of slugs! But no blight. First time I've grown any blight free ones, I've saved some to replant as seed potatoes next year.

Going out to carry on covering empty beds. I need to rake more grass cuttings. Dadtoomany cuts a path around the back field, around two acres, so I'm collecting from there. I'll also look at the apple trees, see if any are ready to harvest.

Speak soon, hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

Nelliegrace

We have apples! An afternoon spent foraging by the canal and lanes with the telescopic apple picker and we have four carrier bags of them. We left plenty for the birds. They will store in mushroom trays in the cold, well insulated garage. They will need checking through very regularly. They are not pretty, misshapen and blemished, some quite small, there will be grubs, but every day we will have a sliced apple each, bircher muesli, cinnamon and apple in porridge, stewed apple from the best bits, or apple crumble if the oven is on. The dog likes a bit of apple, and the hens will get the cores, peel and grubs. It saves on the grocery bill month after month. The unusable bits will go in the compost. 
Blessings on people who throw apple cores where they might grow. 

dandy-candy

My gran would make stewed apple and keep bag loads in the freezer. I’m not sure what she actually made with it all?!

Nelliegrace

My parents got us all preparing their apple harvest for the freezer, and they juiced a lot to freeze in plastic pint milk bottles. 

mumtoomany

Hi all. Found some apples. One tree they are all ripe, but small. Two other trees loaded, but not ready yet. Two more with only a few on, also not yet ready. Several other trees with none on, Sue some had some earlier in the year, maybe been got at by grandchildren. The cooking apple tree has two on too, first time that one has produced. 

Managed to get some more blackberries, much nicer ones, not on our land but within walking distance. 

Finished covering the bed with grass cuttings. 

Lunch was sandwiches/toast. Tea I made a big pan of Bolognese. Half a pack of reduced mince. Reduced peppers, reduced mushrooms, home grown tomatoes, home grown garlic. Server with pasta. I've started buying wholemeal, more expensive but better for you. Enough Bolognese left to make lasagne. 

Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx