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

sammy_kaye18

Hello All
Stopping in to say hello because real life has gone a bit haywire! 

I have been looking into and planning 'dump bags' for the slow cooker to make sure I use up as much as I can in the fridge and freezer to avoid any food waste. Seems to be going ok and I'm only buying what I need for the meals. Plus they make an easy dinner because I can take them out the night before to defrost, then just put in the slow cooker on low all day whilst I carry on. 

Thankfully my garden did ok with runner beans, strawberries, peas and lettuce this year as well. I have a cucumber which was a poor showing but lots of chilli's on my plants in the greenhouse (no idea they were perennial so thanks for that too!) and 4 pumpkin plants that seem to be doing very well. I did ok with potatoes too but forgot to save some for a late planting so we were ok over spring and what we had of summer. I have also grown tomatoes for the first time and have 119 fruits on the plants but I am desperately hoping they ripen! I have my seeds away ready for next year so thats a bonus too. I have brussel sprouts, peas and cabbage started in the greenhouse too so will make some space for those as well and a courgette plant seems to have appeared out of nowhere as well. Carrots need thinning too. I was debating taking the cover off the greenhouse and folding/shutting it down over winter but I do want to try to keep producing fresh things over winter so I will see. I did think I might move the greenhouse next year to a different location in the garden so I will see when the time comes to it. 

As well as strawberries - I seem to be the only person around me picking blackberries so have a few large Tupperware tubs in the freezer and have already made a load of jam which is now in the fridge so I should be OK with berries for a while. 

sammy_kaye18

Pants
Apparently my chilli plants are Half Hardy Annuals and not perennials. Oh well. Live and learn. 

mumtoomany

Hi all, @sammy_kaye18, lovely to see you, how is life treating you in your bit of Wales? If you keep the greenhouse up for a while, you could try putting some potatoes in now, for Christmas. Shop bought would work. If the weather gets too bad, bring the tomatoes in green and put in a paper bag with a ripe banana. 

Big cooking session this morning. Made pastry and used it for a chicken and bacon pie, for the freezer; an apple pie to use up some old apples; and a Manchester tart for after tea. We are feeding the three grandchildren tonight. Also I made enchiladas, for tea. First time I've made my own wraps, easier than I thought, let's see what they taste like. Lunch was Bolognese on toast for me, a pie from the freezer and leftover chips, from the grandchildren's tea last night, for dadtoomany.

He is now on the school run, so chaos will reign shortly. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Try to keep them anyway, @sammy_kaye18. Nothing to lose. Runner beans are sold as annual, some of mine are six years old. Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

sammy_kaye18

Hi @mumtoomany, How are you doing? 

Life is happening at the minute thats for sure. We got the news last month that FILs cancer is not responding to chemo so he is home now for his palliative care and not likely to see Christmas so its going to be a rough one but I am doing my best to hold my husband and his mum together at the minute! As well as keeping the kids as blissfully unaware as I can but at 14 and 20 they arent daft. 

But we keep going. Its a wet and windy day today here in South Wales so I actually have my first jumper on of the year which I expect will become a more regular occurrence before long.

I have the greenhouse up still so I think I may try and put some potatoes in for christmas. I actually have a large bag coming tomorrow from the local greengrocers which I plan on blanching / cutting / freezing etc to make a few easier dinners and snacks for the kids with so I may look through and find some smaller ones to chit and pop in the greenhouse for christmas. Never know do you. As well as the chillis in there I also have a jalapeno too which doesnt seem like its done much but Im holding on for it. Will give my tomatoes until the end of September and if still no sign of progress then I will put them in the paper bag like you suggested. 

Floss

sammy_kaye18 said:

Pants
Apparently my chilli plants are Half Hardy Annuals and not perennials. Oh well. Live and learn. 

If you bring them inside, they should keep on producing.

boultdj

Most of the capsicum family are classed as annuals in this country, how else do the seed company's make a profit.
So if I were you @sammy_kaye18 I would try and over winter the peppers and chillies.

sammy_kaye18

boultdj said:

Most of the capsicum family are classed as annuals in this country, how else do the seed company's make a profit.
So if I were you @sammy_kaye18 I would try and over winter the peppers and chilli's.

So sneaky......but a very good point.
I will bring them in and set them on my kitchen window that gets the most sunshine and see if they carry on producing. 

CapricornLass

I've kept my chilli plant going over the winter indoors.  You need to have it in a warn room (my house is set at 18C because I have a tortoise ambling around the place too) and you need to give it as much light as you can, which isn't always easy indoors.

Sorry to hear about your FIL, though, @sammy_kaye18.

thriftwizard

I've also kept chilli plants going over winter & the ones producing in a window-box in my garden just now were actually sown this time last year, from seed saved from drying & crushing the previous year's chillis. They'll be brought into the conservatory when the nights are longer & cooler; I doubt the basil sown in between the chillis will last the winter, though. My runner beans at the old plot came back 3 years running (tops chopped down, roots heavily mulched with straw etc.) & I'm hoping to do the same at the new, smaller allotment that's just 2 minutes' stroll up our street. (That said, the soil up there is very depleted - needs a whole lot of feeding up.) We also have a Cavollo Nero kale plant that didn't flower this summer & is leafing up again nicely now; the rest did flower & die, but this one has just kept growing. The seeds from the ones that did flower have already germinated & will be planted out up the road shortly. 

I'm sad that I haven't been able to get out blackberrying yet this year, though I do have a small tub in the freezer from the garden & the next door allotment - with permission! But OH has had a major health scare, has loads of hospital appointments, can't drive & is struggling with short-term memory issues, so my time is just not my own at present.