THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Karmacat · 9 August 2018 at 12:55PM

Hi melodramaticme, thanks for this.

melodramaticme wrote: »

Hi Karmacat - how long would you have kept cauliflower if you hadn't had a freezer?

Erm ... I can't really answer that, I don't know how I'd have coped with how my health has been these last 5 years, without a freezer.

It will have taken some time to defrost, so it is likely to be a question of your judgement as to whether to use or not ( sorry that sounds like a cop-out by me) I think I would at least try some of it rather than tip it straight in the bin, but I know that my sister would have thrown it out straight away,

There's lots of ice crystals on very hard florets, so I think some of it at least is frozen properly. I'm very tempted to try at least some of it, which is why I posted at all, but I've just realised I only yesterday finished a course of antibiotics for some sort of infection somewhere in my digestive system (and it really wasn't pinpointed, in all honesty!) so I think discretion is called for *today*, in any case.

I think you can get those card thermostats that show a range of temperatures for fridges and freezers, and have colour coded squares which show the range of temperatures reached.

Just found that Wilkos do a fridge thermometer for £2. https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-fridge-freezer-thermometer/p/0222255

HTH

Thank you! It does help - with one thing and another, including the wheelie bin liners for £2, a trip to Wilko is called for.

nannywindow · 9 August 2018 at 3:51PM

Hello all :wave:

Would you mind if I join in. I have been lurking for quite a while but MrsL has made me ........ er suggested that I take the bull by the horns and come out of lurkdom.
So here I am, warts and all

.

I can no longer garden other than cut the grass, but I have a thornless blackberry bush and a blackcurrant bush, both of them this year have borne a lot of fruit. Likewise my Dad has given me copious amounts of rhubarb. They have all been assigned to the freezer until I can make something, other than jam ( which only I eat ) crumble or tarts. I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions ?
Thanks
nan

Mojisola · 9 August 2018 at 3:55PM

Karmacat wrote: »

There's lots of ice crystals on very hard florets, so I think some of it at least is frozen properly.

It's unlikely that commercially-frozen cauli would have ice crystals on it - that suggests that the freezer is cycling through a temperature range and that the stuff in it has partially defrozen and then refrozen, possibly several times - not good!

Cappella · 9 August 2018 at 3:58PM

I'm afraid I agree with Mojisola Karmacat. Large ice crystals usually mean it's partially defrosted and then refrozen. I really wouldn't risk it, and I eat almost anything!

[Deleted User] · 9 August 2018 at 4:37PM

Hiya Nannywindow, lovely to see you here, you'll be glad I made you do it! It's been a very (too) good blackberry year here too about the only thing other than courgettes (aka triffids) that really has done well although having said that we currently have some absolutely delicious sweetcorn in the garden.

Rhubarb if you have much of it makes a really nice syrup that is used as a soft drink, nice when you dilute it with fizzy water, Ikea sells it every spring, it's a Swedish 'thing'. I've been aware of fruit 'Shrubs' too this year which are fruit vinegars again used for diluting as a soft drink which might be very pleasant. I freeze plastic bottles of cordial if I make it as they can ferment even if you keep them in the fridge. I reckon a fresh bottle/defrosted one from the freezer will keep good for around 6 weeks if you subsequently keep it in the fridge. They keep years in the freezer and when you DO freeze them make sure to leave a good 'head space ' at the neck end of the jar to allow the liquid to expand on freezing or you get a very sticky fridge to clean...ask me how I know this???

Cappella · 9 August 2018 at 4:42PM

Apologies nannywindow I missed your post. And welcome to the prepping thread

I made currant cordial this year and froze it. It's lively though so I doubt it's going to last very long, even well hidden! I make blackcurrant compote with frozen blackcurrants, just add sugar to taste, stew it gently and seize it (I struggle with the seeds). It's very refreshing when added to yogurt at breakfast time.

Karmacat · 9 August 2018 at 4:59PM

nannywindow wrote: »

Hello all :wave:

Would you mind if I join in. I have been lurking for quite a while but MrsL has made me ........ er suggested that I take the bull by the horns and come out of lurkdom.
So here I am, warts and all .

Welcome from me too! As far as rhubarb goes, I have some pretty successful plants, and I wanted to find a way to use them without adding more sugar, which wouldn't suit my digestive system. So I googled "savoury rhubarb recipes", and this is a typical set that came up:
https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/7-savory-recipes-use-rhubarb.html

HTH

mardatha · 9 August 2018 at 5:19PM

Cordial sounds lovely nannywindow or a syrup you could add to ice cream... or topping for cakes... oh god I wish I had some ice cream and cake!

frosty · 9 August 2018 at 5:23PM

thriftwizard wrote: »

Frosty we've had ours 15 years now! It's enormous; covers half the garage. It's very beautiful & the bees love it, but it's a total slacker on the fruit front. About 5 years ago it started to produce 4 or 5 tiny fruits per year, which it took hours of intense searching to find. But this year there are more, and they're bigger, so maybe it's just a case of waiting until it gets the hang of it!

Other people I know with kiwi vines are inundated with fruit every year, but not us; our local permaculture guru tells me it's because it was next to a golden hop, which apparently can suppress fruiting in other plants nearby. We took the hop out last year - there are plenty growing wild down by the river - and lo & behold, the kiwi has done better this year...

Thanks for replying,we have ours in the polytunnel.We live in Scotland and we weren't sure it would survive outside.Hopefully we will have fruit soon,it grows fast and has masses of flowers.

nannywindow · 9 August 2018 at 5:45PM

Thank you for your warm welcome and the ideas. I hadn't thought of a drink :doh:. Would it work if I used sweetner instead of sugar as my DH is a diabetic.
I usually make crumbles/tarts for my elderly Dad to keep in his freezer but I wondered if he would like something different. He can be a difficult person at the best of times but we are a very small family and I have no siblings so his welfare falls to me. I like to keep his freezers well stocked with HM meals just in case of emergencies.
Karmacat thanks for the link I shall have a look see tonight, if I can keep my eyes open that is as I had the DGD for a sleepover last night but I didn't do much sleeping. That girl can't half talk, only stopped to stuff her face with food, she was even talking in her sleep, but it sounded a bit Russian :eek:. I wonder if she's a spy

. My DH calls her " terror incognito ", but we love her and her brother to bits.
Hi MrsL I've only gone and done it ! Pah! t'was as easy as you said it would be. Thank you.

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THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

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