What preps are you doing this week? part 2.

[jansman]

I am currently dragging in pallets from the firm next to ours. I am going to strip them and along with some reclaimed 2x2 , I shall build some decent log stores. Right now I stack it and cover it with old boards, but I am trying to 'tidy' my garden a little at a time.

[ForgeCorvus]

On the health side of things, have started to take a supplement called MSM which is good for all manner of bodily issues and am hoping that can help boost my immunity further and to keep the risk of infection down.

Got a link for more info ?

[vassili]

We are upping the ante here now, far too many things going on, eg us and Europe keeps prodding the big bear, terrorism coming to the UK real soon etc.
So, short term supplies upped, like rice, pasta, oats, pulses, sugar etc. We've also started to keep more junk food that keeps for ever like packs of flavoured noodles, sauce mixes etc.
Longer term, lots more heritage seeds mylared and frozen down, we've now got over a hundred fruit trees in, an acre of raised beds and soft fruit bushes and beds. Quarter of an acre of vines are going in this spring.
Still trying to get the bore hole sorted and a wind turbine.
Personally I think it's time to put a little more effort it, money is making nothing in the bank so better putting it to use.

[2ndRateMind]

Received my new bergen a couple of weeks ago. Have been trialing it, and planning the summer's holidays (The South West Coast Path).

Best wishes, 2RM.

[nickdutch]

I have recieved my crochet set, if crochet can help the peasants in Ireland to make a living during a potato famine, then maybe it can help me make a few quid when I need it to when I get the skills up.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Got my little 2 stroke generator going after I lost the will to live whilst trying to re string it my mate took it away and did it for me

[ForgeCorvus]

Got some bits I need to make my arc welder function, including some gouging rods which I haven't used before..... Not as good as a Flame-axe (Oxy-acetylene cutting torch) but, I hope, better then hand tools or cutting disks
ETA :





Bought a Dehydrator...... Now to find out how to set the thing

[nickdutch]

Practiced for the first time using my chinese high speed bender

(which appears to be in all but name, an Omniblend, but even cheaper than the cheaper ones that we have over here cos it was an aliexpress buy)

to make rice flour. I have tried making it before in the coffee maker and regular kitchen blender and could get the grind right. This time the 1800 watt motor did a much better job. I decided to be careful as a blade speed that has the capacity to make a soup boil due to friction could do nasty things to dry particulate matter being powdered and floating about inside the air of the blender jug, so to the most part I used the "medium" setting and only increased the speed for short bursts from time to time to help mix up the rice.

The rice I used was a blend of tesco value white and the much more expensive brown organic I had. I used enough in the two sessions to just cover the blender blades as is mentioned in some instructional video on the omniblend or other.

I did periodically stop the machine as much to reduce the risk of over heating the dry rice as much to be able to shake the container so that I could mix up any courser grains with any finer grains prior to blending to get it even more powdery.

Although I haven't sifted the rice flour yet, it does look like it could work and work nicely. Its already pretty useable in terms of its fineness.

So if you are not thinking of going completely off grid and you want a grain mill, why not get a blender from aliexpress that can be used as one (plus everything else that a blender can be used for)?

[Decaff]

Nick - did you try making in the Nutribullet with the mill blade? I've used mine to make boullion powder and tomato powder from dehydrating and got a fine powder both times. I've got a Kenwood with small milling jars too but not used that yet!

[nickdutch]

Nick - did you try making in the Nutribullet with the mill blade? I've used mine to make boullion powder and tomato powder from dehydrating and got a fine powder both times. I've got a Kenwood with small milling jars too but not used that yet!

I do use the nutribullet as its a quicker way to grind the linseeds that I put in my breakfast in the mornings. For quantities like that its ideal, but when you want to make a larger quantity of flour for the purposes of making a rather large quantity of pancakes it can be a bit tiresome. However its great for the smaller quantities and quick usage. I also believe that the chinese omniblend machine does a better job for both the smoothies and for "milling".

However, I am unsure how blenders would work with a wheat for instance as you might (i don't know, just putting it out there) get a kind of a peanut butter from it. But maybe that depends on how you use the machine.