What Preps are you doing this week? Part 8.

[Medusa]

Spent a good few hours today chopping wood with the chop saw to make room for wood we needed to collect tonight. Bank Holiday off work so planning to harvest some of the bigger bell peppers and chop and freeze them and harvest the beetroot and make a start on pickling. Mostly I have been working on planning out the new budget for when I reduce my hours at work and planning how I can cut down on shopping and in other areas. We are very much meat eaters here and I am looking at cooking a few more veggie meals to cut down on costs a little so any recommendations for good vegetarian cookery books would be much appreciated.

[jansman]

Spent a good few hours today chopping wood with the chop saw to make room for wood we needed to collect tonight. Bank Holiday off work so planning to harvest some of the bigger bell peppers and chop and freeze them and harvest the beetroot and make a start on pickling. Mostly I have been working on planning out the new budget for when I reduce my hours at work and planning how I can cut down on shopping and in other areas. We are very much meat eaters here and I am looking at cooking a few more veggie meals to cut down on costs a little so any recommendations for good vegetarian cookery books would be much appreciated.

Do you use ‘Pinterest’? You can find recipes galore there. We have found excellent bean,rice,pasta dishes there that are meat free. BBC Good Food is a good one too.Also,a favourite of mine https://cookingonabootstrap.com/

[jennyjj01]

... planning to ... harvest the beetroot...

Hi Medusa,
Maybe you can advise:
I planted my beetroot and chard seeds at the end of July, and they've both grown really well. There's healthy foliage about a foot high, and I've been trying my best to eat the chard quick enough (It makes great bubble and squeak)

But today, I tenuously lifted one of the leafy beetroots from the compost expecting to see a small bulbous root. There was nothing. I've seen much bigger roots on a dandelion.

Was I being insanely optimistic? When should I expect to harvest the beets? When the leaves start to die back? October?

My First Try, Chard bubble and squeak recipe...

Harvest a big plateful of chard leaves, remove the fatter stems. Slice the leaves about 1cm wide.
Rehydrate equivalent of one garlic clove and a few bits of dried peppers in half an inch of boiled water for 20 mins.
Simmer those with the stems in a covered wok till half the water is gone, then add a splash of olive oil.
Make up half a sachet of Morrisons Onion Mashed potato.
Lob in the sliced Swiss chard leaves. A sprinkle of salt, pepper and onion powder. Stir and cover and saute for a couple of minutes, till it wilts. Stir in the mashed spuds and reheat. Fry an egg and serve that on top with a splash of barbecue sauce.
It was bloomin' delish.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Did a bulk of work in the garden today hedges got the last cut of the year, grass cut and cut back round the stepping stones , fences got painted ( got a bit more to do but broke the back of it) shed needs a touch up too but I'm struggling to find the same stain as it seems to be like most things in short supply


Tomorrow I'm brewing some beer and off to top the spuds on the allotment

[Le Mouse]

Did a bulk of work in the garden today hedges got the last cut of the year, grass cut and cut back round the stepping stones , fences got painted ( got a bit more to do but broke the back of it) shed needs a touch up too but I'm struggling to find the same stain as it seems to be like most things in short supply

I did a whole lot of garden stuff yesterday too. Used a proper strimmer for the first time. I'm suffering today - my left arm won't straighten properly and feels quite weak. I'm a weedy bugger I've found the garden quite hard to cope with due to constant damp weather. If we'd have had a drier summer, then I could have kept on top of it easier. Today it's raking the damp cut grass (sigh) and chucking the now very very dead tomato plants and failed broccoli. Weeding can wait till I feel less achy.

I have family visiting this week - I get to see my nieces for the first time in over 2 years! I'm giddy with excitement! But it also means I have to child-proof my house. I still haven't fully unpacked really since moving, so I think I might have to designate my 'office' as the room that all the boxes go in for now and doesn't get included on the house tour

As I'm off work this week for the family visit, I'll take some time to check food stocks, especially the freezer, which definitely needs a sort out. I might get Christmas dinner in the freezer so I don't have to think about it later. I'm waiting on a delivery of a little bag that I will use for first aid stuff in my car, so I need to get the first aid supplies together as well!

[Yorkshire Andy]

Did a bulk of work in the garden today hedges got the last cut of the year, grass cut and cut back round the stepping stones , fences got painted ( got a bit more to do but broke the back of it) shed needs a touch up too but I'm struggling to find the same stain as it seems to be like most things in short supply

I did a whole lot of garden stuff yesterday too. Used a proper strimmer for the first time. I'm suffering today - my left arm won't straighten properly and feels quite weak. I'm a weedy bugger I've found the garden quite hard to cope with due to constant damp weather. If we'd have had a drier summer, then I could have kept on top of it easier. Today it's raking the damp cut grass (sigh) and chucking the now very very dead tomato plants and failed broccoli. Weeding can wait till I feel less achy.

I have family visiting this week - I get to see my nieces for the first time in over 2 years! I'm giddy with excitement! But it also means I have to child-proof my house. I still haven't fully unpacked really since moving, so I think I might have to designate my 'office' as the room that all the boxes go in for now and doesn't get included on the house tour

As I'm off work this week for the family visit, I'll take some time to check food stocks, especially the freezer, which definitely needs a sort out. I might get Christmas dinner in the freezer so I don't have to think about it later. I'm waiting on a delivery of a little bag that I will use for first aid stuff in my car, so I need to get the first aid supplies together as well!

Good luck with the visiting family

On the first aid supplies Screwfix do the British standard travel kits at a reasonable price newer standard includes trauma dressing and burns stuff which makes sense most big injuries occur in car accidents and burns from removing radiator caps on hot engines leads to scalding

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wallace-came ... dium/1708f

Or get a refill kit for a general kit

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wallace-came ... dium/27482

And Chuck what you dont want in the car in the house kit

Stood waiting for my prescription in boots yesterday I nearly had a Yorkshire man's heart attack looking at the price of plasters and bandages

[Le Mouse]

On the first aid supplies Screwfix do the British standard travel kits at a reasonable price newer standard includes trauma dressing and burns stuff which makes sense most big injuries occur in car accidents and burns from removing radiator caps on hot engines leads to scalding

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wallace-came ... dium/1708f

Or get a refill kit for a general kit

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wallace-came ... dium/27482

And Chuck what you dont want in the car in the house kit

Stood waiting for my prescription in boots yesterday I nearly had a Yorkshire man's heart attack looking at the price of plasters and bandages

OOH THANKS FOR THOSE! I think I have a Screwfix very locally, I'll have to go for a wander.

Yes, shop prices for first aid supplies is ridiculous!

[rik_uk3]

Your better off making up your own kit, you get what you want/need and with the money you save can get extra's. Take a look in Wilko's, they stock all the basic stuff and the prices are good.

[Medusa]

Hi Medusa,
Maybe you can advise:
I planted my beetroot and chard seeds at the end of July, and they've both grown really well. There's healthy foliage about a foot high, and I've been trying my best to eat the chard quick enough (It makes great bubble and squeak)

But today, I tenuously lifted one of the leafy beetroots from the compost expecting to see a small bulbous root. There was nothing. I've seen much bigger roots on a dandelion.

Was I being insanely optimistic? When should I expect to harvest the beets? When the leaves start to die back? October?

Gosh I am no expert, but seem to be able to grow beetroot in containers without any problems. They grow really quickly and you can harvest them as small or as big as you like within a few weeks. We do feed them with Tomorite and give them lots of water but perhaps you got a dud batch of seeds or something wasnt quite right with the growing conditions. I've never tried chard but that recipe sounds so good I might have to give it a go next year. Still pretty new to growing veggies and finding out what we can and cant grow here. I cant grow decent caulis for toffee, which I am slightly gutted about.

[Medusa]

Spent a good few hours today chopping wood with the chop saw to make room for wood we needed to collect tonight. Bank Holiday off work so planning to harvest some of the bigger bell peppers and chop and freeze them and harvest the beetroot and make a start on pickling. Mostly I have been working on planning out the new budget for when I reduce my hours at work and planning how I can cut down on shopping and in other areas. We are very much meat eaters here and I am looking at cooking a few more veggie meals to cut down on costs a little so any recommendations for good vegetarian cookery books would be much appreciated.

Do you use ‘Pinterest’? You can find recipes galore there. We have found excellent bean,rice,pasta dishes there that are meat free. BBC Good Food is a good one too.Also,a favourite of mine https://cookingonabootstrap.com/

Thanks jansman will certainly give that one a look and will do a bit more research.