What Preps are you doing this week

[Decaff]

@ Decaff whee do you get beans with chorizo from? That sound lovely!
Hasty

Hiy Hasty, I got them from Sainsburys, Branston beans with chorizo!!! never seen them before either but I know my OH and son will just love them!

[Decaff]

Been out to get more food for the stash, vegetables, steak pies, dried onions, meatballs in various sauces, tinned curry of various flavours, beans with chorizo and beans with Lincolnshire sausages, chicken in white sauce, steak and kidney puddings, beef stew with dumplings, chicken and veg stew, bag of popping kernals, coffee sachets (Decaff naturally) 5kg sugar, couple of bottles of pectin. OH was giving me raised eyebrow looks and huffing at me.

Need yet more kilner 3ltr clip jars to keep more dry goods in, more jam jars and lids and plastic tubs. Will order when he's at work I think, then he won't know about them till he has to.

I wish he would grasp how important this is to me

I'm doing the "permanent" preps as well. Salt, sugar, etc - stuff that can be stashed and not thought of again. Very satisfying. I now have several buckets waiting to go out to the garage when the clearing out is finished (a lot more worked than estimated) and shelving is up. Stoves and heaters going out there too. The only raised eyebrow I had the other day was a quizzical one when he bought a pack of wholegrain rice thinking we'd run out and I pulled out a large Tupperware type box, from one of the kitchen corner cupboards, packed to the gills with previously prepped (a stint in the freezer) packets. I had to make sure they were being used in date order, because they don't keep forever. The white rice is the "permanent" prep. We only eat white rice with takeaways (but only because that's the only option ). I put everything into the freezer wrapped in carrier bags so he doesn't see what's in it. I'm currently still freezing salt. I think he might think I'd gone off the rails if he knew what it was . Need to do an order of buckets and Mylar bags soon. Dried onions sound very useful. Where do you get those? PS Don't use oxygen removers with sugar - I'm sure you knew that -I only just found out. It's all very cloak 'n dagger, is it not ?

Oh yes, those litle things that will make such a difference are hugely important, mind you nearly killed me the 5KG bag of sugar getting it up two flights of stairs... eek! I don't freeze salt or sugar as salt is too harsh for anything to live in (crawly wise) sugar will be fine in a screw top jar (or 10!) Nooo never put oxy removers in with sugar or it will be a giant lump of sugar concrete!! Dried onions also from Sainsburys, I've seen them in most supermarkets though to be honest, and dried mushrooms (but they seem rather expensive to wait for them to be on offer!) I have various bags of goodies in the freezer waiting to go into jars and then my stash. Oh yes, very very cloak 'n dagger, Batman has nothing on us eh!

[Decaff]

I'm doing the "permanent" preps as well. Salt, sugar, etc - stuff that can be stashed and not thought of again. Very satisfying. I now have several buckets waiting to go out to the garage when the clearing out is finished (a lot more worked than estimated) and shelving is up. Stoves and heaters going out there too. The only raised eyebrow I had the other day was a quizzical one when he bought a pack of wholegrain rice thinking we'd run out and I pulled out a large Tupperware type box, from one of the kitchen corner cupboards, packed to the gills with previously prepped (a stint in the freezer) packets. I had to make sure they were being used in date order, because they don't keep forever. The white rice is the "permanent" prep. We only eat white rice with takeaways (but only because that's the only option ). I put everything into the freezer wrapped in carrier bags so he doesn't see what's in it. I'm currently still freezing salt. I think he might think I'd gone off the rails if he knew what it was . Need to do an order of buckets and Mylar bags soon. Dried onions sound very useful. Where do you get those? PS Don't use oxygen removers with sugar - I'm sure you knew that -I only just found out. It's all very cloak 'n dagger, is it not ?

Dried onions - packet of 40g (well over a year for the BB date)
Brand is Great Scot (how pertinent!)
Got mine down Morrisons, surely other supermarkets stock this too?

The same brand do a dried 'country vegetables' packet. I've also bought dried peppers before in a similar vein

Thats the one!! Four boxes of the onions fill a small clip top Kilner jar with room for an oxy absorber. I have a pack each of dried stew mix and vegetable soup mix, Sainsbo's own brand though as they were much cheaper and bigger bags. Not seen the dried peppers yet though and I will add plenty of those if I see them! thanks for the heads up there Stasher.

[FEISTY]

Been out to get more food for the stash, vegetables, steak pies, dried onions, meatballs in various sauces, tinned curry of various flavours, beans with chorizo and beans with Lincolnshire sausages, chicken in white sauce, steak and kidney puddings, beef stew with dumplings, chicken and veg stew, bag of popping kernals, coffee sachets (Decaff naturally) 5kg sugar, couple of bottles of pectin. OH was giving me raised eyebrow looks and huffing at me.

Need yet more kilner 3ltr clip jars to keep more dry goods in, more jam jars and lids and plastic tubs. Will order when he's at work I think, then he won't know about them till he has to.

I wish he would grasp how important this is to me

I'm doing the "permanent" preps as well. Salt, sugar, etc - stuff that can be stashed and not thought of again. Very satisfying. I now have several buckets waiting to go out to the garage when the clearing out is finished (a lot more worked than estimated) and shelving is up. Stoves and heaters going out there too. The only raised eyebrow I had the other day was a quizzical one when he bought a pack of wholegrain rice thinking we'd run out and I pulled out a large Tupperware type box, from one of the kitchen corner cupboards, packed to the gills with previously prepped (a stint in the freezer) packets. I had to make sure they were being used in date order, because they don't keep forever. The white rice is the "permanent" prep. We only eat white rice with takeaways (but only because that's the only option ). I put everything into the freezer wrapped in carrier bags so he doesn't see what's in it. I'm currently still freezing salt. I think he might think I'd gone off the rails if he knew what it was . Need to do an order of buckets and Mylar bags soon. Dried onions sound very useful. Where do you get those? PS Don't use oxygen removers with sugar - I'm sure you knew that -I only just found out. It's all very cloak 'n dagger, is it not ?

Oh yes, those litle things that will make such a difference are hugely important, mind you nearly killed me the 5KG bag of sugar getting it up two flights of stairs... eek! I don't freeze salt or sugar as salt is too harsh for anything to live in (crawly wise) sugar will be fine in a screw top jar (or 10!) Nooo never put oxy removers in with sugar or it will be a giant lump of sugar concrete!! Dried onions also from Sainsburys, I've seen them in most supermarkets though to be honest, and dried mushrooms (but they seem rather expensive to wait for them to be on offer!) I have various bags of goodies in the freezer waiting to go into jars and then my stash. Oh yes, very very cloak 'n dagger, Batman has nothing on us eh!

Re sugar - it's a safety issue. Something to do with bacteria and anaerobic conditions (sugar not being dry like flour or pasta). Explains on the American sites. On the occasion I had critters in flour, they'd also managed to get into the sugar - didn't notice immediately because we don't use flour or sugar very much and I had to throw every single thing in the cupboard away and scrub it with bleach. Since then (and one new kitchen later) I've been extra careful and not even the salt is getting out of a stint in the freezer. One less thing to lose sleep over. You should any more sugar delivered with a big shop (just before Christmas - "making cookies and sweets as gifts", you tell the delivery guy/gal ). I've developed a wonderful line in cover fibs for my purchases and I feel OK about that . Will be looking out for the onions .

[Hamradioop]

Amazon sell a range of dried veggies

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dried-kibbled-f ... JT4N4JY56H Onion


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Whole-Foods ... B007CX3CH6 Mixed veg

[Decaff]

Amazon sell a range of dried veggies

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dried-kibbled-f ... JT4N4JY56H Onion


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Whole-Foods ... B007CX3CH6 Mixed veg

My word they are expensive can't afford to pay those prices, I'm hoping for a dehydrator for crimbo so will hopefully dehydrate my own veggies for a lot less money.

[jansman]

We are continuing to salt down runner beans, freeze tomatoes and turn them into chutney. My ten gallons of plum wine are fermenting like billy-oh. In a short while I am going to set 5 gallons of dark stout on the go. Christmas brew that one-for all the thirsty folks that seem to visit then.

[FEISTY]

We are continuing to salt down runner beans, freeze tomatoes and turn them into chutney. My ten gallons of plum wine are fermenting like billy-oh. In a short while I am going to set 5 gallons of dark stout on the go. Christmas brew that one-for all the thirsty folks that seem to visit then.

Looked up how to make plum wine (we have plum trees) and came across this: "Boil the water and chop the raisins. Put the plums in a sterilized plastic container and mash them up with a sterilized baseball bat ..."

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2121512_make-plum-wine.html

[FEISTY]

Amazon sell a range of dried veggies

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dried-kibbled-f ... JT4N4JY56H Onion


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Whole-Foods ... B007CX3CH6 Mixed veg

My word they are expensive can't afford to pay those prices, I'm hoping for a dehydrator for crimbo so will hopefully dehydrate my own veggies for a lot less money.

I thought so too.

[Slazanger]

... and mash them up with a sterilized baseball bat ..."

Lol thats something to add to the list