What preps are you doing this week? part 2.

[nickdutch]

haven't been adding to this thread much as I haven't been buying myself many more cool toys. i cant carry on buying stuff and anyway at the moment I am moderately well equipped for minor things.
However, after a long break I am back to trying to get fit.

[ForgeCorvus]

Researching jointing, filing and setting saws.... Not difficult to do, just exacting.

This is what happens when you buy a logging saw off Ebay

[cumbrianish]

Had emergency planning training

[Decaff]

Bought tons of cherries, strawberries, plums, bananas and pineapples today as they were reduced and on offer in Sainsburys. Half will be frozen for my smoothies and the rest will be on the dehydrator for my food stores.

I might go back tomorrow and get more so that I can waterbath can them in a light sugar syrup!

Fingers are a murderous shade of purple from pitting all the cherries though

[Deeps]

Off to buy our own jam making pot today, I borrowed a mate's for my last attempts, more jars too. I daresay we'll swing by Lidl's which is next door to 'Jam pots R us" and I'll get a few more bits and bobs to stash.

Mrs Deeps managed to retrieve my last lot of strawb jam that was brick hard, she made a second batch and put the first lot in with it, didn't add any pectin sugar, just used normal stuff with a wee splash of orange juice to dilute it and voila ! I knew there was a reason I kept her around.

[BlinkingCory]

Later this afternoon I'm doing a couple of simple jobs in the Camper.
1. Silicon/Waterproofing an underseat area. It's where we keep the 25L water (and other human safe liquids) jerry cans. A simple job, but if something was to happen to just one can, 25L of water swooshing around wouldn't be fun.
2. Install another fire extinguisher and bracket.
3. I'm going to modify the spare gas bottles storage with additional straps, felts and sponges.
4. Quick inventory of the food and toiletry 'preps' in there. Any foodstuffs close to expiry date come into the household pantry or will go to the collection trolley in the local supermarket to be forwarded to the foodbank.
5. The dog ate (don't ask) a wind up lantern last time out, so will nip out and buy a replacement or look online for another.
6. Must approach the better half and gently inform her that 48 million packets of wetwipes and 78 billion bars of chocolate in the camper is enough.

[Brambles]

78 billion bars of chocolate in the camper is enough.

You can never have too much chocolate.

[Decaff]

78 billion bars of chocolate in the camper is enough.

You can never have too much chocolate.

Indeed, never heard of "too much chocolate" before, a bit like the fabled "left over wine"

[featherstick]

Off to buy our own jam making pot today, I borrowed a mate's for my last attempts, more jars too. I daresay we'll swing by Lidl's which is next door to 'Jam pots R us" and I'll get a few more bits and bobs to stash.

Mrs Deeps managed to retrieve my last lot of strawb jam that was brick hard, she made a second batch and put the first lot in with it, didn't add any pectin sugar, just used normal stuff with a wee splash of orange juice to dilute it and voila ! I knew there was a reason I kept her around.

If you can get one with pints markings on the inside, it will be a great help. Neither of mine have them, so I marked up a bamboo skewer at 8, 10 and 12 pints from the bottom of the pan for reference. Takes a lot of guesswork out of the whole thing.

A thermometer and a jam funnel have also been top presents from SWMBO, the jam funnel has saved many scalded fingers and pints of spilled jam.

[Decaff]

Off to buy our own jam making pot today, I borrowed a mate's for my last attempts, more jars too. I daresay we'll swing by Lidl's which is next door to 'Jam pots R us" and I'll get a few more bits and bobs to stash.

Mrs Deeps managed to retrieve my last lot of strawb jam that was brick hard, she made a second batch and put the first lot in with it, didn't add any pectin sugar, just used normal stuff with a wee splash of orange juice to dilute it and voila ! I knew there was a reason I kept her around.

If you can get one with pints markings on the inside, it will be a great help. Neither of mine have them, so I marked up a bamboo skewer at 8, 10 and 12 pints from the bottom of the pan for reference. Takes a lot of guesswork out of the whole thing.

A thermometer and a jam funnel have also been top presents from SWMBO, the jam funnel has saved many scalded fingers and pints of spilled jam.

Don't forget the jar lifter tongs, also saves burnt fingers when getting the jars out of the oven!