Peter wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 7:16 pm
Re sovereigns,
This was mainly a hedge against inflation, but it’s takes your savings out of sight,
best spread your buying and pay cash .
They arrived safe and sound but unfortunately were blown away in the storm
I seem to have the worst luck, I lost some others in a freak boating accident last year.
Two is one and one is none, but three is even better.
Trying to avoid spending any money at the moment. Got some plastic bins for the prep room shelves in my ebay basket for the end of the month, also dried egg.
Got a new winter base layer top, Mountain Warehouse Talus.
I'd like to decorate my room, but this is impossible due to lodgers and prepping clutter. One lodger has hardly been here recently since getting a new girlfriend, so I need to wait and see what happens. If he moved out, I think I'd do his room up and move into it. I'm supposed to be doing up the hall, stairs and landing this year, but it would be a shame to put a new carpet on the landing and stairs, if I then wanted to start decorating upstairs bedrooms. Carpet ain't cheap these days. My decorator is very expensive, but thorough.
In the meantime, I need to start to de-clutter a bit.
Peter wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 7:16 pm
Re sovereigns,
This was mainly a hedge against inflation, but it’s takes your savings out of sight,
best spread your buying and pay cash .
They arrived safe and sound but unfortunately were blown away in the storm
I seem to have the worst luck, I lost some others in a freak boating accident last year.
I see what you did there and I have to post my admiration, even though I don't like drawing attention to it
Own preps: getting used to driving the car. Today was the only day down here when there was no weather warning, so I took a chance - only a few miles away, but on our narrow windy country roads, it still needs all my attention. And I learned once again that our soil is clay, and even at the top of a hill, the mud can be six inches deep and nearly make you fall flat on your face
Today we did a stock check on our freezers. We run four main freezers, one each for meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy alongside our general use ones. Normally these would be depleted by now ready to be restocked this season but with the way things went last year all are still brimming so the next week will be spent dehydrating and pressure canning to get them emptied, defrosted and cleaned ready to store this years harvest.
Adjee wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 6:34 pm
Today we did a stock check on our freezers. We run four main freezers, one each for meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy alongside our general use ones. Normally these would be depleted by now ready to be restocked this season but with the way things went last year all are still brimming so the next week will be spent dehydrating and pressure canning to get them emptied, defrosted and cleaned ready to store this years harvest.
Have you thought about trying out any new recipes while you’re at it? Dehydrated veggie chips or fruit leathers could be fun, and pressure-canned soups or stews would make quick meals down the line
Adjee wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 6:34 pm
Today we did a stock check on our freezers. We run four main freezers, one each for meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy alongside our general use ones. Normally these would be depleted by now ready to be restocked this season but with the way things went last year all are still brimming so the next week will be spent dehydrating and pressure canning to get them emptied, defrosted and cleaned ready to store this years harvest.
Have you thought about trying out any new recipes while you’re at it? Dehydrated veggie chips or fruit leathers could be fun, and pressure-canned soups or stews would make quick meals down the line
We split all we grow between water bathing, dehydrating, pressure canning and freezing (we also have been experimenting with some of the old fashion food storage techniques). Some products we preserve individually, others are combined also we pressure can full meals which are great to use (as you point out) when time is short and yes, we make and enjoy fruit leathers. Normally we preserve as we produce but we spent last year working building our new combined goat pens and rabbitry (alongside keeping up with the animals, fruit and veg growing etc.) so the preserving side has backed up. But we have two canners and two dehydrators working away tonight as we prepare the next jars ready to go in tomorrow morning.
But it wasn't exactly portable without a sack barrow
Back-ups for back-ups.
And if neighbourly you could "loan" this out whilst keeping your good stuff.
That is already thought about one neighbour is spot on I'd happily pass an extra extension over tye fence to keep their freezer happy he's a semi retired electrician
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Adjee wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 7:26 pmWe split all we grow between water bathing, dehydrating, pressure canning and freezing (we also have been experimenting with some of the old fashion food storage techniques). Some products we preserve individually, others are combined also we pressure can full meals which are great to use (as you point out) when time is short and yes, we make and enjoy fruit leathers. Normally we preserve as we produce but we spent last year working building our new combined goat pens and rabbitry (alongside keeping up with the animals, fruit and veg growing etc.) so the preserving side has backed up. But we have two canners and two dehydrators working away tonight as we prepare the next jars ready to go in tomorrow morning.
Wow! Seriously impressive, that's really something. I do like dehydrating, I think it's really underrated. I've never used a pressure cooker and it's possibly a skill too far for me, though everyone I know who has one absolutely swears by it.
How many goats do you have? Fascinating creatures!
and I have to post my admiration, even though I don't like drawing attention to it 
and it's possibly a skill too far for me, though everyone I know who has one absolutely swears by it.