The Cottage Smallholder


stumbling self sufficiency in a small space


Low Cost Living. Live better, spend less by John Harrison: a review

Posted in Reviews, Save Money | 13 comments

Low Cost Living. Live better, spend less by John Harrison: a review

  I was really shocked when a middle aged woman declared on the radio last week that people should not make money writing books on low cost living. “Why on earth not?” I thought. I’d just finished John Harrison’s excellent book Low Cost Living. The book is filled with good advice and introduced me to lots of new ideas. A thoroughly sound investment. The subtitle of the book “Live better, spend less” is something of a mantra here at the cottage. We have been trying to do this for the past seven years and I wish I’d had a book...

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Two easy apple sauce recipes

Posted in Preserving, Sauces Gravy Dressings, Save Money, Vegetarian | 30 comments

Two easy apple sauce recipes

  Apple sauce is so easy to make and it’s versatile too. Fabulous with pork, duck or goose it can also be added to cakes, pastries, used in crumbles and as a topping for cereals or yoghurt. Here are two apple sauce recipes. One making apple sauce from scratch and the other using leftover apple must from making jelly. Way back I would have chucked the apple must but now we are trying to use everything that comes our way and it’s fun. There’s a word of warning though if you are an apple sauce making virgin. Having made your own apple...

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Suddenly The Bike was our only means of transport

Posted in Save Money | 18 comments

Suddenly The Bike was our only means of transport

  “Have you got a fiver?” “No. Well yes. What do you need it for?” “The man is coming to collect the car for the M.O.T.” “But I need the car to collect Inca from The Animal Health Trust and I’ve got to pick up my prescription from Newmarket – I can’t go all weekend without pills.” “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out something.” I thought and thought and the only option I figured out was bike shaped. I would cycle into Newmarket on my bike. It’s only a six mile round trip. The problem is that apart from a few flicks...

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Achocha: an easy alternative to growing sweet green peppers

Posted in Reviews, Save Money, Vegetables | 17 comments

Achocha: an easy alternative to growing sweet green peppers

  I tried growing peppers yet again this year in the greenhouse. Some were attacked by a mystery pest that ate into the fruit just at stem level. The fruit gradually rotted. But one plant was not attacked and we ended the season with sweet peppers – just four but these are the first peppers that I’ve ever managed to grow. I also planted achocha this year. I hadn’t heard of these until I spotted them on The Real Seed website. Who could resist the name “Fat Baby” and the photo of just a hand poking out from the undergrowth of achocha....

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Cutting your carbon footprint saves money too. 10:10 are you on board?

Posted in Save Money | 9 comments

Cutting your carbon footprint saves money too. 10:10 are you on board?

  Richard Curtis’ short film made for the 10:10 campaign might have caused a huge backlash but it has directed a lot of attention to the movement – which can only be a good thing. 10:10 is a movement that encourages people to cut 10% of their carbon footprint in 2010. I must admit I was initially attracted to the idea of 10:10 as I hoped that it would save us money. I reckoned that we had already done most of the first step initiatives – such as bricks in the loo cistern, low energy light bulbs, extra lagging in the loft, economy washes...

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How to cook puffballs recipe

Posted in Chickens, Hedgerow food, Save Money, Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian | 16 comments

How to cook puffballs recipe

  “I want Mrs Boss to have a memorial. She deserves it.” Danny was warming his hands over the wood burning stove. He had just finished burying her in the garden. It was March 2009. “They have some nice Willowstone chickens at the garden centre. I’ll get one. I know that they are well under £20.” But when I visited the garden centre there were no chickens on display. In fact it has taken me all this time to discover that the stone garden ornaments had been moved to a different area. Last week I chose the chicken that looked most...

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Growing strawberries from seed. It’s well worth it in the end.

Posted in Fruit, Save Money | 3 comments

Growing strawberries from seed. It’s well worth it in the end.

  Do you remember my excitement over growing Florian strawberries from seed? And later, my frustration when they just didn’t seem to grow- just sat there the size of doll’s house plants? Eventually I got fed up with viewing them though a magnifying glass and planted the five plants that had survived my fury in a large, redundant hanging basket. Not expecting great results. I used ericaceous compost as I discovered last year that strawberries prefer a more acidic soil than mine. They immediately began to thrive – clearly they hated...

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DIY plumbing

Posted in General care, Save Money | 6 comments

DIY plumbing

  I’ve nearly finished the planting in the newly made over garden but the long hot summer has wrecked the grass. With Lynn Keddie  – the photographer – arriving in a few weeks time I’ve been repairing and reseeding the lawn. If it doesn’t rain the lawn has to be watered twice a day. So I invested in a Hozelock Aquastorm 17 oscillating sprinkler. At its best it will water a giant 200 sqm. The water pressure from our outdoor tap is not very good and when I set the sprinkler in action it barely covered a measly 4 square meters....

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