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stumbling self sufficiency in a small space
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5:44 pm
Councillor
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Thu 7-Jan-10
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brightspark said:
That's a good idea, Barbara - didn't think of that, but I wonder if it would have any effect on the finished result?
The friend who told me that had a quince tree in the garden, and always did that with her quinces, and didn't comment about it altering the result. She made jelly (or was it jam?) with them, and I am not sure what else.
I just tried a search for peeling quinces, and a couple of places suggested parboiling. I'd rather put them in the oven, I think.
blog: Devon Garden
10:29 pm
oh that pic helped; it has confirmed what I thought; that I have found a wild quince near our b=house: yippee; also found a non wild crab apple today; need to ask if I can have some!!
11:16 am
Expert
New members
Sun 25-Jul-10
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Todays foraging expedetion aka the morning dog walk.
The unidentified fruit in my earlier post (36) has now ripened and are very tasty plums. Along with a few Mirabelles, there could well be another pie in the making.
I can report a good result in the pickling department, a good friend mentioned how he loves pickled walnuts and used to pickle his own until his source of walnuts was lost.
I'd already picked a carrier bag full from the tree in my garden and so to his delight, I passed them on to him for processing, I now get to try pickled walnuts with very little effort. I can see a good partnership forming here.
"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
Your future self is watching you right now through memories
12:42 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Great picture Bob, the colours are wonderful. Sounds as though you'll have a good bartering system going in no time.
I'll try that again!
8:24 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Those plums do look nice, still waiting for plums to ripen here well more like damsons really but any fruit is good in my books.
10:26 pm
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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Those plums look wonderful. Mine are nowhere near ready yet. 
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
10:13 am
1st Grader
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Tue 10-Aug-10
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Well foraging..does this include fishing?..living near the coast and during a southerly wind i put a net out on the beach, last year i caught 27 different species..best being bass turbot and the lovely grey mullet which is so underated...
Being near the coast we also get loads of blackthorn for the gin and we have also found a nice patch of wild damsons which also make a lovely gin..slightly nicer than the sloe's...
Also on the coast we have sea kale which we pick with permission as its protected..just a few young shoots so as not to harm the plant, a few from each plant keeps us going for weeks..eat all shellfish as well from winkles to shore crabs( make a nice soup )
Then there's the staples like sorrel (for the fish) raspberries, blackberries, crab apples ect ect...
never go anywhere without 2 books..'food for free' and 'edible coast'....tried rock samphire from the latter...ok if you like eating a parafin and soap mixture....
.......regards lee
10:36 am
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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There's an interesting article on the bbc website about how fruit is late ripening this year:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10925016
I'm surprised at how late the blackberries seem to be. And I can't believe rowan isn't fruiting everywhere - the trees round Coventry are covered in bunches or red berries. I gave some berries a quick squeeze as I walked past this morning and they are still very firm but I don't expect them to be ripe for another month anyway.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
5:31 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Hello and and welcome Lee! Good to see you pitching right in here. 
I'll try that again!
5:37 pm
Supreme Being
New members
Mon 7-Jun-10
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Toffeeapple said:
Steady on Toffeeapple, he uses that emoticon for his wife..
..is nowhere sacred.....he'll think you're a spy
Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria
9:16 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Yep, Lee - any means of getting food or resources for free is good by us.
My opinion about self-sufficiency includes:
- foraging
- hunting
- fishing
- shooting (the above sounds like Country Life magazine! )
- growing your own
- bartering
- freesurfing (grabbing good food from supermarket waste bins)
- making and selling (made by your own hands)
- earning income from not being employed by somebody (like this site is trying to do)
- and probably loads more ways that I have not listed
Nothing at all wrong about hiring out your time by the hour. That's what the vast majority of us on here do and would love NOT to have to do. But great when you can beat the system in a few small ways, like getting great bargains on the CFC counters at supermarkets.
Never knowingly underfed
9:17 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Elsa, I think you'll find that the emoticon is called Toffeeapple - just hover your mouse over it ... 
I'll try that again!
9:49 pm
Expert
New members
Sun 25-Jul-10
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Plums cooked,
6 mins in the pressure cooker did the job, then strained the pip out through a collander. Something went a little wrong this time as I had a lot more liquid than I did with the Mirabelles, maybe I added too much water to begin with and I added a teacup of sugar to the fruit before cooking,
My rescue plan was to put it on a rolling boil for a couple of hours, added more sugar as I test tasted and it's reduced nicely to a thick jam consistency. (no pectin or whatever it's called was added).
Rather than attempt a pie, I lined two round baking tins with shortcrust pastry, blind baked in the Halogen then added the 'jam'. Suprisingly it was still a bit sharp although the fruit itself was sweet in the raw state, so I sprinkled a bit more castor sugar on the top then baked for a further 30 mins. I'm working on the theory that you can add sugar but not take it away.
I now have two plum tarts ready for the cream topping and once again, an exceptionally clean pressure cooker (I used the Hi Dome Prestige this time as that too was tarnished 
)
"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
Your future self is watching you right now through memories
10:50 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Bob, I think that you are one of a diminishing breed who still use a pressure cooker. Can't think why that should be the case but they appear to have fallen out of favour these days.
Love the photo in your sig line!
It's only today that Fiona and I were discussing how we do so very little baking (cakes, tarts and the like) compared with most other people. I think it's time that I donned the apron that I was given as a birthday present a few years ago (a BBQ apron, so it's quite macho, mind!).
Trouble is - show me a cake or a bun and I put on a few pounds/kilos immediately.
Still, anything in the name of science and endeavour 
Never knowingly underfed
1:22 am
Expert
New members
Sun 25-Jul-10
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I'm all for saving money Danny, and the pressure cooker is a good way to do it. All the veg in under 6 minutes, a gammon joint in 35mins and a beef stew in 25mins.
Add the table top halogen cooker and the conventional oven is redundant.You can even watch your creations as they cook.
Give it a go
"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
Your future self is watching you right now through memories
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