Since living with no water supply we’ve become somewhat expert in the ways of saving and recycling water. With the warming of the world and the increase in remote living I guess water usage is an important topic for a lot of people out there too. We haven’t got a sophisticated rainwater harvesting system but we do collect enough to keep ourselves supplied for up to eight months of the year. Which, considering the climate and our water use on the huerto, I think is pretty good. We harvest rainwater from the house and sheds. Our roofs all run to […]
Worm Farm Composting Bins
A lot of people on Twitter have been talking lately about Wormeries. They are the perfect solution to those with limited space or who maybe just want to get involved in an interesting and different kind of project. They seem great way to get started in the world of composting. You can get all manner of shapes and sizes of worm composting bins to suit the largest, or smallest, of spaces. Many are suitable for indoor (yes, really) or outdoor use. Apart from the obvious advantage of making compost they have a number of other great advantages. Worm Composting Bins […]
Making the Most of the Vegetable Plot
I often hear vegetable growing enthusiasts bemoaning the small size of their carrots or cabbages. Later they will be disappointed at the short season of their cauliflowers – failing to eat them before the curds start to open out and flower truly. This is why it pays to be greedy in your veggie garden. Start to eat things as soon as they are edible. One, small, perfectly formed cauliflower a week for a few months, can bring much more enjoyment and sustainability to your life than two weeks getting bored of continual cauli consumption. Particularly when the produce is past […]
Food Waste Reduction Bandwagon!
One of my beliefs with trying to attain a more self sufficient life is that we cannot waste ANY food. With that in mind, plus my naturally thrifty, greedy nature I’ve been making more of an effort of late to reduce our food wastage. We are pretty good. All our food waste except cooked bones gets either fed to hens, dogs, cat or the compost heap. However I think I should be making more of an effort for there to be less available for the animals. With this in mind I’m jumping on the Food Waste Reduction Challenge Bandwagon. Crunchy […]
Preserves (Canning) – Basics Part 3 – Ingredients
Right then, continuing the ‘Preserves – Basics’ theme. This is some information that you need to know about the ingredients you’ll be using. Fruit and Vegetables These must be in good condition before you preserve them. So disgard anything spoilt, over-ripe or rotten. You don’t want to introduce any moulds or fungus into the product before you even start the preserving process. Beware of coatings to commercially produced fruit. Wax coatings on citrus and other fruit should be scrubbed off or peeled. Pickling is a good way to use up any under-ripe overly firm items. Green tomatoes are a traditional […]
Solar Radios Reviews Wind Up Radios Reviews Crank Radios
I really can’t express what great little Eco Gadgets Solar/Wind Up Radios are. Next to the Laptop it is probably one of the most used items in the house. We purchased a Solar and Wind Up Radio over ten years ago now and it is still going strong! A minutes worth of winding and it runs for well over an hour! Click for Discount Crank Radios or read on to find out why we love our original Freeplay wind up/solar radio. When the sun is shining it quickly stores up energy and runs the whole day. We really have found […]
Preserves – Basics Part 2 – Methods of Preserving (Canning)
A continuation on our introduction to home-preserving. Here we’re talking about canning / bottling fruit & vegetables. Luckily the first few preserves I made were from Mrs Beaton’s All About Cookery. These Victorian recipes assume the cook knows the basics of preserving and general hygiene in the kitchen. They didn’t scare me into not trying, which many books I’ve read since might well have done. Here I want to share some of the basics about methods of preserving foodstuffs that should help you in your kitchen. What Is It? There are a myriad of ways to preserve fruit and vegetables […]