Laundry

First job this morning was to get some particularly icky laundry done. That's on so I thought I'd share some thoughts with you while my porridge cools. Up to 18 months ago, I had been buying Ecover or something similar then to save money, DH and I bought regular laundry powder or liquid dependant on price from a cash and carry. We thought we were doing well to get the price down to 9p a wash. I found these through a website last year and bought them off Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecoballs-System-refills-stain-remover/dp/B004UAEM82/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1304148356&sr=8-12 It was ideal for me to be able to do my laundry in an eco friendly way AND save money.

 

They work out around 3p a wash although that figure is based on the price I bought them for. As we live in a hard water area, I bought the magnetic ball as well. They contain soap nuts so are super organic and can be refilled cheaply. However, because they struggled to clean  DH's oily clothes, we then experimented with a grated bar of cheap supermarket soap and soda crystals. This washed well but sometimes the soap just clogged in the drawer. Recently I rediscovered the recipe for 'laundry gloop'. http://www.gaia-exchange.sunmaia.net/laundrygloop.htm

One bar of the cheapest supermarket soap and some soda crystals makes around 5 litres of laundry gloop and 1 cup is all you need for a load. We have an 8kg washing machine so strive to get it full each time it runs for maximum efficiency and economy. You can, of course, use any soap, home made, eco friendly  or just what smells nice! Later in the year, when preserving is in full swing, I will keep the large container that vinegar comes in to store the gloop but for now I'm using pop bottles.

Anyway, must go and get the economy gastronomy pork in the oven. Pancakes for lunch methinks.

Until next time x

Cooking, gardening and Lentil and Squash Pasties

I'm writing while the filling is cooking. It's taking slightly longer than the book says but I'm not worried. I've been sitting down trying to rest between stages but I'm in need of distraction so I have decided to write some more.

I have always enjoyed cooking but my efforts have been sporadic to say the least. At home, I only really cooked at school, the occasional cake and with the Guides. When I left home, it quickly became the norm to eat with my lodgers to cut down on expense and share the work. I learnt so much at this time. I lived on a farm for a short while and tasted the finest produce labour could buy, spoilt. On my own, I reverted to the simple things in life, yes, beans on toast, scrambled egg etc. When DH came on the scene, my repertoire went back to the inevitable student fare of curry, chili, stir fry, scone pizza, etc. Okay for working people. When my children came along and I was at home more often, I made all of their baby food from scratch, even things DH and I hated (think brassicas). But I got bored. I had cookery books which only occasionally saw the light of day.

(Just checked, filling now done, left saucepan in bowl of cold water to cool.)

So I decided to have a special meal once a month for my family. Once again, my repertoire and confidence grew. I watched more and more food TV and wanted more. Then I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Quite a blow. If anything though, my interest and experience in cooking grew because there are dairy products in the most unlikely things. I got a bread maker and got creative, not easy when working full time in a very demanding job with two young children. Then I became very poorly. DH did a sterling job keeping the family afloat while I struggled with my health. When my condition stabilised, we decided that we needed to eat well. DH had always grown veg but we really didn't take it seriously. I decided to get much more involved in the planning and the small jobs like seed sowing he was happy to relinquish. Bring on veg garden TV, Internet and magazines! Then the credit crunch bit. More than once I have been grateful that we had already established our veg garden and 'aquired' greenhouses, grateful that we have a garden too!

(DH home, best finish dinner)

So, that pretty much brings us up to date. I now try to meal plan but stay flexible around unexpected bonuses (In-laws inviting us to theirs, unexpected 'food parcels', free eggs for selling their surplus to our friends, etc) I try to keep a stash of home-made ready meals in the freezer for times when things don't go to plan or, like yesterday, I'm too unwell to cook. Ready meals can be something as simple as leftovers just finished. Tonight is a good example. I had made too much filling to go in the pasties so I carefully spooned the excess into a clean margarine tub, stuck a label on it and, when it's cool, it will go in the freezer. Now I know I already have a portion leftover from the last batch so all I need to do is whizz up some pastry et voila, I'm on my way to a meal. I am actually quite horrified at how much food we used to throw away. Now we have a small compost caddy, which is emptied into the 'dalek' at the top of the garden, then onto the veg beds, an old swing top bin for metals and plastics in the garage which is periodically emptied into the wheelie bin (grey top) and everything else is stuffed into whatever recycling bag the council dream up this month. Very little goes into our brown bin (large compostable items and meat, etc. most of this is either burnt in the garden or in the wood burner then spread on the beds) and even less into our blue top bin (landfill). Our Holy Grail each fortnight is for it to be completely empty, not always possible.

Anyway, the pasties. I must just say that I am not and can't be slave to recipes. For example, the pasties should have been made with rough puff pastry. I have neither the time or the energy for that so made them with good old shortcrust. The filling should have had celery in it, but the celery in the veg rack was too far gone so I stuck an extra (food parcel) carrot in. I had forgotten to defrost some homemade chicken stock and I couldn't be faffed to make a veg stock so I used one of my precious organic chicken stock cubes. Then I forgot to put the mustard in at the end and the vinegar (I would have used white wine instead of the balsamic in the recipe 'cos I don't have any) but you won't tell, will you? In the interest of saving time and resources I also don't cut out pastry circles. If you do that, you always have a bit left over. Now, I know you can freeze the left overs and sometimes it's the best option but I just divide my pastry into 4 and roll out to a rough circle around 4mm thick. While they were cooking, I made the chips with food parcel potatoes. Clean plates all round speaks volumes I think.

Until next time x

Hello!!!

Greetings blogland!!! I want to use this blog to record and share my voyage through these difficult times. There will be much about money saving, food, bargains, make-do-and-mend, re-imagining, etc. My journey really began in 2007 when I left work as normal one evening and didn't return apart from to clear my desk and a few meetings to sort out my future. Suddenly, what had been a niggling health issue had become a serious health issue, enough to prevent me from pursuing my career.

We were lucky enough to be cushioned by a generous sickness package, for which we are eternally grateful, savings, a good credit rating and a DH in work. But soon, reality hit home and hit hard, unfortunately coinciding with the credit crunch, oh joy.

There were sleepless nights, times when I spoke a little too sharply, endless reams of calculations, potential business ideas, etc, etc. Our salvation came from the often maligned Internet in the form of many sites offering support and guidance to people like ourselves. The best part was no longer feeling alone or a failure and the amazing discovery that making the most of your resources could actually be fun! Who knew? In fact, I wish I had been this savvy when I was in work, we could have made so much more of our income but, hey ho,we have to live with things the way they are not as we'd like them to be.

I hope you'll join me when you can and add your thoughts to the mix. I've learnt so much but I'm always hungry for more. I'll try to credit everyone with the original idea rather than taking it for my own and provide links and references as appropriate.

So, why am I sat at the computer on a beautiful day like today? Unfortunately I have been struck by 'fat foot' as it's known in our house. yesterday was terrible, spent all day under the duvet shivering and sweating alternately, dreading having to find a doctor on the day before a bank holiday. Fortunately it passed and I am now typing with my foot elevated trying to get the swelling to come down. Which gives me time and the excuse to blog.

Today's thrifty recipe is going to come from the River Cottage Everyday cook book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Lentil and Squash pasties. It was my Christmas present from my in-laws 2009 and is much thumbed. I have already made the pastry (yes, I know that wasn't resting but I did most of it sitting down and  quickly) and it is chilling in the fridge for later. I am defrosting some pumpkin from last years crop as the squash element. I made them for the first time last week and they came out really well. Voted a winner in our house. As Friday is chip night, it should be a cheap and easy meal. Also defrosting are 3kg's of pork shoulder and some ribs. These will be cooked tomorrow and we'll have the ribs for tea with stir fried veg and noodles and eke out the rest of the meat over the next few days. I'm thinking sliced pork with mash, carrots, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and gravy on Sunday, sweet and sour with stir fried veg and noodles on Monday and Jamaican Jerk pork with rice and black peas on Tuesday. There will probably be enough for sandwiches too. One day of mad cooking and four days easy meals, result! This idea came from the book of the BBC series, Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett which I picked up from a car boot on Mother's Day. I always tell the kids not to waste money on a card so they said it could be my card replacement, infinitely more useful! Although cooking the pork altogether makes sense on so many levels, we really didn't enjoy the pork lasagna which is one of the 'tumbledown' recipes from it though I know people who love it. That's why this time I'm going to make dishes I know my family like.

Anyhoo, just had the call to collect DD. It was Year 11 prom last night and she stayed over at a friends. Much shrieking and giggling and not alot of sleep I expect.

Until next time x