The Good Life thread

Ba Baaa Ba Baadadada!

So I've gone all Tom and Barbara recently with having planted six Vegtable patches, trying to grow my own mushrooms, (not magic and bloody hard to grow), making my own bread, cider and wine. Of course the ol"worms are still there as well. Also paper logs for the woodburner - not sure about that at all at the moment. .

That last batch of cider tastes bloody amazing! Just need to rack into bottles when it drops a bit lower, (currently at 1.011), kill off the fermination and then back-sweeten.

Things I've looked into and are not either viable or allowed:

Cheese making - involves silly amounts of unpasteurised milk to make a micron of cheese - only rich people or those with a herd of cattle need apply.

Bee Keeping - Difficult and not really allowed by Porirua City Council. Pity cuse that would have been ace. You'd think they might relax this as the future of the human race largely rests on this lovely Phoenix-coloured beauties staying alive and not dying off.

Goats as above can't have anywhere near the city or burbs. Again would have been great but apparently you can have sheep but no other ruminents (sp?) What's that all about? I wonder if you can get miniture sheep?

Chickens - By all accounts time consuming , a pain in the arse and clucky bastards that only lay eggs if they are "in the right mood'.

Anyone else into this hippie self sufficiency lark?? Maybe you've taken it a step further and started your own cult like Manson? If so please post here.

*sigh* Another Nixie hater.

I think we can safely assume you're not Ernieclucks.

My mother-in-law has gone crazy on the cheesemaking front, some of it is bloody nice.  As you say though I suspect it's not much cheaper than buying it.

We're heavily into our own bread, and once house renos have finished I'm going to have a lash at making some Cider.

Had a go at my own Bacon but ended up unpalatably salty, so I need to try again with a different plan.  That would probably be my limit, although I do often toy with the idea of having a lash at my own charcuterie like Prosciutto or Bresaola. 

Blessed are the cheesemakers for they will be called children of Greenacre.

Blessed are the Greek for he shall inherit an A-League franchise.

Still feeding the worms. Have carrots, lettuce and beetroots in the garden at the moment.

No need to grow my own meat as there is always someone with an oversupply of homekill goodness in their freezer in Hawkes Bay!

 Very Interested HN why and how you went homemade bacon? 

Good stuff on the breadmaking.. Jamie Oliver although many think he's a mockney twunt,  I don't think he is now because he does a wonderful basic bread recipe. Also his gourmet recipes are actually fantastic. (Young YF male readers who want to score with the chicks need to check out Jamies recipes. Chicks love men who can cook) -

Also before you embark on making your own cider  HN we need to talk as I've made some mistakes and you might as well learn from them and save yourself some money, swearing and poisoning

going a bit mental as i did overtime on nights - but HN very interested in what you are doing

 f*cking hell Ive had 3 glasses of this cider and I feel like I've drunk 2 bottles of wine!!!

Unfortunately, courgettes do not freeze very well like other vegetables because of its high water content.  Blanching won’t help either because the act of heating and freezing breaks down the cells which make the fruit limp, mushy and flavorless.

There’s still a way to freeze this delicious fruit though.  After cutting the stem, grate the courgette using a grater or a food processor.  Transfer them in a strainer and sprinkle with salt.  A teaspoon of salt per pound of courgette will do.  Mix it well.

Let the courgettes sit for 30 minutes before pressing them to get rid of the excess water.  Put the drained courgette on a piece of waxed paper, pressing them down into a square.

Wrap the courgettes using cookie sheets and put them in the freezer.  Once frozen, you can then transfer them in freezer bags.  Frozen this way, it should last as long as three months.

You can use the courgette in dishes first such as ratatouille or make them into a soup or cake before freezing them.

 I might have a google about this tonight when things slow done, you are right the bacon is pretty shocking over here which is a complete mystery to me.

 There are some very good ones but you pay through the nose for them.

From our Vege Patch...

Nice nail varnish you got there C-Diddy...

I've got a fig tree that's currently producing more figs than I know what to do with (must be the weather I think) particularly seeing as I'd never really had any figs before. Tried stewing a whole heap last night with some rhubarb, but it was a bit of a failure (didn't taste great). The Mrs cooked some wrapped in bacon though which were very tasty.

Jam sounds like too much effort. I'll see how the Easter weekend turns out.

Just while we're on this fred:

Barabara or Margot?

(I choose Margot)

Hmm might do. I'll see how the weekend goes. Probably worth a try though.

Definately Barbara!

 Quick Wholemeal Bread - Based on the Grant Loaf. I've made a few changes that make the bread a lot lighter and not as stodgy. I've added these in Italics

Here's my recipe for Stollen Bread:

1. Take one standard sized brick

2. Coat with flour, water and chopped dried fruit

3. Bake for a while

4. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Enjoy with a nice glass of Schnapps as you contemplate a cruel winter and the thought of the Soviets knocking on your door soon.

For a less authentic (less Teutonic) version, replace the brick with a hollow cement block - this makes for a lighter loaf that is slightly easier to digest and more suited for summer barbecues.

Tried it on the weekend. Moderate success. Tastes alright but I didn't cut them up enough, so they didn't brek down totally, and it looks more like chutney than jam.

Definitely better than the stewing though.