2019 Brexit Preps

[OVAgroundWOMBlingfree]

I thought it would be useful to have a thread as we head into the new year where we can discuss our Brexit preps.

Today I picked up all gift wrap and cards I will need for next Christmas which I would normally do anyway but I added some neutral gift wrap which could be used for birthdays. I also stashed a few toys in the sale which can be used for birthdays. The thought of the DC going without birthday presents is too sad.

I’ve also just stashed some lightbulbs, candles, lights and matches.

Going into 2019 I’m focusing on:
Solar chargers
Camping gas
Protein
Medicines
Box hair dye
Skincare
Loo roll and tissues + hankies
Cleaning products
Home brew kits
Books on self reliance

Does anyone know how long poultry feed is good for beyond its BBE? It has a worryingly short life span.

I don't know about poultry feed but you might want to check out Liz Zorab - Byther Farm on YouTube. She's a uk homesteader who keeps chickens and is generally pretty good at either answering questions or directing you to people/sources who know.

If you can keep the poultry feed dry then it should be fine some time past its BBE date.

Thanks both :)

Today I’ve stashed:

Toothpaste
Razors
Tissues
More lemon juice
Salt
Tinned potatoes
Tinned rhubarb
Vegetable crisps

My second freezer has just arrived! DS1 is off school today and so I'm going to put him to work transferring everything out of the current freezer and into this one. I can then defrost the first and take stock of what we have before doing a bulk meat and cheese order

I've found my people!

I've been worried about brexit since it started, but in the last few months I'd started worrying about food supply as part of it.

I have a fair amount of things like pasta / rice already at home and have just done my weekly food shop online and added the following:
6 x noodles
4 x beans
6 x Soup
2 x cottage pie mix
1 x pasta sauce
Toilet roll x 16
2 x chopped tomatoes
2 x 1l Fruit juice

Under £20 and will top up my supplies. My plan is to spend that each week just to ensure I keep adding to what we have and helping make sure it will last. This weekend I'm clearing out the freezer of the random stuff I've bought and never used (and never will) and will be filling it with things I know will be eaten over the coming weeks to be safe.

I've also recently learnt that I can freeze some veg so I'm getting extra celery / leek etc and chopping & freezing in bags - partly to save waste (I'm terrible at throwing out half a swede on a regular basis) but also so I can keep some back for if needed too.

Logic being, all being well it will still be eaten and save me some cash longer term - but if it hits the fan as I suspect it might then we will be ok for a while.

OohMrDarcy lots of threads here on the prepper board to help you. Depending on what you find in your freezer you might be able to use it fairly easily. I am going to make a couple of pasta bakes using up all of the bits and pieces in my freezer. Literally 200g of pasta, a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes plus anything else random you find. I know for a fact that I have some cooked chicken, bits of ham, ends of cheese, various random assortments of frozen veg. Baked and topped with some breadcrumbs it makes a good family meal and is my easiest way to use random stuff.

Another tip is to keep all of your half bits of veg/ stalks etc in one bag in the freezer and every now and then when you have enough turn it into soup.

Cloud, I think I might love you Is there any veg you know of that CAN'T be frozen? If not, I am SO doing this!

The only issue with freezing veg is that some of it might loose some texture. So things like carrots and broccoli would be best blanched first before freezing if you wanted to serve them as a side of broccoli or carrots on their own (literally boil for two minutes and then plunge into cold water then pat dry and freeze). However I generally use frozen veg as ingredients in other meals and so I don't bother and it's all fine. Particularly successful are cherry tomatoes. You can literally bung them in the oven and roast them from frozen (favourite breakfast for DS1 with toast and an egg). You can also freeze eggs, cheese, butter, milk. In fact most things.

I tend to use for Stews / cottage pie - that kind of thing, so I'm not worried about texture so much.

I froze milk once, didn't work out so well - leaked as it expanded or something... can't remember now. It would not occur to me to freeze cheese either, though we rarely have too much of that .

Thanks for all the tips though, should help me reduce waste long term as well as helping with my brexit hell prep!

Remember to chop the veg too before freezing to make life easier. Stuff like butternut squash etc freezes really well (and also stores for months fresh) but you are definitely best chopping it up first.

Now that is another one I'm good at wasting! I use what I need and the rest generally goes to waste once cut.... this is transformative, thanks cloud!

Hi, I'm new here, although have always been a bit of a prepper.

OVAgroundWOMBlingfree, have tippy thought about keeping a sourdough starter? Although it uses flour and water to keep it alive, it negates the need for yeast.

Just seen someone else has already mentioned it.
My starter is over 5 years old now. It can cope with being neglected as long as it's kept in the fridge between uses.
Takes a week or so to get going before you can use it to make bread once you first start.

I find the bread much more filling so it goes further, and although it will go stale, it doesn't go mouldy, so lasts longer.

Could those using sourdough starters give their bread recipes please. I can get a starter going but the bread is always rubbish. Do I also need to use a bit of yeast to get anything decent?

I used to follow recipes, but now I kinda make it up as I go along (obviously sticking to the overall ratio of flour to water). I basically stick to 625g flour and 350g water, 10g salt and 15ml oil, but it might be made up of more starter, so I'll then adjust the other flour/water measurements as my starter is composed of equal amounts of flour and water.

A good basic recipe (can't remember who it's from), that doesn't involve much effort, is as follows though:

150g starter
250g flour
275ml tepid water

Mix together, cover loosely, and leave overnight. Should be nicely bubbling by the next morning.

Add 300g more flour, 10g salt and 15ml oil. Knead for around 7 mins until smooth and elastic.
Leave, covered, in a warmish place for several hours (2-5hrs) until doubled in size. Knock back, knead lightly for few mins then shape into loaf, cover and leave to prove for 1-2 hrs until doubled in size.
Bake at 190°C for about 30-40 mins, depending on your oven.

Another one that makes a good loaf is from Paul Hollywood.
It uses 250g starter, 375g flour, 7g salt, 130-175ml tepid water, oil for oiling.

Combine starter, flour and salt.

Add enough water to get a soft dough. Pour some oil onto worktop, and knead dough for 10-15 mins til elastic and smooth.
Cover and leave in warm place (ideal temp 22-24°C) to rise for about 5 hrs til doubled in size.
Knock down risen dough, and knead briefly, fold it in on itself several times and shape into loaf.
Cover and leave to prove until doubled in size (3-8hrs).
Bake at 210°C for about 25-30 mins then lower temp to 190°C and continue baking for further 10-15 mins until golden and sounding hollow on base.
I found these temps too high for my oven, and the bread came out much too dark, so feel free to adapt to your own.

I never add extra yeast and this is my last loaf (that I actually forgot about so is technically over proofed).

The one before:

Please excuse this stupid question but does the bread taste any different if it's been over proved?

thought about keeping a sourdough starter?

I used to have one before I needed to stock a small dairy for milk because my DC go through it so quickly and the leven took up too much space.
I might consider going back to it, is there a version that doesn’t need to go in the fridge?

Prepped today:

The window cleaner cleaned the gutters whilst doing the windows and helped DH position the guttering to feed into one of the water butts.

Bought:
Chloraseptic
Paracetamol
A roll of plaster tape
Gauze
Bandages

Tin opener
Bread recipe book so I can diversify

3kg red lentils
8kg basmati rice
1kg arborio rice
1 tub of smash
5 tins of sardines in oil (great for our dogs)
24 loo rolls
Huge box of washing powder
Bathroom cleaner x3
White vinegar x5
A box of bicarb
3 packs of medium egg noodles
Frozen stir fry veg
Frozen risotto
Tinned ratatouille x2
Tinned green lentils x2
Tinned new potatoes x2
Tinned pear quarters x2
Tinned mandarins x2
Tinned water chestnuts x4
Tinned soup x4
Jar of tahini
Jar of olives
Cream crackers
Custard creams
Oat cakes
Chocolate
Tuna x8
1kg oats
Halloumi

Toothpaste x2
Deodorant x2
Bottle of SPF 50 x3
1000 bags of tea
Our favourite coffee x2
Vermouth
Gin
Vodka

Tea lights
Batteries for kitchen scales

I did cheese today - cheddar, feta and halloumi. 6 of each in the freezer.

I bought an ecoegg today. It says it's good for 144 washes. I haven't tried it out yet, but if it's good it will save a lot of storage space as the refills take up a lot less space than boxes of washing powder. Plus it's much better for the environment.