Selfsufficientish.com

PS. Twiglet, think you are so right about gardening being helpful, couldn't do without it.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes everyone, especially welcome as I have just spent the afternoon in A&E as youngest son has fractured his foot! And guess how? By jumping off the shed roof!!! Another use for a shed that I had not thought of. Bizarrely after 3 X-rays they are unsure where the frac...

Hi all, was at the allotment today harvesting the beetroot, and thought "I really must get back into Selfsufficientish!" I did join a couple of years ago, but life just got so busy I found myself visiting less and less. Anyway, I'm in Devon and am a gardener by trade and mum to two boys 7 ...

Hi all, was a big fan of the site last year, but this year has been a busy one, so haven't had a chance to look in regularly. Am hoping to visit more often, especially now that we have managed to get our allotment a bit more under control at last!

Sounds obvious, but just be yourself and enjoy it. I recently helped out some 10-year-olds at our local primary - they were helping redesign the school environmental garden, and I was so impressed by their capabilities! I was there in my capacity as a professional gardener, but soon realised that th...

Ta for this, am definitely going down the 'is there anything to drink in the house' route with this one! Will let you know how it goes.

...and how long would I leave it after this?

Thanks MKG, think I'm starting to get the hang of this...

...if just add sugar dissolved in water to top up, will this do the trick?

Actually it's not Calvados it smells like, it smells just like a really dry sherry! ?????????????????

Thanks for this can you run it by me again?! Now that it's spent the day settling after racking, have poured a bit into a glass, up against the light it looks like a slightly hazy urine sample...and tastes DRY, quite sour, not at all sweet, actually not unlike bad Calvados, so what do you suggest? S...

Ta for the advice, will give it a try : )

Hi all, have finally got round to dealing with that ignored demi-john of unracked apple wine that's been sitting in a cupboard for much too long. I racked it today, leaving behind a good inch of yucky sediment...as it's been a few months I reckon it's a lost cause, I imagine the sediment has tainted...

Went with popular consensus and found out that borlotti beans are fantastic. If you haven't tried them yet, do! Easy to grow, cropped well, look fab and taste delicious! I boiled them for 10 minutes, then simmered for about 40, longer to make them a bit softer. Have dried some too, for the store cup...

I think about 5lbs of fruit went in and 2 of sugar, along with a good couple of handfuls of sultanas...I've discovered a hydrometer in a box of brewing paraphanalia I got from Freecycle, so perhaps will give that a try and go from there...I don't think its too cold, but I'll put it in the airing cup...

Yes, perhaps a bit more sugar might do the trick? Should I rack it first and then add the sugar, or just bung the sugar in with a bit of apple juice?

Thanks,

Mary