Selfsufficientish.com

I've just had a mental image of the near future ... Lots of ISHer parties centred around a table groaning under the weight of several demijohns of a clear tasteless liquid ... another table full of small bottles of syrups, tinctures and essences ... next person staggers up to take the challenge ... ...

I have to say that (being honest, which is where this thread opened) I do the homebrew thing principally because it's cheap alcohol and my taste buds are such that I enjoy even the rough stuff. Even so, quality depends upon what you're aiming for. If you REALLY want to imitate grape wine without usi...

Andy - It's B1 which is the important thing, although the yeast won't complain if you throw in a crushed B compex tablet. Sky - Me too - just found all of that stuff, and those turbo yeasts look incredible (although I'll virtually guarantee that the amount of methanol and fusel oils produced is incr...

Oh dear - my wrinkly factor has struck. Yes, it's a song which was recorded by just about everyone in the post-war era (even the Andrews Sisters had a go). I've just toured the net looking for its references (thousands of them), and was reminded of a very apropos song for this forum - It's Not Easy ...

You mean that it's true ??? ... Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy ... ??? Doris Day was an ecologist?

I've spent the last three years carefully cutting back the invasive ivy and trying not to damage the very pretty tree it seems to grow up - only to discover this year that the "tree" is, in fact, the ivy itself (from next door, I hasten to add). So, this year I'm being brutal and zipping a...

I have an old farmhouse-style recipe book which I love dearly. It tells me all manner of wonderful things, including how to make nettle soup and nettle pudding.

I've looked - I really have - but I can't find them.

"Pick only the tops of fresh nettles wearing mittens", it says.

?????????

This reaction makes me wish I was allowed to sell the stuff. OK. Vitamin B is the wonder substance which has been taking the wine-making society by storm - and I can attest that it really does work. You need to add 5 milligrams of Vit B per gallon to see an order of magnitude increase in the speed o...

Aaahhh - all this welcome stuff makes me feel quite squidgy.

Thanks all - I hope I'll be worth it

I certainly felt it, but what was really interesting was that the dog knew it was coming (big, soppy Standard Poodle). He started barking at 12.30 - he NEVER barks at night - and I just could not get him to settle down. Then it happened - and he shut up and went to sleep. It made me think of the rep...

Yep - Marmite is one of the best vit. B sources around. Luckily, it's made from the very stuff you find at the bottom of your brewing/fermenting vessel after a batch has finished, so you could use that instead. Strangely enough, the result doesn't taste of Marmite at all (but don't use more than hal...

Done - your sub-campaign has got the petition count up to 1525, 9ball. Well done.

Ever thought that it would be nice to be able to mix a bit of cordial of choice with water but make it alcoholic too? I quite fancied that idea last summer, so I fermented some water - and it worked!!! Sounds stupid, I know. However, anything between 2 and 3 pounds (depending upon how strong you wan...

It really is this vinosity thing. A must made from grapes is paradise for yeast because it's a perfect balance of everything needed to make wine (well, it would be, wouldn't it?). Sultanas, raisins and currants theoretically push a non-grape must towards this perfection by adding traces of such thin...

Hi all from the wilds of North Nottinghamshire. I've been following your musings since I found this site a couple of days ago, and you all appear to be quite mad - right up my street, really. So I thought I'd join you. Retirement is looming for me and she, and we're beginning to eye the rather large...