Chitchat thread #24

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Have to keep this short. Last minute decision to do a grory hop, but not really for food but plants. All my brassicas have done really badly in the heat, very blue and totally shrivelled. Don't look like they're going to come to anything. So it's very late, but I'm going to try some plug plants instead. Got lots of ground cleared, so lots will go in. Fingers crossed it really is better late than never rather than so late it might as well be never...

Well, I'll strain some blackberries, bung them in the freezer and then decide what to do with them later. Stirred through apple in a crumble or pie as a last resort. An ice cube of very concentrated juice might be nice as a kind of kir in white wine...

Better get a move on. Still got shopping lists to write. No idea why I write them though: Mr Snoop insists on a list, even though he hardly ever consults it in the shop or, more galling still, leaves it behind on the table.

Catch you all later.

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

I must do a grory hop too today. Even the milk has nearly run out and Mr GF is just having the last of the yoghurt ( yuk!)

I have just been searching high and low for my Christmas pudding recipe, to make a couple as a birthday present for a relative who loves them all year round. Eventually I remembered that I'd posted it on here at some point. Eureka!! I've now got a screenshot. I'm sure my original will turn up now. It's not even a screwed up piece of paper any more but a full A4 plasticised version......organised.....but lost.

Shopping lists! Quelle surprise, I'm like Mr Snoop ..... they disappear. I better check now if I have enough dried fruit.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Have fun shopping Snoop.
We tend to have a list of about 10 things and come back with a boot full of ‘things’ …offers which can’t be ignored etc. Mostly food which can be frozen and used at a later date. Saves on petrol I suppose.
Our freezers will be completely full soon so I’m going to have to get stuck into eating their contents instead of adding to them.

We’ll be doing ours tomorrow , don’t need much apart from a few basics so that should be pretty quick.

Good call about the plug plants. Might do the same if we can get hold of any …but we need rain first

Enjoy your day peeps- see ya later!

[Nicos]

Morning gf…didn’t see you there!
Glad you found the recipe on here…

Your house is going to smell absolutely wonderful…mmmm….

[Jay22]

Morning, it lovely and sunny here this morning. Had the best sleep in ages last night! It was much cooler so maybe that helped.
Just read about a cruise ship that’s in Greenock just now. It’s not your normal cruise ship but consists of 165 privately owned apartments. The owners get together with the captain to decide where they will sail to. Wonder what that’s like? Always on holiday with no need to pack?
Well hope you all have a lovely day, catch you later. x

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

Our shopping days tomorrow so today is list and evening menu day, the list is items we 'need' for the weeks menu and like Nicos we buy extras that are bargains/offers they can be stored for later. Does anyone else write a menu ? it saves us rummaging around the freezers and cupboards deciding what to eat.

More jam making today raspberry this time.

Enjoy your day

[greenishfing]

The only things I need for the puddings are raisins and sultanas. I don't like them loitering too long in my cupboards as they tend to go fusty and so I don't stock up too much.

My main problem now is "missing" pudding basins. I think I never got them back after I gave puddings away last Christmas. Either that or I've got a basin crunching black hole here.......

Bren, I don't write menus but we have similar meals every week, varying with the seasons (more casseroles and stews in Winter). My shopping list is always very similar, just as well as I usually lose it.....and then of course the offers and extras.

Jay, the cruise ship sounds amazing.

[bramble]

Good morning all from sunny Dublin.
Out for lunch with my friends so it will be nice to catch up.

Nicos, yes I cook the blackberries first to get all the juice out.

I need to make more tomato soup as the freezers are still short on space.

Shame about your crops dying Snoop, hope you manage to get plug plants.

I never make a shopping list but hubby always does, shopping day usually on a Friday.

Have a good day all.

[Nicos]

Afternoon!
Having a break from stewing apples.
I don’t write a menu Bren.
More of a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ sort of lass along with what I’m fancying on the day/ or looks like it needs eating up cos it’s going wrinkly!!!!
We usually decide first thing in the morning what we’re having so any ingredients can be defrosted in time.

[Snoop Puss]

Back from the shops. Bought an awful lot more than we meant to. Partly because we only rarely go to this particular town, so we're like kids in a sweet shop, especially round the cheese section. Anyway, after we visited one supermarket, Mr Snoop said we'd better not buy much more because it would be difficult to get it all in the car. The next stop was Lidl. Somehow a bench drill (a middle aisle special, unsurprisingly) and another trolley load got tucked away . Followed by loads of lovely plug plants and calçot bulbs. Got my work cut out for me now.

[Bren In Pots]

Afternoon

Since we’ve had a Aldi only a 10min walk away I’ve not been to Lidl really ought to check their website, I don’t know what bargains I’ve been missing

Jams all done, apples slices in the freezer just waiting for the dehydrator to finish the second batch of apples.

[Jungle Jane]

Afternoon all,sorry about your plants Snoop,it reminded me of a tv programme,where it was so hot they couldn’t grow some brassica. But looking up growing brassica in tropical weather,I saw this de ciccio broccoli,you can sow in the autumn & grow & harvest before the heat of summer?
https://www.premierseedsdirect.com/p...ccio-heirloom/

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, Jungle Jane, Looks like I can find seeds for that in France. Brilliant. Thanks for the recommendation.

[greenishfing]

Good morning all. Another sunny day here, no rain forecast. However there is rain in the offing for tomorrow and the weekend. I think I'll have a wash and dry outside day today.

I'm taking Mr GF to the podiatrist in the next town just before lunchtime and I was sure that today was market day there (a proper old fashioned outdoor market). I was planning on going early and having a meander round the stalls. Just realised I'm wrong. It's not market day today. The council of the city I live on the outskirts of killed off our market years ago while having one of their ridiculous modernisations. They have also now managed to sabotage most of the shops with their ridiculous parking charges. It is generally a ghost town in the day, all the shops have turned into cafes and bars.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Good grief!…I know I was awake in the night, but I’ve only just woken up!
Whoever left the tea…ta muchly.

Thats a shame gf about your local markets.
Being soooo young ( I’m hoping that might bring Rary back to make a comment!) , I recall in my youth my local market was mostly food, with a few stalls of household items, clothes, antiques and second hand books .
My mom’s present outdoor market mostly consisted of bags and clothes, and one fresh fish van when I last visited it with over half of the area completely empty.
It seems that all the other stall type contents are renting the small empty high street shops on a short term basis. Such a shame .
I can’t imagine France without its bustling markets, but they do like to buy locally produced food where possible and mostly very fresh - enough for one or two days max . It does feel like the French generally work and live to eat small quantities of very fresh , good quality produce and prepared to pay for that honour.
We had some rain in the night,so it might be a good call to go and pull a few more weeds whilst their roots are damp.
Enjoy your day peeps !