I just wish properly rated canners were more available and the government would issue the correct guides, like Canada and the US. I'm very weary of the Chinese and Indian "pressure canners" . Great information and ideas, more would be appreciated, take care and stay safe, Mike.
I cant believe over 500 couldnt scroll down a bit and give a thumbs up, there is a lot of work going into making these videos, always interesting and informative from a couple who are doing their best to provide some invaluable info, and they are. Give them a like, you know it makes sense. A.
I really enjoyed this, and I think it's one of your best videos so far. I would love to see more on this topic, including more on meat production and processing.
Thanks so much. We are planning on making a short series on processing chickens in small numbers - dispatch, plucking, dressing etc ( although we will probably host it on another platform because of family friendly rules). Is that the sort of thing that's of interest?
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, though I would have to find the other platform. You'll probably be fine doing it on TH-cam so long as you don't show the moment of killing. I would also be very interesting in seeing various methods of preserving chicken meat.
@@Beaguins We'll put an announcement out on the channel (with a link if it's elsewhere) when the time comes. I think, if we are going to cover it, it's best to cover it thoroughly ( hence the TH-cam concern.
Great information. It’s very sad that you have to explain and apologize for for growing, butchering and eating your game. It’s how this world started. Happy to have this information! ,
I tend to agree Tammy and there seems a lot of interest in the subject so we will do more - with a warning so those who don't want to watch can skip it 😉
I'm in the US and I just absolutely ADORE the way you both talk! I also really appreciated the ideas of preserving batch cooking. Makes sense and I never thought of that as a way to save our chilis or soups when we are tired of them instead of feeding the rest to the dogs.
we harvest and process all the parsnips late autumn and freeze the peeled cut blanched in bags ,then just roast as needed from frozen the freezing does greatly improve the parsnips and so never use fresh parsnips if possible,last a year easily your incredibly organised which some of us can only aspire too
It would be good to see some more money saving, make your own videos. I believe the more we make at home the more people can save. Keep up the good work.
Didn’t see you mention it but a great way to preserve eggs, when hens are producing way more than you can use is “water glassing.” It keeps eggs for 1 year plus without refrigeration or processing. And it’s cheap and easy to do. Win-Win. It’s hydrated lime and water in a large jar. Homesteading Family on USA TH-cam have a 13 minute video. Best wishes to you both!
Hi Kenyon - we preserve eggs in several ways - waterglass, drying and freezing. This video might interest you 🙂 th-cam.com/video/qHburN5ARdA/w-d-xo.html
Awesome video - don't know why you don't have more views. We grow a lot in our garden in AUS and eat what is seasonable. Haven't started to preserve and freeze as yet but your vid is an insperation. Thank you
Hi Emma, we've got an introduction to pressure canning th-cam.com/video/WTrPZg9wN5I/w-d-xo.html And an introduction to water bath canning th-cam.com/video/9b7fse82Djs/w-d-xo.html That give an overview of the techniques and equipment
Lots of good information there. This is one reason we raise rabbits, every part of the animal can be used and there is no waste. We now also make all our own dog food. Experimented with sand and soil preserving with some of last years harvest so that is something we want to learn to do more off. Jerusalem artichoke is called Mother apple here and we are trying to locate some at present. Time well spent watching again, stay safe with the bad weather.
Those are all great ways to keep food costs down. I have found that making my own dairy products, even though I buy the milk, also saves a lot. Good cheese and yogourt are expensive and cost less to make. Now to convince the kid that homemade applesauce is as good as store bought!
@@leonardodtc1493 When we can. There's a local dairy that sells plain unpasteurised milk straight from the cows. Unfortunately it's a little too far to travel for all our dairy but when we are nearby we do. There is relatively little dairy close to us unfortunately
@@leonardodtc1493 I buy homogenized (3.25% fat) pasteurized milk from the grocery store. A Cheesemaking class I took also suggested using skim milk and adding cream, I think it was 1L of cream for 4L of milk. If you use pasteurized milk you must add calcium chloride to the milk when making cheese.
Any chance of some more details of storing carrots in sand ? I have the carrots, have the sand, I haven't the knowhow. ( or as the beloved tells me, I haven't a clue ! )
Of course Chris! I'll do a video next carrot harvest if you like? Simply put get VERY dry sand, put a layer of sand in a rodent proof container, then a layer or carrots, not touching, cover in a sand layer, more spaced carrots, finish with a tight fitting lid & store in an unheated outbuilding. Reach in and grab carrots as needed, they should last from an Autumn harvest right through till May.
@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks Hugh. It's interesting to see you advise VERY dry sand as I have only seen damp sand being the method shown on other videos. But Pah! Who takes notice of all that rubbish on the interweb ? I've always doubted moist sand as it seems to me that it would be an ideal environment for mould and rot. We have just about finished our modest crop of carrots, there's just about 8 or 10 left in the container I used to grow them. Next harvest will be stored in dry sand. Can't wait. :-)
@@chrishamilton-wearing3232 Hi Chris, you are dead right on the sand, the other two reasons from experience are that dampness encourages the carrots to sprout and, in cold conditions, wet sand freezes into a concrete like lump making it impossible to retrieve the carrots!
Supremely interesting video, as always. I remember a few years ago visiting a wild bird rescue and the guy who ran it told us that he bought a lot of male chicks from egg producers as food for the falcons. A lot of people weren't too happy to hear it, to be honest, but as he pointed out, it's best that they're not wasted and people tend not to think about the implications of wanting only hens. If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered it myself either. I really like your respectful take on making the most of what you have and going for higher welfare meat.
Great post.I would add making vegetable/animal stock in bulk and freezing it.Specially the gelatinous chicken stock with veggies does wonders for your health.
Hi Jess, yes Buff Orpingtons. They are a useful table weight at 16 weeks (3-4 pounds) and a very large by 26 weeks (6 to 7 pounds). They continue to grow, but slowly
Great content! I am planting a bunch of fruiting plants this year in hopes I can save some money in the long term. The other reason is to try some varieties that should have more flavor than what’s available in stores.
I'm sure you'll be happy. Our apples, pears and strawberries are old traditional varieties. Not the massive fruiters that travel well beloved of supermarkets, but steady and delicious in flavour.
Great video! I'd love to see more on canning and food preserving if you are able to share more. Until I find my dream plot, I'm a little too close to neighbours to responsibly introduce cockerels but have wondered about quail. Have you bred quails?
Hi Lucy, it's a matter of stocking density. Our chicken enclosure is large (250m perimeter) and in Winter when the grass isn't growing, we reduce our flock to just the core breeding birds. In Summer we have up to 70. We do have to fence off and re-seed areas though.
Those ones are kept now for decoration although we absolutely do shoot muzzle loaders. The musket is an 1807 tower pattern 10 bore musket that was converted later to percussion fire. The flintlock is a naval boarding pistol of around .70" bore.
@@EnglishCountryLife Wow very interesting, I do not pocess any fire weapons to fire but I do own a Winchester caliber for decoration purposes only. Those guns look incredible
Hello Hugh and Fiona. This was great! Very useful content as always. Given that we will be transitioning to a more or less fixed income in a year or two any hints you can provide to reducing our costs or making savings going forward would be much appreciated. Nice to know that we seem to be on the right track so far anyway. 😉👍
I'm certain that you guys will be absolutely fine - but yes, we are planning a mini series - next episode is the importance of rural networking! I trust you guys are well?
@@EnglishCountryLife excellent! We look forward to it. 😉 We are well. Currently processing tomatoes - not all our own but locally sourced (pardon the pun) so we’re happy with that - next best thing! (A bit like your pork I guess) One question just came to mind…you said you’re transitioning away from vacuum packing to reduce single use plastic which is great…what system will you be using going forward that will minimise freezer burn etc?
@@EnglishCountryLife sounds like good alternatives. We too are trying to minimise single use plastic and we hadn’t yet purchased a vacuum sealer for that reason - just wasn’t sure if there was a viable alternative. I’ll look into it - thanks.
Love watching your videos. You always pass on good information in an easy and straight forward way. What recipe do you use for your Sweet and Sour sauce. It is one of the recipes I want to try. I bought myself an All American pressure canner after watching your videos but have not yet tried canning anything. I need an alternate heat source as I have a glass top not suitable for pressure canning. Looking at an electric hot plate. Any thoughts? Many thanks and keep up the great work. Robin
Hi Robin! I'll take a quick video next time I make a batch - if researching ones to try, look out for tamarind paste in the ingredients - that's what's needed for the authentic tang! I think an electric hot plate is a great idea, so long as it's wide enough 🙂
Your content is different than what we see in the States and refreshing and most do-able. Your thought and planning processes are very interesting and I took a lot of notes. Very surprised to hear you use sunchokes! I would love to hear if your time permits about recipes using them. I noted a few of the perennials you use. Are there more that you are able to rely on? I am also interested in what you can and how. Do you have to pressure can chili there? Or do you water-bath can? You are a lovely couple. Thank you very much!!!
Hi Milli, we definitely need to pressure can the chilli. We do grow quite a lot of perennials - things like wild garlic, three cornered leek etc. are fantastic and offer wonderful early vegetables - we are already enjoying them 🙂
Nice video with plenty of useful tips. Especially your comment about growing food that you like, and is more expensive. Thank you! One question, do you have backup electricity for your freezers, or is the grid more reliable in your part of the U.K.? With all the storms that have hit parts of the U.S. the last two years, I don't trust the electric grid to be available 24/7 anymore. Looking at a small solar setup as a backup. Hopefully you won't need that. :). Cheers.
Hi Sue, it's an excellent point. We have two generators ( one petrol, one Honda that can also use propane) and a transfer switch to safely run power through the cottage and barn distribution panels. I am thinking of adding a solar and wind capability too. Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you, Hugh. Good to know about the Honda being able to use propane as well. There is a lot to learn and your channel has helped me lot. Cheers.
@@thisorthat7626 Really appreciate you saying that Sue - we are all just looking to take care of our families and the planet so it's always nice to chat with like minded people
Really excellent video. Just today I was looking at freezers trying to decide which kind would be most practical both here and after I move. I’m so tired of playing freezer tetris and I’d really rather buy good meat in bulk than supermarket meat. I think maybe the time has come for a chest freezer in the garage.
@@EnglishCountryLife the one I’m considering isn’t huge. Only 200L. Once I move I’ll definitely need more. But this one might be a great way to work out if I like a chest freezer or want to stick with uprights (I had an upright for years but the compressor died). The model I’m looking at is a hybrid. You can set it to be either a fridge or a freezer. So if I hate it as a freezer, I’ll probably still utilise it to chill meat. I think over time I’ll end up wanting to butcher my own lambs as the butchery cost is pretty high for the amount of meat, but I would want to work on 1/4 at a time and have the rest in the fridge so I can take my time and maybe even do it over 2 days. So a big space I can plop a lamb into will be useful, even if I hate it as a freezer. I think lol. I must check with Mum first as apparently my sister is ditching her freezer and Mum is taking that so then Mum’s will be free so I might be able to have that. Although that’s been about to happen for over a year now 🙄 I’ll see if I can hurry them up. If not, I’ll buy one. I’m so over shuffling things.
I find it also depends on the type of organizer you are. Upright works for people who need to see more of the items. Chest works better if you know what's there and need to see less of it. Very similar issue with filing systems in deciding upright filing vs lateral or tray style. Also keeping a use specific to a freezer like chest for meat and upright for veg, fruit and ready made types of foods.
@@drmystique I start out organised with this thing in this drawer and that kind of thing in that drawer, and then I end up running out of space and shoving things in any little nook I can find and messing up my system. I think with a chest freezer the extra space will eliminate that. I’m thinking of using fabric shopping bags to sort things in there and make them easier to pull out. I could write on it with a whiteboard marker if I’m struggling to remember what’s in it…
I've come over from insta! Brill video. Do you have any info on how to can for a beginner? We are at the start of our journey. Thinking about how much we get with a weekly shop then x52 was eye opening for me as a family of 7! X
Hi Sarah-Louise and welcome to the channel! We do indeed have introductions to canning. I've linked below to our pressure canning introduction, we also have one on water bath canning - let me know if you would like that link too th-cam.com/video/WTrPZg9wN5I/w-d-xo.html
@@moniquem783 Hi Monique, it will be on one of the training platforms ( more suited to a serious topic). Would you like us to make an announcement with a link when the time comes?
We have recently bought a dehydrator and we love it. We really want to get into canning but cannot find a reasonably priced canner anywhere in the UK. The shipping costs from USA to England are astronomical. Do you have any advice on where in the UK we could find a canner. Thanks in advance.
Hi Samantha, both of our were imported from the USA years ago. Unfortunately exchange rates have changed and COVID saw a huge demand for canning supplies pushing up prices. I wish someone would start importing them - but no luck so far
I got my presto 23 canner off ebay for just over £100 including shipping and import tax (all paid for at the same time so no worries about extra fees), it arrived in about a week too. There's quite a lot of sellers that will ship to the UK (search UK ebay) so it's worth putting some on a watch list as the prices vary a lot. I've seen them as low as £85 and as high as £200. I checked back daily for a good few weeks to get a decent price.
When you dehydrate food it seems to have a lower moisture level than what I'm seeing in videos in the US. Dehydrated apples here they would say to use within a year. Freeze-dried foods keep longer, but from what I've seen in your videos that's not what you're doing. Are the dehydrators that you use available to people in the US, do you know? Thanks!
Hi Karen, that's a great question! We use a variety of dehydrators including an Excalibur 9 that I know is definitely available there. Apple rings are a great example. If you dry to a leathery state as a snack, they will last a year or so. If you keep going until they are totally crisp they last much longer, but need rehydrating before use. Hope that helps. Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife The people I know who dehydrate dry to the leathery stage, and have never mentioned that they could dry them to a crisp - in fact, I traded apples with someone in exchange for her dehydrating apples for me, and she said she couldn't get them crispy. I wonder if it was the dehydrator she was using. I don't think I would rehydrate - I like crispy apple bits as a snack much better than the leathery ones. I'll have to look into Excalibur. Thank you!
@@EnglishCountryLife My Excalibur arrived yesterday! Online descriptions weren't helpful so I pulled up your video comparing them on one tab, with the buying site on the other tab, and compared how they looked. Then I played the video 2-3 minutes at a time, and checked the one I'd selected on the buying tab to see if it still matched. I'm pretty sure I have the exact same thing you have!
Very much not Carol. Any toughness we have found is a function of age. Chickens over three years old really need long slow cooking in soup or casserole. the cockerels that we prepare for the table are tender and succulent!
I feel very nice whe I watch ur videos but I do gotta ask you have little amount of subscribers and make a little money of TH-cam so why do you continue making videos with so much effort?
I just wish properly rated canners were more available and the government would issue the correct guides, like Canada and the US. I'm very weary of the Chinese and Indian "pressure canners" .
Great information and ideas, more would be appreciated, take care and stay safe, Mike.
Thanks Mike - I totally agree - there seems a cynical opposition to self reliance here sometimes - Hugh
This is the life I aspire too,I will be catching up with your catalogue of previous vidoes and please keep them coming. D
Thanks so much, it's a lot of work but hugely satisfying. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Hugh
I cant believe over 500 couldnt scroll down a bit and give a thumbs up, there is a lot of work going into making these videos, always interesting and informative from a couple who are doing their best to provide some invaluable info, and they are. Give them a like, you know it makes sense. A.
Thanks Alan 😁
@@EnglishCountryLife No problem well worth it. Regards Alan
Excellent! Really helpful. 🌷Love from Holland
Thank you 🙂
I really enjoyed this, and I think it's one of your best videos so far. I would love to see more on this topic, including more on meat production and processing.
Thanks so much. We are planning on making a short series on processing chickens in small numbers - dispatch, plucking, dressing etc ( although we will probably host it on another platform because of family friendly rules). Is that the sort of thing that's of interest?
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, though I would have to find the other platform. You'll probably be fine doing it on TH-cam so long as you don't show the moment of killing. I would also be very interesting in seeing various methods of preserving chicken meat.
@@Beaguins We'll put an announcement out on the channel (with a link if it's elsewhere) when the time comes. I think, if we are going to cover it, it's best to cover it thoroughly ( hence the TH-cam concern.
Great information. It’s very sad that you have to explain and apologize for for growing, butchering and eating your game. It’s how this world started. Happy to have this information! ,
I tend to agree Tammy and there seems a lot of interest in the subject so we will do more - with a warning so those who don't want to watch can skip it 😉
Awesome as always guys! 👌
Thank you 😊
Another fantastic helpful video, thanks 💯👍🏻
Thanks Darren, glad you liked it
Brilliant! Thank you! 👏😍
So glad that you liked in Paulina
Another great video, mines of info, well done you 2, Regards Alan
Thanks Alan, that's very kind!
I'm in the US and I just absolutely ADORE the way you both talk! I also really appreciated the ideas of preserving batch cooking. Makes sense and I never thought of that as a way to save our chilis or soups when we are tired of them instead of feeding the rest to the dogs.
So glad it was helpful - we love some of the American accents - ours seem dull to us in comparison 🙂
we harvest and process all the parsnips late autumn and freeze the peeled cut blanched in bags ,then just roast as needed from frozen the freezing does greatly improve the parsnips and so never use fresh parsnips if possible,last a year easily
your incredibly organised which some of us can only aspire too
I do leave dome parsnips to over Winter but they need to be lifted early Spring (unless growing on for seed).
It would be good to see some more money saving, make your own videos. I believe the more we make at home the more people can save. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Jason - will do!
Didn’t see you mention it but a great way to preserve eggs, when hens are producing way more than you can use is “water glassing.” It keeps eggs for 1 year plus without refrigeration or processing. And it’s cheap and easy to do. Win-Win. It’s hydrated lime and water in a large jar. Homesteading Family on USA TH-cam have a 13 minute video. Best wishes to you both!
Hi Kenyon - we preserve eggs in several ways - waterglass, drying and freezing. This video might interest you 🙂
th-cam.com/video/qHburN5ARdA/w-d-xo.html
Awesome video - don't know why you don't have more views. We grow a lot in our garden in AUS and eat what is seasonable. Haven't started to preserve and freeze as yet but your vid is an insperation. Thank you
That's very kind of you - thank you !
Great advice, thank you.
So glad it was helpful
We butcher and grow a lot of our food on our smallholding I’d love to learn how to do canning, to preserve more food efficiently kind regards.
Hi Emma, we've got an introduction to pressure canning
th-cam.com/video/WTrPZg9wN5I/w-d-xo.html
And an introduction to water bath canning
th-cam.com/video/9b7fse82Djs/w-d-xo.html
That give an overview of the techniques and equipment
brilliant video - love it - yes please more about money saving
Okay Peter - as soon as the wind drops for filming!
Would love to see more on the canning and preserving aspects
We'll try and do more on that!
Lots of good information there. This is one reason we raise rabbits, every part of the animal can be used and there is no waste. We now also make all our own dog food. Experimented with sand and soil preserving with some of last years harvest so that is something we want to learn to do more off. Jerusalem artichoke is called Mother apple here and we are trying to locate some at present. Time well spent watching again, stay safe with the bad weather.
Thanks Trev, think we got away with much less damage than most thankfully
Those are all great ways to keep food costs down. I have found that making my own dairy products, even though I buy the milk, also saves a lot. Good cheese and yogourt are expensive and cost less to make. Now to convince the kid that homemade applesauce is as good as store bought!
Fiona loves homemade yoghurt too. Cheesemaking is something I must master!
Do you get the milk from a local producer? Because at least the milk I buy is just plain milk with all the fat and everything already removed
@@leonardodtc1493 When we can. There's a local dairy that sells plain unpasteurised milk straight from the cows. Unfortunately it's a little too far to travel for all our dairy but when we are nearby we do. There is relatively little dairy close to us unfortunately
@@leonardodtc1493 I buy homogenized (3.25% fat) pasteurized milk from the grocery store. A Cheesemaking class I took also suggested using skim milk and adding cream, I think it was 1L of cream for 4L of milk. If you use pasteurized milk you must add calcium chloride to the milk when making cheese.
Very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the vid very helpful tips
.
Glad you enjoyed it Andrew 🙂
I'm a retired dairy farmer then a milk tank driver. Are planning to do as you are doin but it all takes time. However we are working at it.
Good luck, hope you do get to try 8t - its a great life!
Thank you for the great video! Anything on food preserving is really welcome and as others said, I would love to see more :-)
We will certainly try and cover some more techniques this year
Any chance of some more details of storing carrots in sand ? I have the carrots, have the sand, I haven't the knowhow. ( or as the beloved tells me, I haven't a clue ! )
Of course Chris! I'll do a video next carrot harvest if you like? Simply put get VERY dry sand, put a layer of sand in a rodent proof container, then a layer or carrots, not touching, cover in a sand layer, more spaced carrots, finish with a tight fitting lid & store in an unheated outbuilding. Reach in and grab carrots as needed, they should last from an Autumn harvest right through till May.
@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks Hugh. It's interesting to see you advise VERY dry sand as I have only seen damp sand being the method shown on other videos. But Pah! Who takes notice of all that rubbish on the interweb ? I've always doubted moist sand as it seems to me that it would be an ideal environment for mould and rot. We have just about finished our modest crop of carrots, there's just about 8 or 10 left in the container I used to grow them. Next harvest will be stored in dry sand. Can't wait. :-)
@@chrishamilton-wearing3232 Hi Chris, you are dead right on the sand, the other two reasons from experience are that dampness encourages the carrots to sprout and, in cold conditions, wet sand freezes into a concrete like lump making it impossible to retrieve the carrots!
Supremely interesting video, as always.
I remember a few years ago visiting a wild bird rescue and the guy who ran it told us that he bought a lot of male chicks from egg producers as food for the falcons. A lot of people weren't too happy to hear it, to be honest, but as he pointed out, it's best that they're not wasted and people tend not to think about the implications of wanting only hens. If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered it myself either.
I really like your respectful take on making the most of what you have and going for higher welfare meat.
Thanks Orlaith. I believe you are right that day old chicks are often used in falconry.
‘Hello. Could you please do a pressure canning tutorial? I have seen loads of US videos but I’ve not seen a UK one.
Here you go Chris 🙂
th-cam.com/video/WTrPZg9wN5I/w-d-xo.html
Great video! Very sensible ideas, valuable information.
Thanks so much Sabrina
Great to see the channel growing. Some great advice as always 👍
Thanks Rob, that's very kind
Great post.I would add making vegetable/animal stock in bulk and freezing it.Specially the gelatinous chicken stock with veggies does wonders for your health.
Thanks Rosa, we adore chicken stock - we use it in all of our soups and so much more. This is how we do it
th-cam.com/video/PvLgzXvVTuA/w-d-xo.html
What breed of chicken do you use for rooster meat? Buff Orpingtons? And what age do you take them too
Hi Jess, yes Buff Orpingtons. They are a useful table weight at 16 weeks (3-4 pounds) and a very large by 26 weeks (6 to 7 pounds). They continue to grow, but slowly
Great content! I am planting a bunch of fruiting plants this year in hopes I can save some money in the long term. The other reason is to try some varieties that should have more flavor than what’s available in stores.
I'm sure you'll be happy. Our apples, pears and strawberries are old traditional varieties. Not the massive fruiters that travel well beloved of supermarkets, but steady and delicious in flavour.
Great video! I'd love to see more on canning and food preserving if you are able to share more. Until I find my dream plot, I'm a little too close to neighbours to responsibly introduce cockerels but have wondered about quail. Have you bred quails?
Hi Ali, we haven't done quail but many people do successfully - bantam chickens are good too
How do you manage the grass/grazing in your chicken field? Mine scratch up the grass and get muddy patches
Hi Lucy, it's a matter of stocking density. Our chicken enclosure is large (250m perimeter) and in Winter when the grass isn't growing, we reduce our flock to just the core breeding birds. In Summer we have up to 70. We do have to fence off and re-seed areas though.
Please share us those fire-weapons on the wall, they look incredible. That is if you guys actually use them instead of them being used for decoration
Those ones are kept now for decoration although we absolutely do shoot muzzle loaders. The musket is an 1807 tower pattern 10 bore musket that was converted later to percussion fire. The flintlock is a naval boarding pistol of around .70" bore.
@@EnglishCountryLife Wow very interesting, I do not pocess any fire weapons to fire but I do own a Winchester caliber for decoration purposes only. Those guns look incredible
@@leonardodtc1493 Thank you. I've been shooting for 45 years now - it's a hobby I really enjoy
@@EnglishCountryLife amazing, sounds like a really fun hobby but also needs a lot of responsibility and skill
@@leonardodtc1493 Of course - but so does homebrew! 😉
Hello Hugh and Fiona. This was great! Very useful content as always. Given that we will be transitioning to a more or less fixed income in a year or two any hints you can provide to reducing our costs or making savings going forward would be much appreciated. Nice to know that we seem to be on the right track so far anyway. 😉👍
I'm certain that you guys will be absolutely fine - but yes, we are planning a mini series - next episode is the importance of rural networking!
I trust you guys are well?
@@EnglishCountryLife excellent! We look forward to it. 😉
We are well. Currently processing tomatoes - not all our own but locally sourced (pardon the pun) so we’re happy with that - next best thing! (A bit like your pork I guess)
One question just came to mind…you said you’re transitioning away from vacuum packing to reduce single use plastic which is great…what system will you be using going forward that will minimise freezer burn etc?
@@geoffanddebshipton6797 Hi, as much as possible locking plastic boxes and vacuum pack tubs, but we may we'll try beeswax wraps too
@@EnglishCountryLife sounds like good alternatives. We too are trying to minimise single use plastic and we hadn’t yet purchased a vacuum sealer for that reason - just wasn’t sure if there was a viable alternative. I’ll look into it - thanks.
Love watching your videos. You always pass on good information in an easy and straight forward way.
What recipe do you use for your Sweet and Sour sauce. It is one of the recipes I want to try.
I bought myself an All American pressure canner after watching your videos but have not yet tried canning anything. I need an alternate heat source as I have a glass top not suitable for pressure canning. Looking at an electric hot plate. Any thoughts?
Many thanks and keep up the great work.
Robin
Hi Robin! I'll take a quick video next time I make a batch - if researching ones to try, look out for tamarind paste in the ingredients - that's what's needed for the authentic tang! I think an electric hot plate is a great idea, so long as it's wide enough 🙂
Your content is different than what we see in the States and refreshing and most do-able. Your thought and planning processes are very interesting and I took a lot of notes. Very surprised to hear you use sunchokes! I would love to hear if your time permits about recipes using them. I noted a few of the perennials you use. Are there more that you are able to rely on? I am also interested in what you can and how. Do you have to pressure can chili there? Or do you water-bath can? You are a lovely couple. Thank you very much!!!
Hi Milli, we definitely need to pressure can the chilli. We do grow quite a lot of perennials - things like wild garlic, three cornered leek etc. are fantastic and offer wonderful early vegetables - we are already enjoying them 🙂
Nice video with plenty of useful tips. Especially your comment about growing food that you like, and is more expensive. Thank you! One question, do you have backup electricity for your freezers, or is the grid more reliable in your part of the U.K.? With all the storms that have hit parts of the U.S. the last two years, I don't trust the electric grid to be available 24/7 anymore. Looking at a small solar setup as a backup. Hopefully you won't need that. :). Cheers.
Hi Sue, it's an excellent point. We have two generators ( one petrol, one Honda that can also use propane) and a transfer switch to safely run power through the cottage and barn distribution panels. I am thinking of adding a solar and wind capability too. Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you, Hugh. Good to know about the Honda being able to use propane as well. There is a lot to learn and your channel has helped me lot. Cheers.
@@thisorthat7626 Really appreciate you saying that Sue - we are all just looking to take care of our families and the planet so it's always nice to chat with like minded people
Really excellent video. Just today I was looking at freezers trying to decide which kind would be most practical both here and after I move. I’m so tired of playing freezer tetris and I’d really rather buy good meat in bulk than supermarket meat. I think maybe the time has come for a chest freezer in the garage.
Thanks Monique! I must confess that Fiona vastly prefers the big uprights. I do find the chest freezer more flexible....
@@EnglishCountryLife the one I’m considering isn’t huge. Only 200L. Once I move I’ll definitely need more. But this one might be a great way to work out if I like a chest freezer or want to stick with uprights (I had an upright for years but the compressor died). The model I’m looking at is a hybrid. You can set it to be either a fridge or a freezer. So if I hate it as a freezer, I’ll probably still utilise it to chill meat. I think over time I’ll end up wanting to butcher my own lambs as the butchery cost is pretty high for the amount of meat, but I would want to work on 1/4 at a time and have the rest in the fridge so I can take my time and maybe even do it over 2 days. So a big space I can plop a lamb into will be useful, even if I hate it as a freezer. I think lol. I must check with Mum first as apparently my sister is ditching her freezer and Mum is taking that so then Mum’s will be free so I might be able to have that. Although that’s been about to happen for over a year now 🙄 I’ll see if I can hurry them up. If not, I’ll buy one. I’m so over shuffling things.
I find it also depends on the type of organizer you are. Upright works for people who need to see more of the items. Chest works better if you know what's there and need to see less of it. Very similar issue with filing systems in deciding upright filing vs lateral or tray style. Also keeping a use specific to a freezer like chest for meat and upright for veg, fruit and ready made types of foods.
@@drmystique I start out organised with this thing in this drawer and that kind of thing in that drawer, and then I end up running out of space and shoving things in any little nook I can find and messing up my system. I think with a chest freezer the extra space will eliminate that. I’m thinking of using fabric shopping bags to sort things in there and make them easier to pull out. I could write on it with a whiteboard marker if I’m struggling to remember what’s in it…
@@moniquem783 oh I love the idea of fabric shopping bags! And yes, im guilty of the organized at first then push and shove wherever later, lol
I've come over from insta! Brill video. Do you have any info on how to can for a beginner? We are at the start of our journey. Thinking about how much we get with a weekly shop then x52 was eye opening for me as a family of 7! X
Hi Sarah-Louise and welcome to the channel! We do indeed have introductions to canning. I've linked below to our pressure canning introduction, we also have one on water bath canning - let me know if you would like that link too
th-cam.com/video/WTrPZg9wN5I/w-d-xo.html
@@EnglishCountryLife thank you so much x
That's why we're here 🙂
can you provide a link to the penetrative bolt machine? Thanks
Here you go Peter
amzn.to/3BySNy8
helpful as always
@@petervincent4461 Thanks Peter - we do try. We are putting together a series (for another platform) on processing table birds for smallholders
@@EnglishCountryLife I’d be keen to watch that. Which other platform?
@@moniquem783 Hi Monique, it will be on one of the training platforms ( more suited to a serious topic). Would you like us to make an announcement with a link when the time comes?
We have recently bought a dehydrator and we love it. We really want to get into canning but cannot find a reasonably priced canner anywhere in the UK. The shipping costs from USA to England are astronomical. Do you have any advice on where in the UK we could find a canner. Thanks in advance.
Hi Samantha, both of our were imported from the USA years ago. Unfortunately exchange rates have changed and COVID saw a huge demand for canning supplies pushing up prices. I wish someone would start importing them - but no luck so far
I got my presto 23 canner off ebay for just over £100 including shipping and import tax (all paid for at the same time so no worries about extra fees), it arrived in about a week too. There's quite a lot of sellers that will ship to the UK (search UK ebay) so it's worth putting some on a watch list as the prices vary a lot. I've seen them as low as £85 and as high as £200. I checked back daily for a good few weeks to get a decent price.
@@nenemaria-cornfieldsgarden thank you so much I’ll try the same 👍🏻
When you dehydrate food it seems to have a lower moisture level than what I'm seeing in videos in the US. Dehydrated apples here they would say to use within a year. Freeze-dried foods keep longer, but from what I've seen in your videos that's not what you're doing. Are the dehydrators that you use available to people in the US, do you know? Thanks!
Hi Karen, that's a great question! We use a variety of dehydrators including an Excalibur 9 that I know is definitely available there. Apple rings are a great example. If you dry to a leathery state as a snack, they will last a year or so. If you keep going until they are totally crisp they last much longer, but need rehydrating before use. Hope that helps. Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife The people I know who dehydrate dry to the leathery stage, and have never mentioned that they could dry them to a crisp - in fact, I traded apples with someone in exchange for her dehydrating apples for me, and she said she couldn't get them crispy. I wonder if it was the dehydrator she was using. I don't think I would rehydrate - I like crispy apple bits as a snack much better than the leathery ones. I'll have to look into Excalibur. Thank you!
@@EnglishCountryLife My Excalibur arrived yesterday! Online descriptions weren't helpful so I pulled up your video comparing them on one tab, with the buying site on the other tab, and compared how they looked. Then I played the video 2-3 minutes at a time, and checked the one I'd selected on the buying tab to see if it still matched. I'm pretty sure I have the exact same thing you have!
@@karenw9996 The Excalibur 9 tray? Good choice!
I aheb heard that chickens that are free range are very tough to eat is that true?
Very much not Carol. Any toughness we have found is a function of age. Chickens over three years old really need long slow cooking in soup or casserole. the cockerels that we prepare for the table are tender and succulent!
I feel very nice whe I watch ur videos but I do gotta ask you have little amount of subscribers and make a little money of TH-cam so why do you continue making videos with so much effort?
More people interested would be lovely, but ultimately we love living like this and found that money wasn't the most important thing for us 🔥
Wow that’s good to hear I love seeing ur chicken videos