Homemade blackberry pineapple wine
After reading up on home winemaking (somewhat obsessively, I must admit) , it was time to brew our first batch of wine. Some blackberries had been languishing in the freezer from a most successful 2006…
Homemade wine and cider and beer, oh my!
We are finally on the winemaking and cider-brewing bandwagon! Having collected demijohns and other assorted brewing equipment for months, our first batches of wine and cider are at last being fermented. (Beer is currently a…
Cooking with Stanley
Update 28-Aug-11: I now give the dried beans a salt water soak, this makes them extra tender. Kitchen folklore would have you believe that soaking or cooking beans with salt toughens them, but in fact…
The self-sufficient gardener
A couple of weeks ago I found myself in a Borders bookstore, sitting in a comfy armchair and perusing some interesting books. One was The new self-sufficient gardener by John Seymour, that guru of self-sufficiency.…
Roasted Greek potatoes
This is a most delicious way to have potatoes. I’m not sure how authentically Greek they are, but mmmm they sure are tasty. British American 450g potatoes, peeled & cut into…
Potato wedges on the barbie with garlic dip
This is a great and easy recipe for potato wedges done on the barbecue. Mr Thrifty even declared that he likes these better than chips, which is saying a lot because his relationship with potatoes…
International year of the potato
I am happy to announce that 2008 is International year of the potato. Okay, so I’m 6½ months late to the (dinner) plate with this announcement, but I’ve only just made the discovery myself a…
Supermarket doublespeak
You’d have to be living in a cave in Mongolia (or really really not paying attention) not to have heard or read anything about “carbon footprints” of late. Simply put, a carbon footprint it is…
The marketing scam of the century
The title of an article in the Independent caught my eye the other day: The marketing scam of the century. I’ve never been the kind of gal to have a “shoe wardrobe” or a “handbag…