Old thread closed for length
crazy American lady in the village - might be an idea to stock up on all your toilet paper before you have to do last minute preps. Toilet paper will always be used and does not have a sell-by date. I pick up a pack most times I shop. If you do this you can spend your valuable time ‘last minute’ purchasing perishable foods like fresh meat, fruit, veg, etc. as well as more tins/packets.
The only problem with stocking up on toilet paper is the sheer bulk of it. I have a huge loft but I’m afraid to go in it because I’m afraid of high places. I have no clue why but I am. So I will have to come up with a cunning plan in order to get the TP up on the loft.
I’m a bit reluctant to purchase perishables because I’m not sure how effecient the electrical service is going to be and I dont have a generator, and I dont think I want one. I guess that England in the winter is one big freezer and the shed with a good lock can serve as a freezer. I am buying loads of tinned meat, from ASDA, very cheap, which will have to do.
I think BF should act as a lesson to us to live more simply. It should teach us all the things we really DONT NEED. I was born in South America and during a political coup, food was not readily available and we had to learn to live on basics. You know, it was not a bad time, just a difficult one, and that and many other experiences have taught me that decadence is not good for the soul. I also credit England for that. The English are just not as decadent as the Americans. It’s simple things, like going back home and going into a restaurant and seing the portion sizes as how much food is thrown out. The car sizes in the US and other things that you take for granted when you live there. I’m trying to raise my kids knowing the difference between need and want and my four year old is very good. She will not ask for something if she already has one.
Anyone know where to buy wheat? I want to learn to make flour and my own bread.
Thanks again
Don’t know where you can buy wheat in UK but bread making flour is easily available in the big supermarkets. i bought some at Tesco the other day and it was cheap, I think about 60p a bag. That is enough to make about 4 loaves. It is really easy to do. I just put one and a half pounds of flour, one pack of instant yeast and some salt in a bowl. Mix it to a dough with warm water. Knead it and leave it to rise. Knead it again, make into 2 loaves and cook in a hot oven until its ready, you get to know how long with practice. It’s ready when you tap the bottom of the loaf and it sounds hollow. Enjoy!
If you’re not too fussed about having hard wheat, you can buy wheat at any animal feed shop. I think I pay about £5 for a half cwt. If you are going to buy wheat don’t forget you will need a grain mill - preferably hand powered. Good place for these is Ascot Smallholding who have an online shop.
hoggie
Hi Hoggie
What is the difference between hard wheat and any other wheat? I’m just worried about having flower for making bread.
Also, I think I have a grain mill, but I’m ashamed to say that I’m not sure if that’s what it is. It’s made of cast iron and I thought it was a meat mincer but after closer inspection, the bit where the “meat” should come out is far too small! It has a handle for turning. I bought it in a charity shop because “it would look nice” hanging from the fireplace in the kitchen.
I’ve been on the ASCOT site and it look like it could be a grain mill.
There is a farm not far from where I live and I think I will take the kids on Tuesday and I will ask about wheat if not, it’s the local animal feed store.
I’m also trying to get legumbres in bulk. Any ideas? I am so thankful that in our mediteranean diet we eat a lot of beans and lentils!
I have to wait until hubby goes back to work on Tuesday to get into stocking up mode again but at least now I have lists going so that if we’re faced with having to stock up in a hurry, we know exactly what we need rather than having it be a shot in the dark as I suspect most people will do once the virus mutates.
By the way, the situation in Indonesia is freaking me out a bit, ok…a lot…will email my friend who lives in Jakarta to see what he knows (he’s English) and will keep you posted
Thanks Crazy Lady
Crazy Lady - the difference between hard and soft wheat is I think the amount of gluten it contains. Basically hard wheat is supposed to make better bread than soft but historically hard wheat wouldn’t grow in the UK so bread can be made using soft wheat. I tend not to buy special bread making flours and just use normal “plain” flour, and it makes perfectly acceptable bread - a bit meatier than shop bought but OK to eat. I haven’t tried using the wheat yet as my grain mill hasn’t long arrived and I have’t yet had a chance.
Legumes in bulk - I am about to try using a product called “micronised” peas which I buy by the half cwt sack for the animals. Basically it is peas flattened and dried and you soak them to reconstitute just like marrowfat peas. I use them pretty universally for all the animals so there shouldn’t be anything adverse in them. Will post the results when i have tried using them in pea soup.
The other thing it might be worth buying in this way is whole oats. much cheaper than shop bought oats and i’m sure they must originally have made porridge out of them. i’m sure one of the LDS ladies on the board would be able to tell you how to cook them.
hope this is of some help
hoggie
Does anyone in UK know what sort of shop one can try on masks/respirators first before buying? B & Q seem to have theirs sealed in a packet. I’ve read one needs to have the mask fitted by an expert. Where would we find an ‘expert’? Thanks.
Try shops that sell Health and Safety equipment, they will have items such as that, and will also beable to advise on the most suitable for use regarding protection against BF. Your correct ‘it is very important for the masks/respirators to fit correctly’ and also to have plenty of spares filters. If you don’t have a shop near you, look in ‘Yellow Pages’ You will also need to have a plan on how best to dispose of used fillers that could very well be comtaminated with the BF virus, otherwise you could put your family at risk.
OK I confess, I’m also in the UK. And I’m riveted by the contents of the Wiki, but am not actually preparing. Buying masks and storing food for 3 months is so far off any other ongoing reality I’m involved with, it just doesn’t compute.
Are there more UK lurkers out there? Very few have made themselves known here so far. At least, this post will bump the topic and perhaps some more will come in.
If it happens here, it’s not going to be the same as the USA, but it’s still going to be a Very Big Thing. I think the more local support and connection we have, the better.
For lack of anything useful to say, I’d like to mention that I’m a big fan of Randy Newman, the songwriter with the driest sense of humour in the world - A few years ago he put out a song called The Great Nations of Europe, and I can’t get the ending of it out of my head just now…
The Great Nations of Europe (Randy Newman)
The great nations of Europe Are gathered on the shore They conquered what was behind them And now they wanted more So they looked to the mighty ocean And took to the Western Sea The great nations of Europe in the 16th century Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too The great nations of Europe are coming through
The grand Canary Islands were the first land to which they came They slaughtered all the canaries there which gave the land its name There were niggers there called Guaches, Guaches by the score Bullets and thieves the Portugese - they weren’t there any more Now they’re gone, they’re gone, they’re really gone You never seen any one so gone They’re pictures in a museum, some lines within a book But you won’t find a live one no matter where you look Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too The great nations of Europe are coming through
Columbus sailed for India, found Salvador instead Shook hands with some Indians, soon they all were dead They got TB and typhoid and athlete’s foot, diptheria and the flu ‘Scuse me - great nations coming through
Now Moore(?) found the Pacific and on the trail one day He met some friendly Indians whom he was told were gay So he had them torn apart by dogs on religious grounds they say The great nations of Europe were quite holy in their way Now they’re gone, they’re gone, they’re really gone You never seen any one so gone Some bones hidden in a canyon, some paintings in a cave It’s no use trying to save them, there’s nothing left to save Hide your wives and daughters, hide your sons as well With the great nations of Europe you never can tell
Where you and I are standing at the end of the century Europes have sprung up everywhere as even I can see Today upon the horizon is a possibility Some bug from out of Africa might come for you and me Destroying everything in its path from sea to shining sea Like the great nations of Europe in the 16th century
Hi Prazza
Well done for comming out of the state of “lurking”.
I tend to agree with you that in the UK we’re in better shape than in the US but there are some very well informed people here that would disagree with us.
In the UK, people are not thinking about this AT ALL. Historically there is no presedence of a catastrophe after the wars so most people think it will just never happen.
People in the UK are ignoring the fact that all the scientific evidence point to this bein a when, not if. Our government is not at all prepared, think foot and mouth! I really don’t talk to anyone about it, I have enough stuff to sip my family for three months but I dont tell anyone. Yesterday was an exeption. I have a student who is diabetic, when her mother came to pick her up, I sat her down and told her that I was worried about not being able to get insulin in the event of a pandemic. She told me she has been worried about it for two years and knew a LOT. I asked her to please put aside insulin for her daughter and she said she would.
It doesnt take that much to prep, just get some rice and beans at the local wholesaler! It’s worth the pease of mind.
I’ve been suprised by how many people I know have been making preps for bird flu without discussing it.
As far as I know, none of us has Tamiflu but we’ve got all sorts of other medicines, masks and survival equipment that could be used if civilisation gets a little rocky.
Most of the things are sensible precations anyway, but at least all my nearest and dearest are in pretty good shape to protect themselves in a crisis.
I’ll admit, when we were advised to have a weeks food and drink set by for emergencies my first thought was ‘who doesn’t keep about a months worth of food in the house anyway?’
We’re not as ready as some of the people on this site but I make sure I keep my eye on what’s happening so I can give everyone I know a heads up if TSHTF.
I am also in UK. When I realised that the ability to make bread would double the effective number of meals I could make fom a given volume of cans etc, I bought a Panasonic breadmaker on the advice of a freind. It works great. I was advised to buy strong bread flour from Sainsbury’s at 56 pence a bag, as it was a bargain. I have made quite a bit of bread with it and it works great.I also use their dried yeast. Somehow I miscalculated how much yeast to prep and ended up with enough to last about 2000 years !.
I noticed that UK does not seem to have it’s own H5N1 forum, so I have started one at http://com1.runboard.com/bbirdfluuk . I hadn’t planned on telling anyone about it until phase 4 or 5, but it is coming in useful for the mask project. All the articles so far have been written by me (a man) and it really needs some UK biased articles about the kitchen, prepping food etc. So if you get bored pop along and have a look. By the way, I will be ever grateful to bird flu for introducing me to the smell of freshly baked bread in the mornings :-).
Maybe you have to hear that song to really appreciate it. It’s on the album Bad Love. Sorry about the formatting - I would have put punctuation in if I’d realised the lines would run together like that. Capitals represent the start of new lines. Anyway, let it go. I just love his stuff…
Crazy lady, ukbird, and virkon - thanks for your responses.
I could get back into baking bread. I had a little business with it one time. Then I started getting RSI from hand-kneading everything. And other things happened. Flour has a limited life though. And by the way, if you’re going to be depending on it as a major staple, go for organic wholemeal rather than any kind of white, and adjust your breadmaker or technique accordingly
If I suddenly couldn’t go shopping at all I could probably survive for a couple of weeks with nothing worse than severe hunger pangs and boredom. It wouldn’t hurt to extend that a bit I guess.
I basically don’t know anyone who wants to talk about it all. I found one person who says they have some preps for general emergencies, in fact originally in case of an accident at a local nuclear reactor. Funny how my personal reality seems to depend to some extent on the socially-agreed reality around me. I guess that’s a normal weakness though.