Is a week ago that I have written something in the blog, but my time (free time) is always very limited. In the past two weeks i have been involve in the butchering of the pig, which it was for me a new experience and I did take my time to do it properly. I am happy with the results but I still have lots to learn.
Different cuts from the pig includes two big ham, pancettas, bacon,small ribs, fillets, stakes, chops,loin fillets, loin roast,salami and few sausages. As mentioned before, the pig head was also used for burgers and few jars of brawn. Christine made a wonderful black pudding from the blood ( already eaten). Hopefully the two ham this year will be better. last year ones were a bit too salty, but putting the slices or a all piece in cold water will solve the problem.
Yesterday Lesley and me we were working in the wooden house, installing the interior walls with some insulation, plus we bottled some beer and I started the use of the smoker for the first time.
I have also put some order in the small new shed to see how much food was still there left. This morning I have done the same with the two freezers and I am astonished about the amount of food is still there.
This is an account ( not accurate) of it:
4 rabbits / 2 pheasants / 2 chickens / 20 rabbit burgers / 8 pig burgers / 12 pike burgers / three pack of ravioli / 2 big sausages and 2 medium ones / 4 bags of peas / 8 bags of beetroot leaves, stems etc / a variety of 10 bags of other vegetables / 4 bottles of wild berry juice for the tea / three small bottles of milk / 5 jars of chutney / 5 jars of jam / 5 jars of other mixed meat in olive oil / 3 jars of soft cheese / three plum cakes / about 5 kg of flour, about 12 kg of potato a green pumpkin and a onion. Plus few parts of the pig in various pieces.
I have far more food that I need it for the rest of February.
I have been eating the most strange dishes, using all parts of every thing I had available. I recently had broth for the all week, and soups and made 5 meals from a single cabbage and so on. I have been eating this way to try to save as much as I could in order to maintain the good stuff still in stock.
There are still 5 leeks in the frozen garden and still 2 plants of Brussels sprouts.
Considering that most of the time (during the Christmas holidays )all the family was eating from the storage food, I can say that we could have done this experiment together for at lest three months.
The all experience tells me that we can survive with little money if you are prepare to be organise properly and do the job of cooking and preserving food. We have ( I surely have ) been eating well and happily a variety of food, and I think with the exception of the fruit, it was a balance diet. The only fruit I had so far was apples. I suppose the drinks made from the fruits from the garden ( pear, apple, raspberry,damson,plums ) gave me a different choice.
As we were bottling the beer we calculated how much money we can save doing it ourselves.
We made 40 bottles and buying them it would cost about £60. Instead we spend £11.50 for the 1 kg sugar and the concentrated
The wine costs us about 25 pence per bottle insted of £4.99 or more. But drinks were not in the agenda for this protest / experiment. Surely with a bigger freezer and another small piece of land you could be 80% self sufficient. Our chickens are potential;y the easiest and cheapest way of providing food, both in meat and eggs. The only food we buy for them is a bag of grains which cost about £9 and last two months, feeding 4 chickens and a cockerel. The rest of the food is scraps and rescued bread, rice ,pasta etc.
The chickens also provides our kitchen garden the manure and they attract many birds that feed themselves from what the chickens leave behind. Plus, they are a good company.
Anyhow, I have plenty of food and from now on I will invite the rest of the family to eat more often what is left in the freezer and in the jars, so both freezer can be emptied for the new stock to go in.
Here are some recent pictures.
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