2024 - What I did today

Perhaps a hotbin is another thing I can talk myself out of then, along with an airfryer

.......and a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer????

..............mention of dehydrator above reminded me of something I did yesterday. I threw out dehydrated beef, pork & chicken which I had in tupperware in the fridge!
It had started to go mouldy!
How can you store dehydrated produce so it doesn't go mouldy. How are they able to sell dehydrated beef jerky in packetss that doesn't go mouldy?

The only way I can think of is to freeze it after drying? which sort of defeats the object?

We’ve had same issues with home drying biltong going mouldy. Simple answer,  it’s not dried enough.

If I dried it any longer it would be like 'Snap and rattle'  The stuff you buy in packets still has a leathery texture but doesnt grow mould? It will probably have some preservative added, which I would rather not do! I am wondering whether I should go heavy on the salt which is a a natural preservative?

That is the other option. You’re not curing it for long enough before drying. 


finished strimming the garden. Went for a walk to collect fallen larch branches for a project.

Planted out the last parsley and nasturtium plants then potted on chard.

Cleared a path through the long grass - No Mow May is all very well but I do need to be able to walk through the garden.
Took my car down to my neighbours' garage for a puncture repair, it was just a slow puncture but it needed to be fixed.

Sowed more chitted beans in root trainers.

Planted out:
the spring sown sweet peas
Miniature White cucumbers
Nasturtiums
Tithonia (Mexican sunflower)

Weeded, weeded, weeded.

Perhaps a hotbin is another thing I can talk myself out of then, along with an airfryer

.......and a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer????

Dehydrator is a no, big footprint, no kitchen space. Vacuum sealer is still on the cards, I can bung that in a cupboard. I saved myself £32 today by not buying a blouse I was very much taken with.  It is so seldom these days I see anything I like, but also very rarely do I buy full priced or new clothes, charity or pre loved is more my style. A dilemma.

Today I planted out 3 Orangeto tomatoes for the patio.

Perhaps a hotbin is another thing I can talk myself out of then, along with an airfryer

.......and a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer????

Dehydrator is a no, big footprint, no kitchen space. Vacuum sealer is still on the cards, I can bung that in a cupboard. I saved myself £32 today by not buying a blouse I was very much taken with.  It is so seldom these days I see anything I like, but also very rarely do I buy full priced or new clothes, charity or pre loved is more my style. A dilemma.

I had 2 dehydrators in action yesterday, the 5 tray Excalibur and a 5 tray Vonshef which I acquired as a freebie. Its half the size of the Excalibur and is light enough to move around, unlike the Excalibur which is a bit hefty. Both machines were comparable in time taken to dry the mushrooms. They were also quite quiet, unlike the old one I had before which rattled and wheezed.  
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonShef-Tier-Fo...op?ie=UTF8

Perhaps a hotbin is another thing I can talk myself out of then, along with an airfryer

.......and a dehydrator and a vacuum sealer????

Dehydrator is a no, big footprint, no kitchen space. Vacuum sealer is still on the cards, I can bung that in a cupboard. I saved myself £32 today by not buying a blouse I was very much taken with.  It is so seldom these days I see anything I like, but also very rarely do I buy full priced or new clothes, charity or pre loved is more my style. A dilemma.

I had 2 dehydrators in action yesterday, the 5 tray Excalibur and a 5 tray Vonshef which I acquired as a freebie. Its half the size of the Excalibur and is light enough to move around, unlike the Excalibur which is a bit hefty. Both machines were comparable in time taken to dry the mushrooms. They were also quite quiet, unlike the old one I had before which rattled and wheezed.  
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonShef-Tier-Fo...op?ie=UTF8

My round dehydrator is a bit noisy so gets set up in a room i seldom venture into!

Tied up a few things. Pinned down a few others. Hopefully protect things while this storm passes through.
She’s certainly building up to be an angry little lady. Surprised they’ve not named her.

Planted French marigolds in the tomato pots.
Potted up some courgette seedlings.
Planted out some Hurst Greenshaft peas in the old chicken run and Blue lake CFBs in the old shelter bed.
Planted Miss P in the Livingstone Ward.