Sunday 25 September 2011

Stocking Up

As I insinuated in my last post, I take after my Mum and Grandmother in that I like to feed people.  Even if you arrived at my Grandmother's house just after having had a huge dinner you still had to eat.  She was a fantastic cook, and I can still taste her steak and kidney pudding (even though I am now veggie) and apple pie, but her standby meal was homemade chips (mmmmm), corned beef and peas.  She always had all the ingredients and it could be knocked up very quickly.  My Mum and I are a bit more adventurous and like to have a variety of things in so that we can get a meal together very quickly for any amount of diners.  To that end, I like to have a well stocked store cupboard, even on the boat.  I miss my freezer, especially at the moment when I am harvesting like crazy up at the allotment (still, all my neighbours are benefitting from the excess produce - can't promise the same next year guys!).  I have been making pasta sauce, jam and jelly for the store cupboard (I cheated and did it at Mum and Dad's, which was great because they got all the washing up!).  On the barge I am going to have a proper walk-in larder, fully tiled with its own sink, something I have always wanted. 
I had to buy a small table top fridge for Carpe Diem as we didn't have any proper refridgeration of any kind. We have always made do with cool boxes, ice packs and the bilges (areas under the floor and below the water line for those that don't know, keeps the beer and white wine lovely and cool).  It is amazing how much you can put in such a small space......
.......but I can't wait until I can get my big American style fridge back!

7 comments:

  1. As a newcomer to your blog Fran, can I ask few questions:

    You live on Carpe Diem and are planning to move into your barge, complete with beautiful fridge and rayburn?

    What is your time scale for this?

    How long have you been living on the water?

    Is their a link to a bit of biog so I don't bother you with all my questions! :)

    Sft x

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  2. Hi Sft - We have been living on Carpe Diem since Feb/March this year having let out our house to the kids. We hope to be living on the barge by the summer of next year, albeit with just the basics of living eg no cupboard doors etc! If you look back to January this year 'We Are Moving' it explains how we have come to be on Carpe Diem. I don't mind questions at all, so just fire away I will attempt to answer them x

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  3. Sounds like your garden has done well. I dug all my potatoes this trip and have them tucked away under the bed downstairs. That is the coolest place in the cabin and keeps them fresh throughout the winter. We have a 8 cu foot fridge at the cabin. It has plenty of space for a week's worth of food, but not much more. We are looking to upgrade to a 10 to get a bit more space. But we are looking at propane and they are so much more expensive. Not sure why. - Margy

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  4. Margy - I am so envious of the different designs of large fridges that are available to you. Here all ours look the same unless you pay a really serious amount of money. Propane sounds a good way to go xxx

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  5. I also have a small camping fridge like yours now, Fran, but if you read my last comment on your last post, you'll understand why. Hats off to you and your generous family! I'll come to you when I get hungry :)

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  6. Such a small fridge. I think I would have a hard time with a fridge that small. But then I think, what if the electricity went away forever, then I would have to live with out refrigeration.
    Blessings
    Diane

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  7. Val - the fridge is destined to become the beer fridge! As I said in my last comment, you're more than welcome- veggie shepherd's pie do? x

    Diane - I do normally do without refrideration on the boat, but it's amazing how you get by x

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