Grow Your Own Then Cook Your Own!

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cooking at home, cooking food, frugal food, Gardening with children, grow your own, ministry of agriculture, recycle works, Sylvia Hopwood

When tidying up the kitchen cupboards I found an old cookbook published in 1948 by His Majesty’s Stationary Office. At the cost of 2 shillings net and called Bulletin No 21, it was written by The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. When compared with today’s glossy romantic cookbooks it appears dull in the extreme but it has so much brilliant information packed onto every one of its 94 pages. I was thrilled to see it, as long ago it had gone missing. It tells the whole story about preserving food, everything including how to salt beans! I know it is foolproof as I was dedicated to it for many years but reading it now time has moved on and we have even more opportunities to preserve our food and even more varieties of food to conserve.

Here is a taster; for damaged, surplus, windfalls, underdeveloped or distorted fruit and vegetables. A great idea was to puree and store. Nowadays I would put mine in the freezer but then we bottled it. Remove bruised and slug/wasp/bird damaged parts, chop roughly, cook till turning soft and strain (Preferably through a hair sieve, sic), season and freeze for use in cooking. Tomatoes and apples are the obvious choices but almost any fruit and vegetables can be used this way. Remember to include the pods if you are pureeing Beans and Peas and add a few herbs too. I can feel lots of winter soups coming on at no cost whatsoever.

I’ll be sharing this with all the team at The Recycle Works – they love a money saving idea!

Love Your Environment!

New Product Available – The Potato Harvesting Scoop

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grow potatoes, grow your own, gyo, potato harvesting scoop, potato picking, potatoe grow bag, potatoes, recycle works

The Potato Harvesting Scoop

A brilliant re-interpretation of a traditional potato ‘grate’ – the Potato Harvesting Scoop is for harvesting potato crops without damage. The bar across the end of the tines prevents accidental stabbing while the tine’s spacing and shape allows potatoes to be sifted from the soil.

Ideal for use with potato grow bags. If using to harvest potatoes grown in the ground we recommend first loosening the soil around the base of the plants.

Forged from stainless steel, with hardwood handle and leather hanging thong.

Love Your Environment! Love Your Potatoes!

A Hard Working Wooden Compost Bin

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buy compost bin, compost bin, Composting, grow your own, growing tomatoes, recycle works, single compost bin, wooden compost bin

What A Tomato Plant!

Rod Lane sent us this picture of a tomato plant that grew in his Wooden Compost Bin.

He did not say whether it got there accidentally, but it tells me that maybe the quality of his home grown compost was really good!!

Rod – we’re glad you love your Recycle Works Compost Bin!

Special Offer – Twin GYO Starter Winter Vegetable Bundle

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buy raised beds, grow your own, gyo starter kit, raised bed gardening, recycle works, twin raised bed, wooden raised beds

The Twin Raised Bed Starter Kit

This week we’re offering you the opportunity to purchase as Twin GYO Starter Winter Vegetable Bundle.

Available for a limited period only at £60.50. Offer ends 28th August 2010 (RRP £81.64)

• 6 x Packs of winter vegetable seeds
• 1 x Double Module Starter Raised Bed Kit
• 1 x 38cm Unheated Propagator
• 4 x bags of Vegetable Compost
• 1 x Trowel 

To purchase one of these kits whilst stocks last – simply click here!

Sylvia & The Shredder!

The last of the hay seems to be gathered in now, a couple of weeks later than usual. It was a bit like sleeping next to the motorway last night as the hay wagons worked late into the night with powerful searchlights, gathering in before the forecast next onslaught of rain. The next job is the hedges. Already that are blocking the views of road signs and blinding tight corners on country lanes.

Our hedges are really thick after all the rain and all those hedge clippings will need to be shredder if they are to decompose in a reasonable time. We have witnessed an inevitable growth in sales of Shredders in recent weeks. I just love the Lonos 3 shredder. Having had one for about 9 years I still believe there is not a better shredder on the UK market. Lonos (lo-noise) is quiet and works likes a dream. It pulls down the organic waste so you do not have to push everything into it. It drops the shredded waste quietly onto a sheet without throwing and spinning it all over the garden. Nice one.

Love Your Environment! Love Your Shredder!

New Product Available – The Gutter Mate

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gutter mate, guttermate, rain diverter, rainmate, recycle works, The Recycle Works, water butt, water conservation, water saving

The Gutter Mate Rain Diverter and Filter

There has been so much interest this week since we launched the Gutter Mate that we thought we’d include the details again. It’s a Water Diverter, gutter saver and drain pipe filter all in one. This is a new addition to our range at a very timely moment. We love this product because it keeps the leaves out of the gutters and out of the soak away too.

The Gutter Mate delivers the leaves to head height in a small collector ready to throw them all onto the Compost Bin. We recommend that you fit one  on your downpipe before the leaves start to be a problem in a few weeks time. You can easily replace your old Rain Diverter if you think this one is better for you.

If you’d like any further information on the Gutter Mate, there are full details on the website or alternatively, please feel free to give us a call on 01254 820088.

Love Your Environment!