Rye toast, buttered with canned kidney beans, salt and pepper yum! Vivi…that kitchen ❤❤❤! You should write a book on your frugal living and recipes. You deserve more recognition for it.
I love what you’re doing Vivi! I’m planning to do what you’re doing in 5 years time when I reach 50 😊 already trying to be as frugal as possible and grow a few things in my small garden + some foraging. You are such a positive person, I wish you all the best with everything you do ❤Jo
You're reminding me to take stock of my pantry :) I have a veggie garden and although not huge, it does provide me with harvests of fresh lettuces i.e. cool weather crops for about 4 months from April through July and then I replant in late Aug or Sept and overwinter those under cover. Last fall, I got lazy and didn't remove all the lettuce seeds and let them mix in the compost I made over the winter. I had an entire bed of volunteer lettuce that began with leaf lettuce and as I thinned them out and ate them, developed into full-fledged plants. I gave away tons of it to 7 or 8 people and did that repetitively and I still ate a large salad every day! Amazing. Eventually, the lettuce had to give way to other plants that needed space to grow. I have a well-established herb bed as well as a raspberry bed. Herbs I do dry and the raspberries I freeze to use over the entire winter. Same with tomatoes. I had a glut of pattypans this year and gave away many. Cucumbers too. I have a sunny spot for containers and grow all sorts of peppers both regular and mildly to moderately hot. Tomatillos and tons of basil too. I've made salsa verde and pesto which I've frozen for use over the winter months. I have beans that are drying on the vine and this I attribute to you. Freshly dried beans (an oxymoron?) are so superior. I am a little tired at the end of the gardening season but am happy too with all that has been harvested or is waiting to be harvested. I do need to understand how to grow better squash and I envy your squash bounty...:) My health always improves every year after eating fresh food from the garden. I buy items such as toilet paper, detergents, etc in bulk as well as olive oil, rice, oatmeal, pasta and canned beans when I can get these on sale. I try to buy organic. Similar to you, I organize to be a year ahead in my pantry. I lean into rice and oatmeal more than beans, although, again, because of you, I've been including more of those into my meals. I do use milk, eggs and cheeses which I'm able to get delivered to my door. I live in a small community and up on a steep hill and while I can walk (I don't drive) to the local grocery store, I have to schedule this when I know there will be a shuttle bus (which are few) or sometimes I do walk home. In the latter case, I have to think about what I can carry up that hill and occasionally, I overdo it and my body complains. Still, there is something wholly satisfying about planning ahead, about gardening and preserving, stocking a pantry and even walking up steep hills. I'm glad I can do it all. I am 75 and am grateful.
You can freeze beans after soaking. Or after cooking. At any stage of the process, really. So one way to make more use of your dried beans. As you make room in the freezer eating the frozen ones. Every now and then. Soak (and cook if in a cooking mood) a batch of dried, to replenish the stock of convenient beans in the freezer. Eliminating that having to remember to put into soak the day before conundrum.
I purchased a slow cooker a few weeks ago, mainly so I can make beany stews and things that take a long time to cook in a conventional oven, hopefully I can offset the cost of purchase against the saving on using the oven. Never used one before so will be a bit experimental . Take care Vivi, it's too hot to rush about! Xxx
Slow cookers are brilliant, take a bit of getting used to as I tended to add too much liquid at first. I agree with a lot of the research, that they do save you money (I read my meter while cooking and did the maths). Bbc good food slow cooker recipes always seem to work. Enjoy!
I find this so interesting to see. I think i eat at least 1.5 portions of beans a day! I'm saving my winter squash until we don't have any fresh courgettes left.
It’s so important to follow your lead in having some tins and pre-prepared items on hand to eat when you’re feeling poorly. You never know when they’ll come in handy.
You are a goddess of the garden prevailing through thick and thin and that unseasonable miserable heat. Can you give the chard a little sun shade to keep them from drying out too much and getting wilted and possibly going to seed? I had some chard go to seed that I overwintered so might try to sprout some now and see what happens. Also managed to save some curly parsley seed. Did almost no gardening this year so am extra super impressed with your garden considering the terrible grief you’ve endured. You’re kicking butt at living and that’s what’s important. Your garden looks amazing. I love this time of year and miss the hunt for hiding treasure and digging potatoes etc. Enjoy your garden and I hope it cools off to give you a watering break!
This was a excellent video to show how a person can eat well on a small budget. People are just to afraid to cut portion sizes and eat real food they want nasty stuff that comes out of a box.
Hot soak your beans to reduce the soak time. This works for all beans. Put dried beans in a pan cover with water, bring to boil and boil for 2 mins and turn off the heat. Leave to soak for at least an hour. Cook as you would pre soaked beans. :)
Great video Vivi - I so agree the task of reviewing what we have before buying anything. The garden here is slowly coming to an end ,last of our courgettes used to make relish today. Our main crops are potatoes,squash,beans ,kale and tomatoes .We grew fennel for the first time this year and it is wonderful! Your garden is wonderful! No need to feel bad about it.❤
I'm sure you know this already, Vivi, but for anyone who is reading the comments and isn't aware... To make using dried beans and peas easier (and to save energy when cooking), you can soak and cook them in bulk and then freeze them. So much easier than trying to remember to soak the night before!
Amazon has a pressure cooker/pressure canner, the Carey. Economical, for small batches. 5 pints, or 4 quarts [those are wide-mouth only, shorter jars]. Can your own beans, tomatoes, and save your freezer space. And that is also just HEATING, not cooking, when you are knackered. 😊
I'm in the US in Northern Wisconsin. It is forecast to be 39F here this upcoming Tuesday evening. I scrambled to buy my last zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers at this past Thursday farmer's market. I am now making pickles, dehydrating zucchini, dicing and freezing a mix of sweet and hot peppers, and trying a recipe for waterbath canning cole slaw for winter. There will be mostly only root crops and winter squash at the last 3 farmers markets left this year. I decided to wait for those veggies until I process the stuff from Thursday. The apples are available, but pricey. We started the growing year with a drought of no rain for 2 months. This week I had to put all my summer flower pots away. We had a terrible golf ball sized hail storm this summer, so now all 11 of the buildings in my condo association are getting new roofs. We were told to clear off the patios to make room for all the new roofing supplies. Love your shows!
We have been having high temps and high humidity this past week. Thankfully we had rain last night and it has cooled down. Lovely to see all that produce. Garden will come back to life with some rain, I think. Good video.
I tried the cabbage pie this week and it was delicious, thank you. I am frantically trying to use up the summer cabbages before we start on the Kale, Brussels etc,so your recipe was perfect!
Bean (😁) watching whilst shelling Beurre de Rocquencourt, having breakfast and sorting stuff for an upcoming visit to a friend... and when you were saying kidney beans / beet burgers I was saying "Cook some Madeira Maroon!"... and near the end you said it yourself. 👍🤗👍
Good morning Vivi - yes DO take it slower in the heat . We’re having temps in triple digits…(f). Awful to keep up the gardens. The courgettes look wonderful one of my favorites. Your beds don’t look hopeless. Tomatoes are also looking great ! The water you have given will revive things . I think you’ll be ok supply wise with your freezer store. It’s good to take a survey of what you have …I do the same . Our grocery prices are way way way over the top here . Almost double original prices bc of inflation. So your tips are EXTRA helpful now. Looking forward to next video with food prep ?? Take care , stay safe in the heat .. all will be fine!! Thank you for another fine chat … Love Marilyn xx
Thank you lovely. I'll be very happy when the temp drops a bit next week.......it's too much for gardening, cooking......even swing is a problem because my hands are sticky with sweat....hahaha!
Vivi, our menus are similar except I tend to cook more Mexican and Asian food because they're so vegetarian friendly. I need to try your beet burgers sometime. I love making beet sandwiches 🥪!!! Oh my, they're delicious!!! I just cook them in my crockpot, peel and slice them onto toasted bread with a mixed green salad on there, spicy mustard and if I'm lucky to have a soft cheese...... magnificent!! I like making vegetarian taco meat crumbles from the red lentils but they're definitely more expensive here in California. Love all your soup suggestions and various risottos. Yummy!! I'm probably a weirdo for saying this but I use spices that are out of date. Sometimes they lose a bit of their potency but you can revive them in hot oil when making a savory dish. A lot of times I use them when I pickle my veggies, works great. You're doing so great! Your house fund will get there quicker than you think! 😁💗👍
We eat so differently, Vivi, and I found it really interesting to see your stock. I almost laughed out loud at the flour, oh my, I am almost in tears again just remembering......we buy it in 50 lb bags, and go through it pretty quickly. I am going to bake some buns (rolls?) today, and the recipe uses ten cups of flour. Mind you, I make my own pasta and cakes as well, so yes, I need lots of flour. I am almost through the video and haven't seen potatoes. My husband would leave me if we didn't have potatoes just about every day.
I didn't grow any potatoes this year as I couldn't face digging the trenches.....so I'll buy them when needed. I don't eat a lot of them.....occasionally in soup to thicken it.
Taking stock is definitely the thing to do... I've been trying to use up bits that are near dated to free a bit of space in my cupboard. Everything seems to takes so much longer to do in this heat. Wishing you all the best Vivi!
Cheers lovely. Ugh, yes, the heat is gorgeous for sitting by the sea......but definitely too much for gardening! It's a good habit to check the cupboards and bring to the front the items near their use by dates.......something I am rubbish at! 😉
Hello my lovely, it must be the time for taking stock of food on hand. I spent some time the other day hanging over the edge of my chest freezer and resetting the store cupboard while doing a stocktake. Waste not, want not, has always been my motto too. I say it so often it will probably end up on my headstone 😂😂😂
Vivi, I saw somebody adding pearl barley to home made minestroni. I thought, ooo, genius. I used to love my mums stew as a child but mostly to mop up the creamy pearl barley at the bottom of the bowl. Must atart buying some but now for my minestrone and all those gorgeous home grown toms ❤
@@WhatVivididnext looking at the amount of beans you have to collect from the allotment I'd say you have enough for twelve months or more but lentils seem to go nowhere. I'd stock up on them. There is said to be some issues of supply coming from India 😩
It's definitely been a toasty week, lovely to see the garden with all it's treasures. This was very interesting thank you Vivi. You've inspired me to make better use of my time, you're an inspiration thank you. I'm so glad I found you on here x
Hiya Vivi Thankyou for a visit. I’m just going to have a salad for dinner tonight, the heat here also, find appetite lowers ?. Blessings luv Ontario Canada Cheerio for now 🇨🇦🐝
My garden is a wilty mess! I only grew garlic - the rest is calendula, mint and a huge purple sprouting broccoli that has been in the garden for over 3 years now!
Vivi, did you grow garlic and onions? Potatoes? We have an Aldi's market close to our house, and some of the food we get there costs so much less than the markets. The cheese is about half the cost or less. The tins of tomatoes, beans, etc are so much less, too. We are able to save quite a bit there. Don't know if you have any near where you live or not.
I have the same issue with remembering to boil up beans. So I boil them up then freeze them in half can sized portions. So when you have some room in the freezer you could do that x
Hi Vivi, yes its lovely weather, I'm feeling the heat too. your tomatoes are amazing !!! I understand about the weeds... I don´t care about the weeds in my garden really. I get rid of the largest. Saw this dandelion plant the other day with lots of mini dandelions and it was a bush the size of a cabbage ! looked pretty though...I like the countryside cottage garden look, but there are limits! I am fighting a battle with rabbits and birds in my garden and I am grateful for anything I can get. Moving soon and downsizing the garden it´s too much for us. It's always a pleasure to hear and see you on the tubes ! Take care xx. Joanne.
Hi Vivi, I find this type of video fascinating 😊 so thank you. I cook just like you, i.e. what have I got, what do I need to use first etc, and adapt accordingly. We have an allotment too and are lucky enough to have a local community fridge, which is food otherwise going to landfill, so that’s brilliant. It also gives us a chance to get some luxuries (lovely sourdough bread, brioche rolls) and try some new or unusual things!xx
Also I love making Swiss chard in veggie lasagna. Not sure if you use ricotta cheese but if not maybe some vegan ricotta. Def pick some of the chard before it just fries in the sun. That happened to mine this year and it happened super fast.
Wonderful video Vivi! It's good to see what long term food planning looks like. I think for so many of us, the convenience of food shopping prevents us from knowing what we have and how to utilize what we have. Oh and I made your courgette and potato soup recipe, it is delicious! Thank you
Love your allotment garden 😍 I've processed a batch of tomatoes and turned into sauce water bath canned them lots of jam to from free apples blackberries and blueberries 18 jars so far the rest in the freezer waiting to be processed.❤
This was incredibly interesting Vivi - and reins me in a bit. I'm guilty of spending too much on food. I think I'll do a stock take like you. Much love, Sxx
I love this video. I'm late to comment but YT loves that anyway ❤ I hope to be at this point soon. I want to eat fresh food straight out of my own garden more and preserve simply, just enough to make beautiful food and condiments to liven up food. Great job Vivi. I love it ❤❤
You really inspire me i've tried a few of your recipes & we love them especially the beta carotene soup & the squash & chickpea curry is one of our favesxx@@WhatVivididnext
oh my....that is a new one on me..."curing courgettes." I've never heard of that. I don't have a garden to grow veg in but if I did... I wonder if I can cure ones that I buy in my supermarket? They are cheaper some times of the year.
Hmmm....no idea......I only discovered it by accident because of leaving my huge ones in the shed.....I'm not sure the younger ones with softer skins would work.......but worth trying?....
3:16 Thank you for not showing bloody spi... P.S. OK, so if not meal plan, maybe you will make food book of one week? Basically what you eat for one week. Your frugal living and cooking is very inspiring.
love this kind of videos. similar of how i think and plan. will be hoping for your frugal shopping haul videos! when you decide to go out with that shopping list 😉 loved your hauls, very inspiring for a low spend-no spend
Your store cupboard looks a bit like mine, pulses, beans etc. I have stopped eating cheese as I try to be as vegan as possible. It’s the one thing I really miss. The major success I have had has been managing to keep a sourdough starter going, major achievement as it’s about my fourth attempt 😂 so I’m now making my own sourdough loaves (been making other bread now for a number of years). I find it fills me up for longer and I know exactly what has gone into it!! Enjoy your harvest. Can’t wait to see the squash count….!!
The price of energy has really impacted my food decisions. I only have a tiny garden and alas no allotment so apart from pickling ridge cucumbers, cooking and freezing aubergines in caponata and drying beans, my focus is on preserving market bought seasonal produce. And to minimise energy usage I am focusing on vinegar pickling, preserving fruit in alcohol and fermenting, as well as a little bit of dehydrating as these approaches require less energy than jamming, chutneying and bottling. Also, as I know you like Greek food, if you want to grow aubergines, I have had great success with the MoneyMaker and Slim Jim varieties outside. My little garden is in Greenwich, which is just a tad cooler than your neighbourhood. (I used to live in Se26 so I love situating your antics in a part of London I know well.)
Ach, I hear you re the fuel prices......I'v only used my oven once in the last year! Thank you for the tip re the aubergines.......I have never been able to grow them outside so I may have to give these a go!
I rarely hear you mention fruits. One video you did buy small amounts but I wonder if you buy them on a regular basis. I love fruit and could not do without.
Great visit Vivi! It’s amazing how much you’ve grown this season! I’ve got a lot of zucchini (courgette) and I’m going to try your famous potato-courgette soup! Cheerio!🐇🌳
Did I miss you mentioning carrots? I love your carrot and lentil soup and wonder if you will be buying tinned carrots to make it with less cook time or just plan to purchase fresh carrots. Once again, I haven't been able to grow carrots more than just enough for fresh munching for Hubby so they are a regular shop item for me. Thank you for the tour of your larder, and your plans for using it.
Ach, yes, pesky carrots! Generally speaking if I haven't grown it I try to do without....but......hmm, onions, celery and carrots.....such staples for soup making so, yes, they'll be on the shopping list from time-to-time.
Hi Vivi, your garden looks lovely a good rain will perk everything back up. Oh the jars you saved from Auntie Teapot are so beautiful and when you tapped those glass lids what a gorgeous sound. I stand and say hi my name is Anita and i have a problem with not being able to pass on the sale items 😂. With the prices of food now when there is a good sale on like cucumbers,bell peppers or avocados i can't seem to pass it up and then can't eat them fast enough before they go bad. I know how you feel about the not feeling like cooking sometimes. Now that it's just me i don't have to worry about feeding anyone else so simple works for me. Can't wait to watch your new recipes with the chard such a gorgeous plant with those vibrant colors.Till next time Much Love from across the Pond💞
I think it's great if you can pick things up on sale.....just try to plan for getting it all cooked so you can freeze the extras as meals for later on. 😊 Oh, and I am SO glad I kept Aunty TPs old jars......I love them and they are such a beautiful and useful reminder...... 💖
Two questions: 1) Alliums, do you have a supply of onions and garlic? Maybe I missed it, but I would consider those a staple. 2) Do you eat eggs? I hadn't noticed those in other videos.
I have always grown my own onions but didn't this year so will need to buy them as I go along, I do have my own garlic.......sorry I forgot to show it in the shed. No, I don't eat eggs.
@@WhatVivididnextHere, in the U.S., we have walking onions. They’re more like scallions or summer onions. The bulbs form on top and drop into the soil to form more onions. I love have this option so i don’t need to plant any. Do you have something similar?
Thoroughly enjoyable video. The Churchill Black Beans, are they black turtle beans? Not a variety I have come across hence the curious mind. Thanks Vivi, Tracy x
I have no idea if they have another name, sorry. A friend gave me about 4 seeds a couple of years ago from some she had saved from 20 years previously (!)....Churchill Black was the name she told me.
You must have visited the garden early in the day? Hope the heat has abated and you can breath easier now. Would like to contribute towards an electric fan…your flat must become unbearable! Take good care Vivi. 🌟❤️🌬
Enjoyable as ever Vivi. I wanted to know if you have ever frozen marrow. I chopped some and froze it for a few weeks. It was fine in a dish but it did smell a little.odd so wondered if you have any advice on freezing it?
I've never grown marrow so never frozen any. I'm not sure why it would smell hinky but my own rule is that if it doesn't smell right I don't eat it.......
I’d love any tips on growing butternut squash successfully, I’ve never been successful, just one grew this year! It’s about 6/7 inches! The vine died so it stopped growing, grown in a well manured bed ! Yours are wonderful
same here. i've tried to grow them for the last few years and got nothing. but that first year we moved here i had a volunteer plant that grew 9 squahes on it!
Hmmm......I don't think I have any tips....I think I'm just lucky. But, yes, a rich bed (compost, manure, chicken pellets....anything you can add) plus regular watering if there's no rain.
Really strange, in a bed with other squashes, tons of water, chicken pellets etc ( think they just don’t like me!). Was difficult to get them to germinate in the first place, don’t think I’ll bother next year
Oh my goodness, the heat! Same here but we have no humidity in the West Texas desert, and that helps a lot!! Do you have a fan? I have had a lifetime of experience with heat and enough experience with humidity to really empathize with your current weather conditions. I hate the idea of you with no fan?!
Hi Vivi, hot or what? Swanage and the Purbeck hills are covered in fog/sea mist. Trying not to do too much in this heat it is hard when you future food store depends on it and the preserving has to be done eh? Can you tell what is it you do with your marrows to harden the skins for prolonged storage? And also, I find it very difficult cutting butternut squash, nearly loose a finger every time, do you have a less dangerous technique to show how it is done without injury? Hope you are as okay as you can be dear one, not easy, one day at a time, bless you. Look after yourself in this tiring heat x
Ugh, yes, so hot and hardly a breath of air movement........perfect for sea bathing, not so much for gardening and cooking! All I do with the courgettes is leave them out in the sun for a few days. Eek, I hear you re cutting into squash......I tend to poke the tip of the knife in then get my spare hand out of the way before cutting down....
Could you use a small electric pressure cooker to cook the dry or soaked beans? It might save a lot on the electric stove bill and the need to plan days ahead. I use one to cook and freeze up bean/rice/grain portions. It also makes a stock in minutes. Just a thought if you spot a great deal on one.
I use a lot of dried beans and cook them in an electric pressure cooker. It is absolute godsend. Most of the pre-soaked beans will cook in 6 minutes high pressure (and then leave to release pressure naturally). Electric Pressure cookers are not expensive to buy and it does save a huge amount on energy costs. I use it to cook rice, soups etc too.
Hi Vivi, I think you've done amazingly with your garden considering what you've been through, bloomin well done! My beans are showing no signs of drying out... might have to go demi sec, do you have to blanch them first? I normally do dried. X
I've only grown Gardener's Delight this year......they're very easy and prolific but they do ripen a lot later than others so they're risky outside because of the possibility of blight.
I gave them both away (didn't sell them) as part of doing up the kitchen for selling the flat. They were too bulky and making the kitchen feel smaller than it is.
Rye toast, buttered with canned kidney beans, salt and pepper yum! Vivi…that kitchen ❤❤❤! You should write a book on your frugal living and recipes. You deserve more recognition for it.
I love my broad bean hummus/mash on sourdough toast......hahaha, I'm salivating now!
I love what you’re doing Vivi! I’m planning to do what you’re doing in 5 years time when I reach 50 😊 already trying to be as frugal as possible and grow a few things in my small garden + some foraging. You are such a positive person, I wish you all the best with everything you do ❤Jo
Thank you so much Jo.....and yay to you planning to do similar, I wish you so much luck and joy with it!
@@WhatVivididnext thank you Vivi ☺️
Not been an easy year for you Vivi, but look what you've achieved! Well done xxx
Thank you lovely.
You're reminding me to take stock of my pantry :) I have a veggie garden and although not huge, it does provide me with harvests of fresh lettuces i.e. cool weather crops for about 4 months from April through July and then I replant in late Aug or Sept and overwinter those under cover. Last fall, I got lazy and didn't remove all the lettuce seeds and let them mix in the compost I made over the winter. I had an entire bed of volunteer lettuce that began with leaf lettuce and as I thinned them out and ate them, developed into full-fledged plants. I gave away tons of it to 7 or 8 people and did that repetitively and I still ate a large salad every day! Amazing. Eventually, the lettuce had to give way to other plants that needed space to grow. I have a well-established herb bed as well as a raspberry bed. Herbs I do dry and the raspberries I freeze to use over the entire winter. Same with tomatoes. I had a glut of pattypans this year and gave away many. Cucumbers too. I have a sunny spot for containers and grow all sorts of peppers both regular and mildly to moderately hot. Tomatillos and tons of basil too. I've made salsa verde and pesto which I've frozen for use over the winter months. I have beans that are drying on the vine and this I attribute to you. Freshly dried beans (an oxymoron?) are so superior. I am a little tired at the end of the gardening season but am happy too with all that has been harvested or is waiting to be harvested. I do need to understand how to grow better squash and I envy your squash bounty...:) My health always improves every year after eating fresh food from the garden.
I buy items such as toilet paper, detergents, etc in bulk as well as olive oil, rice, oatmeal, pasta and canned beans when I can get these on sale. I try to buy organic. Similar to you, I organize to be a year ahead in my pantry. I lean into rice and oatmeal more than beans, although, again, because of you, I've been including more of those into my meals. I do use milk, eggs and cheeses which I'm able to get delivered to my door. I live in a small community and up on a steep hill and while I can walk (I don't drive) to the local grocery store, I have to schedule this when I know there will be a shuttle bus (which are few) or sometimes I do walk home. In the latter case, I have to think about what I can carry up that hill and occasionally, I overdo it and my body complains. Still, there is something wholly satisfying about planning ahead, about gardening and preserving, stocking a pantry and even walking up steep hills. I'm glad I can do it all. I am 75 and am grateful.
Hear, hear and good on you lovely! 😊
Love your clips! Thank you so much for sharing your life and how you eat and save. ❤
Thanks for watching! 😊
You can freeze beans after soaking. Or after cooking. At any stage of the process, really.
So one way to make more use of your dried beans.
As you make room in the freezer eating the frozen ones.
Every now and then. Soak (and cook if in a cooking mood) a batch of dried, to replenish the stock of convenient beans in the freezer.
Eliminating that having to remember to put into soak the day before conundrum.
I am so jealous of those beautiful tomatoes! It's downright sinful of me!😂 ❤
Beautiful, beautiful garden.
Haha, thank you lovely. 😊
I purchased a slow cooker a few weeks ago, mainly so I can make beany stews and things that take a long time to cook in a conventional oven, hopefully I can offset the cost of purchase against the saving on using the oven. Never used one before so will be a bit experimental . Take care Vivi, it's too hot to rush about! Xxx
Oooh, enjoy experimenting!
Slow cookers are brilliant, take a bit of getting used to as I tended to add too much liquid at first. I agree with a lot of the research, that they do save you money (I read my meter while cooking and did the maths). Bbc good food slow cooker recipes always seem to work. Enjoy!
Brilliant vivi 😊 that's you done ✔️ for the winter 👏
I find this so interesting to see. I think i eat at least 1.5 portions of beans a day! I'm saving my winter squash until we don't have any fresh courgettes left.
It’s so important to follow your lead in having some tins and pre-prepared items on hand to eat when you’re feeling poorly. You never know when they’ll come in handy.
You are a goddess of the garden prevailing through thick and thin and that unseasonable miserable heat. Can you give the chard a little sun shade to keep them from drying out too much and getting wilted and possibly going to seed? I had some chard go to seed that I overwintered so might try to sprout some now and see what happens.
Also managed to save some curly parsley seed. Did almost no gardening this year so am extra super impressed with your garden considering the terrible grief you’ve endured. You’re kicking butt at living and that’s what’s important. Your garden looks amazing. I love this time of year and miss the hunt for hiding treasure and digging potatoes etc. Enjoy your garden and I hope it cools off to give you a watering break!
This was a excellent video to show how a person can eat well on a small budget. People are just to afraid to cut portion sizes and eat real food they want nasty stuff that comes out of a box.
Hot soak your beans to reduce the soak time. This works for all beans. Put dried beans in a pan cover with water, bring to boil and boil for 2 mins and turn off the heat. Leave to soak for at least an hour. Cook as you would pre soaked beans. :)
Thank you, great tip. 😊
Great video Vivi - I so agree the task of reviewing what we have before buying anything.
The garden here is slowly coming to an end ,last of our courgettes used to make relish today.
Our main crops are potatoes,squash,beans ,kale and tomatoes .We grew fennel for the first time this year
and it is wonderful!
Your garden is wonderful! No need to feel bad about it.❤
Ooooh, yay for lovey fennel! 😊
Waste not, want not. I’m impressed!
So interesting and motivating! I need to go through my pantry and freezer. We are trying to spend less money on groceries, too.
I'm sure you know this already, Vivi, but for anyone who is reading the comments and isn't aware... To make using dried beans and peas easier (and to save energy when cooking), you can soak and cook them in bulk and then freeze them. So much easier than trying to remember to soak the night before!
Yes, great tip! 😊
I had no idea that you could cure zucchini! Genius!
Passed up a garden space as we don’t eat many vegetables, so I garden vicariously by watching your videos. Many blessings! Judi
Amazon has a pressure cooker/pressure canner, the Carey. Economical, for small batches. 5 pints, or 4 quarts [those are wide-mouth only, shorter jars].
Can your own beans, tomatoes, and save your freezer space. And that is also just HEATING, not cooking, when you are knackered.
😊
Love this video plus the gardening vids. Trying to learn about cooking with beans for prepping! Plus rainwater harvesting x
Cheers lovely. 😊
I'd like to bet vivi has a pushbike !😊❤
Ahhh, sadly not anymore as I don't have anywhere to store one.
I'm in the US in Northern Wisconsin. It is forecast to be 39F here this upcoming Tuesday evening. I scrambled to buy my last zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers at this past Thursday farmer's market. I am now making pickles, dehydrating zucchini, dicing and freezing a mix of sweet and hot peppers, and trying a recipe for waterbath canning cole slaw for winter. There will be mostly only root crops and winter squash at the last 3 farmers markets left this year. I decided to wait for those veggies until I process the stuff from Thursday. The apples are available, but pricey. We started the growing year with a drought of no rain for 2 months. This week I had to put all my summer flower pots away. We had a terrible golf ball sized hail storm this summer, so now all 11 of the buildings in my condo association are getting new roofs. We were told to clear off the patios to make room for all the new roofing supplies. Love your shows!
Eek, that hail storm sounds bad! It would have wrecked a garden. 😥
This video is really inspiring, thank you X
Thank you so much. 😊
As a vegan your store cupboard was my idea of heaven. Lots of protein and lovely veggies. Yum yum x
Yay! 😊
We have been having high temps and high humidity this past week. Thankfully we had rain last night and it has cooled down. Lovely to see all that produce. Garden will come back to life with some rain, I think. Good video.
The forecast says rain for Tuesday.......I hope so!
Hi Vivi, hope you're okay and enjoying your garden.
Your videos are a delight and sooth the soul
Thank you so much.
I tried the cabbage pie this week and it was delicious, thank you. I am frantically trying to use up the summer cabbages before we start on the Kale, Brussels etc,so your recipe was perfect!
Oh I'm delighted you tried it and liked it. Yay! Thank you. 😊
Bean (😁) watching whilst shelling Beurre de Rocquencourt, having breakfast and sorting stuff for an upcoming visit to a friend... and when you were saying kidney beans / beet burgers I was saying "Cook some Madeira Maroon!"... and near the end you said it yourself. 👍🤗👍
Is this a case of great minds thinking alike.......or fools not differing? 😉
@@WhatVivididnext 👍🤗👍
Good morning Vivi - yes DO take it slower in the heat . We’re having temps in triple digits…(f). Awful to keep up the gardens.
The courgettes look wonderful one of my favorites. Your beds don’t look hopeless. Tomatoes are also looking great ! The water you have given will revive things . I think you’ll be ok supply wise with your freezer store. It’s good to take a survey of what you have …I do the same . Our grocery prices are way way way over the top here . Almost double original prices bc of inflation. So your tips are EXTRA helpful now. Looking forward to next video with food prep ??
Take care , stay safe in the heat .. all will be fine!! Thank you for another fine chat …
Love
Marilyn xx
Thank you lovely. I'll be very happy when the temp drops a bit next week.......it's too much for gardening, cooking......even swing is a problem because my hands are sticky with sweat....hahaha!
Vivi, our menus are similar except I tend to cook more Mexican and Asian food because they're so vegetarian friendly. I need to try your beet burgers sometime. I love making beet sandwiches 🥪!!! Oh my, they're delicious!!! I just cook them in my crockpot, peel and slice them onto toasted bread with a mixed green salad on there, spicy mustard and if I'm lucky to have a soft cheese...... magnificent!!
I like making vegetarian taco meat crumbles from the red lentils but they're definitely more expensive here in California.
Love all your soup suggestions and various risottos. Yummy!!
I'm probably a weirdo for saying this but I use spices that are out of date. Sometimes they lose a bit of their potency but you can revive them in hot oil when making a savory dish. A lot of times I use them when I pickle my veggies, works great.
You're doing so great! Your house fund will get there quicker than you think! 😁💗👍
Yay, cheers lovely. 😊 I love Mexican food.......mmmmmmmm!
We eat so differently, Vivi, and I found it really interesting to see your stock. I almost laughed out loud at the flour, oh my, I am almost in tears again just remembering......we buy it in 50 lb bags, and go through it pretty quickly. I am going to bake some buns (rolls?) today, and the recipe uses ten cups of flour. Mind you, I make my own pasta and cakes as well, so yes, I need lots of flour. I am almost through the video and haven't seen potatoes. My husband would leave me if we didn't have potatoes just about every day.
I didn't grow any potatoes this year as I couldn't face digging the trenches.....so I'll buy them when needed. I don't eat a lot of them.....occasionally in soup to thicken it.
Being diabetic I dont use flour or potatoes, beans are good though
Well done you, it sounds like your sorted.😊👩🏻🌾👍
This video could not have come at a better time. I too have become overwhelmed with the weeds in my garden!! Just keep trying ❤
....and wait for cooler weather! 😉
Love your recipes ! I grow veg and then dont know what to do with them. Your chanel helps me with that ! Thank you ! Take care !
Oh that's lovely to hear, thank you! 😊
Taking stock is definitely the thing to do... I've been trying to use up bits that are near dated to free a bit of space in my cupboard. Everything seems to takes so much longer to do in this heat.
Wishing you all the best Vivi!
Cheers lovely. Ugh, yes, the heat is gorgeous for sitting by the sea......but definitely too much for gardening! It's a good habit to check the cupboards and bring to the front the items near their use by dates.......something I am rubbish at! 😉
Hi Vivi, Love what you're doing. You inspire me to reevaluate my food needs. Its 63°F here on the USA. Blowing you a fresh breeze. Stay hydrated. 🎉
I loved this video. So interesting 😘
Thank you! 😊
I soak Beans over night then cook in my instant pot. They only take 25mins on the pressure setting.
Hello my lovely, it must be the time for taking stock of food on hand. I spent some time the other day hanging over the edge of my chest freezer and resetting the store cupboard while doing a stocktake. Waste not, want not, has always been my motto too. I say it so often it will probably end up on my headstone 😂😂😂
Hahaha, good on ya lovely. 😊
Vivi, I saw somebody adding pearl barley to home made minestroni. I thought, ooo, genius. I used to love my mums stew as a child but mostly to mop up the creamy pearl barley at the bottom of the bowl. Must atart buying some but now for my minestrone and all those gorgeous home grown toms ❤
Oooh, yes.....pearly barley is such a comforting food to me.
@@WhatVivididnext she just bunged in loads of different veg including potatoes, barley and herbs and put it all in a slow cooker....yum.
@@WhatVivididnext looking at the amount of beans you have to collect from the allotment I'd say you have enough for twelve months or more but lentils seem to go nowhere. I'd stock up on them. There is said to be some issues of supply coming from India 😩
Risotto rice, white rice, sugar and pasta can go past the expiration date if stores properly which looks like you are doing!
It's definitely been a toasty week, lovely to see the garden with all it's treasures. This was very interesting thank you Vivi. You've inspired me to make better use of my time, you're an inspiration thank you. I'm so glad I found you on here x
Thank you so much lovely......and I'm so glad you found me. 😊
Hiya Vivi Thankyou for a visit. I’m just going to have a salad for dinner tonight, the heat here also, find appetite lowers ?. Blessings luv Ontario Canada Cheerio for now 🇨🇦🐝
Yes, my appetite always goes off when it's too hot. Thankfully we should be back to 'normal' again tomorrow.....
Same across the pond, it’s the humid that is draining. Sleep well. 🇨🇦🐝@@WhatVivididnext
I wish my appetite reduced in heat!
You can only do what you can do!!! Xxxxxxx
Great to take stock so nothing goes to waste. Just did that in my freezer. Found some things I am using this week. I hate to waste food.
Those tomatoes ❤
Thank you for the info on Butternut squash. I have 3 picked last October or November and was not sure if they were still good.
My garden is a wilty mess! I only grew garlic - the rest is calendula, mint and a huge purple sprouting broccoli that has been in the garden for over 3 years now!
Hurrah for the PSB......I had no idea it could keep on growing for so long! 😀
@@WhatVivididnext I’ll send a photo - it produces occasionally but I let it flower for the bees!
Vivi, I need more food than that girly 🙃we need some Rolo's and hot chocolate. 💞
Vivi, did you grow garlic and onions? Potatoes?
We have an Aldi's market close to our house, and some of the food we get there costs so much less than the markets. The cheese is about half the cost or less. The tins of tomatoes, beans, etc are so much less, too. We are able to save quite a bit there. Don't know if you have any near where you live or not.
I didn't grow potatoes this year as I couldn't face digging the trenches.......nor onions. No Aldi near me but a Lidl which is very reasonable.
Thank you Vivvi it's a wonderful way of life have fun xx
I have the same issue with remembering to boil up beans. So I boil them up then freeze them in half can sized portions. So when you have some room in the freezer you could do that x
Great idea for the late spring when the freezer will have gaps, thank you.
Hi Vivi, yes its lovely weather, I'm feeling the heat too. your tomatoes are amazing !!! I understand about the weeds... I don´t care about the weeds in my garden really. I get rid of the largest. Saw this dandelion plant the other day with lots of mini dandelions and it was a bush the size of a cabbage ! looked pretty though...I like the countryside cottage garden look, but there are limits! I am fighting a battle with rabbits and birds in my garden and I am grateful for anything I can get. Moving soon and downsizing the garden it´s too much for us. It's always a pleasure to hear and see you on the tubes ! Take care xx. Joanne.
Good luck and happy landings with your move. 😊
Hi Vivi, I find this type of video fascinating 😊 so thank you. I cook just like you, i.e. what have I got, what do I need to use first etc, and adapt accordingly. We have an allotment too and are lucky enough to have a local community fridge, which is food otherwise going to landfill, so that’s brilliant. It also gives us a chance to get some luxuries (lovely sourdough bread, brioche rolls) and try some new or unusual things!xx
Hope it cools down for you soon, you are a star working in all that heat
Also I love making Swiss chard in veggie lasagna. Not sure if you use ricotta cheese but if not maybe some vegan ricotta. Def pick some of the chard before it just fries in the sun. That happened to mine this year and it happened super fast.
I love your glass jars with the glass lids.
Hopefully we will get some lovely warm summer days in London next weekend. 🌞
Hmmm.....sorry to say the forecast is predicting a week of rain. 😥
@@WhatVivididnext Typical, just my luck 🤣
Wonderful video Vivi! It's good to see what long term food planning looks like. I think for so many of us, the convenience of food shopping prevents us from knowing what we have and how to utilize what we have. Oh and I made your courgette and potato soup recipe, it is delicious! Thank you
Oh I'm so glad you tried it.....and liked it! It's such a useful recipe for using up gluts!
@WhatVivididnext I have a glut of crooked neck summer squash that I am going to try too!
@@karenabendshien846 Perfect as I hear they don't store very well.
Love your allotment garden 😍 I've processed a batch of tomatoes and turned into sauce water bath canned them lots of jam to from free apples blackberries and blueberries 18 jars so far the rest in the freezer waiting to be processed.❤
Oooh, happy, busy times! 😊
This was incredibly interesting Vivi - and reins me in a bit. I'm guilty of spending too much on food. I think I'll do a stock take like you. Much love, Sxx
I love this video. I'm late to comment but YT loves that anyway ❤ I hope to be at this point soon. I want to eat fresh food straight out of my own garden more and preserve simply, just enough to make beautiful food and condiments to liven up food. Great job Vivi. I love it ❤❤
Thank you so much lovely. 😊
Great video as always i've grown more squash/pumpkins & beans this year because of watching your chanel & we love themxx
Aww, that's great. 😊
You really inspire me i've tried a few of your recipes & we love them especially the beta carotene soup & the squash & chickpea curry is one of our favesxx@@WhatVivididnext
oh my....that is a new one on me..."curing courgettes." I've never heard of that. I don't have a garden to grow veg in but if I did... I wonder if I can cure ones that I buy in my supermarket? They are cheaper some times of the year.
Hmmm....no idea......I only discovered it by accident because of leaving my huge ones in the shed.....I'm not sure the younger ones with softer skins would work.......but worth trying?....
Pearl barley was a big part of my childhood and I loved it. I'll have to make some of your pumpkin soup 😋
Mmmmm......PB is so comforting. 😊
3:16 Thank you for not showing bloody spi... P.S. OK, so if not meal plan, maybe you will make food book of one week? Basically what you eat for one week. Your frugal living and cooking is very inspiring.
love this kind of videos. similar of how i think and plan. will be hoping for your frugal shopping haul videos! when you decide to go out with that shopping list 😉 loved your hauls, very inspiring for a low spend-no spend
Your store cupboard looks a bit like mine, pulses, beans etc. I have stopped eating cheese as I try to be as vegan as possible. It’s the one thing I really miss. The major success I have had has been managing to keep a sourdough starter going, major achievement as it’s about my fourth attempt 😂 so I’m now making my own sourdough loaves (been making other bread now for a number of years). I find it fills me up for longer and I know exactly what has gone into it!! Enjoy your harvest. Can’t wait to see the squash count….!!
Yay for your starter......enjoy all those gorgeous loaves to come! 😊
The price of energy has really impacted my food decisions. I only have a tiny garden and alas no allotment so apart from pickling ridge cucumbers, cooking and freezing aubergines in caponata and drying beans, my focus is on preserving market bought seasonal produce. And to minimise energy usage I am focusing on vinegar pickling, preserving fruit in alcohol and fermenting, as well as a little bit of dehydrating as these approaches require less energy than jamming, chutneying and bottling.
Also, as I know you like Greek food, if you want to grow aubergines, I have had great success with the MoneyMaker and Slim Jim varieties outside. My little garden is in Greenwich, which is just a tad cooler than your neighbourhood. (I used to live in Se26 so I love situating your antics in a part of London I know well.)
Ach, I hear you re the fuel prices......I'v only used my oven once in the last year! Thank you for the tip re the aubergines.......I have never been able to grow them outside so I may have to give these a go!
I rarely hear you mention fruits. One video you did buy small amounts but I wonder if you buy them on a regular basis. I love fruit and could not do without.
I do love apples and cherries......and all the berry fruits in summer but they are so expensive I just have them as a very occasional treat.
Love these videos Vivi. I wish you'd come and sort me out. X😊
Great visit Vivi! It’s amazing how much you’ve grown this season! I’ve got a lot of zucchini (courgette) and I’m going to try your famous potato-courgette soup! Cheerio!🐇🌳
Oooh, enjoy! 😊
I would like to see you add an Amazon wish list to the info that shows under the videos. Think about it.
My only wish is to find the perfect property.....I don't think Amazon do those. 😉
Did I miss you mentioning carrots? I love your carrot and lentil soup and wonder if you will be buying tinned carrots to make it with less cook time or just plan to purchase fresh carrots. Once again, I haven't been able to grow carrots more than just enough for fresh munching for Hubby so they are a regular shop item for me. Thank you for the tour of your larder, and your plans for using it.
Ach, yes, pesky carrots! Generally speaking if I haven't grown it I try to do without....but......hmm, onions, celery and carrots.....such staples for soup making so, yes, they'll be on the shopping list from time-to-time.
Hi Vivi, your garden looks lovely a good rain will perk everything back up. Oh the jars you saved from Auntie Teapot are so beautiful and when you tapped those glass lids what a gorgeous sound. I stand and say hi my name is Anita and i have a problem with not being able to pass on the sale items 😂. With the prices of food now when there is a good sale on like cucumbers,bell peppers or avocados i can't seem to pass it up and then can't eat them fast enough before they go bad. I know how you feel about the not feeling like cooking sometimes. Now that it's just me i don't have to worry about feeding anyone else so simple works for me. Can't wait to watch your new recipes with the chard such a gorgeous plant with those vibrant colors.Till next time Much Love from across the Pond💞
I think it's great if you can pick things up on sale.....just try to plan for getting it all cooked so you can freeze the extras as meals for later on. 😊 Oh, and I am SO glad I kept Aunty TPs old jars......I love them and they are such a beautiful and useful reminder...... 💖
Thank you for an inspirational video Vivi ❤
Two questions: 1) Alliums, do you have a supply of onions and garlic? Maybe I missed it, but I would consider those a staple. 2) Do you eat eggs? I hadn't noticed those in other videos.
I have always grown my own onions but didn't this year so will need to buy them as I go along, I do have my own garlic.......sorry I forgot to show it in the shed. No, I don't eat eggs.
@@WhatVivididnextHere, in the U.S., we have walking onions. They’re more like scallions or summer onions. The bulbs form on top and drop into the soil to form more onions. I love have this option so i don’t need to plant any. Do you have something similar?
@@debbiesavage7107 Yes, we have the same here.
Lovely garden!
Love it.
Very useful Vivi.
You inspire me so much! 🤗
Thank you so much. 😊
Good video
Great video. Great achievement.
Thank you lovely. 😊
Thoroughly enjoyable video. The Churchill Black Beans, are they black turtle beans? Not a variety I have come across hence the curious mind. Thanks Vivi, Tracy x
I have no idea if they have another name, sorry. A friend gave me about 4 seeds a couple of years ago from some she had saved from 20 years previously (!)....Churchill Black was the name she told me.
@@WhatVivididnext oh how wonderful! I do love a good story like that! Thanks lovely!
Vivi ,how do you get your produce home do you drive ?Or do you live close by.?
I don't drive....it's about a 20 minute walk and I bring it home in my 'granny trolley'. 😉
@@WhatVivididnext 👍❤️😊
I believe so
You must have visited the garden early in the day? Hope the heat has abated and you can breath easier now. Would like to contribute towards an electric fan…your flat must become unbearable! Take good care Vivi. 🌟❤️🌬
Aww, thanks lovely but no need as the heat is finally dissipating and tomorrow it should be more akin to normal early autumn again. Thank goodness!
Do you grow kale, Swiss chard, & spinach in winter there to add to soups and stews?? I do here in Texas and extra for my chooks, and rabbits!!
Absolutely.
Enjoyable as ever Vivi. I wanted to know if you have ever frozen marrow. I chopped some and froze it for a few weeks. It was fine in a dish but it did smell a little.odd so wondered if you have any advice on freezing it?
I've never grown marrow so never frozen any. I'm not sure why it would smell hinky but my own rule is that if it doesn't smell right I don't eat it.......
I’d love any tips on growing butternut squash successfully, I’ve never been successful, just one grew this year! It’s about 6/7 inches! The vine died so it stopped growing, grown in a well manured bed ! Yours are wonderful
same here. i've tried to grow them for the last few years and got nothing. but that first year we moved here i had a volunteer plant that grew 9 squahes on it!
All squash like lots of water
Hmmm......I don't think I have any tips....I think I'm just lucky. But, yes, a rich bed (compost, manure, chicken pellets....anything you can add) plus regular watering if there's no rain.
Really strange, in a bed with other squashes, tons of water, chicken pellets etc ( think they just don’t like me!).
Was difficult to get them to germinate in the first place, don’t think I’ll bother next year
@@angelamatthews8190 strange isn’t , on my neighbours plot hers are ok! I’ve never had a decent one !
Oh my goodness, the heat! Same here but we have no humidity in the West Texas desert, and that helps a lot!! Do you have a fan? I have had a lifetime of experience with heat and enough experience with humidity to really empathize with your current weather conditions. I hate the idea of you with no fan?!
Ugh, it's the humidity here that makes it so energy sapping. Hopefully the temp will drop a bit in a couple of days!
Hi Vivi, hot or what? Swanage and the Purbeck hills are covered in fog/sea mist. Trying not to do too much in this heat it is hard when you future food store depends on it and the preserving has to be done eh? Can you tell what is it you do with your marrows to harden the skins for prolonged storage? And also, I find it very difficult cutting butternut squash, nearly loose a finger every time, do you have a less dangerous technique to show how it is done without injury? Hope you are as okay as you can be dear one, not easy, one day at a time, bless you. Look after yourself in this tiring heat x
Ugh, yes, so hot and hardly a breath of air movement........perfect for sea bathing, not so much for gardening and cooking! All I do with the courgettes is leave them out in the sun for a few days. Eek, I hear you re cutting into squash......I tend to poke the tip of the knife in then get my spare hand out of the way before cutting down....
Could you use a small electric pressure cooker to cook the dry or soaked beans? It might save a lot on the electric stove bill and the need to plan days ahead. I use one to cook and freeze up bean/rice/grain portions. It also makes a stock in minutes. Just a thought if you spot a great deal on one.
I use a lot of dried beans and cook them in an electric pressure cooker. It is absolute godsend. Most of the pre-soaked beans will cook in 6 minutes high pressure (and then leave to release pressure naturally). Electric Pressure cookers are not expensive to buy and it does save a huge amount on energy costs. I use it to cook rice, soups etc too.
Agree. I have an instat pot. Use it all the time. Total game changer.
I need to pull my Instant Pot down from my shelf!
Hi Vivi, I think you've done amazingly with your garden considering what you've been through, bloomin well done! My beans are showing no signs of drying out... might have to go demi sec, do you have to blanch them first? I normally do dried. X
No, I literally just pod them, bung them in a take-away tub and sling them in the freezer. So quick and easy. 😊
@@WhatVivididnextoh nice! Thanks. X
What variety of tomato are they?
I've only grown Gardener's Delight this year......they're very easy and prolific but they do ripen a lot later than others so they're risky outside because of the possibility of blight.
I missed it! What happened to your other freezers?
She sold her other freezers she was trying to make her apartment more spacious looking for when she puts it up for sale
I gave them both away (didn't sell them) as part of doing up the kitchen for selling the flat. They were too bulky and making the kitchen feel smaller than it is.
Inspired by your vegetable garden - I've never grown corgettes, indeed not grown anything in over a decade 🥒🍅🥕🧅🥬
Oooh, I hope you can get something in the ground this year. 😊