Rebel

[Green Aura]

After you've picked him up him off the floor I'm sure he'll have a bash.

[Flo]

If I bought a new one, do you think the salesman in Currys would tell me what quantities of soil that particular model could cook ?

Can we come with you and watch from a safe distance?

[AmalWarrior]

I have a simple mobile, with a bad camera that i never use. I don't know how to drive, yet I live in a semi rural area of Ireland (there is actually a field behind my patio-though the field isn't mine), and have no bike. I don't have a landline or pc, but a very old chunky laptop, with a little pay as you go wifi box for internet, and I'm not on myfacetube either. I do have a fridge, but I'd love to not need it (milk and cheese are the problem), and have no freezer. Microwave is used to melt butter or chocolate for baking occasionally. No digi box/sky/netflix etc, but a very old and very heavy TV that I don't use as I watch my DVDs on my laptop. No tumble drier, so it takes days to dry a load of washing indoors, as the weather is often too cold/wet/snowy to dry anything. Got an fm radio that I listen to newstalk on (irish equivalent of lbc), and some cds which I don't much listen to.
Can I be a grumpy old women at 31?

[Green Aura]

Of course. Welcome to the club.

[AmalWarrior]

I feel very old for my age. I'm convinced that I would be more comfortable somewhere between the 1800-1900s. I view electricity as a necessary evil, I don't get on with alot of technology, and I get addicted to screens-as you can see by the time of this post. I must GO TO BED!!

[ina]

I do have a fridge, but I'd love to not need it (milk and cheese are the problem), and have no freezer.

I use a claypot cooler outside the kitchen door instead of fridge - haven't used one for at least 10 years now. And I reckon I waste less food than the average Scot...

[AmalWarrior]

How simple is it to make a claypot cooler?

[Green Aura]

Very.

Get as large a terracotta pot as you can find and another a couple of inches smaller. Bung the holes in the bottom up with a little silicone. Fill the bottom of the larger with sufficient sand so that the smaller one sits in it level with the top. Fill the sides in with sand to just below the top. You'll also need a lid - a terracotta plant pot saucer does the job very nicely.

To use, saturate the sand with water and place your goods in the inner pot - it will get damp so protect anything that will spoil in waterproof containers. Cover and check the sand isn't drying out regularly.

It works through the water evaporating so works better in a warm environment e.g. outside on a sunny day.

[AmalWarrior]

I was going to ask if it would be effective here in Ireland, but I see ina is in Scotland, so that gives me reassurance.
The other question to ask is where would I find clay pots these days? No gardening centres near me. Perhaps donedeal or adverts websites. Does it matter if they are glazed?

[ina]

It's not as effective here as it would be in a country with lower humidity. But then - half the year the temperature outside is cool enough anyway! In really hot spells during summer (not that we have them often) I might go without milk for a few days... But milk is not essential for our survival. I always have dried milk in the house for emergencies. The key is, as with everything, to be organised about what you buy and how to use it. I am convinced that people who rely on their fridges all the time waste more, on average, than I do.

[Green Aura]

No, they mustn't be glazed, AW - it stops the evaporation which is the process that cools the interior.

[AmalWarrior]

It would be interesting to see a study on it ina-electric fridge vs clay cooler food wastage. I feel guilty because my fridge only has milk, cheese, lemon juice, pasta sauce and tom puree in it. It's not very ecological or economical either, plus the noise of it bothers me. I also hate defrosting it.

[AmalWarrior]

After I thought about it, I realised the glazing wouldn't work, as the pot needs to 'breathe'.

[Flo]

The rebel at the start of this thread has stopped being so rebellious. She's got a smartphone (well has had for a number of years) and has found that text/WhatsApp keeps her in contact with family around the world at next to no cost where pen and ink don't work. The Christmas card to one of the family in the forces arrived early for Easter due to their internal delivery system.

Well perhaps I shall opt out of Christmas cards as I'm not into paper making. The discussion on having a fridge or freezer - well they do help with preserving allotment produce (if we get any this year as the weather has put everything well behind up here). As my bungalow doesn't have a cellar it means that freezing is the next best option as there's no cupboard space for bottling or other preserves. It seems a long time ago when we had cellars on the farm that took roots, apples, kilner jars, jam .... Ah the way we used to live.

[Weedo]

Just been pushed into buying my first smartphone - it will be in the river soon if I cant get it to work. No reception whatsoever on the block, battery life zero because the B*******y thing is constantly on; way too big to fit into a pocket and I can't get a kit to fit it into the tractor or quaddy.