Readers have been flooding our inbox with their interesting tips and questions. We would like to say a big thank you to you all. The brilliant tips, tricks, and life hacks certainly make a difference to a lot of people reading the blog and on that note, we’ve got some great new tips for you all.
Dog matters
PAL from Christchurch has a question for readers.
“Does anyone own a Westie dog [a West Highland Terrier] with a very bad itch and found something that either cures it or relieves the scratching? We have been advised to put our dog on steroids for the rest of his life which we really don’t want to do. Westies are prone to a bad itch – so we have been told. Thank You.” If you can help PAL with a remedy for the itch then please drop us a note. PAL would be pleased, as would many Westies it seems!
Dog biscuits
Still, on dog matters, LG from Warkworth has sent in this recipe for dog biscuits. “The recipe I always use for dog biscuits is to cut some liver (which ever kind is the cheapest) into chunks and bring to boil in water until just cooked. Then dice or mince the meat, add the cooking water, and enough wholemeal flour to make a firm dough. You can also add some oil, or eggs as well, depending on your budget. Shape into biscuits, put onto trays and bake at 180 until hard. These keep well, but if they’re a bit soft you can put them in the fridge. You can also mix them in a food processor.”
General life hacks
Adrienne from Christchurch has some innovative tips for recycling pantyhose. “Always buy the same brand and colour. When you find a ladder cut the leg off. After another ladder in a second pair means you have cut that leg off too, you can now wear your two pairs together, with two tops to keep you warm! The cut off leg is excellent for washing children’s soft toys. The feet are good for holding small pieces of soap from the shower then using to wash dirty hands, knees, and feet.”
Catlady from Wanganui says celery keeps for weeks in the refrigerator – if it is wrapped in foil.
The feijoa madness continues…
Fruity from Northland has asked if anyone has a favorite recipe for feijoas. Here are some suggestions. \
Stewed feijoas are delicious (that’s if you like feijoas!) on cereals for breakfast or as a simple dessert with cream or ice-cream, as a pie filling, or with a hot sponge topping.
To stew feijoas all you need is:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups water
- 12 peeled and quartered feijoas.
Prepare a syrup with sugar and water, then simmer the feijoas in the syrup until tender.
Feijoa jam
Ingredients:
- 13kg feijoas
- 2.4 L water
- 2.7kg sugar
Cut unpeeled feijoas into thin slices add the water and cook until soft.
Gradually add the sugar, stirring constantly. Bring carefully to the boil, still stirring. Then bring to a fast rolling boil until it sets, when tested.
Testing is done by placing 2 teaspoons of hot jam on a saucer cold from the fridge. Put back into the fridge for 5 minutes, then push the jam with your finger. If the jam wrinkles, it’s ready to set. Feijoa jam must be watched as it jellies quickly.
A reader writes, “We have a hedge of feijoa trees which we use to shelter the garden. The bonus is we have lots of feijoas. I am not naturally inclined towards the taste so I had to go searching for recipes to sweeten it up, and I came across this feijoa and apple crumble.
Feijoa and apple crumble
Ingredients:
- 75 grams of butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of coconut
- 1/4 cup of rolled oats
- 12 feijoas
- 2 sweet apples
- 1/4 sugar
Add the dry ingredients and mix in a blender. That’s the crumble.
For the fruit I peel and slice the feijoas and apples (because I like things sweet). I lay the fruit into a baking dish then sprinkle over a 1/4 cup of white sugar (that sweet tooth again).
I then top it off with the crumble mix and bake it in a preheated oven at 180C until the crumble is crisp, which will take about 40 minutes. If I have any pulp left over I have it with porridge for breakfast.
Do you have any handy tips or recipes? We’d love to hear them. Comment in the comment section below or send us an email.
By Frank and Dr Muriel Newman.
Read more Oily Rag articles here.
You can contact the Oily Rag community via the website at oilyrag.co.nz or by writing to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.
Join the Discussion
Type out your comment here:
You must be logged in to post a comment.