Any mama's gardening? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[nettlesoup]

Swissmiss; I'd love to can my food, but it's impossible to buy a pressure canner in the UK. And there is certainly no one to calibrate them. I looked into getting one imported, but the delivery charges and tax made it far too expensive to consider.

I'm planning to start off some herb and veg seeds tomorrow, and I'll keep them in the spare room for now since there's still snow outside. Random question; is it safe to do digging and the like while pregnant? I wasn't sure if that would be classed as heavy lifting or not. Hopefully not because I like digging!

[swissmiss2584]

Originally Posted by nettlesoup 

Swissmiss; I'd love to can my food, but it's impossible to buy a pressure canner in the UK. And there is certainly no one to calibrate them. I looked into getting one imported, but the delivery charges and tax made it far too expensive to consider.

I'm planning to start off some herb and veg seeds tomorrow, and I'll keep them in the spare room for now since there's still snow outside. Random question; is it safe to do digging and the like while pregnant? I wasn't sure if that would be classed as heavy lifting or not. Hopefully not because I like digging!

You can can a lot of things with just a hot water bath. I can jams, jellies, pickles, tomatoes, sauces etc that way. Check out http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started.aspx .

I think if you take it easy and are used to digging than it should be ok. Of course check with your OB/Midwife.

[nettlesoup]

I can only use the hot water bath for certain things. I'd love to be able to can things like stews and curries, but I can't due to the risk of botulism.

i'll ask my midwife next Tuesday about gardening.

[haurelia]

nettle, maybe check EBay? I bought my pressure canner on EBay a few years back. Maybe you'll chance upon someone in the UK selling theirs? It's very handy to have for canning soups, stock, etc for truly quick meals.

[nettlesoup]

They are almost impossible to find here, even on Ebay which is rather annoying! One day when I win the lottery I'll get one imported!
 

[swissmiss2584]

Originally Posted by nettlesoup 

They are almost impossible to find here, even on Ebay which is rather annoying! One day when I win the lottery I'll get one imported!

 

That's so weird that they don't sell them in the UK. Have you tried a hardware store?

[nettlesoup]

Yup, they just aren't available, which is rather annoying! I wonder why.