An apple a day keeps green potatoes away!

I have solved the problem of green potatoes in our household! I was constantly throwing out potatoes as we never seemed to go through a whole bag of potatoes in time before they turned green. We are only a small family but I didn't want to buy smaller bags, as the larger bags were so much cheaper. Fortunately I discovered a way to extend the life of them and it's so easy! All you need to do is to keep them in an aerated spot in a gunny bag or bowl (basically out of plastic) with a whole apple . The gases from the apple stops the potatoes from going green, doubling the shelf life of the potatoes. Needless to say, make sure you also check the apple each time you use the potatoes to make sure it's not going bad!

Sock it to draughts with cheap 'door snakes'

With every winter, it's important to make our heating systems as efficient as possible. Draughts under doors (both to outside and to rooms not currently being used) let heat escape, driving heating costs up. Door snakes are often advertised at around $10 each. This means for a whole house you may be looking close to $100. Instead, you can use a pair of men's long, knee-high socks! These can be filled with rice (or sand if you have easy access to it). Either tie a knot or see the top to seal. You can purchase ind the socks at cheap shops or ok shops, use the cheapest rice you can buy and you can make a house-full for less than the price of one commercially produced door snake.

Make baby fruit gels at home

If your baby or toddler enjoys Heinz fruit gels, you can easily make your own at home. The benefit is that you know exactly what you are feeding them and it costs you a lot less! You will need:

2 cups of fruit juice (apple, blackcurrant or whatever you choose)
1/2 teaspoon Agar powder (you can buy this from health food shops; don't be put off by the cost as it will last a long time). You need to measure the ingredients exactly to get the right consistency, otherwise the gel will be either too firm or too runny.

Put the juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Then sprinkle the Agar over the top and let simmer for about 30 seconds. Pour into jars or containers and let set in the fridge. This should make around eight serves depending on the size of the containers. Unlike gelatin, Agar will stay firm if the gel is taken out of the fridge. You can also mix pureed fruit like apple, and it won't affect the recipe. For toddlers or older children you can mix two fruits and it is just like the jelly fruit cups you buy in the supermarket.

How to use leftover potato water

If you've just boiled up a pot full of spuds and are about to tip the water down the drain, stop right now! That water is full of nutrients and vitamins and can be used again.
 
Next time you have potato water, you may like to try using it for soups, gravies, stews, as a base for making stock, liquid in baking biscuits, breads or pancakes, or a broth drink! You can even leave it to cool and pour over your garden plants.
 
I have achieved fantastic results since I started to use the potato water in my home-made bread, rolls and buns. It's a great way to get additional nutrients from our foods and a big water saver.