Food, trades on frugal minds

The Oily Rag Club now has close to 3000 members, which just goes to show how many people are now experiencing the joys of frugal living.
Here are some of the tips we have received in the last couple of weeks.
* Jan King from Whangarei has some thoughts on how to get into that pumpkin. Throw a pumpkin on a concrete path and it usually breaks open. It's then easy to cut up.
* Jan is also keen on chokos:
"They are a good source of amino acids and vitamin C. All the plant, leaves, stems, shoots and roots are edible. Puree the flesh and add it to anything, sweet or savoury, as a thickener. The internet has heaps of good recipes."
* Blue Gnome from Plimmerton says: "I love garage sales (this weekend I got 12 items of clothing including a bath robe for $21), but I do not love getting to garage sales at the published start time to find all the good stuff has been snapped up by the early birds.
"As online auction prices rise, think about returning to the old kiwi tradition of trading second-hand in person - it's really good fun and you never know when you'll stumble upon just what you've been looking for."
* L.J. from Whakatane has a "hate waste" tip from her grandmother. Place soft biscuits in the oven for a few minutes (even if they have filling) and they come out crisp, fresh and delicious.
* Jeffro from rural Te Awamutu asks if the oily rag community has thought of starting a barter forum on the oily rag website.
"Barter beats bucks! I have a wife and two small children and am on a salary which, if converted to an hourly wage, would be well below minimum. I don't complain because times are tough and a job is a job.
"I do, however, use many tips on your site and would like to swap some of my produce or skills for other things I can't grow or make for myself. For instance, I am a dairy farmer, computer technician, gardener, chicken breeder and on it goes. I only have a lemon tree on the fruit front, though, and would swap for apples, peaches, etc."
There you are - if you live in the Te Awamutu region and would like to barter with Jeffro, let us know and we will connect the oily rag dots.
* One of our Australian readers asked if anyone had a favourite sally lunn recipe.
Jude from Palmerston North sent in this one: You will need: 1 cup cold mashed potato, cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, teaspoon salt, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sultanas. Beat potato and sugar until creamy, then add rest of ingredients. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes on a well-greased tray. Ice while warm and sprinkle with coconut. Enjoy.
* Keryn from Tauranga has a similar recipe, except she puts in cup sultanas and about cup milk. Cream the sugar and potatoes thoroughly. Add sifted flour and salt, beat well. Stir in sultanas and sufficient milk to mix into a smooth, firm dough. Shape into portions. It makes about eight lunch-sized sally lunn buns.
For the icing, mix 2 tablespoons of soft butter into 1 cups of icing sugar. Then add a few drops of vanilla essence and enough milk to make a thick but spreadable icing. Coat heavily with coconut.
This is a great way to turn leftover mashed potatoes into a treat.
If you have a favourite recipe or money-saving tip, send it in to us so that we can share it with others.

Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living Off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips online at www.oilyrag.co.nz