Another Record Cold Winter is Approaching...
msnucerity
Posts: 333 Member
Hi All,
so where I live it gets ridiculously cold (minus 45 degrees celsius, high winds and snow for weeks on end) Last year we had plenty of near-record breaking days for coldest day and highest wind-chill, ie- minus 50. SHUDDER! The only saving grace is that I'm south enough that animal encounters are slim to none in the city- except for hares, birds and MAYBE a fox or coyote if you're on the city limits.
And according to the wonderful weather folks, we expect another terrifyingly cold winter this year. Yay.
So to prep so winter doesn't suck QUITE so badly, in the fall I like to prep "paleo slow cooker packages" where I do all the browning, sauteing, cutting, slicing, dicing, etc for several slow cooker recipes at once, let everything cool, bag it and package it in the freezer so on extra crap-tastic days I just open the package, dump it in the slow-cooker and when I come home and have shoveled snow there's a hot meal waiting for me. No fussing over prep or worrying about what to make or , "do I have paleo ingredients?", etc. I also like to pre-make paleo hot chcocolate, freeze it and on said days where exposed skin freezes in seconds, I have a comforting cup ready to be heated and enjoyed.
What do you do to make winter less sucky? Or do you live somewhere where "winter" means a slight drizzle of snow and the occasional patch of ice?
Happy Sunday everyone!
so where I live it gets ridiculously cold (minus 45 degrees celsius, high winds and snow for weeks on end) Last year we had plenty of near-record breaking days for coldest day and highest wind-chill, ie- minus 50. SHUDDER! The only saving grace is that I'm south enough that animal encounters are slim to none in the city- except for hares, birds and MAYBE a fox or coyote if you're on the city limits.
And according to the wonderful weather folks, we expect another terrifyingly cold winter this year. Yay.
So to prep so winter doesn't suck QUITE so badly, in the fall I like to prep "paleo slow cooker packages" where I do all the browning, sauteing, cutting, slicing, dicing, etc for several slow cooker recipes at once, let everything cool, bag it and package it in the freezer so on extra crap-tastic days I just open the package, dump it in the slow-cooker and when I come home and have shoveled snow there's a hot meal waiting for me. No fussing over prep or worrying about what to make or , "do I have paleo ingredients?", etc. I also like to pre-make paleo hot chcocolate, freeze it and on said days where exposed skin freezes in seconds, I have a comforting cup ready to be heated and enjoyed.
What do you do to make winter less sucky? Or do you live somewhere where "winter" means a slight drizzle of snow and the occasional patch of ice?
Happy Sunday everyone!
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I live in the UK and this year we had no snow at all I don't even think it got below freezing many times. A couple of years ago it got down to -11 Celsius and that's really bad for us. We eat more hot meals, in the summer we eat salads and fruit but in the winter it will be meat and veggies, stews, chilli etc. the UK annoys me though in that the slightest bit of snow and the whole country comes to a stand still we just can't cope, they shut schools and issue dire warnings to not go out etc really stupid.0
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Ug! I would have killed for a snow day! Never in my time did we ever have schools or anything closed for winter (but to be fair if we did shut down for cold or snow, the city would shut down from October until March)0
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I couldn't handle living somewhere with brutal winters. I can barely stand ours, and winter tends to be 20-30 degrees F during the day. We get some snow and ice.
Winter tends to make me depressed, so this year, I'm going to make a point of trying to exercise outside, even when it's cold. Tends to help my mood.0 -
Hah, you should befriend Akimajuktuq, she lives in the Arctic and can sympathize!
The slow cooker thing is a good idea. You can also make bone broths from carcasses, to make soups and stews and such.
Stay warm this year, from what I hear, the snow's already flying in some of the upper reaches.0 -
Did I hear some complaining about cold temperatures? You ain't seen nothin'. :laugh:
Since it's winter here most of the year I eat whatever, whenever, but certainly stews, root veggies, roasts top the list.
And now for a typical Laurie rant:
And isn't it interesting with all these extremely cold temperatures in the last few years we are still told that it was "the hottest year on record" year after year? BS. Climate fear mongering must be kept alive (I'm more worried about an ice-age because those ARE catastrophic for humans, and many other lifeforms) to keep us distracted from pollution, poor land use practices (now THAT's an environmental catastrophe), depleting water resources, etc. Is anyone actually doing much that really makes a difference? Or are we just feeling helpless, recycling a few cans, plugging in the electric car into a coal powered socket, staring at the tv and buying lots of STUFF without a thought to what it's made of and who makes it? And do we really need it? (I'm as guilty as anyone.)
My unnecessary two cents for today.
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I've been hearing a lot about this and I am praying it isn't true :sad: Last year I made myself get outside and shovel just so I could get some outdoors exercise.This year I have a paper route to deliver(on foot) so I hope it's not too impassible.0
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I'm lucky to live in the "patch of ice" area but still hate it.
Although last year we had snow up until April which is unheard of around here and this year according to the Farmer's Almanac is supposed to be awful.
In the winter, I roast a lot of root veggies, make a bunch of soups in the slow cooker and plunk my butt in front of the wood stove with my leopard print Snuggie. Sounds sexy right?
My heart goes out to y'all living in those really, REALLY, cold places.
You're a strong breed. :drinker:
P.S. I'm with Akima on the Ice Age thing. At least if there WAS warming, growing seasons would be longer.0 -
@Akimajuktuq So because it's been colder where you live you don't believe it's possible that the average global temperatures have been increasing? That's some "logic" I find almost impossible to comprehend.0
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Hi All,
so where I live it gets ridiculously cold (minus 45 degrees celsius, high winds and snow for weeks on end) Last year we had plenty of near-record breaking days for coldest day and highest wind-chill, ie- minus 50. SHUDDER! The only saving grace is that I'm south enough that animal encounters are slim to none in the city- except for hares, birds and MAYBE a fox or coyote if you're on the city limits.
And according to the wonderful weather folks, we expect another terrifyingly cold winter this year. Yay.
So to prep so winter doesn't suck QUITE so badly, in the fall I like to prep "paleo slow cooker packages" where I do all the browning, sauteing, cutting, slicing, dicing, etc for several slow cooker recipes at once, let everything cool, bag it and package it in the freezer so on extra crap-tastic days I just open the package, dump it in the slow-cooker and when I come home and have shoveled snow there's a hot meal waiting for me. No fussing over prep or worrying about what to make or , "do I have paleo ingredients?", etc. I also like to pre-make paleo hot chcocolate, freeze it and on said days where exposed skin freezes in seconds, I have a comforting cup ready to be heated and enjoyed.
What do you do to make winter less sucky? Or do you live somewhere where "winter" means a slight drizzle of snow and the occasional patch of ice?
Happy Sunday everyone!
Would love some recipes/suggestions!0 -
@Akimajuktuq So because it's been colder where you live you don't believe it's possible that the average global temperatures have been increasing? That's some "logic" I find almost impossible to comprehend.
I'm really not going to debate my personal opinion beyond one more comment; that is now going off topic except to say that I am NOT going just by what I see in the Arctic, I've been researching climate issues for years (not as a scientist but as a Environmental Science student, and have continued research after and up to the present). I don't just watch the news or read the short version of the IPCC report.... The reason I comment on the ARCTIC is because it is the ARCTIC that everyone is being told is getting catastrophically hot and that sea ice is almost gone. I live here, I have eyes, I know the history... and most of what people have been led to believe about what is happening in the Arctic is complete BS. You do know that the Arctic is the focus for much of the "the planet is warming at an alarming rate" assertions, right? Polar bears going extinct and all (quite the opposite).....
"Average global temperature" is a human conception of adding temperature readings from completely different places all over the world (many urban weather stations have increased while many rural stations have been closed - skews results over the years in a BIG way) putting them all together and coming up with a number that is completely meaningless, then comparing them to other years (where the change of all factors can never be accounted for!) and coming up with more completely meaningless numbers. There is no such thing as one temperature that is "normal" for the entire planet.
Hope that helps. :flowerforyou:0 -
OP: where do you live? My daughter just moved to Minnesota for college and I'm afraid she's going to experience her first frigid winter (we're from Southern California living in Texas - no cold winters!). I know last year MN had record temps going down to minus 50 or so... and if this winter is the same, it will be interesting for her first cold winter experience.0
