Inside this issue Rico’s Garden November 6
DO YOU NEED RICO’S HELP
PASSIONATE ABOUT SALVAGE Pt 2
PAGES 20
10 26 AUTUMN IS HERE
22
MATTHEWS MIRROR OTHER CONTENT RICO’S “OLD STUFF NEW LOOK”........36 IDEAS & INSPIRATION......................38 CLASSIFIED AND SALE ITEMS............58
Editors notes on this months issue Hello Well November is here and its eight weeks till Christmas and a new year soon after. We have gone from strength to strength from the first issue of Salvager back in the summer, and if you have just found Rico and Salvager all the editions are still available here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-SquarePublication/153141301423524 . We have a number of requests for Rico to come and do a “Old stuff new Look” and we are going through those requests now and seeing how Rico can help. We will be contacting those readers soon with requests for more information. Enjoy this month and keep those project pictures and stories coming in. Any Christmas decorations from salvaged items or that unusual Christmas tree idea from salvage for our Christmas edition will be gratefully received and the best ones added to the December issue. Enjoy this month and as Rico says “Keep Mooching!”
4
James
CARTOON
RICO’S GARDEN There is not a lot happening in the garden at this time but I was pleased that I managed to harvest every single walnut from my trees and apart from one with a neatly gnawed hole in it they are all in great condition. I’ve got baskets full of them along my hallway all put by to use over the coming months in Nut Roasts and Nut Rissoles. They'll replace the meat that has become so prohibitively expensive in these times of spiralling prices. Won’t do me any harm and will tide me over till my turkeys are ready for the chop. I've got a lot of Brussels Sprouts . I'll use them finely shredded in my version of Colcannon rather than boiling them whole. That way of cooking generates a little too much gas for my taste.
6
RICO’S GARDEN They are also great sliced finely into stir fries. Crisp and sweet I'll make full use of them picking them as I need them. The same applies to my Leeks which will sit in the ground quite happily till they are needed. A few of my friends have been asking me for Jerusalem Artichokes, they are going to plant up forgotten corners of their gardens with these useful plants much in the same way that I have. They make a tasty addition to stews and curries and are fantastic roasted in mixtures of vegetables such as Squash, Shallots, Garlic, Carrots ,Parsnips etc. I love digging artichokes as they are always in nice compact balls of tubers slightly larger than a football. Its important to trim every bit if you don’t want them to re-grow, a job that can be performed so much
RICO’S GARDEN better by a hungry pig. They’re a very tall plant easily reaching two metres or more, their yellow flowers reveal their close kinship with sunflowers. They have no links with Jerusalem that I am aware of and in fact their name comes from the French word Girasole which refers to their habit of turning to face the sun. That’s about it as far as the garden goes. I guess its time for its winter sleep.
8
I’ll have to clear it a bit more and sort out all my tomato sticks before the plough brings it back to full production next spring but that is pretty much it for this year. Well done garden more planning for next year that I will share with you in December and January
RICO’S GARDEN
One of the reasons all the baskets are stored as they are grab them as I go out the door on my many excursions.
PASSIONATE ABOUT SALVAGE Now where was I, Oh yes... There was real room for kids to play here and we took up the challenge eagerly and with astonishing versatility defending rough "camps" in turn against successive waves of attack by 'Jerries', apaches, and spacemen.
" the Plot landers " who between the wars had created their own highly personalised utopia just 40 steam train minutes away from London.
It seemed to contain endless numbers of items that were immensely useful to any children with the patience to pry them out of the clay.
been extended, repaired and furnished with whatever they could salvage or scrounge deep in the wild heart of rural Essex.
There were old tools, pieces of china and endless amounts of corrugated iron and timber. They were all relics of the previous inhabitants.
Every stick, nail and roof slate had been wheel barrowed or physically manhandled down narrow tracks sometimes for miles.
The New Town had emerged phoenix-like from the ashes of an older community "
For much of my childhood, in areas awaiting
They flourished here in a strange mix of housing that included old train carriages, shacks, shanties, lean-tos and The ground always appeared even a strange gothic building a strange combination of rock that we nicknamed "the Munster's" . hard crust and boot filling holes filled with liquid mud. Every building seemed to have
10
development, many of these structures were still there to be found, hidden away in dense patches of hawthorn scrub some indeed surviving as ruins into the 21st century. What a delight they were to gangs of ex-pat London boys who commandeered, fought over them, dismantled and ultimately wrecked them This didn't matter
As they were all scheduled for demolition at some future date known only to the town planners and were redundant reminders of a recently vanished people. For me, though, they were intensely exciting these treasure troves abandoned by the dispossessed. Even the deconstruction was personally enriching as I saw
construction method over another as we pulled and pried things apart.
a time ,after all they were mine to do with as I pleased.
As time went by I developed a deep and lasting affection for these once cherished homes. I loved their idiosyncrasies, their eclectic fabric the muted colours in fact every element that made them individual.
My dad had big plans for me and liked to buy me "educational" gifts for Christmases and birthdays.
My parents loved their bright new house with its cutting edge 1950;s style but I grew to love these old ones, as for
Don't get me wrong, I loved to read and a wet day would find me engrossed in
They were always going to be a natural playground for me The better construction as I never had many techniques really had us sweating but nothing defeated "toys" in the conventional sense. us.
I had endless encyclopaedias, microscopes, chemistry sets and classic books.
something interesting or studying a fly on full magnification. Boys have other needs though and I replaced the toys I lacked with tools I nicked shamelessly from my dads shed. Found material was the only material available and I made good use of its seemingly endless availability. As time went by and more and more areas of primeval Basildon succumbed to the bulldozer it became clear that
an area of about a square mile had been set aside as a huge spoil heap. There was a stream that bisected this area cutting roughly 10 percent off as a long narrow strip of land. This was quickly transformed into a long narrow and soon to be grassy hill. Roughly half of the remainder became the focus of endless tipper lorries that jettisoned tons of rubble, excavated clay, factory waste and every conceivable type of construction industry by-product.
New housing estates were expanding in every direction and as the plot land houses disappeared the mountain grew ever higher. Here were new challenges for
robust pre adolescent boys weaned on adventure, Tribes evolved as new estates were populated by new arrivals, and their cautious children made their way timidly out into this frightening no-mans-land eager to involve them selves in this glorious game.
Inevitably, there were frictions as up to a dozen autonomous and pugnacious gangs roamed in search of plunder across this vast hunting ground.
The areas of freshly dumped and rich new pickings became battlegrounds as rival groups fought for camp material, stealing it if necessary from the undefended camps of other boys.
Favourite sheets of ply and corrugated sheet steel were stolen, reclaimed and stolen again as we immersed ourselves in a self-perpetuating cycle of construction and demolition. Ruined camps were quickly rebuilt often in better positions as new tipping presented new possibilities. Wars were fought with
catapults, pop-out air pistols [if you could borrow one off a big brother], half bricks and lumps of sticky clay hurled fantastic distances from the end of throwing sticks. Those same wars were quickly abandoned if any injury hurt enough to merit tears and the injured victim ran off home or it was plain that one side was out numbered and also ran off.
17
Diplomacy never flourished had its foundation so here but ingenuity did as did a deeply laid in my soul love of the ground itself. that it has never Even now I consider myself a diminished. country boy the never ending More next stream of re-usable material month……………. churned out by the construction industry was reinvented and modified by our own hands. We built rafts from oil drums, branches and wire from which we caught newts and had sea battles. We would fashion primitive ladders to harvest feral fruits from hedgerows, always under ripe and sour. Carts of varying complexity were contrived from old prams, wheelchairs, car seats and lumber to hurtle recklessly, headlong down steep grassy slopes. This was all done to the buzz of bees and the uplifting song of skylarks. We were always doing something and as we explored and expanded our world a chronic curiosity
If you have just moved into a new home or need to furnish your present home on a tight budget, then we want to hear from you! It’s not about building, it’s not about buying new.
BE ON “OLD LOOK” W Rico will spend 12 hours at your home with his
team to give you a new It could be a new look for look from old stuff. In your living room or dining “OLD STUFF, NEW LOOK” room, or just that you don’t Rico and his team show have a seat to sit on, what’s the catch, there isn’t you how to give your old and salvaged items a one, apart from you only have Rico for 12 hours and rebirth by doing it for real a £25 budget.
STUFF, NEW ITH RICO with real people in real life. This is about Rico showing how we can all make comfortable home environments on a budget with your existing belongings and salvaged items, using inspiration and the
wealth of knowledge that Rico has and wants to share with you. It could be you have just moved in to your new home, or you would like a change and monies tight! It’s just about your living environment, no major building work will be undertaken If you think you deserve a Rico Referb send us a e-mail with the reasons why you should be the precipitant of a Rico referb.
21
MATTHEWS MIRROR Hi Rico, Earlier in the year my next door neighbor was clearing out his loft and was about to throw out a door with a mirror in it that came off of an old wardrobe. For a while I had been wanting to try my hand at creating something like I had seen on your show. I took the mirror panel off my neighbor and said I would try and make a frame for it. I had told him about your show. A couple of weeks later I got a call from that same neighbor saying that at a job he was working on, they were just about to throw out some scaffold boards and asked If I was interested in them.
22
So I cut the frame to size and joint it together on the sides with some off cuts of flat bar I got from work. These were screwed in place with coach screws as advised in your show.
in your show. Unfortunately, the 4 Lbrackets joining the frame in the middle by the glass were purchased, which brings the grand total for materials to make this to around ÂŁ8. The mirror is held in place at the back by other off cuts of flat bar. I then decided to paint it as a union jack as it suited to the tins of paint I had in my shed at the time.
This is my first creation but by all means will not be my last. There is currently an empty corner in my living room which needs a cabinet to hold a sky box and dvd player and a space on top for a lamp. I'm thinking instead of taking the easy route of ordering off a catalogue that I will have a go at making something myself. Am thinking possibly out of a cider barrel with a door or something like that.
What a Great starter project, well thought out. Like the barrel idea, you just need to be careful cutting as its the hoops that hold it all together, drill and counter sink hoops and screw each wood stave that should hold it when you cut and add decoration to hoops, then cut the barrel and baton the staves behind where you want the doors and that should do it. Use cross cut screws where you see them.
Rico
2012 SALVAGER CALENDER YOU CAN PRE ORDER YOUR 2012 “SALVAGER” CALENDER NOW. HARD COPIES AT £9.99P GET RICO ON YOUR WALL FOR 2012
Register your calendar interest Click here
Life and Livi The autumn weather so far has been great. Lots of sunny days with the infrequent showers falling mostly in the night. Its been nice this week meeting up with friends paying their last visits to France before the full force of winter falls on us. The woods and forests are ablaze with colour and thick with mushrooms. The fungi suffered with the extremely dry weather of summer but seem to have recovered well.
forest moss. They are reassuringly robust and make such a In my opinion there is nice contribution to a meal nothing nicer than spending whether its a stew, an a few hours scouring the omelette or a nice soup. pine forests looking for If you aren't sure what you fungi. are doing you can always Its always exciting to take your mushroom discover a nice plump CEP harvest along to a poking its head above the pharmacist,
ing in France
part of whose job is to identify mushrooms.
Now wild garlic and a few other ingredients'!
27
Life and Livi I have heard that they can identify up to 3000 mushrooms. That certainly beats me. I reckon i know a few dozen which is adequate for my needs. I did make a point of memorising all the dangerous ones. just to be on the safe side though.. My favourite mushrooms are ST. Georges Mushroom, Cauliflower fungus, Puff Balls, Trompettes de la Mort, Morels, and Chanterelles though there are plenty of others that I’m always pleased to find.
manage to keep the noise down.
They say there are eleven lynxes in the area but Ive There’s not a lot else to only ever seen one once. forage apart from feral apI've also seen the elusive ples but that doesn’t detract European wild cat once as from the pleasure of roaming well and was struck by through these vast forests. how closely it resembled a There’s lots to see if you can big tabby albeit with a
ing in France in this area.
Here is a recipe for you; Porcini Mushroom pasta.. (any mushroom will do as long as its fresh)
"Tagliatelle pasta topped with a fragrant, colourful porcini mushroom sauce which includes carrot, red bell pepper, red wine and herbs. This recipe is from The WEBB Cooks, articles and recipes by Robyn Webb, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association. Preparation time: 10 minutes."
much fluffier tail. Sadly there are no rabbits anywhere local that I can find, I would welcome the odd rabbit for the pot but if it cant be then I’ll just have to lump it or build some hutches and get some tame ones raised like all the Frenchmen do
Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • •
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 red onion, minced 1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned 1/2 cup julienned carrots 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 cup rehydrated porcini mushrooms 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed salt and pepper to taste 6 cups tagliatelle ( wide noodles) PTO for cooking direction
Life and Livi Directions 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and sautĂŠ for 4 minutes, then add red bell pepper and carrots and sautĂŠ for 4 more minutes. Add red wine, raise heat and boil for 1 minute; then reduce heat to medium low, add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve sauce over cooked ribbon pasta or noodles. (follow the instructions on the pasta pack to cook that, you will need around 125 grams per serving, unless your a greedy git!) as a rule of thumb put the water to boil before you start
30
ing in France Right, back to what I was talking about, where was I, Oh yes Rabbits and the lack of wild ones, which brings me to no boot sales. The last boot fair has been and gone and I’ll not be able to sample their delights till they reopen in the spring.
the Omelette and put the pasta in that boiling water about four minutes into cooking it should all be ready at the same time! If you don’t know what you are picking, BUY YOUR MUSHROOMS!
Life and Livi If I want to keep salvaging Ill have to keep a close eye on the municipal tip or my pals scrap yard. The price of scrap has risen worldwide and it will soon be time to cash in my growing heap of aluminium and copper. The fact that they have started to charge for rubbish disposal by weight will probably do me a favour as people dispose of more in clandestine fly tips. Good for me but bad for the environment. I went to visit my mate at his yard here are some pictures of my visits to the this month, got some great project ideas from the new stuff he had in and will keep you updated as they take shape over coming KEEP ON MOOCHING!
32
ing in France
Life and Livi
Lots of stuff to inspire, the lorry took my fancy but needed far to much work. I have a eco heating project in mind at the moment but I need to do a lot of work regarding the law in France before I move onto the practical. See you next month... December!
ing in France
Rico R Need a
“Rico Referb�. If you think you deserve a Rico Referb send us a e-mail with the reasons why you should be the precipitant of a Rico referb. It could be you have just moved in to your new home, or you would like a change and monies tight! Its just about your living environment, no major building work will be undertaken.
Referbs Do you have what it takes to be a salvager! If you fancy yourself as a salvager and think you have the skills we want to here from you, From soft furnishings, to Sparkies from carpenters to fabricators and decorators, amateur or professional Send us a e-mail info@redsquarepromotion.com And you could become a Rico apprentice for a fortnight!
IDEAS & INSPI ACROSS T
36 38
WHY NOT SEND IMAGES CONVERTED ITEMS salva
IRATION FROM THE WEB
S OF YOUR SALVAGED AND ager@redsquarepromotion.com
40
44
46
50
Clam Clox
£8.00 +P&P
Clam Clox
Clam Clox Here is something entirely new, never before have I seen a clock like this, please tell me if you have, Two Large Clam shells (hinged at the back to make battery changing easy). The clock mechanism is set in to clear glue and tiny pebbles (collected from St Nicholas beach on Zakynthos) poured on the glue and stuck, then they are sat on a Driftwood base, I have made several, but order promptly to avoid disappointment, A very popular seller.
£8.00 +P&P
£8.00 +P&P
Oil Filled Lantern These beautiful lanterns are made form old hand made roof tiles, some nearing 80 yrs old ! The tube is filled with Lamp Oil and the wick can be adjusted to suit ! the lantern will burn for up to 10 hours on a full tube of oil. ÂŁ12.00 +P&P
Olive Wood Clocks Now here are the prettiest clocks we make ! Solid Olive Wood base and clock face, cut and sanded so smooth they are like glass, we have added a clear varnish to bring out the fantastic grain that the Olive wood has. Our clock mechanisms are from Germany and carry a full 2 yr full replacement guarantee( battery not included ) ÂŁ7.50