Selfsufficientish.com

I don't know what is going on here, we are still getting 3-4 frosts a week, some rain and temps are still mildish (teenc C) but very poor and patchy germination of anything and growth is extremely slow. We are hand feeding everything when we would usually be over supplied with feed. The broadacre cr...

Another Covid spinoff - I was looking for a largish aluminium punt to use as a flood boat (our patch floods every few years) as the last one was stolen. The only actual punts available in Oz now days are either huge commercial units or things you wouldn't put Owl & Pussycat in! I did find a boat...

I probably did the wrong thing on the farm but I got sick of the accumulated junk from the previous owners (3 generation of hoarders) and called in the professionals. Six 40 foot container loads of scrap metal out the gate.

OK, no doubt this is on the site somewhere but.... I have access to about 50Kg of quality malting barley (malting, not malted) and thought I might try brewing for the first time. Is this worth following up or is the malting and preparation process too much trouble?

similar here, tradies are reporting material shortages everywhere - possibly because we are in a building, mainly renovation, boom as a result of Covid. Seems that with travel, dining out restrictions folks actually have money to spend on their homes.

Sort of-ish Way way back in 2016 (when I joined this delightful group) I mentioned that I (we) actually farm about 900 acres as well as attempt our veg patch etc.; we try to farm sustainably and in as closed a system as possible - gradually phasing out chemicals in favour of a natural based (not org...

Weird for us too; not normally expected for a month or so yet. Just means bringing seeding forward a few weeks before the soil temps fall. We needs the soil warm (ish) the keep the micro-critters active so that they can work on the organics we are spreading out and kick off the circle; very chicken ...

First frost today; light but very early. The patch may have to wait for a while, there is just too much going on over the next few months to give it any time. Which idiot said that retirement was for relaxing?

Thanks Maggie, I will try this one and a more traditional ferment. I think my issues with edibility is climatic - too warm and dry so the veg concentrate nutrients in the leaf making them very bitter(tougher and harder than usual) its the same with dandelion, sorrel and cos lettuce. I probably reall...

I have an excess of Kale I am considering fermenting (because we have declared it inedible cooked normally) as well as a plethora of turnip /radish greens. Ideas as to the most suitable process for these - I have never fermented veg before.

I think we are going to skip the balance of summer and move straight into autumn - nearly 130mm rain the past few days (25% of annual average) with temps down to mid 20's c when we would normally expect mid 30's to low 40's. every "winter" seed has shot at least two months early, onions an...

just harvested the garlic, red and white onions - they did really well this year with the mostly mild spring; apart from the leeks which took exception to the early spring 30 C days and bolted but I will save the seed. Blackberries are fruiting madly, raspberries yet to start; soft greens (except so...

as long as the economy is based on spending growth we lose; growth by its very nature is unsustainable.

Agree Ina - after trashing a number of woollen jumpers over the years I have returned to buying quality products. he first of these was an NZ semi raw wool heavy jumper that sequentially went through all its stages - good, OK for going up the street, great for working out the paddocks and finally th...

As I have noted previously,(at least in OZ) the food police, while necessary, have a lot to answer for in this regard. I have raised the subject with butchers in the past; here they are required to meet the meat handling standards (2 vol; spiral bound, 320pp - yes I have a read it) does not allow &q...