Got the Signoff...

[Viper254]

It's been the aim for a while, but I've finally got the go-ahead to drop some working hours to focus on growing for two or three years.

If I can make a significant dent (25%, perhaps) in our food bill, we'll be no worse off.

Got some mortgage stuff and things to pay in the next 12 months, but Mrs. Viper says I can go down to 4 days a week working and 1 day solid allotmenteering from Spring 22 :)

Whooooooooooooo!

[Green Aura]

Splendid news, Viper. I think a 25% reduction with more growing/preserving/raising/planning and more judicious shopping etc should be doable. (I'm sure I could knock a fair bit off mine - got a bit lazy over the last couple of years).

Does your allotment allow chickens etc? (You may, of course, not eat meat etc). It would not only boost egg/meat savings but provide manure, thus giving extra savings.

(OH still won't let me keep chickens - I may just have to exercise my overrule button at some point ).

[ina]

Congratulations! I'd love to reduce my hours. Don't think I'm really fit enough to work full time any more, especially with my long commute.

[Flo]

Just got to run it passed the works management of course. They may not see things the same as the lady in your life Viper.

[Viper254]

I'm confident they will. It's Civil Service, and, although it has it's faults, they're very flexible about working hours and the like.

I am a meat eater and it would be allowed but I don't really want to keep chickens, though I agree the savings would be pretty awesome. I have access to carloads of decent rotted horse manure so I'm quite fortunate on that front!

When I say our "allotment"; I don't have the classic one down on Parksite anymore; ours is behind (but seperate to) the house so I can get away with pretty much whatever I like. I'm really lucky in that way.

[Viper254]

Right, I just need to work out how to actually make it work financially now - in terms of numbers. Everything else is approved in principle.

I don't do well at making stuff up on the hoof, so next year is the year to demonstrate I can churn a decent amount of food out and then ramp it up the year after.

I'll be back, with questions...

[Flo]

All you need are decent growing seasons. If the weather is against you - problems. Are you any good at foraging to help you with the food production?

[Viper254]

No good at foraging whatsoever. Can anyone recommend a book I can get from the library to get me started? :)

[Green Aura]

Richard Mabey's "Food for free" is the classic, although I'm sure there are others about these days.

Andy and Dave Hamilton (the progenitors of this site) "Self-sufficientish Bible" also has a section.

[Flo]

Go on walks round your area in time off and spot any fruit trees languishing in hedges - crab apple for instance and sometimes hedges have real apple trees in them. Have a look at recipes for using rose hips and haws (hawthorn hedges seem to be common up here anyway). Get to know people who have fruit trees but don't use them (you'd be amazed at the number who have both crab apple and eating apples in the garden but never bother). Those are the easy picks.

[Flo]

Oh and learn to grow vegetables that make for easy cooking - no good growing things which take a lot of fancy cooking and add to the heating bill or are a real pain in various parts of the anatomy to grow.

[Green Aura]

...and making best use of what you grow, preserving some for off season - freezing, fermenting, bottling etc.

Sprouting is an excellent quick crop too, especially good in the "hungry gap". A salad of sauerkraut, sprouted chickpeas or seeds and a good dressing is a fantastic lunch or side dish, when there's not a lot of fresh stuff about.

[Viper254]

Thanks to all for your advice. The hound and I will go searching.

My allotment is hedged with hawthorn, so there's a starting point I hadn't considered.

Located some plum trees tucked away over a back path as well.

[Flo]

Came across this list of wild plants that can be used as food or poison and realised just how much I had forgotten. Knew lots of these when younger but now the ones that stick are ground elder and fat hen (much weeding as they usually grow far faster than you can eat them and may be an acquired taste).

But something to add to the foraging - to eat or to avoid.

[Viper254]

Thankyou. I have made some tentative progress in the last couple of weeks; work are receptive to my hours changing to four longer, earlier days and a half day. With some of the uncertainty coming down the line economically, it makes sense for me to not drop any paid hours just yet, but I could start having a designated 4 hours a week, which would be a start.

There's a great selection of foraging books at the library, but we are in tier 3 and they remain shut. perhaps in the new year.

I haven't juggled renovations, working, allotmenteering and leisure time well this year.