2009 the big Selfsufficientish Year - one month challenge

[Green Aura]

I think that's right Andy.

Someone (John I think) said in another thread that community self-sufficiency is the way to go.

Seems obvious really doesn't it. So why is it so difficult?

[Millymollymandy]

Andy where exactly are you doing these foraging courses at the Eden Project? Surely not inside the domes? I mean you wouldn't be finding your usual stuff in there would you - though scrumping some bananas, mangoes and breadfruit might be fun.

[Andy Hamilton]

Ok, just to go off topic a bit. We start in the link (bit between the two domes) and walk around the grounds for a bit. Most of the Eden project is not in the domes it is around the grounds. In fact everyone flocks there on a rainy day when it is much nicer when the sun is out.

Right then back on topic..... Harvested about 100 onions today so looks like I will be self sufficient in onions long after this challenge.

[Peggy Sue]

I knew it- the animals are letting me down! Needed more horse feed and wormer and dog food. We normally do a maga buy at a wonderful place that sells all sorts of animal feed, garden stuff, fruit & veg plus useful stuff like bulk bread flour, bulk vinegars- ofcourse we were due a shop and coz we only go every 3-4 months its expensive.

Got to say the majority was for the four legged friends though, the only stuff for us was flour and vinegar... oh yes and the OH bought an icecream before I saw- told him off then ate it as it was really hot and I was dying for a drink but had forced myself not to buy one in a plastic bottle.

I thought I'd set myself a reasonable target but it's looking harder day by day. Nice thing is the OH asked how we were doing this week as self sufficient- then made me promise not to put some 'failings' on the web
Nice that the thoughts there but I can't stop him buying stuff we don't need (icecream....fruit that I can't mention but we do have free apples and plums....eggs when the farmer has agreed to give me them in exchange for cake.) I will consider training him for next year

[Millymollymandy]

Is there anyone on your allotment who keeps chooks there (or even at home) which whom you could trade eggs for some nice horse poo? If I lived closer I would happily trade that!

[Peggy Sue]

Is there anyone on your allotment who keeps chooks there (or even at home) which whom you could trade eggs for some nice horse poo? If I lived closer I would happily trade that!

Ah sadly its a 'no livestock' allotment- the only person I can get eggs from is the farmer .... and he has enough poo to last a lifetime from his cows

Happy to give the horse poo away for nothing... my only rule is I don't deliver....normally I am talking to locals but that still applies to France- although I could trade some for a holiday I suppose

[Flo]

Trading would be good if there were the goods that I wanted to be traded. It's easy enough to give but trading seems harder.

I agree it seems too that everyone wants to trade the same things, courgettes and runner beans

Had a couple of fully foraged meals the other day whilst working at Eden project. It was great as there were other foragers there too. We just got and really worked as a tribe. Digging up burdock, picking loads of leaves and fruit. In fact we had a foraged 3 course meal in the end. It does seem a lot easier with others, starting to come to the conclusion that to be fully self sufficient you need a group of people who all play to their strengths.

Hello Andy, welcome to the tribe that thinks like that. This forum perhaps should be the start of self sufficient tribes in local communities.

Anyway, back on topic. I now realise how dependent I am for so much on other people. I was given a bowl of blackberries on Saturday (I'd have picked them anyway but not to tell the bloke concerned eh?) which were lovely with the last of a tub of not home made ice cream from the freezer. Didn't provide the bowl I ate out of or the spoon I used, nor the washing up bowl and water, didn't make the washing up liquid from my own foraged materials. So I did very little for that meal in effect.

I'm certainly eating out of the store cupboard and am beginning to realise what a long way I have to go before I need to visit a grocery supplier again. The freezer is full of meals made from home grown veg and some fruit not yet in crumbles or similar. But of course the containers are not home made, the freezer is shop purchased and the electricity is from the National Grid. On the other hand, there are some pickles made from home grown ingredients and vinegar from the shelf stored in jam jars that have been collected over some time.

If nothing else, this is proving that I can grow vegetables and herbs enough for me along with a fair amount of fruit and some to spare for the family. Good start. It also shows that my store cupboard is over full. That allows me to consider what else I can do for myself whilst I run it down.

I'm going to have to look at making some of my own herbal teas I think too.

[Andy Hamilton]

I'm going to have to look at making some of my own herbal teas I think too.

Now that is very easy to be selfsufficient in, I have been for months. In fact I have stopped drinking normal tea. Rosebay willow herb is growing all over the place at the moment and can be dried and used as a tea substitute - not sure if it does really but it does taste like a drink high in tannings. Mint tea, get two window boxes and plant a mint root in each in the spring by the summer (now) you will have plenty of mint.

Other teas that can be easily foraged include - yarrow, hawthorn berry (dry first), nettle, chamomile, mugwort, comfrey, borage, hops and rosemary just to name a few. I tend to find a source then pick, hang upside down to dry and just help myself when I need a bit.

[Flo]

Ha the allotment has mint, rosemary and sage aplenty so that's a good start. Comfrey and borage being worked up. Rosebay willow herb is a new one - however tannin affects the arthritis so will give it a miss ta. I'll work on the others whilst working down the stock pile. Knowledge for the future there thank you.

[Peggy Sue]

Someone from freecycle kindly gave me some borage seeds when I gave away something to them, the borage is now big and beautiful but I've been wondering what to do with it- never seen a recipe with borage in. I shall try Borage tea tonight!

Not sure about comfrey tea... I can't get the comfrey tea fertiliser smell out of my head

[Green Aura]

Don't forget lemon balm, lemon verbena and fennel, too.

[Millymollymandy]

Someone from freecycle kindly gave me some borage seeds when I gave away something to them, the borage is now big and beautiful but I've been wondering what to do with it- never seen a recipe with borage in. I shall try Borage tea tonight!

Not sure about comfrey tea... I can't get the comfrey tea fertiliser smell out of my head

Borage flowers in salads and in Pimms, Borage leaves (cucumber flavour) in salad and in Pimms!

[Peggy Sue]

Emergency shopping trip: Pimms

[Flo]

Trade for Pimms

[Peggy Sue]

Ah yes my friend always has Pimms, I'll tell her I'll bring the Borage you bring the pimms- perfect, she will go for that I'm sure!

Actually I think this month is going worse than normal, apart from animal requirement and OH (say no more) now I have had to condend with Pizza in the office. '
Do you want to share?'
rather forced 'No, I've got my sandwich thanks' (it s probably my biggest temptation and the only 'junk food' I ever weaken and eat).
Then there's way too much pizza and not enough sandwich so I HAVE to eat the leftovers...and therefore feel I ought to contribute
You know this happens amybe twice a year and it has to be NOW.

next year I will plan to bring home made pizza to work so problem will be solved