Selfsufficientish.com

Might be a bit quieter than it was, but some of us stuck. Welcome back.

Mine was ready to pick when the polytunnel collapsed under the snow, gutted that we lost it (and kale and cabbage) through frost and squashing. Parsley and sprouts survived.

I have broccoli envy

We couldn't do it. Not even just growing enough veggies, without us both working. Allotments were non-existant in our area and no land share opportunities. We could have sold the house and rented, but then we would have had to work to pay the rent and bills anyway as well as working the land. In mid...

I would love to try it but like you, can't get the compost or well rotted manure, it's an alien concept to a lot of locals despite so many growing their own food. Most is dumped on tips. We don't produce enough of our own to give a good cover. With having the goats we should have enough to give it a...

As the others say, even butter varies a huge amount on salt content, it's a case of being in control of how much you use...to your own taste. Also agree with the others, using oil changes the texture of the food, they are doing recipes for everyone, not just those with well seasoned cast iron pans (...

No, it's metal tubing. The snow was just too much, about two feet of the heavy wet kind. A friend with professional tunnels has been spared. We will have to wait for a thaw (couple of weeks, temps are due to drop to -20 ish for a week) to find out if it's salvageable. As for the trees. they are both...

Well, the tunnel went up, was temporarily repaired and a new cover ordered. Peas and broad beans sown, brassicas doing well.

Then it snowed...a lot! I now have a very long and wide cloche! Bah!

Lost a third of a pear tree and half an apricot tree too.

Feeling miffed

There is a lot of natural food out there at the moment with the mild weather so maybe they will come when (if) the weather changes. Our weather changed and the tits and sparrows were practically banging on the door. Made some delicious (!) treats with pork dripping, rendered lamb fat, walnuts, our o...

Found out yesterday that the polytunnel does not do much to protect my brassicas and keep them in good condition. Got a cabbage in and had to thaw it for an hour before I could cut it. Ho hum, we'll see what happens with the broccoli and sprouts when the thaw sets in. At least I didn't pay for it.

At the moment some early tomatoes, peppers, onions, strawberries indoors. No cell trays, nowhere to put them yet with our main indoor growing area down to sub zero temperatures overnight, so everything sown into small pots for now. Out in the polytunnel there are some potatoes in and peas and broad ...

Well, we will continue to grow most of our own veg, harvest our own honey and beeswax and use our goat milk. Oh has started to eat his own chicken after nearly three years of giving surplus cockerels away, the rest of the half a freezer of meat comes from a half lamb we bought last year and masses o...

We are also having a stupidly mild winter, there is usually nothing in at this time of the year except lettuce and over wintering alliums. We are still getting carrots, beets, celery, kale, sprouts, cabbage, psb, herbs including chives and parsley.

I have carp at the neighbours' house. They gave me some very crispy once in spring and I said it was nice, and it was better than I thought it would be. Unfortunately they give me it every time I'm around there (don't eat meat) and not usually so crispy so I end up playing with it. Not my carp of te...

Been there too, always working so I wouldn't be home alone in a damp mobile home...but after a ten years was lucky to find a wonderful man, totally unexpected, and now we are warm and happy in our small world. Who would have thought? But we don't do much here over the 'festive' period because that's...

We don't 'celebrate' exactly, we are very low-key here. But my sister has just moved over and they will be coming over for a meal. We have bought pork (don't raise our own due to only the OH eating meat, just excess cockerels) but most of the rest will be either home grown or home made (bread, spong...