2009 the big Selfsufficientish Year - one month challenge

[Andy Hamilton]

This year I thought it might be good to try and get rid of the ish. Don't worry I don't mean this site, I mean be self sufficient. I also thought that to really win at this challenge you need others.

So how about a big Selfsufficientish 2009?

The challenge will be for 30 days this year you have to only eat food that either you have produced yourself or that has been given to you by a friend/allotment neighbour/family member whatever. So the onus will be on finding out who is growing what then sharing the harvest. Alternatively you could just grow your own stuff if you don't really know anyone in the area.

Anyway this idea is only in it's infancy at the moment, but I think the basics are there. Dave and I are going to try and get as many Bristol folk involved over the next two or three months in the lead up to growing season. How about organising local seed swaps and share the harvest meetings?

Anyway, you in??

[Green Aura]

Having just discovered that someone in the village gets rabbits, and during the summer we get loads of eggs from another neighbour, I think we could just about have a go at this.

But what about things like coffee and milk? I've been collecting recipes to make my own non-coffee beverage, but I think I might find myself in the divorce courts if OH didn't get his fix. I think other sources of protein would have to be purchased too - we don't have a long enough growing season up here to grow soya and I'm not allowed livestock - yet another OH edict

These things could be ironed out over the coming months though, yes?

[lsm1066]

But what about things like coffee and milk? I've been collecting recipes to make my own non-coffee beverage, but I think I might find myself in the divorce courts if OH didn't get his fix. I think other sources of protein would have to be purchased too - we don't have a long enough growing season up here to grow soya and I'm not allowed livestock - yet another OH edict

These things could be ironed out over the coming months though, yes?

Know anyone with a goat? I don't drink milk at all but my OH does and whenever we go round to a friend of ours, she offers him goats milk or regular milk. He asks for regular every time, which would be fine were it not for the fact that she hasn't been to a shop for any kind of food in years! However, her two lovely nanny goats make the whole shopping for milk thing unnecessary, and my OH has never noticed the difference.

Lynne

[Green Aura]

No, don't know anyone - yet, I wish I did.

Can't even buy any - raw milk's illegal in Scotland. Which also buggers up my plans for cheese-making.

[Helsbells]

Can't even buy any - raw milk's illegal in Scotland. Which also buggers up my plans for cheese-making.

I believe you can actually make cheese from pasturised milk, you just need to add your own bacteria.
I know you can make cream cheese and ricotta with pasturised milk using cultured butter cream as the bacteria.

[Green Aura]

I know, I just felt like moaning

[Andy Hamilton]

Yes all things will hopefully get ironed out in the coming months, ideally finding someone with a pig or chickens would sort out protein.

There is of course leaf protein for the real hardcore of us. Tempted to have a go at making leaf protein if I can find a way to do it in that book or else where.

I was lamenting on this idea early and perhaps some people might only be self sufficient in herbs or just garlic and onions or bread or something? Or should we all try for all out self sufficiency from the start?

[Green Aura]

Whaaat!

I've heard of protein from all sorts of veg sources, including peas, but leaves?

I had a quick look at the link and have bookmarked it for greater perusal later, but which leaves are best - it just kept referring to the identified LP source without naming it.

We have an acute shortage of trees up here, although we don't have any spraying so there won't be any toxins.

Very interesting - not sure if my family would be up for it though.

[JulieSherris]

I'd love to have a go at this... more to the point, I'd love to succeed!

Once we have the chicks in & start getting baby chicks for the table & eggs & our veggies start to harvest... well, I rekon apart from the tea & coffee we could do it & our local veggie man has goat's milk from a farm the other side of the village.

Would take a bit of planning for some things, I think, but do-able, indeed!

[prison break fan]

Sounds just a bit beyond me at the moment, I have an allotment and still have potatoes and onions and shallots, plus bottled and frozen things, plus lots of home brew on the go. But I think I lack the imagination to go the whole hog! but shall follow your progress with great interest. I definitly don't intend to buy anything new this year, apart from spending my Christmas book token! and shall try not to put my dustbin out at all. pbf

[invisiblepiper]

Would not be possible for me , sadly, I shall watch with interest and send supportive messages!

[theabsinthefairy]

I gues we would be OK except for the raw basics i.e. for bread making? and of course COFFEE

How about a 'live on what you have got' - in the cupboard for a short period i.e. a week or a fortnight - like the no new purchases for a year type of thing - but perhaps more realistic for everyone on the site?

Monika

[JulieSherris]

I gues we would be OK except for the raw basics i.e. for bread making? and of course COFFEE

How about a 'live on what you have got' - in the cupboard for a short period i.e. a week or a fortnight - like the no new purchases for a year type of thing - but perhaps more realistic for everyone on the site?

Monika

OOoh! And even I could manage that! Well, just.....

[Andy Hamilton]

I gues we would be OK except for the raw basics i.e. for bread making? and of course COFFEE

How about a 'live on what you have got' - in the cupboard for a short period i.e. a week or a fortnight - like the no new purchases for a year type of thing - but perhaps more realistic for everyone on the site?

Monika

Like I said at this point we are still formulating the ideas, I think yes to expect people to give up coffee or tea might be just a little bit too much to ask - Personally I think I might give it a go as I can pretty much do without tea and coffee anyway - but then that's me and possibly being a little sanctimonious.

Perhaps we do need to come up with 4 or 5 different levels of what the Big Selfsufficientish challenge is, rather like some of the big bike rides where you have one that is just a half mile ride and other rides up to a 100 miles challenge.

Sounds just a bit beyond me at the moment, I have an allotment and still have potatoes and onions and shallots, plus bottled and frozen things, plus lots of home brew on the go. But I think I lack the imagination to go the whole hog! but shall follow your progress with great interest. I definitly don't intend to buy anything new this year, apart from spending my Christmas book token! and shall try not to put my dustbin out at all. pbf

.

See you are already doing exactly what the idea for this is, you could possibly go 1 month not buying potatoes, booze and onions I imagine. That would be a self sufficientish challenge.

Hmm perhaps a plan is forming here.

Level 1 - Don't buy anything for a week and live what you have got already
Level 2 - Only eat home baked bread, drink home brewed booze and eat home grown potatoes for a week

Then some more levels to be suggested up to ......

Level 5 - All food and booze eaten for one month is to have been grown, foraged or swapped with a neighbour (And no even if T***o's is your Neighbour and you swapped food for money that does not count".

How does that sound? Does this sound like we could get lots of people involved?

Whaaat!

I've heard of protein from all sorts of veg sources, including peas, but leaves?

Yes apparently you can make a sort of Tofu from wild garlic and well loads of leaves really. Only just really heard about it from Furgus the forager and found that book online. Certainly would be an interesting experiment.

[pureportugal]

we talked about doing something similar last year - to try to live for a month or two only on what we can produce ourselves. we thought it would be a really good way of finding out where our weaknesses are eg. what we need to grow / grow more of, what we can do without, and what we really don't want to do without. we never quite got round to it though, but joining with other ishers sounds good, so yes ... we're in!

ps. like the idea of different levels so everyone can give it a go - pick something that will be a challenge, but not impossible.