Becoming self sufficient from scratch-my diary

Anitah

Well done you! I'm interested in how you store veg etc over the Winter months. I know all the theory (clamping, freezing, storing in damp sand etc) but really need to know what works!

Maybe I'll start a new thread!

MissPop

Hello everybody! Gosh, I'm very emvious of everybody's crops and allotments and such! I've just got a few pots on a little partly-sunny patio, but recently I have become a bit obsessed about buying fruit and veg plants! Only one of my strawberry plants has survived since I bought three two years ago, so I bought a pack of 3 for £2 from Wilkinsons a couple of months ago - they are doing nicely! I also bought a pack (4 plugs a pack) each of green peppers and tomatoes for £1.50 each in Wilko's as well. Tomatoes are growing well, peppers, I'm not sure about - this is my first time trying to grow them, so I have no idea how they'll do!

I also invested in a mini greenhouse from QD for a tenner last week - I'm impressed at how warm it gets in there! Hoping that will speed things along a bit. OH, and today I popped into Homebase to pick up some nails, and came home with a gooseberry bush :rotfl:

I'm not sure what the rules are about posting links etc, but I have a couple of pics of my plants here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smurfpop/sets/72157613017949817/

Moozle_2

I have been trying to think of other ways to become self sufficient apart from veg and eggs, heres what I have come up with.

Wood, collect all summer for winter burning on stove:D
Foraging, blaeberries....but what else?
Meat?? Does anyone have chickens or other animals for meat. I could do a bit of seashore foraging?

Hmmm any other ideas?

fiftyeighter_2

Hi Moozle and everyone else out there in self sufficiency land. I dream of becoming really self sufficient but I have to admit if I had to kill my own food I would become vegetarian. Awful of me to admit that I know but I,m a complete wooz. Other than that I,m going to try hard to sustain us in veg etc for the winter.
Anitah hi. I'm with you I too would like to know the storing methods used for veg etc.

MissPop

I don't want to start a debate about vegetarianism, but my mum and I are veggie, and her partner is not, and the meat he buys seems to be the most expensive single items on the weekly shopping list - around £5 for a steak, £4 or so for a couple of chops, couple of pounds for a roast chicken... Soon stacks up! I love meat-replacement stuff (veggie mince, fillets etc) as they are much cheaper than meat and work just as well in lots of recipes. Anyway, I'm rambling - my point being, in my opinion, veggie diets can work out cheaper that meaty diets. Might be something to think about if you are aiming for self-sufficiency

Money_maker

Great thread, nice to follow how folks are getting on. I've noticed more people seem to be keeping hens now which is lovely. I hoped to become self sufficient after reading a self sufficiency book (John Seymour I think, has been republished recently) and inspired. However, my dd is only a year old so I am limited to perhaps a few minutes a day and some odd moments at weekends. I have kept hens for nearly 20 years, the only downside is if you want to go away on holiday. Still, its amazing what a few eggs can buy! My fruit and veg garden has become overgrown in the last 18 months so am hoping to bring it back to order this year.

Spent friday digging over for some new raspberry canes, back was killing me. My foots only been out of plaster for a couple of weeks but the backs of my legs took the strain. Potatoes to hopefully plant in the next few days. New gooseberry planted and discovered I already have 3 hidden amongst the weeds! Tomatoes still very seedling stage but as I have a blackbird, nest and 4 chicks in a pot with my pomegranate in the greenhouse, I am in no rush to plant them in the greenhouse bed yet.

Foraging - this is SO satisfying and all for free. Go on long walks in the summer. Locate sloes, roses for hips, wild growing apples/crab apples, hazelnuts, blackberries, elders for flower and berry, hawthorn berries can be used, rowan, chestnuts. Then all you need to do is wait for the right season and hey presto (unless its nuts, then you need to be quicker than the squirrels). If you have a neighbour or someone in your area who doesn't seem to harvest apple/pear trees in their front garden then ask if you can have the windfalls. You could offer a pie or eggs in return.

Growing your own is amazing - just popping into the garden to collect a few beans or cut some purple sprouting (horrendously expensive in shops) is very satisfying. Already pulled some rhubarb this year so we're off!

Good luck everyone, will pop back to see how you are all getting on.

Gigervamp

With regard to storing produce, I noticed this book on Amazon.

Moozle_2

MissPop wrote: »

I don't want to start a debate about vegetarianism, but my mum and I are veggie, and her partner is not, and the meat he buys seems to be the most expensive single items on the weekly shopping list - around £5 for a steak, £4 or so for a couple of chops, couple of pounds for a roast chicken... Soon stacks up! I love meat-replacement stuff (veggie mince, fillets etc) as they are much cheaper than meat and work just as well in lots of recipes. Anyway, I'm rambling - my point being, in my opinion, veggie diets can work out cheaper that meaty diets. Might be something to think about if you are aiming for self-sufficiency

You are right meat is expensive, especiallly as I only really want to buy the well produced stuff. We have already cut a lot out, (we have had to) it was interesting that this week in the supermarket I noticed a free range organic chicken for the same price i'm buying my real ones for:rolleyes: Im plucking up the courage for a bit of seashore foraging as well.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

MissPop wrote: »

I don't want to start a debate about vegetarianism, but my mum and I are veggie, and her partner is not, and the meat he buys seems to be the most expensive single items on the weekly shopping list - around £5 for a steak, £4 or so for a couple of chops, couple of pounds for a roast chicken... Soon stacks up! I love meat-replacement stuff (veggie mince, fillets etc) as they are much cheaper than meat and work just as well in lots of recipes. Anyway, I'm rambling - my point being, in my opinion, veggie diets can work out cheaper that meaty diets. Might be something to think about if you are aiming for self-sufficiency

just a thought to mull over, but self sufficiency is to try and produce as much as you can, food wood products etc, how could someone produce their own soya products?

i know this is an extreme look at it, as in this day and age you can not be totally self sufficient,

but as a way of cutting down your costs this id def an option, but i must admit we do like our meat in our house,

on friday we spend £107 in our local butchers, which has absolutely beautifull meat, we tend to buy a big slab of beef which he cuts up into diff size loints for us, mince pork chops, minted lamb etc, and then we bag it up and freeze, so now we are ok for a good while,

by buying it like this, when i have the money i stock up, so in the leaner times i know i got something in hte freezer i can make a meal out of, plus he sell it to us cheaper by the kg, and allways adds a few freebies

when we had ducks before i used to sell the previous owner my duck eggs, and i can remember the now owner asking me for some, so when they start laying, i might be able to barter with them for some meat:D

which could be another idea about becoming self sufficient any suprlus maybe you could swop, for other items you need

MissPop

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

just a thought to mull over, but self sufficiency is to try and produce as much as you can, food wood products etc, how could someone produce their own soya products?

i know this is an extreme look at it, as in this day and age you can not be totally self sufficient,

but as a way of cutting down your costs this id def an option, but i must admit we do like our meat in our house,

on friday we spend £107 in our local butchers, which has absolutely beautifull meat, we tend to buy a big slab of beef which he cuts up into diff size loints for us, mince pork chops, minted lamb etc, and then we bag it up and freeze, so now we are ok for a good while,

by buying it like this, when i have the money i stock up, so in the leaner times i know i got something in hte freezer i can make a meal out of, plus he sell it to us cheaper by the kg, and allways adds a few freebies

when we had ducks before i used to sell the previous owner my duck eggs, and i can remember the now owner asking me for some, so when they start laying, i might be able to barter with them for some meat:D

which could be another idea about becoming self sufficient any suprlus maybe you could swop, for other items you need

Very true, I did think after I posted "Hang on, you can't grow veggie mince :doh:" Buying meat in bulk is a good idea - I've seen a local butcher selling huge freezer packs for £80-odd which must last a while!

But to be honest, I'm veggie because I don't like the taste, smell, even the idea of eating meat - nothing to do with the price!