Becoming self sufficient from scratch-my diary

wildlifeservices

gizmocoe wrote: »

I have plenty of ground elder as well as bird cherry saplings springing up all over the place:eek:! We have two ponds with lots of frogs / toads / wildlife, as well as a tortoise, and I like to feed the birds so any ideas for weed killers that are not harmful to wildlife please?
Thank you in advance...

You can eat ground elder!! I used to have it in my garden in Scotland. The best 'weed' in my opinion is chickweed - delicious raw, especially in the spring, tastes just like raw peas!!

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wildlifeservices

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

Dont' forget to forage! Read 'Food for Free' by Richard Mabey.

Nettles are prolific this time of year. The young leaves when stewed with water and butter go really nicely with pasta, cheese etc as a spinach substitute (I believe they are actually more nutritious than spinach).

Mung bean shoots are really easy to do as well if you like Chinese food. Just soak some mung beans overnight, then put them in a yoghurt pot with some drainage holes punched in the bottom/sides. Water twice a day and keep out of the light, and in four days or so you'll get beanshoots ready to eat.

I make nettle mashed potato!! Just boil your potatoes as normal, but in the bottom of a steamer, and addhttp://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=20637743 the nettles to the top of the steamer about 10 minutes before the potatoes will be ready. Mash the potatoes with butter and milk or mayonnaise, and then mash in the nettles, giving a good turn at the bottom of the mashing stroke to break them up. You end up with lots of little bits of green nettle throughout your mash, and know you'll get lots of vitamins and minerals, and all for free!! If you really want to go mad, sprinkle grated cheese on top of the mash and put under the grill for a few minutes - serve with black pepper and maybe some organic tomato sauce (much higher in valuable lycopenes than ordinary tomato sauce, and helps prevent prostate cancer!!).

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aloiseb

that sounds wicked, but I will have to try it when the children hav gone back to school or i will get "mum...!"

Sazbo

Ordered my compost dalek over the weekend, and I know this is probably a bit sad, but I'm really excited and can't wait for it to come!:D

Saz x

leon103

MissPop wrote: »

Yaaaay, congratulations (fellow Essex...ian )! Isn't it just a fabulous feeling when something actually GROWS?! I can't say I recall ever having eaten asparagus before actually... Let us know how it is when you harvest it!

Yeah only a few shoots should be cut. I never cut any on my first year.

fiftyeighter_2

leon103 wrote: »

Yeah only a few shoots should be cut. I never cut any on my first year.

Now I've gone from ecstatic to worried.:eek: My asparagus is really shooting up but some are about 8ins tall but all are really thin. I swear they are growing an inch every time I look at them.And thats every few minutes. Is this how they are suppose to be? I love asparagus but have never grown them before. At this rate I'l need a 6ft posts in them to hold them up straight.:rotfl:Just a thought is this my first or second year then? I planted them last year but dont know whether they were one or two year old plants

rowsew

Moozle wrote: »

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?

We collect blackberries (can be frozen), apples, & plums from the local wild trees. I use as much as possible when it's fresh, but if there's a glut I freeze everything (we have a small extra freezer in the shed). I also collect elderflowers and make cordial (which I also freeze the extra until we need it) and elderberries. Also hazel/cobnuts from the local wood. And if I knew if there were any other nut trees locally I would be stripping them too! The toddlers love a bit of scrumping, it's one of the best things to do with them in the late summer before it starts getting cooler, and it's wonderful to have a freezer full of free stuff. For meat, my next door neighbour is a shooting kind of person, and has promised me wood pigeon and rabbit - but I don't know if we will see them. I am quite happy to eat it if she can provide it! I would also eat pheasant if anyone I knew shot it. We get local fish from my Dad if he gets a chance to go out fishing. Our most commonly found local fish is mackerel - delicious! The seashore stuff near us is a bit dubious, but your end of the world should be a bit cleaner. Samphire is always something that seems popular with cheffy types, but I don't know if it appears on your shores.
Hope all this is of some use ...

MONEYMAKINGMUM

Does anyone know which rose is best for harvesting rosehips? I can't find any wild locally so I will plant one in the back garden if I know which type. (I didn't find much info online.) TIA

Gigervamp

MONEYMAKINGMUM wrote: »

Does anyone know which rose is best for harvesting rosehips? I can't find any wild locally so I will plant one in the back garden if I know which type. (I didn't find much info online.) TIA

You'll be wanting the dog rose. Rosa canina

rchrisp

well it was pay day yesterday and i went a bit mad... god knows where i am going to plant all this stuff!

i have bought:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/potatoes1/product/zww5227/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/potatoes1/product/yww5265/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/791/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/7106/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/1912/1.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/2396/1.html

and then went to that More Veg site and got: Dahlia Pompone, Oriental Pak Choi, Spinach Bloomsdale, Cucumber Spacemaster, Celery Tall Utah Organic, Cauliflower Snowball, Cabbage Red Drumhead, Broccoli Rudolph, Sweet Corn Strawberry and Pea Mangetout.. all for around £5.50!

bought a mushroom box today too.