really old style living?

zarazara

mardatha wrote: »

What amount of fruit bushes do you need for one jar of jam ? Is there anywhere online that will tell you that ?

I think 1 gooseberry bush will provide 6 jars of jam, but thats when its well grown. Probably 1 or 2 jars in the first couple of years. The same with currants. Do you have a PYO farm locally? We have a 3 gooseberry ,2 white currant and 2 blackcurrant bushes at the moment. We are going to increase stock with our own cuttings from these. Meanwhile we go to the PYO farm to top up stocks of fruit. I really think 6 bushes of each is plenty.That said,if you are going to go in for wine making you'll need more. We started off with 1 rhubarb plant,bought 2 more then a few weeks ago a neighbour gave me 3 plants. It seems wayyy tooo much! but it wont be ,as we can make jam,chutney,bottle it and make rhubarb wine.
Hope this helps

mardatha

Well done, and thanks for the inspiration On the other end of the scale, (getting right into this now lol) is there anybody here who has a totty wee garden and has it jam-packed and layered and sectioned out and FULL of veg ? Could somebody inspire us that way ? Then more of us would be drawn in to this self sufficiency thing - which I think really, is the next logical step up from growing your own veg.

zarazara

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

I've love tolive a more self sufficient lifestyle but considering I can't even afford any land for a small holding there isn't much chance of that happening any time soon
Have enjoyed reading the thread though

theres plenty to do at home though,make do and mend,repair things instead of buying new,patchwork quilting,baking jam making. Herbs and salad can be grown in pots on the window still and if your keen to have a go at veg growing you could get your name on an allotment list.

mardatha

Zara, the PYO smallholdings are 20 miles away and that grumpy old sod -ooops my dear OH - wont go. I did have blackcurrant bushes in the garden but they died. My garden is poor soil and on a hill, so all the nutrients run away downhill. To get my stuff established I have to plant them in a wee scooped-out hollow, then put a few big stones on the downside to keep the compost from washing away. I have to keep feeding things.
I have a few bramble bushes out the back - they take up a lot of room and the birds get most of the fruit before me ... I could start off with them I think. There's tons of flowers on them now. Just need a net or something for the birds. I dont want to turn this thread into Gardeners Question Time LOL - I just want to make ONE jar of jam, so I can say I did it !

zarazara

we,sort of. my field is a 10 minuite walk away from my cottage. the cottage has a tiny garden. I grow allsorts there. the house walls and fencing are covered, i planteda native hedge inside 1 wall,climbing roses along an other and honeysuckle also a golden hop. its like the jungle out there. this year we dug over a bit of lan, [3 yards x 1 yard approx] and in it are lettuce cabbage carrots beetroot chives and peas [for peas shoot stir fry]. we are going to edge it with timber in the autumn and it will be my seed bed for next year for the allotment plants. I have a 1 yard wide path along the side,[its an end terraced] i have pots of strawberries and herbs. in pots in the garden are runner beans,french beans and sweat peas, . I am going to take photos and see if I can uplaod them. Meanwhile I must log off as I am going to make some marmalade [tinned seville oranges] bread and a fruit cake. "See" you all later.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i would absolutely be like a pig in poo, if i could live this life style....

i have a daydream fund.... to hopefullt be able to afford a place where we can grow and produce most of our food etc...

last week, i was thinking on how we could save more money... and was going to try and find places where to buy in bulk.... etc...

I started a thread over on the greenfingered board about teh 70's sitcom the good life, and could it really be done..... I honestly think ...you could at least be independant in fruit and veg. eggs possibly meat etc....

right off to make another cuppa, and daydream in the corner.. of being self sufficient......lol...

annie123

Mardatha You've forgotten something essential,
A 6 month sweetie stockpile!
or will you set up a standing order for regular supplies to be sent:D

mardatha

LOL annie - that's one thing I cant stockpile - tried that ! The local shop (12 miles) closes at 1 on a saturday and that's it until monday morning. I tried a freezer drawer full of choc and a kitchen drawer full of sweeties... I et all the sweeties then dipped the choc in my tea to defrost it and it was all gone by sat night !

mardatha

What do you think should/could be first to bulk buy ? Let's get a short list and try to get this lifestyle started before winter gives us other priorities (I have stocks of porridge, lentils, flour, and tea already).

zarazara

Marmalade made and bread is rising, so here goes with some /Garden%20jam%20etc/marmaladeandgardenjuly10th2010011.jpg[/IMG]