Preparedness for when

ArthriticOldThing

Luckily for me I love cold baked beans. Maybe for once my peculiar taste will be a benefit.

Perplexed_Pineapple

Just been to take a look at the veggie patch. It hasn't been a great year for homegrown produce (apart from rhubarb, which has exploded with a vengeance). I was just thinking about how difficult it would be to feed the family reliably even with more land. At the moment the only real return we're getting on the investment of time and energy is saving a bit of cash on things like herbs, which are ludicrously expensive in the shops given things like mint, rosemary and sage grow like weeds given half a chance. I hope the experience we're building up now would pay off in a SHTF scenario, but if you read about subsistence agriculture in Europe, if was a precarious existence, and this was for people who had a lifetime of practice.

GreyQueen

Very true, PP. The living has never been easy at these latitudes. At most latitudes, come to think of it.

When you grow your own, you know that sometimes you can be an excellent gardener with decades of experience, and still get a very poor harvest. Or nothing at all.

Makes you realise the point behind harvest festivals and celebrations like that; if all went well you'd come through the winter in good order, people and livestock both. Bad harvest or poor prep and husbandry and hunger and starvation would likely ensure.

I was reading a jokey book about this one guy's experience of allotmenteering and he referred to himself as having an ISP (Inner Saxon Peasant) which took great satisfaction in things like a good manure pile and other simple pleasures.

I rolled about; I recognised myself as having an ISP. She'd be a tough and capable wench, busily building next year's muck pile and building up stores. Under this (semi) sophisticated 21st century woman is someone whose ancestors didn't trust where their next meal was coming from unless they could see the porker on the trotter or the flour in the bin.

Am about to take a little time offline to fill the clean water carrier and also to work a bit on the Pr*ngle candlemelt project. We folks who don't have tellies have the bestest of lives. I may even play some toons whilst I do it.

ginnyknit

Love the idea of the ISP, especially when we talk of making unleavened bread. This is used by various societies around the world, damper bread in New Zealand for example and us gypsies used to make it on a shovel over the fire. I still do my pastry like my granny did, roughly mixed and patted down in a baking tin so the top is like lava and gets crispy bits to soak up the gravy. Basically it comes from not having rolling pins or cooker and baking it seperate from the stew over the fire. My kids love my pie top done like that.

This has been my best year ever for growing my own, freezer is groaning with fruit for jam and now have a big plastic box of zippy bags full of dried veg of many kinds. I still buy whoopsied veg and dry that to ensure good stock. Ds caught me last night picking dandelion leaves from the small back excuse for a lawn to add to the salad and he didnt even question it -:j

Homestead chick love the blog x

RAS

PP

This was one of the discussion on the plots this "spring", when it was still too cold to plant anything tender in June and there was nothing to show in early July.

The historians reckon that the introduction of potatoes made a major impact on survivability in the northern climes. Crap weather and the tatties did well. Dry year and they were not too great but the grain harvest was good. If you grew both one or the other would provide your bulk and the other a supplement. If you grew one every other year was difficult. Tatties added to existing grain growing halted the famines that scythed through the population every 10-20 years.

It is also one of the reason people liked meat animals; they survive on stuff we cannot eat and they can be moved if needed under their own steam. In times of unusable surplus they allow us to store the calories for a later date.

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

We folks who don't have tellies have the bestest of lives.

I agree, we do.

GreyQueen

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I agree, we do.

Too right, I'm listening to world music quietly on my CD player, drinking tea and am about to melt some candlewax.

When I come towards the end of the candle project, I shall probably put some of the cross-cut shreddings from my shredder into cardboard egg cartons and pour some wax in.

This is intended as a variation on the dryerlint/ egg carton combo some prepperish sites recommend as a firestarter.

Can anyone think of any reason why this wouldn't work or refinements on the plan, please?

[Deleted User]

I have a tele, which is why I spend as long on this computer nattering as I do!!!!!

ALIBOBSY

I have to hold my hand up to having a TV, but its mostly for the kids. TBH I rarely watch anything live, but do like being able to set the box to record the stuff I like to watch when I get a chance. I suspect once the kids are older/leave home we will get rid of a "live" feed and just use iplayer etc /downloads and dvd's when we want to watch something-so will save on the licence.

I have to admit to being a big reader, and having dipped a toe in a few areas I would love to have time for-used to play guitar/piano/various recorders/drums so would love to pick my guitar up and also get more practiced on my ukulele. Used to knit,crochet and enjoyed sewing-again lack of time, but would get back to these.

If we can only sort out some land in the next 10 years or so I reckon we will be so busy we won't need TV, and will be happy to watch the odd thing at night before bed, whilst doing little bits of stuff. OH want to get into willow weaving or some kind of similar wood working hobby so I guess he might be sat there messing about with bits himself.

I agree with the earlier poster-we defo have an ISP each .

Ali x

kat360

I've come to the conclusion that if the shtf we would be better off staying put. I have a 300l chest freezer and a lot in my store cupboards (I horde food!) Hubby being armed forces and a avid camper covers a lot of issues. We had a hexistove, a 4 man tent, small water carriers and a lot of other goodies. I just need to figure out a way of storing enough water for us all!

Up until last year we were living up north and our big black cat use to delight in catching rabbits! The first couple he dragged up to the front door were babies, but then they got bigger! They were all wild ones and all freshly killed! (still warm!:( ) I still have no idea how he was catching them but a least he'd be useful for a rabbit stew!

Although I'm trying to work out if I could fit some kind of saddle bag to my double pushchair, I already have a fairly huge changing bag which can hold 3 days worth of nappies, clothes, etc. for 3 children. Any advice is welcomed!