Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

The root was used to dye things pink, I think 'ROSE MADDER'.

Frugalsod

nuatha wrote: »

It may be unique to the town I live in, but there are several traditional fruitiers who are cheaper than the market stalls overall, and generally better quality. One stocks locally grown organics and local soft fruit and root veg in the relevant seasons. The village I grew up in, the fruitier grew a lot of the produce he sold, even to the extent of cutting salads to order from the grounds of his shop.

Generally markets can be cheaper though I have a very good greengrocer and so get what I need as and when needed. I try and stick to seasonal items as they are always cheapest

nuatha wrote: »

I'll second MrsLW's book recommendation. You may well find this site useful, only connection is that of a satisfied customer.

That looks very interesting I had some pulled pork for breakfast thanks to weird sleeping patterns. I might see what else I can do from scratch.

jk0

thriftwizard wrote: »

Ooh, Alkanet - that could actually be my stray plant too! Now I'm completely confused - I know Alkanet's a dye plant, but there seem to be several different plants with the same name - mine doesn't look like either of the dye varieties, but is very much like the green alkanet!

We are plagued with this plant here in Berkshire it seems. I keep getting it in my lawn at this house & at my previous one. Roundup is the only thing that works, as it has very strong roots as thick as your finger.

jk0

I'm not sure if this is relevant to this thread, but I am finding this programme fascinating. It describes what happened every month of the war with (coloured) film. However, it has been done so well, the pictures could have been colour originally.

It's on Fridays at 7pm on Channel 5 or see here: http://www.channel5.com/shows/world-war-2-in-colour/episodes

GreyQueen

jk0 wrote: »

We are plagued with this plant here in Berkshire it seems. I keep getting it in my lawn at this house & at my previous one. Roundup is the only thing that works, as it has very strong roots as thick as your finger.

No, no, no, you're going about it totally the wrong way; dig up the lawn and leave the alkanet.:D

I have been surfing botanical websites and checking my wildflower book; my plant is bugloss, anchusa arvensis. The only bugloss I was familiar with is viper's bugloss, which is very attractive and in flower now. Did occur to me that it looked not dissimilar to viper's bugloss but as I have known that plant my whole life, and never seen this one before, I dismissed it. Me book sez bugloss is common in Eastern England and scarcer elsewhere, which perhaps explains why I haven't seen it before.

Well there yer go. Now I have another mystery plant to ID; have asked every passing allotmenteer but no one knows what it is, not even sure if it's a native or a garden escapee.

Plant is approx 18 in-2 ft tall, with soft sappy stems and leaves of a uniform and distinctive bluish-green. Leaves are slightly fernlike, the plant has multiple forking branches and bears flowers of a pinkish-red much beloved of bees. It's in flower now. It's an annual and grows on my allotment like cress. It's rather floppy and tends to grow through other plants and use them as support. Not deep rooted. Flowerhead is sort of stacked up, not daisylike, with no distinct petals.

It's very attractive and where it grows in my designated flowerbed (the bit at the bottom of the plot where the blackcurrant bush lives) I leave it. The bees adore it.

ETA I found it, I found it!!! It's Common Fumitory. I'm almost sure of it. I shall bring some home next time I'm up the lottie and thoroughly check it against the description in the book.

moneyistooshorttomention

Clue - this isn't going to end how you think it is...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oei2lB9MBo0

:rotfl:

nuatha

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Clue - this isn't going to end how you think it is...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oei2lB9MBo0

:rotfl:

First came across a version of that some 15 years ago, it was the USS Nimitz and a Canadian on the radio. There's other versions dating back to the 1930s, unfortunately all without foundation.

Frugalsod

nuatha wrote: »

First came across a version of that some 15 years ago, it was the USS Nimitz and a Canadian on the radio. There's other versions dating back to the 1930s, unfortunately all without foundation.

Yes the Canadian lighthouse version was popular years ago.

Karmacat

Ooh, battleship and a lighthouse, I love that quite appropriate to prepping too

moneyistooshorttomention

Latest bit of prepping - ie planting up some vegetable plug plants (very small ones) not quite gone according to plan.

Currently contemplating whether the fact that they've all vanished from my front garden (which my nfh concerns herself with the appearance of and can easily get to:cool:) but are still there in the back garden is down to nfh or the birds (though not quite sure why birds would be so selective). Question for the day being "Would birds go along and turf out and take away tiny little vegetable plant seedlings?" (background to that question being nfh has gone in for a bit of vandalism in my garden before now...hence why I'm not automatically assuming its the birds).

I guess the way to deal with this is to scatter lots of green veg. seeds around in the front garden on the one hand or grow those tiny little plug plants that I intend to plant in my front garden up to "too big to for the birds to possibly pull up" (so that they definitely wouldn't and it would be a tad suspicious if they vanished anyway).

For now - I've scattered lots of vegetable seeds around in my front garden and hope I will recognise the difference between them and weeds if any grow.