Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

:rotfl:

*polishes nails smugly* I've got 8 litres of UHT and 5 kg breadflour and shedloads of yeast. All I lack is anything approaching snow to enchance my not-having-to-shop pleasure.

Butterfly_Brain

I recommend this book it is well written and has plenty of photographs.
The Thrifty Forager by Alys Fowler
http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&productId=276938

Oh and BTW it is snowing here rather heavily, DH went down to the school to scatter salt and found two people nicking it for their drives.
They are all rich toffs who live down near to the school and are too tight to buy their own salt Evidently it doesn't matter to them if anyone entering the school is at risk :mad:
DH told them that they are on camera and he will talk to the head to see if she wants to take things further, they went away with their tails between their legs.

herbily

Fantastic list, Mrs Lurcherwalker - I suspect I may be about to become a whole lot poorer! I don't have much to add to that list, but I have a couple of favourite books about being in the prepper mindset, or making do with very little: one is the Cottage Garden Diaries (by Fiona Houston), about a woman in Scotland who spends a year pretending she lives in the 18th century, has a good recipe for nettle soup, and the other is the Hovel in the Hills series by Elizabeth West (Hovel/Garden/Kitchen in the Hills), about living in Wales on very little money.

Also, embarrassing confession time, I mixed up the plot of The Weathermonger with Heartsease, the second in the Changes series - my recommendation still stands, but ignore my plot summary, me being an idiot:embarasse

Now, does anybody have any handy hints about how to stay away from Amazon?

Angel_Jenny

herbily wrote: »

Fantastic list, Mrs Lurcherwalker - I suspect I may be about to become a whole lot poorer! I don't have much to add to that list, but I have a couple of favourite books about being in the prepper mindset, or making do with very little: one is the Cottage Garden Diaries (by Fiona Houston), about a woman in Scotland who spends a year pretending she lives in the 18th century, has a good recipe for nettle soup, and the other is the Hovel in the Hills series by Elizabeth West (Hovel/Garden/Kitchen in the Hills), about living in Wales on very little money.

Those sound interesting! I love all the wartime / Victorian / Edwardian farm shows!

My amazon wishlist is huge!!

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

Bad nuatha! I have a hardback copy of Food For Free from the c.s. which lives at home at this time of year but didn't even know that they have a Collins one. They'll have one less, now.;)I also have the SAS survival guide in the Collins Gem edition, good stuff.

Only on good days, on bad days I'm worse

I spent a fair chunk of my childhood roaming about with a Collins Guide to Wild Flowers which has come in very handy identifying some of the things on the allotment. As well as adding interest to rambles. But edible interest is extra good.

Snap along with one of their field guides for identifying birds.

Today has been miserable, weatherwise, so I was reading a thriller set on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and wincing in memory of the gales. And I was there in summer. I kinda get the feeling that if the rest of the world went to hell in a handcart, the Hebrideans are prolly tough enough to manage, although the middling islands of the archipeligo are already boggy, long-slung and very watery, so mightn't survive rising sea levels.

Have decided that this week will be, as much as possible, and eat out of the storecupboard week, so that I can squander the housekeeping on books. It's all youse lot's fault.:p

They'd manage, just the peat would be a wee bit damper than usual. Last time I was up that way (bivvying near the top end of Lewis) we had 2.5 inches of rain overnight. Its a little like the fens, dry land is a misnomer, there's water, gaseous water and some water that has enough bits in it that you only sink slowly and therefore think you can build on it.

For once I have to put household stuff before the book buying budget. Though five of Mrs LW's list will heading in this direction in the not too distant future.

Cheapskate

MrsLW, I, too, covet your library! Pity we're not closer to each other, then we could use your books as a lending library! Will be having a good look in the CS this week, on the off chance. I had a large-format edition of Food For Free from the library recently - fantastic photos, but it'd be a bu99er to take foraging. Did realise that we have lots more wild food round here than I realised, though, once I really looked at stuff; one of the woods is carpeted in ransoms every spring, so must see if I could blanch and freeze some - I feel some experiments coming along!

A xo

[Deleted User]

NUATHA I had Richard Mabeys Food for Free and also his Plants With a Purpose but sent them to another poster on the Tougher thread as I had most of the information in other books in the collection. HERBILY I have Hovel in the Hills and also Kitchen in the Hills by Elizabeth West, love them both there is a third book, Garden in the Hills but I've still got it on my to get list as I've not found it yet, they're smashing aren't they? CHEAPSKATE I can't move Hampshire any nearer to you, but if you think I might have some info in a book that you can't find out yourself I'll always take a look through the collection for you and share if I can, you are always welcome to ask, I can't guarantee to find the answer but I'll surely try for you, Cheers Lyn xxx.

CRAIGY I have a lurcher and a He Who Knows to keep me warm, oh, and the Woodburner, I think if I read books too I'd overheat, Lyn xxx.

craigywv

lol LYNN XXX

Cheapskate

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

NUATHA I had Richard Mabeys Food for Free and also his Plants With a Purpose but sent them to another poster on the Tougher thread as I had most of the information in other books in the collection. HERBILY I have Hovel in the Hills and also Kitchen in the Hills by Elizabeth West, love them both there is a third book, Garden in the Hills but I've still got it on my to get list as I've not found it yet, they're smashing aren't they? CHEAPSKATE I can't move Hampshire any nearer to you, but if you think I might have some info in a book that you can't find out yourself I'll always take a look through the collection for you and share if I can, you are always welcome to ask, I can't guarantee to find the answer but I'll surely try for you, Cheers Lyn xxx.

CRAIGY I have a lurcher and a He Who Knows to keep me warm, oh, and the Woodburner, I think if I read books too I'd overheat, Lyn xxx.

Thanks so much - I can do research, but with DH, 21 yr old DS, and 2 small people, plus poorly mum etc, time is somewhat limited - so in desperation I may take you up on your kind offer - thanks hun!

A xo

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

NUATHA I had Richard Mabeys Food for Free and also his Plants With a Purpose but sent them to another poster on the Tougher thread as I had most of the information in other books in the collection.

I see Food for Free, much like the Michael Allaby, the best single volume work of its type I've come across (though I'd be very happy to be introduced to alternatives).
I've tended to pass on or loan spare copies, but have tried to keep at least one of each in the library (not always succeeded though).

I've just added Plants With A Purpose to the shopping list, I hadn't come across it, thank you.