THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Karmacat

kittie wrote: »

how Karmacat, re herbs and spices? You`re supposed to drink it neat, self-flagellation makes it work better

Erm, well, we have a difference of opinion there! Thats okay.


Just been researching it (Wiki and NHS, at any rate) and it seems clear its at the same level as broccoli etc in nutritional terms. Which I get, actually; but the great thing is, you can grow it yourself, indoors if need be - with the potential shortages etc, some wheatgrass seeds in the freezer could be a really good prep investment.

[Deleted User]

I have to disagree about taking kelp as a supplement. It can be responsible for thyroid problems


A good way to get the minerals that are missing in most mass produced foods, for those that grow their own, is to grow comfrey the variety called bocking 14, readily available on ebay. The roots go very very deep and it makes a most wonderful compost, far far better than any manure. 3 cuts a year and I have already planned where to put my new patch. It heats a compost heap up very fast too. Worms love it, slugs hate it


At least, while being in limbo until my survey, I get a chance to prep ideas for my new home-based allotment. I already did the drawing of the basic layout, no idea of actual measurements available. I will be getting the open side cleared and putting in a good spiky burglar-proof hedge. All I need to do now is find a landscaper who can take instructions. Whilst waiting, I am also removing some of the hard features from my allotment, plastic raised beds, hoops etc


There is a massive far too tall bramley apple tree, no good to me, so it will be going and replaced by 3 x M26 (rootstocks) apple trees near the back allotment section. I want apples that I can reach. I will replace the bramley with a rose bed

juliettet

I find it suits me Kittie. I don't eat fish and my thyroid is checked every 6 months. I agree though that any supplement should be mentioned to your doctor.

fuddle

I didn't know slugs hate bocking 14 comfrey. Thanks kittie, it will have a new job as Chop and drop mulch for something in the future. I originally had fertiliser in mind for mine but human consumption?I hadn't thought of that.

The lack of chewing action may well be half of my problem. Thanks for pulling me up by my braces there juliettet. I

moneyistooshorttomention

Errr....re comfrey - and I took it that what Kittie meant was "chop and drop" comfrey onto your soil. Reason being that comfrey has deep roots that are meant to bring up minerals from some depth down in the soil.

So - not actually eat it.

Now, as I understand it, there was (a lot) of debate a couple of decades back about whether one should or shouldnt actually eat comfrey. From my readings - it boiled down basically to "Which type of comfrey are we talking about?". As I recall (from memory) - it's deemed not that advisable to eat one type of comfrey, but the other type is fine/good idea/etc.

Tries to remember which was which. As far as I recall - the one that doesn't self-seed is the type that one shouldn't really eat (ie at least not more than very occasionally). But one can eat the type that self-seeds and spreads around.

EDIT; I do "chop and drop" with pretty much everything - if it's going onto bare soil - as I believe it feeds it.

fuddle

Yes I realised that when I went to read up on it. It can be eaten but it can be poisonous. There's nothing definitive. Some eat the flowers, leaves and roots but some don't agree with eating. I read it was detrimental to lung health so didn't read any further.

For info Bocking 14 is the sterile variety. It doesn't self seed.

Chop and drop is a method I avoid because we have a slug and snail problem here. Maybe if slugs don't like it I may try next season because the method is one I think would be very useful.

DigForVictory

I've a comfrey growing but I've no idea what sort - I 'll watch it for seeding. Then plant it to restrain slugs (although garlic is doing passably)

Last news of Thai cave rescue - they are All Out, the lads & their coach, their divers & medics - all alive and well apart from the one former SEAL who didn't make it back from a bottle drop, Saman Kunan.
It is still, just, possible the coach will be prosecuted but I think in keeping his team alive he has earned an amnesty.

Tell you, prepping includes learning to swim!

ivyleaf

mardatha wrote: »

I'm going to start by tightening up the diet, I've slipped as well. When you feel hellish then you start treating yourself to wee things in "sorry for yourself" mode lol and then you feel worse.

I know all too well what you mean mar. Sigh.

ETA I started taking kelp tablets a few years ago, as some people on here (or one of the other threads) had found it helped their energy levels. i found the same, and it has also reduced my goitre. I told the endocrinologist I was taking it and she was unconcerned. Everyone is different, i suppose. I'm having a thyroid scan soon, the first one in several years, so i will of course check again when I go to see the endo again afterwards.

[Deleted User]

some good news at last, the Thai rescue and I watched the emotional flypast.

Money, don`t dive into taking comfrey without some knowledge. I gave my dd symphytum, which is also called comfrey or in old English is knitbone but drinks etc, no avoid it could cause liver damage in those sort of doses. Lawrence Hills wrote a book called `comfrey past present and future`, I read that and that is when I decided to start growing bocking 14 and believe me it will be the first thing going in the ground, to grow, on my new patch. It has been trouble free, does not spread beyond its bounds has the most gorgeous bee -friendly flowers and like I said, gives me 3 good cuts a year. It really is far far better than any cow manure


Prepping goes ahead: 3mm mdf board arrived and I have layered it with my cutting boards as they must remain straight. Last job in the sewing room. Stove people are doing the survey for a quote, this week. Doors people have pencilled in september, starting with a strong side door for the garage, which will contain lots of expensive stuff


Amtico samples arrived but I would not be able to afford it, no matter how nice. I will be using quick step. One question, I can work out room btu for new radiators, would you leave all this to a plumber, to work out and buy?

moneyistooshorttomention

fuddle wrote: »

Yes I realised that when I went to read up on it. It can be eaten but it can be poisonous. There's nothing definitive. Some eat the flowers, leaves and roots but some don't agree with eating. I read it was detrimental to lung health so didn't read any further.

For info Bocking 14 is the sterile variety. It doesn't self seed.

Chop and drop is a method I avoid because we have a slug and snail problem here. Maybe if slugs don't like it I may try next season because the method is one I think would be very useful.

I bought a couple of comfrey plants when I moved here and planted them in the garden - for the purposes of "chop and drop". Hence doing some research at the time as to whether they could be eaten or no and it turned out I'd bought the type one shouldn't eat (yep....it doesn't spread by seed and, if memory serves aright, it's Bocking 14). I decided it was too untidy to plant in a small garden in the end and dug it up and tried to encourage some to grow nearby to me (ie so that I can forage a bit of it if I want to). I found that the fact it's not self-seeder type hasn't stopped a shoot or two poking it's head back up again after a while - I "think" I've finally removed the last little bit of root. Though I'm reluctant to say so - in case I "speak too soon" about that.

EDIT; Re the "chop and drop" and a couple of advocates of that that I watch on YouTube sometimes are "The Gardening Channel with James Prigioni" and then there's the blogger that owns Bealtaine Cottage in Ireland and she regularly puts up videos on YouTube. Both of them had to start from scratch and with land that was far from promising in the case of the Bealtaine Cottage one and fast forward a few years - and it all looks very lush - and I try and copy what bits of that sort of idea I can in my sort of set-up.