THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE all I know about horsetail is that it has silica crystals in it which make it useful as a pot scourer if you don't have one with you and need one! It also makes a medicinal tea but I can't tell you what for because I've packed the book and it's in one of the bottom layer of boxes in the mountain!

ivyleaf

Thank you juliettet, that's comforting to hear

Cappella I haven't posted on the other thread (at least, not that i can remember) but I saw your post yesterday and I thought it was very measured and I certainly agreed with what you said. I'm really glad you've come back

[Deleted User]

The good news or the bad news?

The good news is that (or so I've just read) the barley harvest across the UK is 3 weeks early (some farms hadn't got their grain stores ready in time) and better than anticipated and the bad news is wheat which has suffered badly in the drought conditions and this will affect the grains in the ears, many places have dry grain heads but green stalks so it can't be harvested yet but apparently the protein content is better than anticipated too.. The really bad news is that there has been a case of wheat stem rust found in east Anglia, the last famine was caused by this and it can affect barley too so all is on tenterhooks to see if it spreads. Partly because Berberris/Barberry which is an increasingly popular garden shrub is one of the host carriers of seven different types of rust so not good and we'll have to wait and see.


I've just been doing a little research on hand crank flour mills in the UK as I'm thinking that it would be a useful thing to have in the kitchen arsenal and could grind any grains available into flour which could be used at the very easiest level to make flat breads like chapattis. I found one called THE WONDER MILL which comes in at £225 and has metal grinding wheels and granite ones too in the basic pack. The reviews look promising and the blurb says you can grind 125g of flour a minute with it. I've got some barley flour in the cupboard and we've had very tasty barley bannocks on a holiday to Orkney a few years ago and I have a good heavy welsh bakestone so I'm going to have a run and see how I can turn out a bere bannock. I'm thinking that you could make a flour of sorts from any grain and if you can make flour you can make flatbread and the blurb says you can also grind things like sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds with this mill so you could add to the nutritional value of the flour you make by mixing them in and help give yourself extra nutrients. Going to have a think but I feel it's a good step in the right direction.

GreyQueen

Cappella, very glad to have you back on MSE and I have to say I find it very hard to imagine you offending anyone.


Ancientofdays - here, here!:rotfl:


Fuddle, the amount of horsetail on the top ohalf of Plot1 is shocking, when the tater tops were dying back I could see that the baulks were green like a lawn, literally carpetted in the dadblasted stuff. Imagine my DELIGHT in seeing that it can apparently die of heat exhaustion.:rotfl:


I'm squirrelling away dying plant materials which will take part in the autumnal pyromanical display when the burn ban comes off on 1st October. I think that's a weekday, so it'll be the first dry day after that. I burn things to return some goodness into the soil as potash. I have already designated a big chunk of Plot2 (the bit I just de-ponded) as the 2019 tater patch, so will be bonfiring on there and also graining it (spent barley from the brewery) and working on the soil fertility between now and end March when taters will go in.


I do find veggie gardening very soothing, the circularity of the activity ties in with the planetary year and doesn't take note of artificial human divisions like months, school holidays, bank holidays, financial years etc etc. I enjoy getting dirty and engaging with the wildlife. Such as the organic pest control (put chafer beetle grubs up on the birdtable, like I did last night).


Yup, I agree prices are something shocking and if we can lay in provisions at all, it would be prudent to do so.


julliett, very interested and pleased at your comment from your professional perspective. I always think, when people are gnashing teeth, that a lot of businessfolk are having LBM and working out how they can fill a niche and make some money. Thank goodness we're not a planned economy like the old-style soviet union, with all the ineffiencies that embodied.


Righty-o, am mending an evening gown for my friendly neighbourhood chazzer (a damaged donation, easily resolved, just call me a needle-for-hire) then a meal, a YS run and perhaps a flit allotmentwards to do a little more work.


Slow and steady wins the race. x

mardatha

I have heard that bere bannocks are lovely MrsL. I'm interested in trying it.
Good to see you in here Cappella stay with us, we're dead sensible in here :rotfl:
I swear I read something today about the head of the food industry calling for an emergency meeting with the guv, and saying a no deal brexit is the stuff of nightmares. I suppose he should know, so I'm going to step up the food stash a wee bit. I just can't find the article onnit, wondering if it has been quietly dropped behind the radiator by the BBC ..

Bigjenny

Here you are Mar


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-6014543/Brexit-stuff-nightmares--food-industry-boss-warns.html

mardatha

Stop Press from the farmer on the Scots weather forum:

Drought Summit being held in London today Wednesday between all the farm unions and Mr Gove today as most livestock farmers in the UK only have two thirds of their winter feeding requirements made so far this summer, lots of animals are being sent to slaughter early to reduce pressure on this feed which is already being fed in some fields as grass stops growing. We are supplementing too. Not only this, vegetables as well will be short this autumn as irrigation supplies are exhausted. At the risk of repeating myself food supplies will top politicians agendas this autumn not Brexit as large parts of the Northern Hemispheres food growing areas are suffering drought.

fuddle

The stuff that perfect storms are made out of. :cool:

Karmacat

Blimey. That's not good.


I've just looked at BBC weather for my town - the max. temperature doesn't go below 25 degrees till Thursday 9th, when its 23. So the really hot weather is back for me.

GreyQueen

Like lots of people with allotments here below the plimsoll line (aka the Sarf) the drought has been so severe that I've held off sowing any more seeds because I'm not able to dance attendance on the re watering and they'd just fry.


We've had some rain and now I am intending to see if I can find some niches (Plot2 is having heavy engineering done on the parts not under cultivation atm and not ready for sowing) and get some beetroots in and radishes and even try a few other bits and bobs as a catch crop.


B****t will co-incide with The Hungry Gap in our latitude, a hard physical reality which many moderns will not have heard of, not having been subject to the limitations of seasonal veg before. It will also be low season for fruit, with things like apples being shipped in from NZ and they have been pricey enough in the last year, never mind the future.


I think it would be prudent to gather such HG, windfall giveaway and foraged fruits as one can and store/ preserve. I am still eating autumn 2017's butternut squash and pumpkins, f'rinstance, and the new pumpkins are already forming on the vine.


ETA; Karmakat, pretty much the same here, will be pushing 30 on Friday, dipping slightly for a few days (i.e. about 24 c) and then rising again to the high twenties early next week. Am so glad I have the lottie frog pond up and running properly, I've been fretting about the poor little things roasting in their own skins.