The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

RAS

boazu
You could also consider growing some of the "spices" including mustard, fennel and coriander seed, in some areas cumin and fenugreek? Ginger will grow from purchased roots, and lemon grass from seed but takes time and patience.

James Wong did a book on oriental herbs and spices that's worth reading, a number of them are sold in the UK as houseplants. I'm not into fish sauce anyway, so will give houttuynia a miss but others might like it.

[Deleted User]

We tried coriander when we were in Hampshire and also things like okra, tomatillos, aubergines in the polytunnel and it's not even warm enough down at that end of the country to properly get enough for a crop, just the odd one or one meals worth of herbs, we're up in Gloucestershire now and it's less warm and wetter so I'm not sure any of the exotics would thrive here, however, fennel is a really good idea to go into my herb patch and ginger to grow in pots in the garden room on the window sill is also a good idea.  We have lots of pots of small mild chillies growing on and garlic on the plot and I have bay, mint, lemon balm, chives, sage, thyme, rosemary and oregano growing happily in the garden, mustard is relatively easy to get as it's available in powder form from our village wholefood shop and keeps forever but grows here in the UK.  What I'd like is to not rely on imports but try for UK grown things I have more chance of finding year round.  Obviously the exotic spices will have to be bought as I'm sure our climate will never grow pepper, capers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace, turmeric or the bulk of things that grow in the tropics and I'll try to adapt the recipes I find we like to those flavourings we can grow or get because they grow in the UK.  Makes a certain sense to me not to rely too much on the rest of the world to supply us but rather eat local if we can.

greenbee

I don't have a problem with coriander in Hampshire - I get plenty for what I need to cook if I sow every few weeks. Fennel I grow for the bulbs and use the fronds for salads. 

Bear in mind that a vegan lifestyle requires a good understanding of nutrition when you transition into it - in order to get the right amino acids to replace complete proteins you need both a pulse and a grain. Alternatively you can use UK-grown seeds such as millet, quinoa, hemp and buckwheat. Lentils are also grown in the UK, and you can even get UK-grown turmeric although it has to be grown in polytunnels. 

According to the results of  the PREDICT nutrition studies, we should be eating 30+ (different) plants a week to support our microbiome, the health of which appears to be the biggest indicator of overall health. The papers are paywalled, but there's plenty of PR out there at the moment about it (these results were published last June).

I'm very wary of 'fake meats' although some of the newer ones seem to be an improvement. However, things like Quorn count as ultra-processed foods which a. aren't good from a prepping perspective, as they'll be impacted by supply chain/manufacturing constraints and b. aren't good from a health perspective (or an environmental one). 

So from a prepping perspective, growing variety, and preserving in a way that generates 'live' cultures such as sauerkraut, live yogurt, kefir, kombuchu and kimchi is the way to go to maximise the health benefits. And hopefully make the food more interesting!

VJsmum

GB - thanks for that.  I'm also very wary of 'fake' meats.  i'd rather eat vegetable, bean and pulse dishes if i were  to become veggie. (I eat only a little meat but my one foray into vegetarianism did not end well and i had severe mental health issues.  it may be a coincidence, it may be that i wasn't balancing it all correctly, but it was enough to warn me off.).  DD eats a lot of quorn and such like and i'm sure she isn't doing it all correctly either and that it is contributing to her mental health issues - but she won't be told.

Floss

I always had great success with aubergines and peppers on my allotment, granted they were in a polycarb-clad greenhouse but living on the Lancashire coast wasn't always sunny. I also had a good crop of peppers outside last year in my Cheshire garden.
Fennel is really easy to grow - either the annual bulb or perennial form look beautiful at the end of summer, and I would leave a couple of plants with their seed heads unharvested for the birds who love them.
@greenbee is tofu a better option for meat replacement?

greenbee

VJs - I always find reading the ingredients on things puts me off, hence my preference for cooking from scratch. And not buying many cosmetics. It probably saves me a fortune. I'm not sure what to suggest for your DD - after all, she's likely to be resistant to anything suggested by her mum   If she's into cooking, or environmental issues, or concerns around chemical exposure then there are probably books/magazines you could buy and leave lying around. It's always about finding the thing that will motivate someone themselves - just like with giving up drink/drugs/alcohol (and frankly, I'm pretty sure most ultra-processed foods should be classified as drugs).

Lunch here has been radish thinnings (including leaves, a few salad leaves the pigeons left me, tomatoes (from the milkman), cucumber (veg box) and spinach falafels. Dressing is yogurt/ wholegrain mustard/olive oil. 

@Floss - tofu is a traditional food in asia, so while there are issues around plant oestrogens (depending on what stage you're at in life) with high soy consumption, and obviously a need to check for non-GM status and the environmental impact of production, nutritionally it's a good option as part of a balanced diet (and counts as a plant). I have smoked tofu in salad, or us it in traybakes (my favourite way of cooking as it minimises washing up!). 

MrsCD

@VJsmum, thanks for the information. I can't eat Quorn as it aggravates my irritable bladder. I also can't tolerate anything remotely spicy or ground pepper. My foods would be classed as very bland by some, but I think I appreciate the taste of the fruits and vegetables particularly, more than others would. It made life interesting when we went out for meals in the past, as some places don't understand that no pepper really means absolutely no pepper! I was once extremely ill on holiday because of it!

GaleSF63

boazu said:

We tried coriander when we were in Hampshire and also things like okra, tomatillos, aubergines in the polytunnel and it's not even warm enough down at that end of the country to properly get enough for a crop, just the odd one or one meals worth of herbs, we're up in Gloucestershire now and it's less warm and wetter so I'm not sure any of the exotics would thrive here, however, fennel is a really good idea to go into my herb patch and ginger to grow in pots in the garden room on the window sill is also a good idea.  We have lots of pots of small mild chillies growing on and garlic on the plot and I have bay, mint, lemon balm, chives, sage, thyme, rosemary and oregano growing happily in the garden, mustard is relatively easy to get as it's available in powder form from our village wholefood shop and keeps forever but grows here in the UK.  What I'd like is to not rely on imports but try for UK grown things I have more chance of finding year round.  Obviously the exotic spices will have to be bought as I'm sure our climate will never grow pepper, capers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace, turmeric or the bulk of things that grow in the tropics and I'll try to adapt the recipes I find we like to those flavourings we can grow or get because they grow in the UK.  Makes a certain sense to me not to rely too much on the rest of the world to supply us but rather eat local if we can.

Pickled nasturtium seeds are a good substitute for capers. 

[Deleted User]

Got some in the cupboard I made last year...pretty tasty aren't they? I'm using home dehydrated herbs I made last year and keep in a dark cupboard in sealed screw cap jars, they've kept their flavour and colour  really well too.  Like nasturtiums very much I love the peppery flavour of the leaves and the flowers being edible do much to cheer up green salads .  I like the idea of edible flowers and primroses, violets, honeysuckle flowers, rose petals (with the white base off), tiny pansies, marigold petals all look spectacular as a garnish so are worth growing to eat as well as for making the garden pretty. Borage flowers too! 

-taff

Ive been trying to grow aubergines for years in Wiltshire, in a greenhouse as well as out. When you only get two or three aubergines from each plant it just seems a complete waste of time and compost to me. My family in Italy send me pictures of their veg sometimes and I could really weep at the size of them, everything seems supercharged, the basil has leaves the size of your palm, the tomatoes just turn into Seymour bushes, and the aubergines are hanging off the plant like a bunch of grapes...I have mediterannean country envy...