Will life not go back to pre-covid 19? Is o/s the new way forward?

suki1964

herlig said:

Floss said:

Mrs LW, do you not have spuds, brocolli, carrots & onions of your own from your allotments? I appreciate it's too early for British blueberries, pears, peppers & cucumbers just yet.

The carrots have only just germinated, the broccoli doesn't go in the ground until June 1st when the first wave of root fly has lessened, the onions aren't even pencil thick yet and the sets aren't anywhere near bulbing stage. As for the spuds, there's a little leaf growth but really still needing protecting from the frost at night. Last night was particular worrisome for potato growers here. It's the hungry gap for those who grow their own. 

We have had two hard frosts this week, luckily only lost 2 potato plants. Funnily enough the cabbage survived

Have to admit we went in early this year, and have just thinned out the carrots. We only have a very short growing season up here and it really is hit and miss. We do well on berries and beans, but roots and brassicas well, as I say - hit or miss. Usually get sprouts, usually get carrots, beets and onions, well some years are better then others. Im attempting courgettes this year for the second time, last time we had a very wet summer and they just rotted

Fruit and Veg is definitely going to rocket, because we ( the great unwashed ) won't go and bring in the crops and we are going to rely more on imports. Those are going to cost more because they are going to have to come over on cargo planes only which will add to the cost as theres going to be very few passenger planes for a while

[Deleted User]

I wish I had confidence in there actually being imports to bring in, this wretched virus is world wide and every country has the same problem of dealing with it and I think, I may be wrong, that all harvests will be in the same situation of possibly not being harvested because of lack of the labour to do it. I think too that first port of call will be internal sales because every country will be missing imports from around the globe that they are normally getting.  Sorry to be 'Job's  comforter' but it's possible that if the virus is still running wild after the summer we'll have to look to our own farmers to feed us next winter and our own efforts from now on.  Be a squirrel, get preserving and put in as much as you all possibly can between now and the cold months ahead I feel we are going to need it.

helensbiggestfan

I think you are probably right Mrs L. I think what I will do is stock up on some non perishable staples, including cleaning materials and toiletries (although I'm not too badly off at the moment) so freeing up the budget for the inevitable price rises in whatever fruit and veg is available.  Try and grow a bit too.  I must admit I have noticed prices rising already.   Inevitable really.  

[Deleted User]

I know I've posted this before but there is a really useful website from a fantastic lady in the USA called 'Generations before us' written by G.Donna, the G being Grandma.  She and her husband Charles have turned their lives back to the simplicity of the 1940s and found all sorts of ways to do things and make things that give them freedom from reliance on modern day electricity.  They live in the warmer southern states so we in the UK can't do all they have (like having an outdoor shower facility in their lean to in the garden) but her philosophy in life of being as frugal and prepared for anything that happens including hurricanes and big storms where they live is inspirational.  Well worth a read as it's packed full of good practicalities in the archives.

herlig

It's buying in bulk all the way for me. A tip I picked up from my interest in the American Pioneer era is to put bay leaves in sacks of flour to repel bugs. I'm trying it as I have no real alternative. I have all flours in sacks of either 16 or 25kg now and quite twitchy at the prospect of losing them to bugs. 

[Deleted User]

We're maximising on what we can harvest this year and have cleared the flower beds except for fresh herbs that are established and yesterday we put in runner beans to climb over the arch over the gate in place of two old climbing roses, a double row of fine beans where there were old bulbs and there are  8 tomato plants some outdoor blight resistant ones and a couple of extras of gardeners delight and sun gold that we normally grow in the greenhouse that will dot in amongst the border plants.  We're using a growbag stood upright in the garden for a spare courgette plant too.  Tiny gardens don't necessarily have to be unproductive.  The hanging baskets this year are full of nasturtiums which are also edible, leaves, flowers for salads as they are like cresses and seed pods can be pickled and made into a caper replacement for winter store! 

elsien

herlig said:

It's buying in bulk all the way for me. A tip I picked up from my interest in the American Pioneer era is to put bay leaves in sacks of flour to repel bugs. I'm trying it as I have no real alternative. I have all flours in sacks of either 16 or 25kg now and quite twitchy at the prospect of losing them to bugs. 

Does that not make the flour taste of bay? I've just cut my bay tree back so have lots of leaves but they are very pungent even when dried. 

[Deleted User]

If you think the bay leaves are too fragrant to actually store IN the flour they should be as effective if you stood the bags of flour on the dried leaves in the store cupboard and maybe a bunch of bay hung from the ceiling in the larder cupboard would be a help too.  I love the smell of bay and would not object if the flour did have that as a background fragrance in anything I made with it, it used to be used as a flavouring for custards.

suki1964

herlig said:

It's buying in bulk all the way for me. A tip I picked up from my interest in the American Pioneer era is to put bay leaves in sacks of flour to repel bugs. I'm trying it as I have no real alternative. I have all flours in sacks of either 16 or 25kg now and quite twitchy at the prospect of losing them to bugs. 

With just the three of us, whilst I do keep stocks, I couldn't justify buying such large amounts of flour. Just before lockdown looked like it was coming, I thought things might start getting tight so stocked up on a few bags of each, put them in the freezer for 2 days then stored them in air tight containers. I had weevils last year, a packet of flour not in a container, they were everywhere. Still it made me sort out my dried goods store and am more on top of the chaos. 

I will just have to be vigilant and keep an eye on what's happening in the shops and buy as and when I see things. We had some good news yesterday, Mr S's self employment grant was confirmed so that will be with us next week so I can loosen the purse strings a bit and buy a few extras plus I can always get carrots, turnips, onions, parsnips and spuds from work FOC and I always take the broccoli stems and cauliflower hearts home for soup and stir fry We sell the florets, the "waste' goes for animal feed so its not stealing, just repurposing

Rowan9

Really good news re your DH Suki.