Food

[JCP]

12 minutes ago, kj35 said:

Do you compost ?

 

I compost using red wigglers and the Urban Worm Bag. Not only do the worms break down waste super fast, but the result is high quality worm castings.

The flow-through design makes it really easy too. Load waste in the top and harvest castings from the bottom.

 

https://shop.urbanwormcompany.com/

 

[Tinfoil Hat]

I've just got a tiny back yard. I've just started digging the overgrown patch out and clearing all my pots (mainly of weeds) and preparing to replace everything with fruit & veg. I already have herbs out there and some strawberries. Late in the year, but better late than never.

 

Just bought a small rotating drum composter and ordered a semi dwarf Braeburn but am planning to grow mainly from seed so it's mainly prep ready to make the most of it next year 

 

I'm excited to have made the decision after initially feeling it wasn't worth it. I had an allotment years ago but had to give it up due to health and work commitments and I miss that fresh, vibrant food.

 

Your enthusiasm in this thread has inspired me to get my finger out.

[eddy64]

yes its nice to potter about in the garden on a fine day, good for the mental health and also fun at least to me.

[Golden Retriever]

On 6/19/2020 at 3:49 PM, kj35 said:

It makes me think it's like a flag to those in the know. Ie " prepare " we've moved to the next stage and you have a 3 year window before no meat...worldwide droughts etc.  It's like they do it small-scale but enough to be noticed then pull back so the masses stop worrying about it and preparing but it's enough of a signal to the other elites .

 

"Fuck the New World Order"

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by Golden Retriever

[Tinfoil Hat]

At the weekend I found some trays of 6 x strawberry plants in The Range that were mainly dead from neglect, so I switched the plants in a tray to select ones that looked like like they'd a chance of surviving and haggled with staff so got them for £2.50.

 

I stripped the dead bits & planted them up with some root booster and 2 days later they look happy and healthy.

 

Has anyone tried the little blackberries that can grow in pots? I love berries but have no experience with blackberries so wondered if anyone can recommend a variety (I've seen Black Cascade & Little Black Prince) please?

 

I'm all for foraging from the wild in principle but many years ago, my parents and neighbours were harvesting some mushrooms they'd found until one day my Dad found the council spraying them. He asked what they were using, and they said paraquat! 

[Storm in the garden]

First off, I love the "Fuck the NWO" poster. Anyone know where I can get one?

 

Secondly, when I had a rest away from the site for a while I was surprised at how little activity there was on this thread when I returned. It appears that most are more interested in meteor strikes, aliens, magnetic pole shifts etc. and don't appear to think that food is "sexy" enough of a topic? 

People need to realize that you can't do anything about the above but you can about food? It's obvious that the whole food supply chain is under constant threat and that without food you will die, it's that simple. 

I suppose it's easier to just sit at a keyboard and talk about abstract possibilities than it is to actually do the real physical stuff. Just don't show up at my door in the future hoping to swop your theories for my bag of potatoes.

 

And just a couple of observations for the few who are interested in the real world, boring stuff.

5 years ago I could see problems coming down the line, and even though I didn't know the specifics of it I started putting some long life food by for a 'rainy day'.

Well time flies as they say, and some of that canned food I thought at the time expired in the far distant future I've discovered yesterday is expiring now (or soon)? 

In other words it's time to start eating (and replacing with new stock!) that initial food reserve, which means I'm going to be eating a lot of tuna over the summer and tinned stew this winter. So if you also prepared for shortages maybe best to check what you have and move the short date stuff to a place where you'll see it and use it?

Tip: Get a permanent marker and write the BB year (25 or 27 etc. on the top of the tin/jar so it's easier to spot and organize.

 

I know I talked about this before but pak choi is an amazing vegetable, seeds easy to propagate, grows quickly and in any weather, no maintenance and no digging. Just remove leaves as needed and it will continue producing, and at the end of the season provides tons of seeds for the following year. There's no excuse for anyone not to be growing this as all you need are a few small/medium plant pots and some soil (and maybe some sort of tray underneath to keep it well watered)

I boiled it for the first time this week (well simmered for about 7 minutes actually) and it was delicious.

And for anyone struggling with the rising cost of food....

I had the boiled pak choi (free) with a 213g tin of wild pacific salmon ( €1.35 in Aldi) which provided over 40g of protein and lots of fibre which equates to 30% the cost of a McDonalds crappy happy meal?

Double the protein and 30% of the cost, it's a no brainer really isn't it?

 

[Storm in the garden]

2 hours ago, Tinfoil Hat said:

At the weekend I found some trays of 6 x strawberry plants in The Range that were mainly dead from neglect, so I switched the plants in a tray to select ones that looked like like they'd a chance of surviving and haggled with staff so got them for £2.50.

 

I stripped the dead bits & planted them up with some root booster and 2 days later they look happy and healthy.

 

Has anyone tried the little blackberries that can grow in pots? I love berries but have no experience with blackberries so wondered if anyone can recommend a variety (I've seen Black Cascade & Little Black Prince) please?

 

I'm all for foraging from the wild in principle but many years ago, my parents and neighbours were harvesting some mushrooms they'd found until one day my Dad found the council spraying them. He asked what they were using, and they said paraquat! 

 

Sorry I can't help on the blackberry question. I have wild blackberry bushes bordering my field and I know nothing is ever sprayed there so I just pick them when in season? However I too like berries and have a bit of experience of what grows well and what doesn't in the Irish climate?

Raspberries grow like crazy here. I planted a few canes a couple of years ago (in the ground not in pots) and they're shooting up all over the place, and right now I'm picking a jar of raspberries every day (and freezing most of them). 

Blackcurrant bushes grow really well here too. 

I'm growing Alpine strawberries in a small raised bed and they produce lots of small ( about half the size of a grape) fruit.

The one failure I've had is with blueberries. I've tried a number of times in different soil etc. but they just don't seem to be a success. Maybe they need more sunshine than Ireland can provide.

Anyway I know it doesn't directly answer your question just thought I'd let you know what works for me in case you're in a similar climate?  

[Tinfoil Hat]

I love blackcurrants and gooseberries and rhubarb but have very little space, so will get to grips with more every day veg first then look into growing those in pots if feasible if space allows.

 

Thanks for the tips - my mum's tried growing blueberries a few times without success and she's very green fingered so I'll leave those at the bottom of my list for now.

[Storm in the garden]

7 minutes ago, Tinfoil Hat said:

I love blackcurrants and gooseberries and rhubarb but have very little space, so will get to grips with more every day veg first then look into growing those in pots if feasible if space allows.

 

Thanks for the tips - my mum's tried growing blueberries a few times without success and she's very green fingered so I'll leave those at the bottom of my list for now.

 

Well I'd definitely steer clear of the blueberries in that case. I have one bush out of 4 that looks like it will produce about a dozen berries, but nothing else.

I tried gooseberries but they were attacked by some insect (name escapes me) that eats all the leaves and just leaves a stem, so I don't bother with them now.

The rhubarb plant was very productive but the problem now is that it's sharing it's space with the raspberries and the raspberries are winning that battle, so the rhubarb is losing out. Maybe it will make a comeback when I cut back the raspberry canes when they're finished producing. I already got a crop from the rhubarb earlier this year so my preference now is collecting raspberries.

Anyway, keep up the growing. It's a learning curve for us all to figure out what works best and involves it's fair share of victories and defeats. 

[Bombadil]

9 hours ago, Storm in the garden said:

It's a learning curve for us all to figure out what works best and involves it's fair share of victories and defeats. 

Never a true sentence spoken! For every failure I’ve had, I’ve had another success.

At least we will be able to provide some food for our loved ones if needed. And it certainly seems it will be

[TheConsultant]

On 6/30/2022 at 9:50 PM, kj35 said:

The storing of seeds is something I would like to learn more about. 

Storing and sowing seeds after being exposed to one side of a singular magnet can help yield far more healthy produce. That is a seed tip I can give you.



Magnetic field regulates plant functions, growth and enhances tolerance against environmental stresses
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6745571/

Magnetic field effects on plant growth, development, and evolution
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4154392/ 
 

Exposure of maize seeds to stationary magnetic fields: Effects on germination and early growth

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098847205001711
 

Works for any seed, give it a try. Each magnetic pole has a different effect  Try a patch without exposure and one with (if you have the space of course)

[Storm in the garden]

J

 

Just emptied my first planter weighing in at 2kg. Not bad for two supermarket bought potatoes which had gone to seed?

Only another 37 planters to go most of which still have some growing to do, but if they're all similar to this one they would yield around 76kg or 167.5 pounds of spuds

From the last of the harvest I'll save some and hopefully they'll become next years seed potatoes, along with all the other seeds I'll be gathering from this year.

Sorry Klaus but I don't think I'll be needing "ze bugs" just yet? 

[Tinfoil Hat]

They look very impressive. Yummy! Mashed potatoes may not light many people's fire but it's been my favourite thing since I was weaned., and they look really good. 

 

With being so late planting I've been very fortunate with this weather. It's less than 2 weeks since I put a few seeds in, and there are raddishes coming through (expected) but also a small crop for winter showing through of turnips, carrots, kholrabi, beetroot, chard and spinach, none of which did I expect to see evidence of for a few weeks yet.

 

I put in 20 strawberry plants and have partially buried 9 runners off them which hopefully will root. I could have planted more of the runners if I'd had the space.

 

Am getting some herbs and microgreens started in the house this weekend. 

 

[Mitochondrial Eve]

I appreciate this may be old news for some, but I think it is worth a post for those not aware of "community fridges".

 

Having recently moved, I have started receiving a local bulletin through the letterbox. A few months ago the local community fridge was featured and, as luck would have it, it was running that same morning so I thought I would pop along. I have been bowled over at how amazing it is and have picked up a wide range of perishable items which would otherwise go to waste. I am not in dire circumstances so I arrive later to let those more in need go first.

 

I have had all sort of vegetables, fruit, potatoes, fresh herbs, spices, doughnuts / cookies, scones, croissants, chestnuts, prawns, scallops, fish cakes, organic mince, chicken, lamb, cheese, fuet, black pudding, ready meals, sandwiches, salads, flowers and a poinsettia plant. Bread is always guaranteed and much of it is sourdough or speciality. Vegan and vegetarian food is usually available too as presumably these aren't popular. I typically find the items are high end, with Waitrose and M&S included, and probably haven't been bought because of the price tag.

 

They only ask for a small optional donation. My nearest fridge runs three times per week and I attend on a once weekly basis. I have saved an awful amount of money yet the volunteers consider attendees are doing a service to the community.

 

It may be that I am particularly lucky with the (well established) fridge that is local to me and that there are at least three services I could easily get to. I live in a suburban area and perhaps a busier inner city community fridge, or those situated in more deprived areas, would be less generous. When I mentioned it to my dad, we were only able to find one fridge within his part of his county so it seems that there is some disparity as to how well served areas are.

[DaleP]

Welcome back @Mitochondrial Eve We missed you.

[LastOneLeftInTheCounty]

On 7/6/2022 at 11:36 AM, Tinfoil Hat said:

I love blackcurrants and gooseberries and rhubarb but have very little space, so will get to grips with more every day veg first then look into growing those in pots if feasible if space allows.

 

Thanks for the tips - my mum's tried growing blueberries a few times without success and she's very green fingered so I'll leave those at the bottom of my list for now.

 

On 7/6/2022 at 12:00 PM, Storm in the garden said:

 

Well I'd definitely steer clear of the blueberries in that case. I have one bush out of 4 that looks like it will produce about a dozen berries, but nothing else.

I tried gooseberries but they were attacked by some insect (name escapes me) that eats all the leaves and just leaves a stem, so I don't bother with them now.

The rhubarb plant was very productive but the problem now is that it's sharing it's space with the raspberries and the raspberries are winning that battle, so the rhubarb is losing out. Maybe it will make a comeback when I cut back the raspberry canes when they're finished producing. I already got a crop from the rhubarb earlier this year so my preference now is collecting raspberries.

Anyway, keep up the growing. It's a learning curve for us all to figure out what works best and involves it's fair share of victories and defeats. 

Have you tried ericaceous compost to grow your blueberries in? They love acid. 
If not try top dressing the remaining plants with used coffee grounds and fresh, un composted manure, should give them an acid boost. 
 

Or water in some very dilute white vinegar every now and then, I mean a really small amount.

 

Trying to grow artichokes this year, although they won’t produce flowers till next season. Also kohl rabi, romanesco, carrots, red onions, peas, Maris piper, chervil, rocket, spring onions, beetroot, cabbage, sweetcorn, heritage toms, and hundreds of borlotti beans collected from last year, had to stop adding them to stews in winter so I could have plants this year! 
 

Im not sure what happened but the borlotti pods were massive last year, maybe because I grew them next to Enorma runner beans the year before which might have resulted in some interesting cross pollination- Enorma Borlotti. They do taste greener and have lost that deep savoury flavour that borlotti is known for, but yields are insane. Oh well, guess it’s quantity not quality this year! 

[Mitochondrial Eve]

In 2019, Sainsburys produced a Future of Food Report and, although not exactly current news, I haven't seen this report before.

 

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/~/media/Files/S/Sainsburys/pdf-downloads/futureoffood-10c.pdf

 

Reminiscent of other scenarios planning such as Event 201 and SPARS, it sets out what life will be like for us, when it comes to food, in 2025, 2050 and 2169. Sainsburys are absolutely on board with the agenda to phase out meat, introduce lab grown meat (of which "grow your own" might become an option), provide so-called "sustainable" alternatives such as insects, personal robot assistants, drone deliveries, microchips and neural laces where our genetic, health and situational data will be stored and analysed. Rather than preparing and eating meals, the vision is that "personalised nutrition could also be delivered to us via implants or on-skin patches, providing us with exact daily needs of micro-nutrients".

 

 

Scenario 2025

 

Quote

It’s the May day bank holiday weekend and the sun is shining in Leeds.

 

Julia has just returned home to her parents from  university in London where she is studying her degree in eco-health. Tomorrow is her mother’s 60th birthday and she’s planning to cook a meal for all the family. She opens up her meal planner app and asks it to update the quantities for seven, taking into account her sister’s gluten intolerance, her brother’s love of Italian and her grandparents’ MIND diet - designed to prevent dementia and loss of brain function as you age.

 

She smiles gleefully at the thought of showing her dad that the entirely vegan meal has surpassed daily recommended nutrition guidelines. Secretly
he would prefer to eat steak, but she’s determined that the whole family follow a more flexitarian diet.

 

The app alerts her that the order has been placed at the local supermarket, and will be ready for collection at 1pm. At the supermarket, Julia makes her way to the pick-up point through the vegetable area. Micro greens are lapping up the LED light and water softly dripping across the hydroponic shelving stack growing leafy vegetables all year round.

On the way back, she briefly stops by the supermarket’s kitchen demo area to see a workshop led by her local healthcare centre. The former local doctor, who has become something of a celebrated community chef, is stirring a sizzling wok of moringa leaves while discussing its suitability to help manage diabetes, as well as benefits for those lacking in essential nutrients. Julia knows from her studies that there is a huge amount of research going into growing moringa as a global crop, which can be ground and made into a low-glycemic, high-nutrient alternative to flour.

Back in the kitchen, she sets out the ingredients. On the menu are a root vegetable soup with seaweed and hemp seeds, bread made with a dash of lichen, a recent addition to the supermarket shelves, as well as Nana’s favourite: locally brewed herbal kombucha, which she loves because ‘nothing else keeps her quite as regular’.

 

Scenario 2050

 

Quote

It's Tuesday, 12 July 2050.

 

Julia, who now lives in Cornwall, greets a regular customer. It’s Mr Walker. The local councillor comes to the facility every week to select cuts for his family dinner and watch the meat being printed out.

Her business, which offers a range of environmentally friendly proteins, really took off after the decline of abattoirs in the UK in the 2040s. Alongside cultured meat, she offers jellyfish, seaweed and algae, sometimes fresh, but mostly dried and prepared on site and sold as pastas, flakes and powders.

At one end of the property is a farm, cultivating plants that will provide the growth serum in which cells are developed. At the other, giant meat-growing vats lead to a small conveyor belt where the meat is “assembled” with 3D printing technology. The artisan factory has a number of its own robots and the only humans involved in the process walk between the belts performing quality control. Her customers really value the complete transparency of the whole process. The whole process is visible to them, both digitally and physically - even the walls are made from a durable, flexible glass!

After saying goodbye to Mr Walker, Julia receives an alert on her personal robot assistant that links her to real-time data about some marine stocks that are due to come in later that week. She will be able to prepare some customer offers, promoting the ocean area the stock comes from and the fishermen who harvested it.

 

Scenario 2169

 

Quote

It’s 10.00am, Monday 3 April 2169, 150 years from now.

 

Jill (Julia’s granddaughter) feels a vibration in her wrist. She taps her skin twice to switch off the alarm, which notifies her nutrition drip to prepare her breakfast shot, which was dispatched last night from Sainsbury’s in preparation. Today is the 50-year anniversary of Drawdown, the first mission of robotic farmers to resuscitate the desert, triggering a chain of global rebalancing that reversed climate change.

Jill blinks right to the latest news and closes her eyes to watch the report. The famous scene with the autonomous arm laying the first layer of soil on baking sand, the temperature of the air too hot for humans, fill her with wonder at one of the major feats of humankind.

 

In the last 50 years, communities around the world have worked tirelessly to re-introduce the plants and vegetables that were once indigenous to their regions. These ‘stewards of the land’ have done much to understand the language of nature so as to develop a circular life within planetary boundaries. Waste wasn’t just eliminated, it is a word no longer in use. Jill is interrupted by Hal-Lo, who administers her intravenous breakfast, before she gets ready for her day.

The local community outside of Leeds, where Jill’s ancestors lived as far back as 2019, are planning a social eating experience to celebrate. The committee has been planning the major and micro tastes and textures for some weeks, sourcing the ingredients from both its own supply of vegetables and grains as well as local bio-reactors and culture farms. Despite this technological shifts, the celebration of food continues to be a celebration of life.

 

Within the same breath of promoting "stewards of the land" who "understand the language of nature", the report also envisions that mankind will be administering their breakfast intravenously... I couldn't think of a greater inversion of what is organic and natural.

 

To close their futuristic vision off, a little gaslighting is in order too. "Trust us brothers and sisters - it's not dystopian in any way, shape or form".

 

Quote

Contrary to the dystopian future drained of humanity that is imagined by many, the combined force of Personalised Optimisation and Farming Impossible Environments carve a path for how we can cut food waste, bring deserts back to life and celebrate our humanity through the act of eating. This will bring about a renaissance of planet Earth by reconnecting to our environment, and to each other.

 

I sincerely hope there is still some spark in humanity that realises you cannot polish a turd and that a renaissance is not on offer here.

Edited November 28, 2024 by Mitochondrial Eve