Food prices - Scaremongering? (Warning - Potential Political Content!)

Sheep are the destroyers of nature. They eat everything. Its why the North Yorks Moors National Park and many areas like it are just brown wasteland when once they were forest.

Its also worth noting that methane is 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2, and most of that methane comes from farming certain animals.

Then there's feeding the animals. Grazing them alone is in most cases not enough when raising animals for slaughter, as the goal is to get as much weight on as fast as possible. In the most extreme case I know of, large areas of rain forest have been cleared to grow soya beans to be processed into cattle feed.

Don't get me wrong, I eat meat, but its not exactly eco the way animals are farmed nowadays.

 

Once Again, Mum, You Write Wisdom. (Caps intended.)

I have changed my diet from nearly all meat to very little meat with almost no red. With my planned p/t, I'm aiming towards what has been called the 80% raw diet. I think I should get there in a few years.

For those who are interested: apparently we need so little meat - like the size of a pack of playing cards per week. My interest in Monastery work also revealed they eat meat only on one day a week and by itself. Other sources indicate that to eat veg and meat separately allows the body to digest more efficently and you feel better for it. Of course, it's all contentious and arguable. But I find it pleases me and my diet and health has improved. It's a case of finding what works for you - but I digress!

e2a: Clueless - I bred rabbits and chickens a few years ago for a community/group of disabled people on *very* low incomes. That was good. The animals had the best, free-range life and they ate home-grown food. It had to stop as it had my DW in big tears each time "harvest" came around, but I was able to shift the production to another member.

 

That was called post-war Britain, FC: the introduction of council housing and gardens which were big enough to grow your own in (which was still considered a high priority).

Usher in a grotesque rise in commercialism and materialism and your Wimpy houses sprung up with pocket hankerchief yards (running in tandem with an open door immigration policy requiring more and more housing and less and less space to do it in!) People no longer *needed* to grow their own because it was now in abundance and now it was cheap and getting cheaper by the minute ... thank you Mr Sucrose, Mrs Additives et al.

Adam Smith may not have been quite so clever afterall

 

@FC - Yes - too few, too expensive and not nearly available enough. There must be a business case to present where profitable products can support/subsidise more 'exclusive' products rather than the other way round where the prices of profitable products are increased yet further to 'support' non-profitable or niche products.

I'd love to see the likes of us - here right now - using our gardens to sell or barter our foodstuff - how cool would that be?

(As it happens, later in the year I will be offering the members here free seeds, slips, etc, and a whole host of other stuff but they will have to pay (strictly only) the postage, as I am zero-cost.)

Post-war values? I see it happening. You watch over the next 5 years. It might not be exactly so, but some great life-style tips and treats will come by again. It's a shame we let go of them. For my money, my TV licence fee should support Public Broadcasts of this nature.

e2a: I meant to say about seasonal and imported veg - it's a shame we have so much air-miles veg. Different veg has different food values and we will benefit from the range of indigineous veg grown in our back gardens. Over the year we get all we need - so great post, FC. I love your style!

 

Well, clearly it *could* fat controller .... if another war broke out (and this one most likely civil!)

And a war could easily break out if favouritism is exhibited when tagging one person and leaving the other out (Favouritism!)

 

Maris Piper, £1.90 6 months ago, now £2.50.

Going to UP my order and grow more, also going to double up on Beans and Brassicas.

Dig for victory? hell no, dig to live?

Getting more chickens too, any surplus eggs we get, we'll sell, non productive hens we'll eat!

Will be saving a lot more seed too!

 

Ireland is already practising "exchange and barter " on a quite significant scale. The Inland Revenue Department is struggling and the Government is reviewing the state pension criteria in earnest. There are fewer and fewer young in the country as many have left for pastures new and their tax collection structure is somewhat flimsy. I must agree Kevin, the next 5 years are going to be rocky,
Jenny

 

I keep chickens and ducks and I often give away the eggs for free. In response, some of the recipients have: supplied my birds with surplus vegetables; moved fences/erected trellis; supplied empties for my bottle garden (to name but a few things). So, yes, "bartering" is a great way to go; in the old days though, it was called "neighbourlyness"

I attended a course last year on how to cull and dress ducks and rabbits because I was very keen to begin eating just rabbit and duck meat; even took my 18yo son with me so there were two of us to meet the task. That plan has been put on the back burner now because we got a rescue dog in October (with a *very* strong prey drive ); so, while I continue with the hens and ducks, they are for eggs only and it wouldn't be fair to expose rabbits to my dog or vice versa. One day!

 

Oh, okay then .... I adore you (and your dish washer knowledge )

 

Chickens? Older egg-laying hens are tough old birds. you will need to broil them. (Experience talking here.)
Potatoes! Roosters were 99p a bag now they're £2.50 for the same weight and that's just in less than 12 months.

FC - I'll take you at your word. If anyone wants some 1st year Strawberry plants (rooted) let me know via pm and I'll post you some to the value of stamps you send me. Older (and more yielding plants) will have to wait until later this year.

e2a: To Mum - Thank you, dear. Really.

 

Have you talked Mrs Vince around? (Did you go on a course, Vince? )