What did you eat today that you grew, made, caught, dried/pickled or bought locally?

Yes It was very heavy work carrying corn on the threshing days,I did it for 9 years,first started when I was 16,the first farm I was on we did 8/9 days per year and he was a very good farmer and we grew good crops,we could average 80 to 100 quarters per day (2 bags to a quarter) plus the bags of rubbish,( 2 men did this ). When I moved to the second farm we averaged 6 to 7 days and turned out around 70 to 80 quarters a day.Then you sometimes were asked to go to help out at the farms next door and for this the got a thank you of 2shillings or 2shillings and 6 pence extra for the day on top of your wage.No Mr Elf and safety in them days I was told your now 16 that's 1 stone for every year of your life get on with it our clear of home.

 

Tell me about American Cress, it is not known here on the Coast - possibly too hot or something. I would think of building a high pool on my pond hill for circulating water as a cress pool if it was viable, I keep that small pump (17w) going for my bio-fliter anyway.

Shiney, a Market Stall? I would love to hear about that. And thankyou all for your tales of your youth on farms, tell us more stories. Those barefoot pictures make me cringe a bit thinking of Bilharzia, so sad, so much suffering in the world. And what is that man carrying in those baskets?

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a disease caused by parasitic worms. Although the worms that cause schistosomiasis are not found in the United States, more than 200 million people are infected worldwide. In terms of impact this disease is second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease. Schistosomiasis is considered one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

All I had was my blackberry jam that I grew and made - not great, but OK. The berries were picked a bit early because the beasts would eat them all if I let get fully sweet and soft.

""Eight stone (1cwt) was enough for me - but I was doing that from the age of eleven. ""!!!

 

Honey yummee I purchase mine from the local from farmers market.
I enjoy it with table spoon in a glass,squeeze of fresh lemon topped up with hot water ,and a good measure of whisky

 

Don't grow in water, also known as Land Cress. You plant it late summer, it comes into it's own in the winter, one of the few things that'll keep growing.

Nice and peppery big roseattes of leaves, i'll take a pic in the morning

 

Ere you go

 

Whisky.........mmmmm. I had to give up drinking a few years ago when I lost the constant use of my feet and the resulting idleness meant I was becoming a lush. I miss it every day - but not enough to drink again. But if I did; wine making, weird fruit and veg beers, I would make all that. I think I would have even have made that illegal still I would have liked (I have a good bit of chemistry) for odd brandies and vodkas.......but so it goes. Life is a long slogging march to death and we keeping loosing bits on the way.

Now if you were young you would be selling pirated computer games and dodgy phone sim cards on-line. Or that is probably past too. Even fencing stolen TV's is ending with their cheapness and constant updating. Burglars really are being squeezed.

But back to topic....noting really but a few dried veg in the daily pre-dinner soup and one slice of toast with jam. I really, really, have to buy that goat. We are getting to where buying meat is becoming a bit un-aesthetic. The odd shiny look of it compared to the long ago red, dry fresh meat look from a butchers, the plastic wrapping, epically the vacuumed tubs that scream of artificial long life saline and other additives and mega processing/warehousing, the chemicals agri-business use at every stage, and finally the life and death mass produced animals have (which is not unacceptable but....).... We need to buy a grass fed animal and butcher it. I am a pretty good butcher and have a goat lined up but just keep putting it off because the guy will not let me shoot it on his property so I will have to bring it here. That is the only problem; because I wold have to handle and transport it - so get to know it that tiny bit.

 

Today's stuff, home made bread, home made Medlar jelly, home made leek and potato soup with more home made Ciabata bread. Dinner Pheasant from the nearby estate, carrots cauliflower, spouts and parsnip mash. Followed by Apple purée and Cherry and bought in Soya Cream. All the Veg and fruit home grown. Fairly normal day for us too!

 

That is impressive. Why not dairy cream? I have never tried soy dairy replacements. How is the price of the pheasant? How did you cook it? I would love to have some game again.

I catch lots of fish and had that last night, with my endless Siberian Kale - which I keep boiling instead of getting more creative; which I need to do because I have tons of it!

 

I am Lactose intolerant so no Dairy produce at all for me (and since I cannot have the real thing I refuse to eat substitutes so no margarine or such line spreads either).
The pheasant cost us a couple of jars of Jostaberry Jam to the Gamekeeper. We cook it in the slow cooker, allow it to go cold and skim off the fat(my wife has a genetic problem with cholesterol) and it is then re-heated thoroughly for serving.
Today was really bad, we had visitors so except for the bread and jam at breakfast, everything was bought in. Terrible really. Tomorrow will be better, apart from the Smoked salmon.