Allotments 4 All

Quote from: Eristic on January 11, 2009, 19:36:46
I'm not going to vote because the question is too ambiguous but I am 100% self-sufficient in flowers, about 90/95% sufficient in veg, 60% or so with fruit and 0% with meat milk and eggs.

I was implying vegetables as the main question.

No one is going to be self sufficient in fruit unless they don't eat bananas or oranges etc.

From your answer you are in the "100% / almost totally self sufficient"  :)

I tend to agree with Ant.

Did the question mean frehly picked produce? and does frozen produce count in the reply.

Basically I can pick something fresh out of allotment for around 10 months of the year which I would consider 75% self sufficient but when I fetch frozen stuff into the equation I am 100% self sufficient.

This doesn't mean we don't buy fresh veg from the greengrocer. We buy things here that either I don't grow or I have run out of my own produce.

So yes! the question could be looked upon as being ambiguous!

within a context of vegetables we're about 50% self sufficient, but that varies by season and harvest.
I reckon we'll make it through til end of march with potatoes and onions (not red), we've still got leeks, and some cabbage, and plenty of beans in the freezer. We've also got garlic and shallots, and when the ground thaws enough for me to dig them out JA's which we don't like so I'll be giving them away.
Our biggest problem is feeding the tortoise through the winter when we don't have cucumbers, peppers, plantain, or dandelions.

My idea of self-sufficiency is not buying anything. My problem lies with the seed much of which I still buy and the grey area of such things as rice, pasta, flour and bread all of which are veg or veg based.

I don't have a problem with using produce from the freezer as it is just a modern method of preserving produce.

some good replies so far....

I would include freezing your own produce, as correctly pointed out it is just a modern preservation method.  :)

Maybe using the words self sufficient was a bad choice  ;D

bazzysbarn, can I ask you how you store your apples please. We have two trees that produce an abundance of apples and I have had no success on the storing side. This year alone I have lost about 150kg of apples.

  Robbo.

During last summer/autumn we were 100% self-suficient in veg and eggs. At the end of the summer we had chicken meat too.

However at this time of year, we would have to live off a diet consisting soley of a selection of garlic, shallots, leeks, celeriac, sprouts, vegetable spaghetti, eggs and swede!

We would need a garden twice the size (its already at least as big as an allotment) to be totally self-sufficient and I don't think I have the time to take on an allotment away from the house. If I could only persuade the OH to let me dig up the lawn...

Quote from: robbo on January 13, 2009, 12:39:12
can I ask you how you store your apples please. We have two trees that produce an abundance of apples and I have had no success on the storing side. This year alone I have lost about 150kg of apples.

When my apples are ripe,  I pull them from the tree before they have chance to fall onto the ground.  I lay them in trays for a day or so to dry a little.  Next, I wrap each apple individually in newspaper and place them back in the tray.  I do not store apples on top of each other in the same tray.  I still have about 15 apples left from about 100 total.  (They were harvested them from the tree at the end of September.)

Quote from: robbo on January 13, 2009, 12:39:12
bazzysbarn, can I ask you how you store your apples please. We have two trees that produce an abundance of apples and I have had no success on the storing side. This year alone I have lost about 150kg of apples.

  Robbo.

we store them the same as kt, but robbo what variety are they? not all apples store

Quote from: GodfreyRob on January 13, 2009, 13:22:09
However at this time of year, we would have to live off a diet consisting soley of a selection of garlic, shallots, leeks, celeriac, sprouts, vegetable spaghetti, eggs and swede!

its not quite that bad, we have kale and cabbage and spinach and parsnips as well, but trust me they will be so pleased when spring comes

lbb

Lbb and Ktlawson, I have no idea what variety the apple trees are, they were fully grown when we moved into the house thirty years ago. There are two trees of different varieties, one ripens in September and the other ripens in October and they both are the most crunchiest and sweetest apples you will ever taste. We give hundreds away to family, friends and neighbours every year but still end up with the majority being wasted. I have tried all sorts to save them, wrapping them in newspaper, storing them in a cool place, but whatever I do they still start rotting within a week. Maybe as you say, they are varieties that just do not store. I think the only solution is to try and give them all away before they get a chance to rot. Thank you for your advice.

  Robbo.

If you've got a type of apples that won't store, then nothing will persuade them to. If it was me, I'd stew them lightly and bottle or freeze them for apple sauce, desserts, apple pie/crumble/etc. Or perhaps you could make wine with them? Or reduce them down to concentrate and freeze or bottle that, to be used (with added water) as juice? That last one is off the top of my head, never tried it... but anything rather than chuck them!
You can also slice and oven-dry them. Given that you'll probably get RSI from peeling all those apples, might be worth investing in a mechanical peeler!
Oooooh, wish I had an apple tree! :D  We had an orchard when I was a kid in Wales. I took it for granted. Now I can only dream of having that again!

Oh and as we only moved in to this place in November, and I'm still preparing my vegetable beds - I'm so far only self-sufficient in bean sprouts! :D
Ask me again in a year...

I have an apple tree (ancient but increasingly productive since I took over the plot) and I have invested in a £12 apple peeler/corer/slicer, and it is worth every penny. Lots and lots of lightly stewed apple in freezer, lots of dried apple rings, using an electric fan oven on lowest possible setting.

The apple peeler/corer/slicer is definitely worth it - a few seconds per apple and amusing to use.

Artichoke, where did you get your peeler/slicer thingy please?

we have a huge discovery apple tree, we do all of the above but, this year, we've started making apple juice, too  :)

Ceres, I am v sorry but I got it in Tasmania in their Apple Museum. They have an amazing industrial machine that prepares loads of apples in seconds, and I bought 2 of their domestic ones (one for my daughter, used a lot).

I have googled it and you can get them here in UK, slightly more expensive.