Goodbye – Blog Retiring

Hi everyone, I haven’t logged in in quite a few months as you may have known … but it looks like I’m going to be retiring from this blog due to the length of time (since 2014) and with the result of only having 95 followers to boot.

It’s a little disappointing but perhaps choosing a blog site is not the right platform when you are offering people free information and trying to accumulate an archive of open source free info for anyone interested in my subject which is mainly Permaculture.

The main realisation is when I browse other bloggers’ sites and compare it with my own procedure/s / post content and methods. … I like to make quite a bit of effort in my posts but the return is quite low and in some cases, not even a single ”like” whilst others can merely write about a small event for something that happened on one day and perhaps post a photo and their return is far – far more successful in terms of viewership and comments etc. This has given me the idea that a large chunk of blog viewers / followers are looking for an online reality style personality or group of persons they can follow similar in idea to reality tv shows.

I used to have blogs on Blogger and they were far more successful but I honestly don’t want to be part of the Internet Monopoly empire known as Google and I have also recently become more dismayed with WordPress as can be seen in an article I wrote in ’18.

As of now, I’m not sure how WordPress works in terms of non-active accounts, I am not going to de-activate my account but I’m guessing at some point they may remove it automatically? Anyway, If I feel like it, I might from time to time post one or two articles a year in order to not waste all the time and effort I made teaching people various Techniques and Methods etc. But this will all depend on how their rules work …. Should you find the blog gone, it was WordPress and not myself.

Thanks to all the 95 followers and others who just used to stumble by once in a while, you are all great cool people and it was fun commenting and chatting online with you.

cheers
JeffPermie

Monthly Sowing Calendar: September

We’re starting to gear down a bit now as we start seeing Summer receding day-by-day, Hopefully you got some of your late Summer sowings in and as we move closer to Autumn, you can still and do still have quite a large selection of greens to grow over Autumn and over-wintering to spring! This year I will try my best to grow as much as what’s manageable.

So get  connected to your local Streetbank / freecycle or similar site to see if anyone has some fleece / cloche that they could give away or go to your Garden center if you need to fix some dinks in your polytunnels or greenhouses – and get your seeds ordered! …

 

 

Mini-Tunnels for Vegetable Growing In Colder Weather

 

Remember, some Skip-Raiding (foraging in Industrial Waste bins and dumpsters for salvageable and recyclable materials) could  get you some used Free window panes which you could use to build a cold-frame.

Outdoors

• Spring cabbage (early September, warmer areas only)

• Winter salads and greens including winter lettuce, endives and oriental vegetables

• Bunching onions (early September)

• Broad beans and hardy (round seeded) peas to overwinter (from mid September)

• Kale for small leaves in salads

Greenhouse / Polytunnel

• The hardier oriental greens such as; choy sum, komatsuna, mustard greens, mizuna, Tsoi Sim and chinese cabbage.

Notes:

• I find Broad Beans started the previous year tend to get far less black fly than Spring-sown beans, they may take about a month to sprout if sown later than September but they always come up in the end, if direct-sown, I recommend laying chicken mesh on top until you see them germinating – once they are large enough, you can carefully lift the chicken mesh up until they have all popped through, they will likely need some support structure like a bamboo cane
• Spring Cabbage should be far less affected by Cabbage Butterfly so it’s always good to try if you have trouble growing Brassicas in Summer.
• This year (2018) is the first year that I grew Garlic in Spring instead of the previous November (’17), this was purely because I forgot to – what I did notice is not only smaller bulbs but also quite a lot of disease / pest activity, so in conclusion, get your growing bulbs ready maybe in October

 

The Problem with 5G – PC Magazine — Stop Smart Meters Australia

The technology might be the problem, but even worse for the companies behind it is the perception that 5G is already unsafe before they even get it on a single pole. If you read the barrage of scary literature about 5G mobile phone technology, specifically the use of millimeter wave frequencies to transmit data, you […]

via The Problem with 5G – PC Magazine — Stop Smart Meters Australia

Thanks to Stop Smart Meters Australia for covering this!

Different characteristics between Round-Seeded & Wrinkle-Seeded Peas

This is just to clarify between the different Pea varieties you buy from Seed companies which you can view in the September Growing Calendar, which includes Pea types for overwintering…

When to Sow Round and Wrinkle Skinned Peas

Peas are normally sown as Spring and Summer crops, that would be mostly Wrinkle Skinned varieties but in some parts of the world where a winter is expected, Round Seeded peas can be sown in September for overwintering, this gives an extra early crop when the weather changes and starts getting warmer. These plants will have larger well established root systems and so, have a head-start over their Spring-sown counterparts!

Wrinkle skinned varieties should be sown in Spring, along with other Round skinned varieties for your Summer cropping.

 

Monthly Sowing Calendar: July & August

I know I have been late this year posting some of these sowing calendars, there is still plenty of time to keep your vegetable plot productive over the upcoming Winter well into the Spring, this time of the year albeit cold, is a great time to be growing as you are not as suffocated with jobs once you have cleared away all of the dead summer crops and finished the basic after summer jobs, there is less watering that needs doing and not as many pests around – plus I love being outdoors when it’s cold! There’s nothing like fire-boiling a pot to make yourself some fresh brew even perhaps a nice Hot Chocolate!

Spinach for winter harvest as well as spring thrush

Overwintering Spring Cabbages

Bulb Fennel

Outdoors

• Final sowings of root crops including carrots, beetroot, turnips (until mid-July)

• Winter radishes and swedes

• Dwarf french beans (up to early July) in warmer areas only

• Oriental greens (mizuna, mibuna, komatsuna, etc) and turnip greens

• Lettuce, moving over to winter varieties by late August, rocket, cress, endive and salad radishes

• Swiss chard & leaf beet such as perpetual spinach

• Chive and Chicory

• Fennel

• Spring & Chinese cabbage (from late July)

• Bunching and spring onions

Polytunnel / greenhouse border:

• Chervil & Coriander

• Salads, particularly in later summer as other crops finish.

Under Cover outdoors:

• True Spinach (Winter Spinach)

Busy day – Preserving, Baking, Foraging and Allotment Harvest

Wow what a crazy but highly enjoyable day yesterday! Starting at around 5am I woke up, had some decaf and headed straight to the allotment as last time I was there I saw at the last moment (when I was rushing home) that the Italian vine tomato had a decent amount of very red ripe fruits (and that was a good 4-5 days ago!), these plants never let me down (if planted in the ground) and so I didn’t want to lose these beautiful tom’s!

A good few hours there resulted also, in a decent batch of Elderberry heads which I got on the way there (Which were used tonight to make Elderberry elixir), a very nice large harvest (photo further below) and a bit of weeding, watering, compost bin management etc.

After arriving home, all harvested goods including the Elderberries needed urgent washing etc. to be placed in the fridge immediately, thereafter I found an older courgette that was about to go bad and so, decided to make Courgette (Zucchini) Cake! Part of the harvest was a decent batch of Purple French Beans and a few Runner Beans as well, these are intended for pickling so were processed and placed overnight into a brine solution so that tomorrow they will be placed into their final jar along with the Spiced Pickling Vinegar (Which I also made tonight!!)

I decided that I need to get a move-on with the elderberry harvests (some are in the fridge and some in the freezer), my other-half and I sat for a good 40 min’s removing the berries from their stalks and placing in a jar to make the Elderberry Winter Ailment Elixir, I have a very good recipe for this and have proven this to be a very good flu / winter cold remedy which was quite effective last Winter with the whole family!

Organic Permaculture Allotment Harvest (UK) 2018

In the above photo, I have added lines to divide the veg’s into three rows, from top left:

1. French Purple and Runner beans, Aztec Broccoli and Hokkaido Pumpkin
2. Sorrel, Maris Piper Potatoes, Giant Goosefoot, Bush Legend Tomatoes, Dwarf Bush Courgettes (Zucchinis) – these were harvested quite small as I am trying to get at least one more harvest before season end,
3. Elderberry (foraged), Italian Vine tomatoes (great for sauces), Salad Burnet, Tangerine and Millefleur cherry tomatoes and finally Tomatillos with the Snail Tree-cookie below which represents my favourite of the 12 permaculture principles: ‘Use Small and Slow Solutions’

It is definitely Elderberry season right now (at least in and around London) so get foraging as you will definitely will not have much time after the next week or so if you are lucky! Remember, throw them straight into the freezer in a bag, you can take time out later to do something with them in a recipe when you are more collected and have the time to do so! In the meantime, check out this delicious Elderberry Syrup Recipe which I made last year which also has immune system benefits as a buildup to the Winter months, the Elderberry Elixir is more suited to last well into next years winter because it is made with alcohol and preserves better .. enjoy!

Making your own Spiced Pickling Vinegar

It is now preserving season and approaching the end of the growing season where many crops and foraged foods can be preserved for the upcoming Winter months, here is a quick and simple recipe if you need to make pickling vinegar on an ASAP basis:

Home Made Spiced Pickling Vinegar

You Will Need:

• A good glass Jar or Bottle, usually you should use a non-metallic lid as vinegar is corrosive,
• Cider or Malt Vinegar (Cider being the healthier option),
• 1 Tsp Peppercorns,
• 1 Tsp Coriander Seeds,
• Small Cinnamon Stick piece (2-3cm long),
• 2 Cloves,
• 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds,
• Small Pot / Pan for boiling and simmering.

Simmering Pickling Vinegar and Spices

Pickling Vinegar Spices

Method:

• Measure the vinegar by pouring it into your storage jar / bottle to fill it up, once filled place it in the pot with the spices and bring to the boiling point,
• Once boiling point is reached, bring the heat down and simmer as slightly as possible for 30 minutes – let it sit to cool down,
• Pour the liquid through a sieve or similar filter into your storage jar or bottle, your vinegar is now ready to be used when you want to pickle any vegetables from your garden

For other preserves including Jams, Jellies, Chutneys, Compote, Soups, Pickling etc, Click Here

Elderberry Winter Ailment Elixir

I made this Elixir for the first time last year in preparation for winter colds and flu etc. mainly knowing that the Elderberry Syrup I made only has a shelf life in the fridge of about 3 months brought me to look for a longer lasting remedy, the Elixir is suggested to last for a year (due to alcohol being the preservative instead of Sugar).

All that I can say from not only my own experience albeit for only one Winter season, is that I also have spoken with Qualified Herbalists who have used and recommend this exact recipe … it did work very well for my own family during last winter.

Elderberry Elixir for Winter Ailment Remedy

You Will Need:

• Enough Elderberries to fill your chosen Jar / Bottle,
• Rum or Brandy (one third of the jar),
• Port (also a third of the jar),
• Raw Honey from someone local (the final third of the jar),
• 12x Cloves,
• 10-15x Peppercorns,
• Large Cinnamon Stick,

Method:

• Remove the berries from all stalks as much as possible and place them in your jar (preferably to almost fill the jar up to the curve in the neck), add in the spices,
• Pour your Rum or Brandy so it fills around one-third of the jar whilst the berries are still inside, fill the second third with Port and follow the last third of the jar with the Raw Honey – stir very gently with a wooden spoon or glass rod,
• Seal the Jar and give it a lovingly gentle shake everyday at least once, do this for one month to around 6 weeks after which, you will strain all of the liquid into a muslin cloth or bag so you can squeeze as much out as you can, re-bottle it and label with the date.

Use / Dosage:

• This is a remedy so you use it mostly when you get sick, once the symptoms are obvious then take a half to full teaspoon three to four times a day until you are better, dilute for kids and even better, just add it into something that they are already consuming if possible such as a berry juice or smoothie.

Filling the Jar with Elderberries

Elderberry Elixir after adding the Raw honey

 

Resonance, Beings of Frequency

I think I saw this documentary around 2012, this is definitely the most well-researched, informed and put together documentary regarding the evidence that Cell phone / Mobile Phone, Wifi, RF and other Emf transmission technology Does In Fact have a pretty severely negative effect on most living organisms including us.

This is not the documentary that you should save to watch later, you need to see this now and share it with as many contacts as you can ! ! !

With 5G being sneakily brought into our societies around mainly the western world behind our backs, this is only going to get worse, 5G ‘technology’ is far more harmful and powerful than anything that came before it, it is also designed to work over short distances and so, they will be installing the antennas all over. In the UK it has been exposed by insiders that the 5G antennas have been included in LED street lights that have recently been installed by many Councils – soon you will not have to worry about the large mobile phone mast a few hundred meters from your house as you will have 5 you can see right in your street from your front window!!

Click on the slide and play the below video from the 42:25 mark until 42:41, this is precisely what I have been saying for years regarding scientists and whim they work for / where the funding comes from.

If your council has recently put up new LED lamp heads on your older street lamp posts, try see if you can see an antenna on top (Usually a short black stick-like antenna) this means they have placed the 5G technology into government property without our consent .. ie: you and I are paying for this so that large corporations can earn billions whilst we get adverse health effects but hey, at least we will have super-fast Wifi right???

The documentary in numbers:

Over the last 25 years, 5 butterfly species have become extinct in Britain, 36 species of Australian Shore birds have decreased in numbers by 75%, 50% decline in all European Grassland Butterflies, Bee numbers have dropped by about 70%, Half of all known British butterfly species are under threat of extinction, 62% of Asian waterbirds Declining or Extinct, 4 species of American Bee have declined by 98% … the list goes on.

Mobile Phone Brain Cell Damage

5G antenna on new LED council Street lights

Today’s Allotment Harvest

I didn’t have much time today at the allotment, it was basically a quick W.H,R .. (Water, Harvest … Run) session, in order to make sure I take time for myself and cool down a bit – I took  my camera along for some progress pictures.

9 different ”things” were harvested today, (my dried Lemon Balm is not in the picture):

1. Tomato ‘Purple Ukraine’ – the big redish split tomatoes in the left of the pic,
2. Aztec Broccoli – the bunch of flower tips in the top left,
3. Czar Runner Beans – the green beans,
4. Purple French Beans,
5. Belleville Sorrel (perennial)- the large leaves on the right,
6. Salad Burnet (Perennial) – the jagged-edged leaves below the Sorrel (Is also a wild flower),
7. Fennel – next to the Salad Burnet,
8. Over-ripe tomatoes (Purple Ukraine and Bush Legend) – these are to save seed from
9. A batch of shed-dried Lemon Balm for tea

The tomatoes must have been a little bit dry so when we had that rain the other day the fruits then split, nevertheless I cut out the manky bits and chopped the rest up to be used either in a soup or pasta dish. I’m contemplating using the beans to make a jar of pickled beans for winter storage as I should still get loads off of the upcoming bean plants – the Sorrel, Fennel and Salad Burnet were pretty much devoured today in a very nice Salad everyone enjoyed.

Thinking back, I could have probably kicked over one or two of the Potato planters to get a harvest, that’s the good thing about Potatoes, they stay in until you need them – this year I have made pretty decent effort in potato production, there are two planters at home (one only went in recently), 3 planters on the allotment and one group in the ground that is the most recent of the Allotment potatoes – I placed these in a companion planting / support guild with the Purple French Beans

Food foraging wise, I found a nice fig tree local to my workplace and managed perhaps half a kilo of fruit from it, as much as I’d like to make a fig only jam, this really isn’t enough so I may experiment with Fig, Blackberry and Elderberry mix or perhaps just head over to a veg shop and buy another half-kilo to make the jam? ….

Decisions .. decisions