Goodbye 2011..... Hello 2012!

Well, 2012 already! How did that happen? Much to look forward to in the coming year, not to mention the Olympics - no I didn't get any tickets in case you were wondering, so I will be watching it from the comfort of the sofa.

As is the tradition on A Smallholder's Diary it is time to review how I have done over the previous year and set myself some targets for the year ahead. Having looked again at what I set myself to do last year I'm not sure I want to do this as it doesn't feel that I have done very well.Anyway, best face up to it then and check out how I did:

1. To make sure that the veg plot is as productive as it can possibly be. I didn't do too badly on the veg plot. Plenty of potatoes, broccoli, parsnips, shallots, leeks and pumpkins. However, sweetcorn, peas and garlic did not do very well at all.
2. To make sure that we have as little waste as possible from the veg and fruit that we grow. This was about making sure that we use our crops effectively and making sure we freeze, pickle, jam or otherwise preserve everything we don't use immediately. We have done quite well with this with various jams and pickles made and the freezer is well stocked with fruit and veg.
3. Clear the plot intended for the herb plot. No, I didn't manage this. I made a start, but other things took over, so it is nearly as overgrown as it was at the beginning of last year.
4. Clear the plot intending for the dyeing plants. No - same as above.
5. Make soap. Kind of achieved this - we bought some pre-made soap for melting down into bars for selling. It turned out that making soap for selling is a bit of a legal minefield - all soap needs to be certified by a chemist before you can sell and this costs money.
6. Plant more trees for firewood. I didn't manage to do this due primarily to the particularly bad winter meaning that the ground was frozen until early spring, by which time I wasn't able to get any.
7. Replace the fencing around the front area. I didn't manage to do this. I did start to clear some of the old fencing but didn't get any further as the cost was prohibitive.
8. Replenish our stock of chickens. We didn't do this in the end, but wished that we did. We now only have one chicken left.

So, what about plans for the coming year? Well, I think it is the same as last year and maybe I might achieve them this time. The extra thing I need to do is to cut back the remaining hedges which have grown way out of control.

That's my work cut out for the coming year then!

I've Started A New Blog

Yes, that's right I have started a new blog! It is again on the theme of self-sufficiency and I have called it Self-Sufficiency Life. Let me answer a few questions you may have.

What's the point of starting a new blog on self-sufficiency? Well I have learned a lot from this blog. But the main thing that I have learned is that the posts that people really want to read and get the most traffic are those that provide useful information. The emphasis of A Smallholder's Diary has tended to be around talking about what I have been doing. I did consider changing the emphasis of this blog to more useful stuff, but concluded that I would rather start afresh, especially as the title of the blog does not really reflect the direction that I want to go in. The intention is that Self-Sufficiency Life will provide (hopefully) useful information on self-sufficiency and eco-living.

What will the new blog cover? All aspects of self-sufficiency really. So growing vegetables and fruit, keeping chickens, recipes, pickling, preserving, green energy, crafty bits, recycling, and more.... I am intending that it will include useful information as well as news relevant to self-sufficiency and some posts designed to spark some debate.

What's with the clunky title? Well that in the end was down to the availability of domain names. I had originally bought practicalselfsufficiency.net, but then found that Dick Strawbridge has recently written a book by the name of Practical Self-Sufficiency, so I thought there was potential to land myself in some hot water. Self-Sufficiency Life was one of the few available alternatives.

What does this mean for A Smallholder's Diary? I am hoping to keep A Smallholder's Diary going alongside Self-Sufficiency Life, although I confess that my posting has been very erratic recently. In order to keep the two identities separate I will be focusing primarily on describing what I have been up to.


Self-Sufficiency is still in its early stages (at the time of writing I have published only two posts, although you will find a few guides published on static pages) but I am intending to grow it into a successful blog with a large regular readership. Why not pay it a visit and let me know what you think so far. Visit Self-Sufficiency Life here.

Recipe for Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

My favourite type of cooking has to be the spontaneous type where you look in the cupboard and create something with whatever you have available. Usually it works, although sometimes it doesn't. Yesterday we had very little in at all so creating something was a bit more of a challenge that usual. We did have some risotto rice in the cupboard though so I thought I would try some sun-dried tomato risotto.

There are a couple of rules that I usually follow with risotto which have stood me in good stead. The first is that you can't rush it adding the stock a little at a time and stirring regularly to ensure that it does not burn. The second is that simple is best - using too many ingredients means that you have too many competing flavours. If you want some variation in taste and texture then eat with a crisp green salad.

Here is my recipe anyway. I'm afraid the quantities and timings are a bit vague as I didn't take too much notice at the time. I used what we had in, but you can adjust it if you like. This serves 2/3 people, or more if you have a salad and bread on the side.

Ingredients:

• Seven or Eight sun-dried tomatoes (the sort that need soaking rather than those in a jar with oil are better)
• One mug full (I said quantities were vague) of risotto rice - any variety of risotto rice is fine, don't try and use normal long grain rice as it just doesn't work!
• One pint of hot vegetable stock (of course home made stock is better, but I used a stock cube)
• One medium to large onion (shallots are better if you have them)
• One garlic clove
• One generous teaspoon of dried oregano (fresh is better if you have it)
• Olive oil
• Pinch of salt and black pepper to season
• Grated cheese - enough to cover the rice in the saucepan. Italian hard cheese such as Parmasan or Grana Padano is best, but I actually used Double Gloucester and it worked just fine.

Method

1. First soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm (not hot) water for about 20 minutes.
2. Finely chop the onion (or shallots) and fry very gently in a little olive oil in a fairly large saucepan. Stir frequently making sure that the onion does not brown.
3. Finely chop the garlic clove and add to the onion. Continue to cook until the onion is soft.
4. Drain off the water from the sun-dried tomatoes into the stock. Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes and add to the onion and garlic. Stir through and heat through for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the rice to the onion, garlic and tomato mixture and stir through for a minute or so.
7. Add the oregano (if you are using fresh then add it towards the end)
8. Now add two or three ladles full of stock to the rice mixture. Stir well. Continue to cook on a low heat stirring frequently, making sure that it does not stick to the pan or burn.
9. When most of the liquid has been absorbed add another one or two ladles of stock. Continue to cook on a low heat, stirring frequently. Keep repeating until the rice is cooked. If you are finding that you rice is refusing to cook and become soft, then put the lid on the pan for a few minutes to maintain the moisture. But make that you keep stirring.
10. Once the rice is cooked, add the cheese and stir well. Season to taste. If you like you can add a dash of extra virgin oil - not too much though.

Now, serve and enjoy. As I said above, you can have it with salad if you like and/or Italian bread. We had it by itself and it was fab!

Battling with Leylandii

Our plot is bordered on three sides by long leylandii hedges. On the plus side, they give us privacy and shelter our garden from the winds that can whip across the fens. On the downside, they do require a certain amount of maintenance. What we used to do was to "get a man in" to do trim them back and keep them under control, but this has become increasingly expensive so we have put it off. Of course now they are very tall and are spreading out. So much so that the farmer who owns the field next door has complained that two of our hedges are encroaching onto his land and are shading his brussels sprouts.

It is a huge job, but I figured that I have to start somewhere so I took last week off work and spent the time tackling the back hedge (which was by far the worst). My week of "rest" from work then was spent at the top of a ladder toiling away with a bow saw or, in the case of the biggest trunks, lugging my heavy chainsaw up the ladder.

By the end of the week I had successfully taken the top of the hedge (all 63 trees!) and trimmed it back under control. It now looks it bit brown and sad - I have read that you are not really supposed to cut back to the brown, but I didn't really have a choice. We have had one of our hedges cut back that severely before and it recovered, so I am hoping this one will do the same. The top is somewhat.... well, undulating shall we say. But it's done at least and the neighbouring farmer is duly appeased for now. Apart from that I have aches all over, scratches over my hands and arms and a new found respect for tree surgeons.

I have not yet moved all that I have chopped off yet and this in itself is a big job, but I am hoping that I shall finish this off this weekend. Then I have to get rid of it of course. The bigger bits I shall keep for firewood - leylandii makes for pretty rubbish firewood, but if we mix it with some hardwood it should be fine. It won't be usable until next winter at the earliest. Here is the first batch I have collected:

At some point I need to move on to the next hedges and then once they are all done it will just a case of keeping on top of them.

This is one of the hedges I need to cut back - some 80 trees!!!!

20 De-cluttering Tips for your Home

This is a guest post from Marina from 1001ArtificialPlants.com

Is your home filled with clutter? Do you walk into a room in your house during the day only to wish you had a solution to the “clutter” problem that you see at hand? Being guilty of having too much stuff, can make your home feel small and closed in. De-cluttering can give you peace of mind by helping you get your home back in order and under control. Read the following tips for how you can get rid of the clutter.

• Tip #1 – Take back your space. The first step in de-cluttering is getting the mindset that you want to take back your space. Realize that a cluttered space can have a negative impact on your life. It can leave you feeling stressed and longing for a clean space. 
• Tip #2 – Realize that you can’t be a pack rat. Admit that you have a problem. Pack rats are people who feel that they need to “keep” everything. As with anything, the first step is realizing that you have a problem. 
• Tip #3 – Get rid of stuff that you do not need. If you do not NEED it, get rid of it. Too many times people feel the need to keep stuff they do not need. Part with items that you really do not want or need. 
• Tip #4- Find a storage solution. Lack of storage is one of the number one reasons why homes get cluttered. Search for storage solution. Buy binds, tubs, or cabinets that you can organize the clutter in. 
• Tip #5 – Less is more. Realize that less is more when it comes to your home. If you want your home to feel cleaner and more spacious, you need to have LESS. 
• Tip #6- Minimize the paper trail. Paper is another culprit of clutter. From mail to magazines, make an effort to minimize the paper trial. Do this by throwing paper in the garbage can. When you receive junk mail, throw it in the trash! 
• Tip #7 – Get your kids to pick up after themselves. Untidy kids can contribute greatly to clutter. Give your children daily chores that involve cleaning their own spaces. If they drag something out, make them pick it up. 
• Tip #8 – Do a quick daily “clean-up” before you go to bed. Getting rid of clutter daily will help you maintain your space. Set a time before you go to bed to do a quick clean up. Make sure things are where they should be. You will feel better when you wake up to a clutter free home in the morning. 
• Tip#9 – Fold those clothes! Are you guilty of having mountains of clothes waiting to be folded? This can contribute greatly to the clutter problem. Fold clothes as they come out of the dryer. 
• Tip #10 – Clean out the dresser drawers. Dresser drawers should be neat and clean. Once you fold the clothes, put them neatly in drawers to help minimize the mess. You will actually be able to find clothes you’ve been looking for when you do this. 
• Tip #11 – Organize your shoes. Unorganized shoes can lead to a messy closet. Make sure that your shoes are in pairs and placed neatly in a specific location. 
• Tip #12- Throw out unused medication. Medicine cabinets are often magnets for clutter. Throw away outdated medications. 
• Tip #13- Clear off the countertops. Countertops are often a great place to start the de-cluttering process. Don’t allow your countertops to be filled with “stuff” such as papers, keys, coffee cups, etc. 
• Tip #14- Parting with the knick knacks. Too many knick knacks is not only an interior design no, no, they can also lead to cluttered chaos. You want your home to look clean, not overfilled and cluttered. 
• Tip #15- Open shelves are not storage spaces. If you have visible shelves in your home, do not fill them with junk. Place a few important pieces on the shelves and allow them to be displayed. Do not allow them to be covered with junk. 
• Tip #16- Re-gifting old books. Too many books can never be a good thing. If you have already read it, consider giving it away as a gift rather than storing it on a shelf. 
• Tip #17 – If you don’t wear it, donate it. Get rid of clothes that you haven’t worn in a while. Do this often to minimize the clutter. 
• Tip #18- Organize pots and pans. Just because they are hidden, doesn’t mean they can be unorganized. Organize your pots and pans so that you know where to find them when you need them. 
• Tip #19 – Make sure toys have a home. Toys can be small and mean a lot of clutter. Toy boxes are a great solution this problem. 
• Tip #20 – Keep a positive attitude about de-cluttering. Once you have de-cluttered, maintain the space so that you don’t find yourself in the same situation twice. 

As you can see, there are countless tips that can have you space free of clutter in no time. Set a day to begin the process. You can do it! Create a space that you and your family can enjoy – without all the clutter! Marina is on online entrepreneur and co-owner of artificial flowers and plants website located at 1001ArtificialPlants.com

Unexpected Free Pumpkins

This pumpkin plant has self-seeded in one of my compost bins. I didn't really expect it to come to anything, but as you can see I have two large ripe pumpkins. There are also two smaller ones just out of the picture which are yet to ripen. This plant has actually done better than the ones I have planted and carefully tended!

You may notice that they are a somewhat odd shape. This is, I presume, as a result of my accidental cross-breeding last year between a pumpkin plant and a butternut squash plant, so it must has sprouted from some seeds from those fruit that found their way into the compost.

This has started me thinking about saving some seeds for next year. This is not something that I have done before, even though it is quite an obvious thing to do. I need to research how to do it properly - I suspect that just throwing the seeds onto the compost heap is really the proper way to do it. Even though it did work this year!