Sallygardens Smallholding

Book of Green Household Management

I've been asked by a publisher to review a book called 'The Essential Thrift Bible. Ms Harris's Book of Green Household Management', by Caroline Harris. It felt great when it arrived in the post, it was a bit like receiving a gift because this is a book that I might buy if I were browsing in a bookshop. It's a lovely little book and reads very easily with a nice dose of wit. It's divided into chapters which makes it an easy book to dip in and out of whenever it takes your fancy and the index at the back is a very useful addition because this book is jam packed full of very practical and useful tips and ideas on how to live with a low environmental impact. It covers everything from household cleaning, to growing your own vegetables, raising kids and energy etiquette. It's not just anecdotal either, there is accurate information on how to do all these things. It's a little book that gives you the knowledge you need to make changes in your lifestyle that will make a difference. It's a very useful little thing to have as a reference book but it's also a source of enjoyable reading and entertainment. Give it a go ... or give it to a friend ...

Meitheal and Changes at Sallygardens

You may have noticed some changes on this blog lately, changes that reflect things that have been happening in my life over the last month. I am now single, Dan and I having gone our separate ways. I will leave it at that as this blog is about sustainable living, not a sounding board for my personal problems! Practically though there is a lot to think about in terms of keeping the farm going. I have to reevaluate all the activities that I do here. I will have to make decisions about what I carry on with and what things I shall have to draw a line under. I need to consider how much time and effort I can put into the farm while keeping a balance of time for my children, friends, fiddle and fun.

Spring is here and it's already time to start getting the beds in the polytunnel weeded and ready for seedlings. I have to admit feeling a bit daunted by starting into it, not knowing if I'd the energy to tackle it at the moment, but a Meitheal came to the rescue. A Meitheal (meh-hill)  is an Irish term used for the practice of a group of neighbours to come together to help each other in tasks such as preparing the hay, or gathering the harvest. Each person would help their neighbour who would in turn reciprocate. Two girlfriends came over and the three of us worked for 2 hours weeding. It was great fun, we had a giggle and then shared lunch. A huge amount of work got done that would have taken me a lot longer by myself and it wouldn't have been half as much fun either! It's a great way to get work done when you're 'on your own'. I'll be helping them out in their own gardens in return. 

The tunnel looks barren and forlorn at the moment, it's hard to believe in just a few weeks it will be in all it's glory again like in this picture taken last summer ...

 

This is the time of year to get started if you want to try growing your own for the first time. You'll find lots of information throughout this blog, but it's all collected into one handy ebooklet called Grow Your Own, available from the paypal store at the top right hand corner of this webpage.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Sourdough Success

I've been having great success with the sourdough culture. Bread is delicious made with pure strong white flour, or experiment by replacing up to two thirds with rye flour and a dash of oats for plenty of slow release energy. We also had sourdough pancakes on Tuesday ... delicious.

Following my previous post I was offered a mother culture by a lady in Mullingar who blogs about Urban Food Gardening and she kindly arranged for it to be dropped to my home. It's wonderful to have these precious mother cultures live on and I've been asked by two friends now for some of my culture ... passing it on is what it's all about.