Imagine that  you're deciding what to eat today - maybe its inspired by a recipe or something that you often make and enjoy. With experience, you know that there are some ingredients that aren't essential and you can replace them with something else which will have a similar taste or texture. 

Now the pedants will say that if the recipe requires an onion, it has to be an onion - not a leek, spring onion or the leaves of elephant garlic.
Similarly if it requires cabbage, it can't be kale, cauliflower leaves or sprouts. 
Spinach must be spinach - not chard or beetroot leaves. 
A salad must have lettuce........

All year round I can pick leaves of spring onions, leeks and elephant garlic, chard, cut and come again lettuce, rocket and various other salad leaves. They're all quite easy to grow and undemanding. 
However, I struggle with cabbage, cauliflowers & sprouts, broccoli, bulb onions and heading lettuce.

So why put myself through all the work and expense when I could grow the taste substitutes with relative ease.

Suggestions welcome for other easy taste substitutes.

What seeds are you saving? 


Snap dragons. My first lot of seeds this year.

Seems about right to me?  Does it apply to the UK? What are your thoughts?

https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf

We've been discussing on another thread our likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Fussy lot, aren't we.

Imagine that all of G&G are coming to visit you and will be expecting something to eat. Can you suggest a menu, or even one item, that all of us would eat?

I’ve been drinking water. I never do that unless I’m at death’s door.

I had my first archery lesson last night 7.30-9.00. It was indoors of course and really enjoyable. I have signed up for a block of four Monday evenings to add a new string to my bow (if you will excuse the pun!)  Once through the initial training I will be allowed to utilise the facility once a week at a very cheap rate!  Surprisingly, none of the 15 arrows I shot strayed from the target and I even had one in the bullseye! We were trying different distances to target and it seemed to me that the further away they were the more accurate I was (Or it may have been me getting used to the Olympic recurve bow.?)

Next week we will be shooting with sighrs, which in the back of my mind, I feel is cheating? but going forward I would have a choice of type of bow and what additions I would add to it!

I was a bit worrried because I wear glasses, but it didn't seem to interfere with accuracy and I was very pleased with the result!

I’ve just done this. 
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/c...assessment

If anyone wants to spare 15 minutes 

I found it quite interesting.

https://justseed.com/

Lots of  seeds from different companies, brought together on one website.  Useful because you can compare prices and seed quantity for each variety. P&P is only £1.49  so it could be cheaper to buy from Just Seed than from the BigBoys.

Have a very happy birthday you lovely lady .

   

I've been puzzling how to keep track of my different plans for 2026. Please don't say  "Spreadsheet" . 

I needed to keep a Garden balance Sheet (showing what I've spent and what I've harvested); and to keep tabs on my £1 a day spend on food.  It would also be good to record any clutter that I give away or items I'm given. 

Result - I have a new, cunning Plan (I can hear you lot sniggering now. Stop it at the back).

I have found a shiny new Notebook to start me off. 
Everything I possess, money, food, seeds etc is the status quo - or Ground zero - or whatever you like to call it.

In the Notebook I will record the changes in the status guo (the Ins and Outs) that take place every day. Ins on the Right and Outs on the Left.
For example, any food I harvest, anything I'm given for FREE is an IN. 

On the OUT side is anything that leaves the house or my moneybox! 
The cost of any food (or seeds) that I buy is an OUT. 

However, any seeds that I sow from my seed stash or food that I eat from the store cupboard has NO value, it has been written off. When the seeds are sown they will be recorded as an OUT. When they grow and are harvested, they become an IN at shop value. Unless I can save seeds from them, they will need to be replaced and the cost will be an OUT.

Any clutter that I give away is an OUT with no value. 

I'm sure this is as clear as the bottom of the pond.