Changing Food Habits

Having lived far too close to ASDA for my liking and spending far to much time / money in there, I promised myself, that when we moved I'd go to the supermarket less, a lot less.
The first few weeks didn't go very well, we were very busy with getting the house sorted and didn't really have chance to plan food, just popped into Tescos on the way home...

But finally we have got into a routine. Bought ourselves a blackboard for the kitchen and each week we plan out what meals we are going to have (as seasonal as I can manage!) and we get the meat from Swansea market and veg from Gowerton farm shop. All is going well so far and supermarket visits are greatly reduced!

Pigs!

Have sent my letters off the the local farms (found in the yellow pages!) asking if they have any land to rent. Hoping for a positive answer from at least one of them, so I can start planning for 2 pigs! It should be fun! Was also hoping to keep a few turkeys there for xmas, but I don't think any farmer would be too keen on that idea, with all this flu about!

Building a new chicken run up the top of the garden, for my 2 hens. Had always planned to have a large run up there for them, but things have got a bit more urgent and the designs have had to be altered slightly because of the threat of bird flu http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/quick_guides/05/health_bird_flu/html/1.stm

Personally I think (and very much hope) that it has been blown out of all proportions by the media, but I've got to be sensible, for the sake of me and Lisa, our neighbours and of course, the hens.

So the new plans for the run is that it will be able to incorporate a roof, if needs be. This should stop wild birds pooing in the run, which should stop the threat of the flu.

The material arrived last week and myself and Lisa's dad spent a couple of hours carrying 36 planks of 3x2x12 wood, 12 bags of sand, 3 bags of cement and 40 breeze blocks through the house and up to the top of the garden!

Since then we've been clearing the area and digging the footings. Lisa's dad is going to start laying them today hopefully.

Having finished turning the garden













I spent most of Saturday morning getting manure for it from a local stables. I did a deal with my dad.... he helped me with mine, I helped him with his. Must have got about 40 sacks (20 each) in the end, which should keep us going for the season.


Planted my very first veg there on Sunday. 3 Crowns of Asparagus and 1 Rhubarb.... got to wait 3 years for the Asparagus though, hope it's worth it!

Well, here goes... my new life, for the moment!

Having been bought up with gardening in my blood, I had always been vaguely interested in it, especially the vegetable side. Always used to help (don't know how much help I actually was, mind you!) my parents with their veg garden when I was younger.
Anyway, as I said, it was only a vague interest and when I got a job and left home and forgot about things like gardening etc.
But then a couple of things happened. Firstly I started to get very interested in food (not just eating it!) I started to cook a lot more and because of this I started to take a lot more interest in where it came from. Also, we got 2 chickens. Can't really explain why! Anyway, they lived happily in our little urban garden for 6 or so months and the more time I spent with them, chasing them round the garden, cleaning out their house etc, the more I realised how much I wanted a "country" life.
We decided to buy a house and one of my main requirements was a decent sized garden. Our budget was somewhat limited, but eventually we found somewhere just right..... and that's how it started!