2013 Plans

[clv101]

That's really good to hear UE!

[UndercoverElephant]

A really interesting project, quite a challenge, would be to see how many fungi could be established in one garden.

I will certainly be leaving logs around for precisely that purpose.

[emordnilap]

A really interesting project, quite a challenge, would be to see how many fungi could be established in one garden.

I will certainly be leaving logs around for precisely that purpose.

A question for you UE: out of curiosity, I was reading the ingredients label of a vitamin D2 supplement carton recently, as you do. It's my understanding that D2 is obtainable via sunlight on the skin and via supplements - and the particular label I was reading listed almost entirely mushroom extracts.

Wikipedia gives this and this, which state that mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet increase their vitamin D2 content. In that case, you're as well getting the sunshine on your skin and eating the mushrooms.

Do you have any knowledge about this aspect of mushrooms that you could share?

[UndercoverElephant]

A really interesting project, quite a challenge, would be to see how many fungi could be established in one garden.

I will certainly be leaving logs around for precisely that purpose.

A question for you UE: out of curiosity, I was reading the ingredients label of a vitamin D2 supplement carton recently, as you do. It's my understanding that D2 is obtainable via sunlight on the skin and via supplements - and the particular label I was reading listed almost entirely mushroom extracts.

Wikipedia gives this and this, which state that mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet increase their vitamin D2 content. In that case, you're as well getting the sunshine on your skin and eating the mushrooms.

Do you have any knowledge about this aspect of mushrooms that you could share?

I'm afraid not. First I've heard of it.

Various different fungi are well known for concentrating certain nutrients from the soil, especially metals and other trace elements. This makes them either useful for cleaning up pollution and/or as a source of trace elements humans require. Lots of fungi also contain vitamins, but I was unaware of this mechanism involving D2.

[emordnilap]

I'll have to go back and make a note of the specific mushroom names, to see if they're native to these isles. The pack was American, so maybe not.

[UndercoverElephant]

I'll have to go back and make a note of the specific mushroom names, to see if they're native to these isles. The pack was American, so maybe not.

Let me know if you find out what they are.

[kenneal - lagger]

Congratulation UE. Start reading the permaculture books now, while you have time.

[ujoni08]

Nice one!
Pity the insulation subsidies have all disappeared, but I'm sure you'll insulate big time. Any plans for other efficiency measures or anything like solar panels?

[UndercoverElephant]

Nice one!
Pity the insulation subsidies have all disappeared, but I'm sure you'll insulate big time. Any plans for other efficiency measures or anything like solar panels?

I won't have much spare cash, and at the moment I don't know what property I'm moving to anyway, so it is hard to say.

[vtsnowedin]

Nice one!
Pity the insulation subsidies have all disappeared, but I'm sure you'll insulate big time. Any plans for other efficiency measures or anything like solar panels?

I won't have much spare cash, and at the moment I don't know what property I'm moving to anyway, so it is hard to say.

Not to pry, just wondering .
Are you planning to buy outright or put say a 30K down on a 100K property and hope to pay off most of it with future cash flow from employment? That might be a good hedge against inflation.

[UndercoverElephant]

Nice one!
Pity the insulation subsidies have all disappeared, but I'm sure you'll insulate big time. Any plans for other efficiency measures or anything like solar panels?

I won't have much spare cash, and at the moment I don't know what property I'm moving to anyway, so it is hard to say.

Not to pry, just wondering .
Are you planning to buy outright or put say a 30K down on a 100K property and hope to pay off most of it with future cash flow from employment? That might be a good hedge against inflation.

I couldn't get a mortgage because my income is unpredictable. There's also no point in keeping money in a bank account at the moment, or for the forseeable future. My plan is to rent one or two rooms out to provide me with an income for when my foraging business is quiet...or until I make it big as a minor celebrity! So I have to buy it outright. This also puts me in a better negotiating position, as a 100% cash buyer - no house sale or mortgage approval to worry about.

With no rent/mortgage to pay, plus good income in the autumn mushroom season, plus being able to grow pretty much all of my own vegetables, I think I can get by. I'm also thinking of keeping rabbits for meat instead of chickens. More cost effective, and you don't have to worry about the chickens wrecking the garden.

[Tarrel]

Have both; rabbits for meat, chickens for eggs.

Good luck with the project. Sounds great!

[UndercoverElephant]

Have both; rabbits for meat, chickens for eggs.

Good luck with the project. Sounds great!

I'd like the eggs, but I'm not sure I can justify chickens economically. I'd also want to let them roam around, but it sounds like they cause chaos in a garden.

[vtsnowedin]

I won't have much spare cash, and at the moment I don't know what property I'm moving to anyway, so it is hard to say.

Not to pry, just wondering .
Are you planning to buy outright or put say a 30K down on a 100K property and hope to pay off most of it with future cash flow from employment? That might be a good hedge against inflation.

I couldn't get a mortgage because my income is unpredictable. There's also no point in keeping money in a bank account at the moment, or for the forseeable future. My plan is to rent one or two rooms out to provide me with an income for when my foraging business is quiet...or until I make it big as a minor celebrity! So I have to buy it outright. This also puts me in a better negotiating position, as a 100% cash buyer - no house sale or mortgage approval to worry about.

With no rent/mortgage to pay, plus good income in the autumn mushroom season, plus being able to grow pretty much all of my own vegetables, I think I can get by. I'm also thinking of keeping rabbits for meat instead of chickens. More cost effective, and you don't have to worry about the chickens wrecking the garden.

If you get the chickens penned well enough to be safe from the foxes the garden will be safe.
Buying outright can have it's advantages. Up to fourty percent discounts on forclosed propertys here in the USA. Shop smart.

[UndercoverElephant]

If you get the chickens penned well enough to be safe from the foxes the garden will be safe.

Yeah, but then I'd feel sorry for them. Killing them I can cope with, but keeping them locked up in a small pen for their whole lives I can't.

Buying outright can have it's advantages. Up to fourty percent discounts on forclosed propertys here in the USA. Shop smart.

We don't have the same situation in the UK because there aren't enough houses. The US has a housing surplus, so repossessed properties need to be got rid off desperately, because maybe nobody will ever buy them otherwise. In the UK, especially southeast England, there is always going to be a buyer. The sort of bargains you are talking about are only available at auctions, and I'm not sure I'm brave enough for that!

I'm still a preferred bidder compared to someone who needs to sell their own house or may be refused a mortgage.