KW-18 Some things in life are good
they can really make your 'hood
It has been a busy week at the barracks, with the spring preparations going well, and the idea of food leaping out of the ground becoming a reality.
Of course, that anticipated, but worse than expected frost came and did its thing. I don't think there is going to be any more asparagus this year. It badly knocked over all the shoots that were above ground, and I think it’s probably wise to let the roots recover a bit, and maybe not cut any more this season. The ones that are coming up are very sad looking indeed. I tasted a couple as well, and they really aren’t good.
On top of the screw up with the spinach, it’s been a slow start to the greens-on-the-plate part of the year.
I might not have told you about the spinach. It was a mixture of my own dumb fault and a bit of bad luck.
I haven’t sown any spinach since the first year of the barracks. It grows, it multiplies in place, and at the end of the season, after many kilos of its dark green leaves have been ingested, digested and north-by-north-wested (?) it gets transplanted to the next plot along in a glorious continuation of the ancient system of crop rotation. This year, after transplanting the best and the brightest into the next clockwise plot along, I dug the old spinach into the ground as a green manure. In autumn. Every other year, I have left it until the spring. I do not recall why I decided to do it differently this time around, but there must have been an excellent reason for it, surely to Betsy. Directly after transplanting, before the roots had set, we had a surprise cold snap which killed all the transplanted ones to death. With both old and new gone, it looks like I am sowing spinach again this year. I have a huge bag of seed, saved from three years ago (I think). It won’t all germinate, but plenty enough will.
And so, forwards and onwards. The potatoes are in, the bean gate has been constructed. Pea fences have been reconditioned (they lasted five years. That’s not bad going) and I mowed almost the entire barracks in a single sitting. Until I ran out of petrol. I tried to do a GPS trace of the event, but my idiot phone somehow recorded the time but not the position. It took two hours and 16 minutes to mow everything except the orchard / nutzfläche / soft fruits and half of the Sportsplatz. So about half of the barracks. Everyone who said four and a half hours can congratulate themselves on probably being just about bang on right. Then I cycled to the petrol station, bought nasty evil fossil fuels and a zesty lime Calippo and cycled back. Note to self: self sufficiency requires lime Calippos.
This week, I really want to make an earth baller. I’m not sure if I mentioned this already, so to avoid the risk of repetition, I’ll not bang on about it, but I shall get into the woodshop and build it. Then, a considerable amount of sowing. Into earth balls. I hope it works. It would be nice to report that it was quick and easy and that noone need use plastic pots ever again. I’ll let you know.
The best news of the week, by far, is that Jack of
of Vegan Weekly confirmed that he will definitely be cheffing again at this year’s Collapse Laboratory at the barracks. We are making his life doubly exciting for 2024. The Collapse Lab is going to have themed days to help direct contemplations, complete with activities, discussions and practical items, all circulating around Seven Greek Words for Love. I have asked Jack to also translate these themes into his cooking. If you ever wanted to know what the vegan dish inspired by ἀγάπη (agápē) is, this will be where you can find out. At least what one man’s interpretation of it is.But that’s only one challenge. I have also asked him to cook every day in a different, sustainable way. Some will be straightforward - using electricity from solar panels, for example. Others maybe more unusual - slow roast buried charcoal pits, for example.
We’d be super interested to hear from your ideas for sustainable cooking as well. Let us know how what how you would cook sustainably in the comments.
Right. I’d better get up. Pigs need feeding, and I don’t have a photo of the potatoes. I’d better go get one.
And so, until next week, please do be excellent to each other
Much love
your Pirate Ben
xoxo
Thank you to everyone who joined the Barracks Marketing Team newsletter.
If you missed it: I started a new email list. It’s full of sharable assets for events at the barracks, and official blurbs for posting to facebook groups and putting up at libraries and social centres (I’m so modern!).
You can join it here:
and there will be a page on the barracks website as well. I know that my weakpoint (one of my weakpoints) on this sort of event organising thing is telling people about it effectively. Thank you to the community of pirates for joining in the effort!
You’ve played with Signal settings and now I’m not allowed to talk to you, would you please contact me on Signal? That might reset it. Much love, and only small amounts of abuse. X
Sustainable cooking .... Mmmmm .... don't.