KW-44 Project Mania

and a surprising amount of things growing over the winter

Most things at The Barracks are dictated by the flow of the seasons, the waning of the winter daylight, and the much anticipated, inevitable though distant warming again in 6 or 7 months from now. You can get a good handle on what I am going to be doing in any given week by reading any of the newsletters of that week from a year, two years ago.

It’s just gorgeous.

But things do change. The vegetable potager grows, new areas become productive and it just occurred to me this week that there is another measure of progress at The Barracks which I have not considered before.

This week, I brought inside most of the things which need to come inside for the winter. If you have been with me a while, you’ll know all about the pomegranates I raised from seed in Year One. They are now on their table in the loft, but joining them this year are the tomato cuttings that I am trying to propagate over winter, the 100-or-so new bushes that I am trying to raise also from cuttings, the young holly trees, the banana plants (now 4 in number) and the coffee bushes!

I allowed some of the lettuces to go to seed this year. They have now thrown up a large amount of seedlings, a good couple of dozen of which will also be coming inside. Underneath the overwintering tables, I have chicoree forcing under a big black bucket, and mushrooms sprouting in a box.

On Monday, I fixed a wheelbarrow. On Tuesday, I fixed the other one.

Outside, I have removed the vertical axis from the garden. All the beans are inside, as are the beanpoles, the tomato stakes and the pea fences. In previous years, the flattening of the vista has been the end of it. The garden goes to sleep. Last year, I made my first real effort in growing over winter as well.

This year, we’re going for even more. In the last week, growing shoots have appeared of the winter wheat, the onions and garlic, and the Swiss chard. There is a row of carrots, a row of parsnips, two rows of kale, plenty of spinach and some cabbages still outside (most are in the cellar or being slowly sauerkrauted). The Christmas potatoes are not playing ball.

I tried a new thing this week which I can very much recommend.

I eat a jar of jam every week. It’s all in the plan. And there is always a significant amount of scrapings I just can’t get to. So:

Pirate Salad Dressing for Pirate Salads:

• Take one empty / not empty jam jar.

• Add a good splash of olive oil. About half a centimetre.

• Do the same with your favourite home-made vinegar (of course!), but maybe half as much

• Add a good pinch of salt, and half a cm of boiling water.

• Put the lid back on and shake vigorously until all the liquids are mixed, and the side are cleaned of jam.

Best Salad Dressing Ever!

This week, I will be mostly working on projects. Three of them are:

The exciting Card Game Project.

I have the two best collaborators for the exciting card game project that you can imagine. I can’t tell you more now, but be sure, once we are well underway, I’m not going to shut up about it.

A writing project

I have the first three partners in place, but we need more. The plan is an online Zine thing, with a genuinely new sort of a outlook. If you are a) Vegan and b) Interested in working with me on a writing project, get in touch!

A reading project.

Starting in the Spring of next year, we will be offering Reading Retreats. A week of books, stories, performance and discussion. There is a long way to go, but the team is building and it’s looking good.

And until then, please do share this newsletter to your friends, family and socials. With the approach of winter, I need this newsletter more than you do. Please help me spread it. The world is a mess, let’s try to treasure a corner of it which is trying to get better.

Much Piratey Love

Your

Pirate Ben

xoxo