Editorial February 2009

Written by Jonnyboy

I'll wager that most of you are getting a little fed up with winter, and if the weather in February is anything like the preceding month we'll all be grinding our teeth for a while longer yet. But, little by little (2 minutes a day actually) the days are getting longer, I even noticed one of our outdoor solar lights had stored enough weak sunlight to come on for half an hour after dusk, it's meagre fare, but a step in the right direction.

Brave souls still venture out in this damp, in-between month, and if you are one of them, then there is work you can do on your plot , and a few edible treats to find.

But for most of us the warmth of indoors still appeals, and as many people have been taking advantage of pork offers from our rare breed producers then there is plenty of work to be done, including dealing with half a pig, bacon curing and sausage making . In fact, is there a better meat than pork for those cold damp nights when only fat and crackling can warm you?

If you have a bit of land, then you may be considering livestock for the first time, in which case take a look at this article on keeping pigs. And some of you may even be coming up to your first ever spring lambing.

We held off in January, but if you have signed up for the Downsizer food weekend, you will have received an invoice via PM, there's no great rush to pay yet but keep a note of it somewhere so it doesn't become a last minute shock. And to get you in the frugal frame of mind, here's a nifty little article on making the ubiquitous chicken go a little further

And if none of the above has tempted you from under the duvet, then maybe something on our forum might get you motivated.

Enjoy.