London everyday carry (kit whore post)

Enough of growing things for a while. Its time to head to the streets.

EDC or Every Day carry is a concept I came across fairly recently, I used to just think of it as being prepared for things that may happen. No matter where in the world you live, having a few useful items with you at all times can help with challenges you may face on a day to day basis.

Living in London I have to be very careful around what I carry as anything that may be seen as a weapon can cause a world of pain. I also want to know I can get out if I'm trapped in lift, tube train or indeed my office if I need to.

Below is my London EDC, always neatly tucked away in my stylish man bag. I don't pretend its the best out there, but feel free to review and see if it gives you any ideas....


From the top left.

Lighter, screwdriver, multi-tool, energy 'shot', spare batteries (wrapped in elastic band), Surefire E2D torch (probably one of the best torches in the world ever!), London A-Z map, Paracord bracelet, bandanna, latex gloves (I carry a handful), iPhone (not an Apple whore, but do admit its a good phone), pens and a moleskin notebook.

First aid kit. - Needs a post of its own, but basically it's a off the shelf kit with a lot of additions. Contains plasters, bandages etc as well as a number of medicines. Alcohol hand rub, wallet (new present to myself), keyring containing a baby Spiderco knife, a small multitool, a mini maglight and some more paracord (posting on knots coming up) finally two USB drives containing my essential files.

For more EDC information than you can possibly take in (in a good way) see the excellent EDC Forums link in the sidebar.

Herbs or gardening without looking crazy.

Herbs must be amongst some of the easiest plants to cultivate for home use. Even if you only have room for a couple of pots on a windowsill you can grow a couple of herbs. Not only do they look and taste good, some also have some medical benefit as well. My herb garden is basically a very small plot of ground between my falling apart patio and the compost bin. To prepare I dumped a load of new soil over the junky brick filled crap that was in there and watered copiously. I grow, or have grown some of the following.

All the medical uses are from internet research. I take NO responsibility for what you do with your plants, use only at your own risk. Please see a doctor and get real medicine long before you try any of this stuff!

Mint

The classic herb. Associated with tea, lamb, chewing gum and toothpaste its a fantastic herb to grow and is easy to harvest and use. Grows like a bastard in pretty much any conditions. Indeed the biggest problem I have with it is using it as quickly as it grows. Its culinary uses probably need no introduction. Chop it up and use in salads or with couscous. Pour boiling water over the leaves and add honey or sugar to make mint tea. Mix with alcohol in a Mojito. Or add chopped leaves to vinegar and make mint sauce for lamb.

Peppermint is more effective than Spearmint for medical uses which includes relief from indigestion, stomach cramps, menstrual cramps, flatulence, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and colic in children.

Thyme

Thyme has been used through the centuries as a remedy for many ailments, from epilepsy to melancholy. Nowadays, it is recognised as a treatment for intestinal worms, gastrointestinal ailments, bronchial problems, laryngitis, diarrhoea, and lack of appetite. Probably its most practical use is as an antiseptic or anti fungal agent. Make a poultice by mashing the leaves up and apply to sores, skin inflammation, athletes foot etc. Or for a mouthwash mix 100g of leaves with about a pint of alcohol. For gastric complaints make a tea and drink once a day.

Sage

Salvia officinalis is the Latin name, the “Officinalis” coming from plant's medicinal use, the officina was the traditional storeroom of a monastery where herbs and medicines were stored. The “Salvia” from the Latin salvere ("to save") That little snippet of trivia tells you a little about just how important this herb was to herbalists. Wikipedia states “Modern evidence shows possible uses as an anhidrotic, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic, and tonic. In a double blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial, sage was found to be effective in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.” So.... not just for making stuffing then!

Make a tea with 2 tablespoons of herb per cup of water plus another 2. Use as a mouth rinse for ulcers. Mix with salt and apple cider vinegar and gargle for sore throats. Use the mashed leaves as a compress on cuts or rub under your pits as an crude antiperspirant. I also recommend it in pork stew with carrots, onions and broad beans.

Rosemary

Apparently contains iron, calcium and vitamin B6. I only use mine with lamb, but should you feel inclined make tea for digestive problems, as an expectorant and to help with cold symptoms. Some evidence to suggest is helps with a low mood and headaches if the steam is inhaled.

Oregano

Hang up cuttings to dry in a warm airy room for a few weeks then crumble as needed into tomato sauces or over pasta or pretty much anywhere you'd use the dried version from the shops but with the added satisfaction that you've done it all yourself.

As a medical herb it can be a sedative, use in tea to sooth and aid restful sleep. Its also a strong antiseptic and can used topically to sterilise. This characteristic also means its a good antimicrobial agent when preserving food.

Marjoram

Related to Oregano its a cold sensitive herb, which may explain why its failing to get bigger in my garden as global warming fails to take hold despite my best efforts. It replaced my cat mint (see below) and I've yet to use it in anything but it does look quite nice. Apparently the tea may help with hay fever and sinus congestion. The leaves can be made into a paste with oatmeal and applied topically for relief from rheumatism and sprains.


Cat Mint.

Helps provide an easy source of protein! I'm only half joking here, my plant got destroyed by the local cats who rolled around on it in an orgasmic manner until I dug it up and buried it deep, deep in the compost heap. Hilarious to watch though.

Addendum

Top tips from this weekends often less than successful gardening.....

• Pea netting - get some *before* your pea plants all fall over
• Wind and small plastic greenhouses result in seedlings being sprayed over the garden and the greenhouse landing on you while you weed.
• Cats - might be cute but they sh*t everywhere, not good when growing food.
• Don't go to garden centres in the rain.
  

Sprouting or I'm not a hippy, honest.

I've been so busy with work the last two weeks I've been praying for the apocalypse just so I can spend some time at home in the garden. The original first sentence to this article is still included below, but no longer applies as the great British weather has finally delivered summer!

My first article was going to be one in a series of growing food in a small (sub)urban garden. Sadly however the current cold snap in London means everything in my garden has stopped growing and I'm playing the fun game of hoping it doesn't all die.

So instead I'll talk about something else.

In the event of even a minor crisis in the UK one of the first things to suffer will be supermarket stocks, particularly of fresh food and veg. Even very minor things like the snow this winter or the fuel protests a few years back can interrupt the 'just in time' delivery of most large stores. As I've already pointed out above, growing your own food is often affected by seasons and the sheer time involved makes it impractical to start planting when a crisis kicks off. So how can you quickly, easily and cheaply generate fresh vitamin packed food any time of the year?

Sprouting, normally considered to be the preserve of hairy hippies, is quick and easy to do and the result is reasonable nutritious and vitamin rich. It might not beat fresh fruit and veg but its better than nothing. Sprouting as defined by Wikipedia is "the practice of soaking, draining and then rinsing seeds at regular intervals until they germinate, or sprout." Essentially this is all you need to know.

Two of the most common (and easiest) sprouts are Alfalfa and Mung beans which I'll cover below. For the home sprouter you basically need a container that will hold water and that's easy to drain. A glass jar with a muslin/cloth lid or a basic tiered system (pictured) will do the job nicely and both can easily be acquired/made with a little forethought.



So for Alfalfa spread out enough seeds to roughly cover the sprouting container bottom or if using a jar maybe half a centimetre or so at the bottom. Cover in water and leave overnight. Mung beans also need to be soaked over night, but take it from me, you want a lot fewer than you think, unless you intend to use a lot quickly. My first batch went from tasty looking juicy sprouts to compost without ever reaching my mouth.

alfalfa (left) and mung beans.


So once soaked overnight (or 8-12 hours ish) spread out on the grid of the sprouter, rinse and allow to drain well. Or if using a jar rinse and drain very well. You don't really want too much moisture as this can cause fungus, mold or just rotten sprouts. Again I speak from experience here!

Repeat the rinsing process every 8-12 hours. I do it once in the morning and once at night and that seems sufficient. Recommended wisdom seems to be that the seeds shouldn't be moved too much, but I've blasted mine with streams of water and its never seemingly made a difference.

Alfalfa requires some light, but again I've never found 'normal' ambient room to be a problem. Mung beans are supposed to grow in the dark and produce whiter crisper sprouts but I've not tried.

So keep rinsing and after about 5 days you should have something worth eating. Rinse a final time and either cook (mung beans good in stir fry) or add to a sandwich (tuna and alfalfa works for me).




Simply, fairly nutritious, cheap and easy... so what's the down side?

Water. Sprouting by its very nature requires quite a lot of potable water, you can probably play around with misters and such to cut this down, but certainly water will be required and it will need to be clean and fresh. Anything you wouldn't drink should be avoided for obvious reasons.*

*Read what happens when you eat lettuce in countries with a contaminated water supply.

Just linking....

Well its not a great second article, thats coming up later

but the ever excellent Old Holborn makes my point HERE

Introduction to UK Survivalist

As I write this on May 9th 2010 the United Kingdom is without a solid government, there is rioting on the street of Greece and flights are again being cancelled due to an Icelandic volcano. A reminder, if any were needed, that we live in changing times and the need to be ready to take care of oneself and ones loved ones is just as important as ever.

I've been an active reader and occasional commentator on on-line survivalist forums for a few years but am only now taking the leap into writing my own pieces. My perception is the on-line survivalist community seems to be heavily focused on the US and often sticks to the “beans, bullets in the boonies” themes.

As a native of the UK I don't really have any of those options open to me. 'Bugging out” to the wilderness isn't an option on this tiny island as we have little in the way of wilderness, as for bullets.....well I'm sure the UK's gun control laws will fill a long post of their own shortly. I want to write for people like me who follow a shared belief in self reliance but live this side of the Atlantic. I hope in time some of you will also comment here.

I live in London, both the greatest city on earth and the worst place for a survivalist. I have a very small back garden so expect my experiences of food cultivation to focus of just what is possible in a small space. Also expect some commentary on urban survival skills.

I came to this community as I believe in gaining life skills and where possibly relying on oneself before trusting the state. The following posts will veer wildly between tips and hints from my own on going experiences to general postings on being a modern survivalist in the UK no doubt touching on politics along the way.

Before I continue I'd like to make the following clear.

What I am

• A City boy. I've lived in cities most of my life and now live in London. When I said bugging out wasn't an option I'm not kidding.

• A geek. In all senses of the word. IT is how I make my living, but my interest in basically everything puts me very strongly in the geek category.

• Interested in politics.... not party political, but I do hold certain views that may creep in from time to time.

• Not an expert. I'm pretty well schooled in some stuff, but a bumbling amateur in far more. Take all advice with a pinch of salt.

• English... colour, favourite etc etc etc.

What I'm not

• Mad, at least I hope not.
• Racist
• Religious, don't mind if you are, just keep it away from me unless asked.
• A 'rural' survivalist. Seriously, you don't want to be lost in the woods with me.