Harvest to Heartbreak: A Canal Towpath Rant. 😡 - Episode 234

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:33]We've just had breakfast and it looks like it's going to be a glorious day, which means it's an aotment day. We've got to get down there. We've still got more sewing to do. Um, last month, April, was such a busy sewing month.

[00:00:48]Now, we're into playing plant Jenga and moving stuff around so we've got room.

[00:00:54]Um, we're in a bit of a hungry gap at the moment, are we?

[00:00:56]>> Yeah, we're not picking that much at the moment, but we're sewing like mad. It's frantically sewing seed, isn't it?

[00:01:04]>> Um, what we want to do though is sew so so many beans, isn't it? Beans is the thing that's going to keep us going through the winter.

[00:01:10]>> More broad beans going in today. And also lots of beans for drying, isn't it?

[00:01:15]So, we can start because we really now have fallen into this self-sufficiency.

[00:01:20]Our lives have tilted a little bit and something that has always been on the back of our minds for years which was living a sustainable life >> ever since we've been on the boat is suddenly happening and it's really really important to us producing our own food. But not only that, it's putting everything back into the soil. So all our waste, all our vegetable trimmings go back into the soil and we actually feel like we're not taking anything out of the world.

[00:01:50]>> We're not just happy anymore growing a few things on the roof. We just want to be growing every vegetable that we can that we're going to eat in the next year, >> you know, from carrots to beans to car cabbages, everything. We just don't want to be buying Tesco uh supermarket stuff, do we? We don't want chemicals on our food. Um, and it's obviously the cost is a part of it as well because it is >> I think it's cheaper as long as you don't count your labor time, >> but it is a slow process and this slow life that we live on a boat um >> suits it really well, doesn't it?

[00:02:28]>> It does. Yeah. And we're really busy.

[00:02:31]We're busier than we've ever been, >> but we're slower. I mean, this bean is not going to be being eaten for about 4 months. And a lot of the beans we're or a lot of the seeds we're planting now are going to be eaten this time next year. Things like the broccoli we sew now to eat in a year's time. So it really is slow living even if the days and the hours are full, which they are, aren't they?

[00:02:56]>> Oh, tell me about it. Yeah, it doesn't matter if it's not cheaper or it costs about the same in the long run. It's knowing where the food comes from, isn't it? It's uh >> Yeah.

[00:03:05]>> You know, the provenence if you like.

[00:03:06]>> Yeah. Yeah. But uh let's have a go through the some packed choy. We'll have some of that.

[00:03:12]>> All these um oriental leaves. We've still got a salads growing on the roof.

[00:03:16]We're going to still have tomatoes growing on the roof because that stuff we can pick >> as we need it. Um and we have grown on the roof over the years, but nothing like the amount. You can't grow a whole year's worth of potatoes on the roof.

[00:03:31]But that's what we've tried to do on the plot. Yeah. you know, almost self-sufficient.

[00:03:37]And it also means that we eat differently because we eat whatever is there. You know, it's it's we we cannot bear to waste anything.

[00:03:47]>> So, um yeah, I don't know what we're going to be harvesting today. There will be stuff to harvest even though it's the hungry gap, but >> better get going then.

[00:03:56]>> Yeah. Beans, leaves. Let's go. Anybody that knows us knows how we love the birds, the bees, the flowers, the trees.

[00:04:08]And every year we just get so wound up at the activity of the Canal and River Trust who like to brag that they're guardians of over 2,000 miles of canal corridor and how they look after the environment and how they're concerned about the nature, the birds and the insects and the butterflies. as you'll see on their website how active they are in maintaining and preserving.

[00:04:41]But look at this. Look at this butchery.

[00:04:45]And every year it's the same, is it not?

[00:04:47]We get so angry about it.

[00:04:51]I've just paced this out. They've 12 foot. Now this toe path is the width of who needs 12T. Hardly anybody comes up and down here. There's a mile between that bridge behind and that bridge ahead.

[00:05:04]So why are they having to cut down a mile long doesn't? I can't even summons up the words >> even going down the bank. So it's not even flat foot path and you might say, "Oh, it's okay. There's plenty of wild flowers left, which we've heard people say in the past." But if you stand and look at one square meter of flowers, which I've just done, it is full of bees and insects and food for those poor swallows that have come over from Africa and need feeding.

[00:05:38]>> And they have moaned down. I can't imagine how many insects and animals they've killed by mowing. M >> um and in the meantime, we're trying to leave little patches of wild flowers on our a lotment >> to help the environment and help the wildlife. And it's just been wiped out in an hour by the mowers and the strimmers.

[00:06:01]>> It absolutely enrages me. Um look at this. This pace that's been cut there used to look like this and a whole strip. It's totally unnecessary. Not only is it a waste of time, but it's a complete waste of money. The path is wide enough. It doesn't need to be done.

[00:06:22]And if you're going to do it, do it in the autumn.

[00:06:25]>> There's nobody. If you, as far as you can see, this way and the other way, there's nobody, no cyclists, nobody walking.

[00:06:35]So, the footfall is really low here. And all it needs is this path keeping clean, which is fine. You can't even argue that they're doing it from the boat for the Boers because lots of Boers, we're not worried, but lots of Boers want it moan up to the edges so they can get on and off the boat properly.

[00:06:53]>> Make it easy for them.

[00:06:54]>> But as you can see, they don't do the edges. So, who wins? Nobody wins.

[00:07:01]>> Nobody wins. It's not I just I just It's unfathomable. And they're doing this up and down the country at this time of year. And >> and this we've spoken to the contractors before and there is no point. These poor guys are just doing their job. They're doing what they've been told to do.

[00:07:20]>> Can't complain to the BS that are doing it. They're just doing what they're told to do. You know, it's >> it's the protocol and the just >> we're just virtually speechless, aren't we?

[00:07:32]>> And sometimes we say we're not going to talk about this anymore because it gets boring. We've done it. Yeah, >> but a part of me thinks if we stop then they're just going to keep on. We've just got to keep on and on and on.

[00:07:44]>> A quick boat show this year. We'll pop in the tent with our evidence and show them.

[00:07:49]>> Yes.

[00:07:50]>> You know, and we'll point this video at them.

[00:07:52]>> Yes.

[00:07:52]>> Uh when we put it up and and send them an email perhaps and just see, you know, if >> it just doesn't need doing. It's just complete. These guys could be utilized somewhere else doing better jobs, I'm sure. So, please don't greenwash by telling us that you're looking after the wildlife of the canal and what a good job you're doing >> because um you've just wiped it out >> when you're destroying it. Yeah. Crazy.

[00:08:16]>> Anyway, let's go to our a lotment.

[00:08:18]>> Yeah, I need a drink.

[00:08:28]Anyway, on a brighter note, we have elder flowers in blossom. Now, these are really early because I can remember making elderflower champagne in the past end of May, beginning of June, and we're now second week in May, but the smell is just delicious. So, we won't be making champagne, but I will be making elderflower cordial, which we make every year. And um if we get some ripe gooberries, we'll make some goobury and elderflower jam because that is delicious.

[00:09:04]But um yeah, it's a lovely site. And they don't always all smell good, but these are good ones.

[00:09:33]All three plots are looking really good.

[00:09:36]Still a lot of work to be done, but the weeds will insist on growing.

[00:10:21]We're getting ready for planting out the beans in a week or so. And here I am putting in some canes. We're going to try something different. We're going to have an archway growing over the path for the balotti beans and the runner beans to grow over. So fingers crossed it will look really good and add a bit of height to the garden.

[00:10:46]Thankfully things are growing really well in the poly tunnel. A bit too well.

[00:10:50]It's going to be a bit of a race coming up to get them all planted out in time and watered in. But hey ho, it's all part of the fun.

[00:11:01]Look at those.

[00:11:04]>> Bigger than the ones in the ground.

[00:11:05]>> I know.

[00:11:06]>> These are padron peppers. And if you've ever been to Galissia in northwest Spain, you are sure to have come across these fried in olive oil as part of a tapas meal. Absolutely delicious.

[00:11:50]He might be a bit thin.

[00:11:55]Stop.

[00:12:12]The broad beans or father beans or field beans, whichever you know them as, are a bit small at the moment, but taken out of their pods and sprinkled over a salad, they're absolutely delicious, as Archie will attest.

[00:12:40]Look hard enough and somewhere amongst all these weeds is a few rows of carrots popping up.

[00:13:03]What's happening?

[00:13:35]So on the last video I said I was going to um show you the preparation of the uh angora fleece which is going to be Kashmir wool and uh sitting on the front of the boat and it's just really relaxing. This wool or this fleece is just as it came off the goat. And there are dirty bits. There are bits that are really full of seeds and just general muck. And there are some bits that are really too short to spin. So, um, this is quite a slow task, but very relaxing.

[00:14:10]And I'm literally just teasing all the locks apart. Anything that's really mucky goes into the compost heap. It's yet to be washed. and picking out as much of the grass as I can. And sometimes you get little bits that have got really short fibers on them like these. These can't really be spun because they're too short. So, they also go in the compost and I'm left then with this good wool.

[00:14:39]Um, I'm not too fussy because the kind of yarn that I spin isn't perfect. It's just as it is and I can't waste this.

[00:14:47]So, this now needs to get washed and washed and washed before moving on to the next stage. But in the meantime, it's just really relaxing to sit here.

[00:14:57]I'm quite happy just teasing my wool apart.

[00:15:03]So, I've got a bucket of really hot water. Um, this is I do this afterwards.

[00:15:09]Just been cruising, so I know I've got lots of hot water. You can wash in all sorts of things, but I just use these soap nuts, which is really natural because I don't want any chemicals on the wall. Um, and you can see that I'm getting a nice little bit of soap and foam. And this water's just about bearable.

[00:15:27]And this picked over fleece is now got to go in there and be washed very, very gently. If I shake fleece about, it can get felted and matted.

[00:15:40]Angora wool is not like sheep's wool. It doesn't have lots of lad lenoline on it.

[00:15:45]So, it's a little bit easier. The sheep's wool process is even longer. But this now has to have at least two washes, at least two rinses until the fleece comes out lovely and white and the water is clear. So, um I'm going to be about an hour, I guess, washing and rinsing this fleece and then it can go on the back deck to dry, which will take another two days before I can get round to even thinking about spinning it. So, it's a slow slow process.

[00:16:21]So, this is the cleaned fleece. It's still got a few little bits of grass in there that I've missed, but that will gradually come out in the rest of the processing. Um, it's much much cleaner.

[00:16:33]It's very wet, but it's lovely and warm on the back of the boat. In the winter, we hang this by the fire, but in the summer, I just have to keep turning this, and it will take a couple of days to dry, ready for carding and spinning.

[00:16:54]Yes, it's nearly time for Creek Boat Show. We'll be there with our good friends on the Haven Noox Johnston stand from Saturday the 22nd of May till Monday the 24th. Do come along and say hello. We'd love to see you there.