Rick's b.log - entry 2015/04/09

Spring is coming

Excellent!

Time for a little bit of gardening. The first thing was to set the grow-pod up with basil plants. Basil is an essential part of any tomato-based pasta sauce worth thinking about. The grow-pod is like a mini greenhouse with a solar powered fan to keep the heat distributed evenly. Three basils in each of the six pots. Of these, I'll keep the best one in the pot. The others will be discarded (if weak, or don't grow) or will be transferred elsewhere (if they all come up good). Six basils ought to be enough, I don't think I need eighteen! That'd require a hell of a lot of pasta!

Next, I have started some rice. Oryza Sativa, better known as Koshihikari. Gloopy sushi rice. I think it is a little early, so I only planted two in each pot. The problem with rice is that it needs a really long growing period. So I have put these seeds into a small propagator which is inside a cold frame. If nothing shows, I have more seeds that I can delay sowing. Maybe try some in the grow-pod once the basil is replanted. I did succeed in getting some rice to sprout a few years ago by tossing some seeds into a bucket that was half dirt and half water, but it didn't have time to produce any rice by the time Autumn came. This isn't really the climate for rice...so this is all rather experimental.
The rice came from an eBay vendor based in California. Their website is http://www.smartseedstore.com/home.html, because as you can understand, they don't tend to sell stuff like rice at the local garden centres! (well, they do, but it is food for pigeons and ducks, or something like that)

Just for the hell of it, I also started four sunflowers.

The planting was done on Monday. Today, Thursday, one of the basils is poking itself out. That's enthusiastic!

Sunday's meals

I'll be eating this:

It might be more impressive if I open the lid:

In a vide grenier a year or two ago, mom bought two army meals and I got one. You can find some really esoteric stuff in vide greniers, though army rations is perhaps more esoteric than normal. It says that it expired in March, but after a check of the insides (I, uh, actually forgot about this - oops!), the only thing that had expired was a canned tuna and vegetables; so mom replaced it with the tin of tuna and "escabèche" (whatever that is) from her pack.
So this is what I'll be eating on Sunday. One day, one day's worth of army ration.

It looks like there is a customer service for the ration kit at www.ema.defense.gouv.fr/sca/index.php/soutien-du-combattant but this is not available to the general public.

Okay then. Weighing 1685g (including packaging), the box is supposed to contain food for one soldier for one day. Here then, is a breakdown of what is inside.

Also shown in the picture are water purifying tablets - if you don't mind I'm going to use bottled water! Plus a pre-punched piece of metal that folds cleverly to become a little cooker, along with fuel tablets and matches. The piece of metal beside the fuel tablets clips on to the tins of food to act as a handle. Matches to get the fuel tablet lit, and a rather nice touch, a little plastic bag to put all the rubbish inside.

Here comes a complicated one:

That's it. A surprisingly complete menu packed into the box. But, you know what? It seems strange to supply such things as matches and napkins and a disposable cooker, but not include an eating implement as well. I sort of expected to see a "spork" or something. Maybe even moulded into the end of the cooking handle (though I bet in a pinch the handle has been used for eating!).

I love the addition of the napkins and the plastic rubbish bag - those are nice touches. And the caramels also, a little something to help the morale as well as provide some energy.
But the thing I found the funniest? I intentionally didn't mention it before. Did you catch what picture was on the matchbox? Absolutely wonderful - what better thing to put on a matchbox of the food pack of a French soldier? And, of course, there are enough matches to cover mealtimes plus a suitably unhealthy supply of cigarettes.

It seems to be a fairly well thought out meal kit. As to how it is in use - well, I will take some liberties (bottled water and an electric kettle!) but otherwise this will be what I eat this Sunday, including cooking the canned food on the disposable stove in the garden.

Of course, I'll let you know how it goes. Watch this space...

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