Roots and Resilience

20/08/2026

“If you see me, weep.”

Those words were carved into what became known as a Hunger Stone — a warning left hundreds of years ago for future generations.

When river levels fell far enough to expose these stones, people knew what could follow: drought, poor harvests, disrupted trade and hunger.

We’re obviously not living in the 1600s, but after the summer we’ve just had, I think there’s still a lesson there.

When the conditions change, you adapt.

That’s exactly what I’ve been doing with my own food system — taking some growing indoors, extending the season and even using solar power to reduce my dependence on the grid.

Not doom. Not panic.

See the problem. Build a solution. Keep producing food. 🌱☀️

🎥 The full video is up now:
https://youtu.be/KS3T6Ju_veI

Let me know what you think — are you changing anything about the way you grow after this summer?

The system I use to feed my family has to change.This year has re...

19/08/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Please, please feel free to add to the conversation.Jackie WalkerayJoanne JonesanMelanie HayeskePaul NewsteadesGeraldine Mc Callionl Lucia ThompsonldLucian Sterling LNigel KeepsoScott Darren JohnsonNiJodie SmithcoTismee ThompsononDiane Doherty, Michael Kumar DasDiDan GrubbtyNikki WrightmaNicola HusseyubRyan BeeleyigSandy BrownHuKenneth McDougall, Emma Jaynen,Darren FosterugDenise Arnold CookarJohn Morgan DLucy Rhoades CElliott James May LCaroline AttwoodioSamantha BeckettroEmma Grayood, Samantha Beckett, Emma Gray

18/08/2026

WHY SHOULD THE GROWING SEASON END? 🌱💡

This comment from Gloria pretty much sums up what I’m experimenting with this winter.

LED grow lights have come a long way. They don’t cost a fortune to run and you don’t necessarily need enormous lights pulling hundreds of watts just to grow useful food indoors.

I’m going to keep growing outside through winter, but I’m also pushing further indoors — chard, salad crops, strawberries, tomatoes and whatever else I can successfully produce.

I’m not trying to be completely self-sufficient.

I’m trying to be LESS DEPENDENT.

If the weather shortens the growing season outside, I’ll extend it inside.

If one system becomes unreliable, build another.

That’s what resilience means to me. 🌱

Who else is planning to grow something indoors this winter?

18/08/2026

🇪🇺 Europe is preparing for something most people aren’t talking about.

A leaked French Health Ministry letter reportedly instructed hospitals to prepare for the possibility of a major military engagement in Europe.

According to reporting on the document, hospitals were asked to consider scenarios involving 10,000–50,000 wounded military personnel, potentially over a period of 10 to 180 days.

Now, context matters.

This does not mean France knows a war is about to start. Governments are supposed to contingency-plan for worst-case scenarios, and preparation isn’t prediction.

But alongside increased European defence spending and growing concern about security on NATO’s eastern flank, I think it’s something worth paying attention to.

Not panicking over.
Not turning into a conspiracy theory.
Just paying attention to.

That’s really what resilience is about. You don’t have to know what’s coming to make yourself a little less vulnerable if something does.

Were you aware European hospitals were planning for scenarios like this?

18/08/2026

A busy day building the next part of my food system. 🌱☀️

Today I’ve planted out rainbow chard ready for one of the grow tents, installed a few more solar panels to provide off-grid power, and I’ve been filming it all for this week’s video.

The aim is simple: keep cropping.

The outdoor growing season is becoming less dependable, so I’m looking at how much food I can realistically produce year-round by combining protected and indoor growing with my own power supply.

Less dependence on the weather.
Less dependence on the grid.
More food produced throughout the year.

The chard will take around two weeks to germinate, so this isn’t an overnight experiment — I’m building something I can develop and improve over time.

What would you grow indoors if you wanted a reliable year-round harvest?

🎥 New video coming this week.

Dan

17/08/2026

💧 THE UK IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER — SO I CHANGED HOW I GROW FOOD

This year has been tough for growers. Drought, repeated heatwaves and water restrictions have made one thing very clear to me:

If the climate is changing, the way I produce food has to change with it.

So this week on Roots & Resilience, I’m looking at how I’m adapting my own food system — particularly how I can grow more food, in less space, using less water.

🌱 Vertical growing
💧 Water-efficient growing systems
☀️ Using the space I already have
🥬 Producing food closer to home
🔋 And ultimately making the whole setup require less input from me

For me, preparedness isn’t about sitting around waiting for disaster. It’s about looking at what’s happening now and making sensible changes before you’re forced to.

The system doesn’t have to collapse for resilience to make sense.

🎥 Watch this week’s video here:
https://youtu.be/UvgrCrIYYMI

I’d genuinely like your input on this one too — if you had limited space and limited water, what would YOU grow?

This year has been tough for farmers and growers across the UK. Dro...

16/08/2026

🐜 Maybe the Ant and the Grasshopper wasn’t really a children’s story after all…

Most of us know the tale.

The grasshopper enjoyed the summer. The ant enjoyed it too — but he also prepared for what came next.

Then winter arrived.

I think there’s something worth remembering in that today.

Preparedness doesn’t mean living in fear or expecting the world to end. It means enjoying the good times while using them to make the harder times a little easier.

Grow something. Preserve something. Put a little food away. Store some water. Learn a skill. Build a backup.

And absolutely enjoy the sunshine while you’re doing it. ☀️

Because resilience isn’t about being frightened of tomorrow.

It’s about making good use of today.

So, Facebook friends — which are you? 🐜 or 🦗?

Dan