Lambs are natural escape artists. They have a tendency to leak through fences. Minty was winding herself around my ankles like a cat so getting her in the shot was impossible. These two were inspecting the trucks. Soon Mama started to make a racket and they darted back through the fence like good little lambs. I fixed the gap.
Kupa you are not going to be able to fit that tail through the creep door when it is Up like that. 
Oh, well that works. Soon we will have to start calling that tail a train. It is getting so long. 
So I was talking to my daughter last night, giving her my grocery list for the Red Cross parcel that someone usually sends me once or twice a year from New Zealand.
“Bad news about the Marmite.” she said.
“What do you mean?” I said, idly dropping dirty dishes in the dishwasher. The first three items on my list were Marmite. I am down to the last few scrapes, I can make a jar last almost a year if I am frugal. A cupboard without Marmite is bare.
“The factory was in the earthquake.”
“The Christchurch earthquakes?” I said.
“Yup.”
” Your Grandfather wrote me yesterday that they closed his church. I guess the tremors are still happenning. The same day, they decided Farmers was not safe anymore and halfway through the morning, with no warning, some shrieker got on the loud speakers and told everyone to get out immediately. Right now! Evacuate! Curtains were yanked open and women were running for the exits trying to pull their clothes on as they ran. Can you just see all the wobbly Farmers shoppers, pushing their arms back through their cardies, holding their pants up, handbags in the crooks of their arms, jamming themselves through the exit doors.” I laughed out loud at the thought. “Once they were all in the street they turned around and gathered to see what was going to happen and nothing did!”
“Mum!”
I smother a laugh. It really is not funny.
“This is serious.” She says.
I try to be good. I put on my mother voice. “What is serious darling?”
“The Marmite Crisis. They are calling it Marmegeddon!”
“There is a crisis?” I watch John take back out the dirty dishes, rinse them and stack them properly in the dishwasher. “What kind of crisis?”
“Are you listening.?” she said.
“Course I am listening darling.”
“I can hear dishes. Stop doing the dishes and pay attention.”
I sigh, she is so strict this daughter of mine. I walk onto the verandah and stand looking at the barn.
“OK, I am all ears.”
“New Zealand is running out of Marmite.”
“Running out of marmite?” I sit slowly on the step. Life without Marmite is unthinkable. “All out. Like gone. (a terrible pause). There was only one factory?”
“Evidently.”
“Quick, go to the supermarket right now and buy the rest for me. Buy them all darling, I will send you some money. I can’t run out. How will I make my gravy. What about my morning toast? It is the taste of New Zealand. I have to have a stock.” I try to control the panic in my voice.
“Mum. There are none left!”
“NONE? Anywhere. No jars of Marmite left? No-one warned us? Are there hoarders, are people hoarding? Is there a black market Marmite thingy somewhere. Wait, I used to know some guys in the Mongrel Mob, I taught their kids. They might be able to get me some.”
“Mum. The Mongrel Mob is not hoarding Marmite.”
“But darling. I cannot be without Marmite. My jar is almost empty. What will we do?”
Calling all you Marmite Hoarders!! I am willing to pay TOP DOLLAR for the Marmite. And don’t try and sell me that British imitation Marmite it is too runny. NO Vegemite either, I can tell the difference! Get a hold of me any way you can. This is serious crisis!
Good morning. I hope you are all well this morning eating your Marmite on toast! I am rationing myself to a smear. I cannot believe an entire country could run out of an essential food like this. They had better have it sorted out by November when I visit!
Yesterday Our John cut a small area down the back for hay. It will be grass hay. So far so good though. It is cut and today is fine, warm and clear. Tonight he will rake it. Which will turn it over to dry the other side. Then the next day it is raked into a hedgerow and then baled by Thursday all being well. John has never done haymaking before so it is an adventure!
I had a lot of help with the chook house compost yesterday, which meant I had to move the tractor very slowly due to hen crowding, so we are still only half way through. 
It takes a wee while because after I have filled the tractor bucket, I drive over to the hose and soak it with water, then off down the back we trundle and dump it on the new compost pile. So we will be doing more today!
Oh and I was asked yesterday how many chooks in the chook house. I tried to count but they move too fast. I would say about twenty five or thirty.
Daisy comes into the milk room for a brush and a special feed each morning and evening as a practice for milking and is being surprisingly docile and good. She is not bothered at all by the pump which is a relief.
Have a great day today. Good morning.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
104 responses to “Calling all Marmite Hoarders!”
Sorry about the marmite … can’t have your toast without … yeast spread … I suppose. I am sorry, truly. It must be a link to home as much as anything.
I appreciate that Bill! It IS a link to home and also an hilarious situation! I mean how could they run out!! c
Thought this might help you a bit……….. http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11227811 Also found it on Amazon.com
Morning miss T.. Amazon has run out too, you go on a list!! and there was none in the world market in cali .. my son looked.. Must be some somewhere!! c
Oh, I thought of World Market, too – if the local store has any left, I’ll let you know!
Not getting your obsession with Marmite, loathsome stuff, but I do believe the English version was the original. Hope you get your fix soon! 🙂
Ah yes, I am sure it originated in England, the Nz one is a bit stronger if anything and you would hate it even more!! (laughter!).. c
I was getting ready to take umbrage: the UK version of Marmite is no way runny and it is very good. You could get it at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marmite-Yeast-Extract-Paste-Glass/dp/B003UU8EQY/ref=sr_1_3?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1337098226&sr=1-3 Mind you the glass jars are heavy, so the postage could cost a fortune! We can’t get it in France, so it is one of the things visitors must bring if they want to be fed!
My grandmother used to say the same about lemons, if we turned up without lemons packed in with our clothes there was TROUBLE!! NZ marmite is thicker and stronger. i used to eat the UK marmite when i lived there. in a way it is more spreadable, maybe that is a better word. c
You could have mine, if I had any, but I hate the stuff! The most unpleasant thing in the world is kissing a girl who’s just eaten Marmite – YUCK!
Have you seen the (British) Marmite viral ad on YouTube?
Ha ha !! No kissing Marmite Girls for you!! That is brilliant! no i have not seen the ad either.. is it good? c
Absolutely not! The ad is hilarious – you should be able to find it via Google 😉
Huh?! No Marmite in the US?? We have oodles of the stuff and still sold in black glass bottles, though probably smaller volumes than your picture. Anyway you can send me the NZ version ingredients list to cross check? Also not sure if we fall into the runny UK version – hey runny Marmite may be better than none, or not? 🙂 Laura
Where are you Laura? I love those little black jars, they are perfect water glasses! I have not seen them in years.. c
Ok now seem to have lost my tag as well – RecyclerSA. South Africa. Our bottles are the same shape as the one on Uk website. Happy to post you some. I haven’t bought in years, preferring the OXO version myself. Laura
Thank you laura you are a doll. I am sure I can find some somewhere in the states.. but that is a wonderful offer.. do you mean bovril!? when you talk of the oxo one, i love that stuff too! it is a perfect hot drink.. c
Hmm similar, used to be called Fray Bentos originally – now called oxo. We have bovril too.Laura
I know miserable isn’t it! They will let us know.. out of stock! what a thing.. c
You’ll have to go with the English then! 😉
I’m just thinking if there is only one factory.. perhaps you should begin manufacturing the stuff?? Side bonus.. a lifetime, endless supply for yourselves;)
I think it is from a byproduct of the beer making process? I should look it up! That could be a bonus all round!! c
Ah…I am a Vegemite girl myself — all due to an Aussie boyfriend many years back…Surely they will rebuild? If American runs on Dunkin, N.Z. runs on Marmite….
Aha, a vegemite girl!! Can you get it over where you are?.. c
Not recently, but I haven’t made a concerted effort! Did you know it had to be banned from Australian prisons at some point because the inmates figured out how to make beer from it?
awesome! No i did not know that, what a stunning fact! hilarious,, thanks natalia! c
And friend of mine found some online in the US but if you cannot find any, I will post you some with pleasure 🙂
Tandy you are a darling.. I will start looking! c
Oh No!! You just never know when natural disaster will strike……good reason to stock up and have a pantry full! Good luck in your quest to find more NZ Marmite!
exactly.. an act of god evidently!!! c
There’s a sustainability challenge in here somewhere, I know it! Surely there’s a recipe out there somewhere…I can see you with a pantry full of your own home made Marmite. Ceciliaite!
You are right maggie, best we put our thinking caps on! c
I’ve never been a Marmite fan but you have my sympathy anyway! Now that Kupa, he’s a different kettle of fish altogether – I’m a definite fan of his!
Christine
fan being the operative word Christine! He is so sweet and has quieted right down now that he is used to having his girls around! c
Interesting partisan view of Marmite. I can be objective because I don’t particularly like it – I know how weird that must sound to you – but the crux is that I have never heard of NZ Marmite! I have been forced on occasions to add Marmite to gravy, and the like, by my wife who has a similar passion for it as you – only British runny Marmite of course:)
Never heard of NZ marmite! Shock! Horror! and i am with your wife, just a wee dab of marmite in the gravy is GREAT! The British Marmite is not so bad if that is all there is! oops i have to be careful not to start a war. We will call it The Marmite Wars! c
“Marmegeddon”?!?!?! Sorry, but too funny!
I know of an import shop, open 1 weekend each quarter. I don’t recall seeing Marmite when I was there last but I will look for it the next time they’re open. In the meantime, I’ll ask around if anyone knows of another import shop that might carry the stuff.
Try to have a good day just the same. 🙂
Ah yes, i heard of that import shop. Only two and a half months to go then!! Morning john.. c
Also meant to ask …. Daisy does know about the cups that are attached to her right? Laura
Well she has not actually been introduced to the cups yet, but we have discussed it! c