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!”
I will look here also, C. We have a rather neat section of Foods From Other Lands in one of our grocery stores! I will let you know.
I love that regal Kupa he is drop dead beautiful!!!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Oh dear, this is a VERY serious situation! Are you sure you can’t adapt to Vegemite, we still have lots of it here? My mother was hooked on Bovril for years, and then they stopped importing it for some reason, and she never quite recovered.
Just checked for you – Amazon.com offer Marmite, but I’m not sure if it’s the same as your NZ version…
It’s OK, i am sure i will find some, when I went through with amazon they were saying Presently out of Stock!!! ha ha ha .. I will survive, a jar will turn up!! Thanks for checking Celia.. c
First of all, you’re cracking me up with the marmite. Perhaps some Nutella would hold you over temporarily…the taste of chocolate can make us forget lots of pressing problems. Second of all, those look like Rhode Island Red chickens to me, so scratch my previous comment about the Production Reds.
I don’t know, they are gold and white, is there a gold and white rhode island red? they are terribly friendly.. as long as they lay nice big eggs it will be OK.. morning andrea!.. c
Marmegeddon – that is hysterical! I adore it, but we get the British stuff, and amazingly can buy it here. I feel your pain 😦 If it gets really desperate, I´ll send you some of the hated British Marmite!
You can be sure that I will not be bidding against you in case you do find some.
Marmite is an acquired taste I have not acquired.
you have to start young!! c
Well that’s just crazy. Seems like you might just have to figure out how to make your own! 🙂
Marmite is now an investment commodity – Seriously! There is a roaring black market on Trademe also …. Cause I am so nice, I have bought some for you. I have been rationing my 500g Jar, is 4/5 full.- We wont have any on shelves here again till Oct or so.
Well done Senior Son. Thank goodness you have found me some. If we had only known we could have invested and paid for my trip home!!! c
The World Market in Nashville, TN has about 30 jars, though I have not been over there to see if it is the NZ brand or the English. If it is the NZ brand, do you want me to pick them up for you and if so, how many jars?
Whoops, I got on World Markets website and it says made in the United Kingdom. So sorry!
That was so kind of you though, thank you for looking. When i go to California I always go shopping in the world market.. ! c
You guys are cracking me up! I’ve never heard of this stuff and now that it has become a black market jewel, I so want to try some!
I do hope you find some marmite! Love the replay of the conversation. I can just hear it! 🙂
Fun post, but what’s the deal about Marmite, everywhere i come across its name, I think I hear heavenly voices. Is it sweet? Is it caloric-high? I think it has Vitamin Bs in it; Does it taste that good? What do you put it on? Perhaps it also glues old furniture too. regards
It is dark, yeasty, brown well more black that brown, good in gravy and stews and on toast.. it is VERY savoury and loaded with good vitamins and iron. hard to describe actually!!! c
I’m so sorry to laugh at your marmite tragedy, but I must tell you that I did. Your account is so funny. Of course, we’ve known about this for months. Not being a marmite lover, I am stress free on this issue, but I do sympathise, despite the chortles!
I can imagine it does look funny to the Marmite abstainers! I have to laugh also! Such a lovely crisis! c
i would never have believed NZ could run out of marmite. Where was the forward-thinking? I think some is exported to Australia to satisfy all the Kiwis living here so let me know if you’d like me to source some and send to you as a mercy mission. I can’t bear to think of you eating bare toast xx
P.S. Cecelia, you’ll never guess what I just saw in the newspaper, moments after posting my comment: a headline that says ‘Marmite Galore’! Before you get excited though, let me tell you where it is – in Antarctica! Turns out that Scott Base has 250 jars all stocked up for 14 staff who are wintering over. Well – the rest is up to you.
I will get right onto it! Are they sending boats down there to collect it! We will need guns! c
I’ve heard of Marmite before but have never seen it here in the States. Is it exclusive to Australia and New Zealand?