[al baby]

Wow great info thank you for taking the time to post such a big reply i have tons of can goods dry food Dinty Moore stew its a fav from child hood it aint that good as an adult but its pretty hearty stuff again thanks

[greeneyes]

You are welcome. Like I said, it's a way of life - that's how we grew up. Now that we are retired, we have even more time to devote to our gardening.

Our reasons are for healthier food at a cheaper price, but it's winds up leaving us pretty prepared in many respects. We don't buy stuff that we don't eat on a regular basis.

I should have mentioned that we grow spinach, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and lemons indoors during the winter. Also have a winter garden outdoors. Winter wheat and rye. Lettuce, spinach, and carrots under row covers and the occasional 100 watt bulb which we began stocking a supply several years back.

We also planted a “postage stamp” orchard in 2010, and are hoping to get some apples, peaches, and pears this year. We have wild black berries, persimmons, walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts, Rosa rugosa(for rose hips)and we planted some additional fruits like blueberries, black berries, and such.

Life is good! The backyard can yield a fully nutritious diet, so if the grocery was not available, we'd be ok.

I am glad you enjoyed my post. Best wishes on your endeavors.

[greeneyes]

Oh, I should have also said, but you probably already know, that most canned goods are safe beyond the use by dates. However, taste and nutrition might have degraded a bit.

We usually buy only the amount we can use within those parameters. For example, if we use a jar of peanut butter per month, and the use by date is 18 months, then we would buy 18 jars.

This is must have item for our kids, so we have been growing a few, and collected some recipes to try so that when the stash is gone, we can make our own.