Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Thank you for joining us on this thread.
Seed ages, vary and the truth is most are wrong.
Tomatoes are almost forever.
Greens and delicate seeds, will loose about 5% per year, so at ten years old, half will germinate.
Every book says you must buy fresh onion seed every year.
But I got at least 50 % out of 11 year old onion seeds.
Mustard seeds are forever.
It is the conditions that determine their life.
Don’t throw them out, just plant a little thicker in the row or pot.
I am prone to buy a super packet and then use it several years, so try, most will give you all you needed.
If it were commercial, and you had to count the seeds, there might be a different opinion, as there is often no chance to replant and still meet the holiday.
Thanks so much, granny! I was hoping I hadn’t wasted my money by buying them and not being able to use them until two or three years later! :~(
Good that you found us, as I haven’t had time to check my emails or to freep the others to the thread, can you believe this lovely group of Freepers, the cream of the crop.
It has been a 24 hours of one more post and to bed, only I never got all the posts caught up on and fear that I even missed some.
Acorns, from my memory, have a tannin acid in them and must be soaked to remove it, or it will be bitter.
Taste? that I do not know.
Guessing the taste would be off for my taste.
Someone sells acorn flour, not sure who, might even be at that link for King Arthur flour.
I can no longer garden, but do love the thought of it all.
We are covering all aspects of survival, LOL, from the ground up.
Making ends meet, discovering new or different ways and just plain ole living life.
Good that you are going to homeschool the children, that is the best way and the child does so much better, with out all the bad habits they teach in the public schools.
One of grandaughters is home schooling and her kids are better for it.
You are welcome.
Seeds are a suggested item to purchase and hold for an emergency, when you might not be able to find them for sale or even not have the money to buy them.
Well, I never thought of using them inside, but I guess you could, depending on what you plan to grow, and how much room you have. You would probably need more than one special light for them. Just don’t plan on growing tomatoes inside, unless you have a VERY high ceiling.
You could try patio tomatoes, though. I planted one last year. It doesn’t get very tall, but had lots of really good tomatoes. I just planted it in a large flowerpot, and also some jalapeno and cayenne peppers, and they all did very well. I had far more peppers than I knew what to do with!
Good morning, everybody...
Looks like the thread has gotten off to a good flying start — it’s taken a while to get caught up, and there’s a lot of good information in here already.....
Thanks, everybody!!
I’m especially interested in hearing about everybody’s planning process — what assumptions are we basing our planning on??
Are we looking for drastic and permanent changes in our country, or for temporary conditions that will sooner-or-later return to ‘normal’? And how do we prepare for either eventuality?
Are DHS guidelines realistic and helpful?? Do they really address the eventualities that we’re likely to be facing??
Did our experience of New Orleans/Katrina have an impact on our thinking, and, if so, how??
I guess what I’m asking for is some discussion that goes beyond “what” and gets to the “why” and “how”....
(Or maybe I’m all wet... ;~))
June 15, 2004
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T O D A Y ‘ S Q U O T E
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Let us not look not back in anger, or forward
with fear, but around in awareness. ~James Thurber
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T O D A Y ‘ S T I P S
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VINTAGE ADVICE
Today I have some household tips from The Farmer’s Wife magazine
from 1928. Some of still useful and some I included just to show how
much times have changed!
When rag carpets begin wear, try running a few lines of machine
stitching over the spot where the warp has broken.
To repair a leak in a bucket, paint over the hole and stick a piece
of cloth over it. After the paint is dry, apply two more coats of
paint.
An easy and satisfactory way of preparing grated cheese is to
press it through an ordinary tea strainer. It is much quicker than
grating. Boiled eggs can be treated the same way.
Apply iodine to scratches on mahogany furniture and then rub
with a good furniture polish.
Felt hats can be well cleaned by rubbing them thoroughly with a
rubber bath sponge.
One of the best cleansers that I can use of glass baking dishes,
granite ware, and milk pails, is a very fine sandpaper. I always
keep a number of two-inch squares in my kitchen cabinet.
I find that my house plants do not get such tall, watery stalks
and stems and they seem to blossom more fully if I stir wood
ashes into the soil once in a while throughout the period they
are indoors.
A thorough application of linseed oil before putting stoves away
for the summer will prevent them and pipes from rusting. In
the fall leave oil on and polish.
To make an almost invisible hanger for small pictures, especially
those made with a loop extending above the frame, use a discarded,
fine phonograph needle. This also has the advantage of making so
fine a hole in the plastering that no damage is done.
MORE TIPS:
Use these great non-toxic tips for cleaning blackened
pans and casserole dishes!
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/dirtypans.html
Mornin’, Granny. Here’s another great site with loads of good information. I particularly like “Ask Jackie.” She answers all sorts of questions pertaining to gardening, canning, etc. They have changed the format somewhat, and she has a blog there, and answers questions at the end of her article.
There’s also a lot of information the men will be interested in.
They put out a monthly print magazine, too.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/index.html
Well I live in urban area, can’t have farm animals in my yard... hell my little boro basically thinks its an HOA I’d love seeing them react to a chicken coop.. hahaha.
Tijuana Pie
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (16 ounce) cans chili seasoned beans
1 (16 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (6 ounce) pitted olives
6 corn tortillas
Brown beef, onion, garlic in skillet. Pour off excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Wipe inside of crockpot with oil. Place a tortilla in
the bottom of the pot and spoon some of the meat mixture onto it with a little sauce and cheese. Top with another tortilla and layer on a bean, cheese and corn section. Drop in a few olives. Continue layers of filling, sauce and cheese and olives finishing with cheese and olives on top. Cover and cook at low 5-7 hours.
Recipe courtesy of MomsMenu.com
http://www.momsmenu.com
May be printed for personal and educational purposes only.
Copyright © 2004, MomsMenu.com All Rights Reserved
Baking Powder Substitute
An easy substitute for 2 tablespoons of baking powder is 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. The measurements don’t add up equally, but it works great!
Herbed-Potato Frittata
2 cups diced red potato
1 T butter
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (8-ounce) cartons egg substitute (I used 7 eggs instead)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
Place potato in a saucepan; add water to cover, and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add
potato, onions, and next 5 ingredients; saute 2 minutes. Spread
potato mixture evenly in skillet.
Pour egg substitute over potato mixture; reduce heat to medium-
low. Cook, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes or until almost set.
Preheat broiler. Wrap handle of skillet with foil if it is not oven
proof; broil 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and broil 30 seconds
or until cheese melts.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 193 cal., 5.9 g fat (2.7 g sat. fat), 19.5 g protein, 15.5
g
carbo., 1.5 g fiber, 14 mg chol., 507 mg sodium
Sweet and Sour Veggie Medley
8 small carrots, cooked
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped; cooked
7 or 8 Brussels sprouts, halved; cooked
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 T sugar
2 T vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Drain the veggies, reserving the carrot liquid. Add water to
measure 1 cup. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt, sugar, vinegar,
paprika and carrot stock.
Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the veggies and cook
over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Makes 4 servings.
NOTE: I steamed all the veggies together for simplicity. The added
flavor of the onions and sprouts in the water was not overpowering
to me. Prepare yours according to your taste.
March 2, 2006
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T O D A Y ‘ S Q U O T E
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I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly,
acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all
I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand
thing. ~Agatha Christie
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T O D A Y ‘ S T I P S
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READER’S QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
We have some very neat family recipes for banana pudding
I wanted to share today, and a question on the recipe I shared
last week. Since it was an “ice day” and the kids were home
from school today I didn’t get to any other questions. A certain
6 year old insisted we have a tea party for lunch!
OLD FASHIONED BANANA PUDDING
I was just wondering in the banana pudding recipe that was in
Friday’s recipes it called for one cup of milk. Just checking to
see if that indeed is correct. It just seems like a relatively small
amount of milk. ~Betty
Looking at the other recipes— I think it’s less milk because there
are more eggs and less bananas. It should come out fine!
BARBARA’S BANANA PUDDING!
My Grandmother made the very best Banana Pudding. I believe
the recipe you gave is very close to hers, but the only thing, she
always covered it with egg white Meringue. She would make it
very fluffy, with high points and place in oven ‘till the white caps
and top were toasted, just like you do with a pie. Nothing could
beat it! Now, with 10 grandchildren of my own, I make Banana
Pudding often. I do not use this recipe, It so much easier to
use the instant pudding mix, and as my grandchildren do not
like “egg whites”, I use Cool Whip, as a layer in the pudding
and it is a hit at home, church, wherever. I make it in a huge
bowl, like a punch bowl, clear where you can see the layers of
vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, cool whip, and repeat until
completely full, ending with the top covered in wafers. The very
best vanilla wafers come in a bag, not a box. I can find them at
IGA stores only nowadays. I hope this helps her a little. Thanks
for all the good tips and recipes, etc. ~Barbara D
SUE’S MICROWAVE SHORTCUT & RECIPE
This is the original Nabisco Vanilla Wafers Banana Pudding
recipe that I have been using for years. I converted the
cooking to the microwave years ago to save time and it is
much easier than cooking on the stove. This is the one
dessert I can make and know that there will be no leftovers.
~Sue in Kentucky
BANANA PUDDING
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs - separated
2 Tbsp. four
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 bananas
2 cups milk
Vanilla Wafers
Pudding microwave directions:
In a 4 cup glass measure, mix together sugar, and flour. Add milk,
mixing into sugar-flour mixture with a wire whisk. Cook on HIGH
for 2 minutes, stir with whisk. Continue cooking and stirring until
thick, checking every 2 minutes, about 8 minutes. Separate the
eggs putting egg yolks in small bowl and whites in medium bowl
for meringue. Add small amount of hot filling to egg yolks stirring
well, pour into filling mixing well, return to microwave and cook 1 1/2
minutes to 2 minutes on HIGH, stirring twice while cooking. Add
vanilla and butter, stir to mix and to melt butter. Line bottom of a
casserole dish with Vanilla Wafers. Pour small amount of custard
onto Vanilla Wafers, layer sliced bananas on top of custard, then
continue with layers until all custard is used. Top with meringue
made from 3 egg whites and 6 Tbsp sugar. Brown in 350 degree F.
oven for 15 minutes.
EMILY’S MOM & HER BANANA PUDDING RECIPE
My mother taught me how to make the old-fashion Banana Pudding.
I am enclosing it in case you would like to print it. I read the one
in
Fridays e-mail. This is a bit different -
3 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour or cornstarch ( I use cornstarch)
1 1/3 cups sugar
Dash salt
3 eggs, separated
3 cups milk ( I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box vanilla wafers
6 medium bananas ( really ripe)
1/4 plus 3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine flour (cornstarch), 1 1/3 cups sugar and salt in a heavy
saucepan. Beat the egg yolks; combine egg yolks and milk, mixing
well. Stir this into the cornstarch, salt and sugar mixture. Cook
over
medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove
from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Layer 1/3 of vanilla wafers
in
a 4 qt. baking dish. Slice 2 bananas; layer over wafers. Pour 1/3 of
the filling over the bananas. Repeat layers twice. Beat egg whites
(room temperature) until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1
tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Add 1 teaspoon
vanilla and beat until blended. Spread meringue over filling, sealing
to edge of dish. Bake at 425 degrees or 10 - 12 minutes or until
golden brown. Yields: 10 servings
This takes a bit of time - but I am very partial to the “old fashioned”
banana pudding. ~Emily from North Carolina
MORE RECIPES: Shoo Fly Pie & Apple Pandowdy
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/shoofly.html
[This reminds me of the old Bisquick ‘Impossible Pie’, recipe that I played around with for several years, works with corn meal for half the flour and freezes for instant meals..this needs a few Fennel seeds added....granny]
This pizza recipe has a crust that ‘pours’ onto the pan, and then the
topping sinks into and bakes as part of the crust! Cool, huh? The
sauce and cheese are added last. This is super easy to make, and
though we had to add some salt, it’s really yummy!
Crazy Crust Pizza
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I used fresh)
1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
In a skillet, brown beef; drain and set aside. In a small bowl,
combine flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, eggs and milk; beat
until smooth. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-inch or 14-
inch pizza pan. Spoon beef, onion and mushrooms over batter.
Bake at 425 F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with
pizza sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven
and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
Makes 4-6 servings.
NOTE: I used a 15-inch pan, and used a 15-oz can of pizza sauce,
and extra cheese. Consider that if you use a larger pan.
Here is a great site for “making do”, substitutions, and much more. I use it a lot:
http://www.apinchof.com/cookingqanda.htm
****trail of breadcrumbs****
I’m back from Africa!
Joe and I have just returned from our sixth trip to Africa. This
time we visited Namibia and South Africa. In Ongava game reserve next
to Etosha National Park in Namibia, we had a most unusual and wonderful
experience, together with our guide, Kapona Jesaya, we tracked on foot
a
family of Square-Lipped Rhinoceros. I created a new How to Draw a
Rhino
Video which has some footage of this most wonderful photo safari. The
link to the new video is:
http://www.janbrett.com/video/how_to_draw_a_rhinoceros.htm
Other great Africa Videos:
~ How to Draw a Lion
http://www.janbrett.com/video/how_to_draw_a_lion.htm
~ How to Draw a Rare African Okapi
http://www.janbrett.com/video/how_to_draw_an_okapi.htm
~ An African Safari
http://www.janbrett.com/video/honey...honey...lion.htm
~ How to Draw an Elephant
http://www.janbrett.com/video/how_to_draw_an_elephant.htm
~ Dots and Stripes How to Draw a Zebra and a Guinea Fowl
http://www.janbrett.com/video/dots_and_stripes.htm
~ Download, Printout and Create your own African Mural
http://janbrett.com/mural_hhl/honey_honey_lion_mural.htm
It’s a pleasure to be in touch.
Sincerely,
Jan Brett
Read all about Jan Brett’s books and get the best bookstore prices -
http://www.janbrett.com/bookstores/hedgies_lets_go_shopping.htm
This message was sent by Jan Brett,
I am not ignoring you, simply thinking about the answer and how it will not be simple to answer it.
Short answer:
Depression/1929 style
War/Terrorism
Take a look at this link, I am attempting to catch up on yesterdays mail, so it is not done, [800 emails that need to be gone over, for the past 36 hours, waiting for me.]
What I THINK you need to see, is that we are at war in every country in the world, with a variety of people, there are as many attacks by the communists as there are by the muslim radicals.
There is no way we will keep strolling into the sunset, with our soil blood free.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1940757/posts?page=4075#4075
This is thread #11, of almost nothing but the terror of the world.
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