Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Dallas News.com ^ | March 14th, 2008 | DEAN FOSDICK

[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."

[nw_arizona_granny]

Welcome Bushwon, glad you found the thread.

Tenth Amendment Champion, has joined the thread late, but added so much to it, we are all benefiting from her work.

[Freedom56v2]

Thank you & Tenth absolutely has added!! :)
I have told my kids that this is a time to downscale, be more frugal etc. but it is still nice to see such great ideas so we can have a quality of life doing it!

[nw_arizona_granny]

ROFL!!! That’s why this thread is so much fun, your comments are so witty.<<<

Thanks for the atta boy, but I was right, unless you were lucky and the other woman was Mary, who would have said “let’s go, I will show you how”.

Bill got rid of the small dump truck we had, Mary and I kept taking it to the ‘city exchange’ and coming home with wonderful things we found, and I was sooo tired, that I would ask Bill to unload it.

You should have seen the fit he had when I brought home 2 drones, and wanted him to suspend them for the kids to play in, they were small air planes.......or looked that way.

Bill MADE me call the Military base and tell them what I had found and where.

Then Bill had to check the gas tanks on them, to see if it was kerosene fueled, I have no idea what other fuel they were expecting.

They said they would pick them up, but never did and Bill never got around to getting them in flying shape.

They said that someone had taken them for the Briggs and Stratton engines.

I still like my idea, they were about 8 foot long.

[nw_arizona_granny]

making jerky today on my day off. It’s been marinating for a couple of days. The dogs aren’t getting far from the kitchen! Now all I have to do is find somewhere to hide it so I’ll have some for Christmas gifts!<<<

They want to make sure they have their names on the right Christmas list and will agreeable to a game of “22 days till Christmas and a treat each day” game.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Granny, thank you for this post, I sent it to a fellow who has chronic kidney stone problems. Good information to have.<<<

Good, I hoped it would be of use to some one.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I have told my kids that this is a time to downscale, be more frugal etc. but it is still nice to see such great ideas so we can have a quality of life doing it!<<<

You are correct and some of the ideas are very good.

I don’t fully understand why some of the sites that I go to, want all the clutter in the house eliminated, LOL, not me, I save mine for other uses and have always done so.

Please do join in on posting any time and copy as you will.

If we have information that is useful, then I am happy.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Potatoes: Nearly A Half-Bushel Per Foot

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

LOL, I would have kept the drones too! They might have been duds and that's why the military didn't want them. The engines on them were probably good, but you have to have a purpose for them. To make them fly, those things have to have a radio control transceiver and servo moters to make the flaps go up and down (which they probably had), and also you have to have a landing strip and a controller, and it has to be far away from houses in case the plane gets away from the controller and goes off on its own. It's an interesting, expensive hobby.

He could have mounted them on sturdy sawhorses or something. My brother and I used to play in an old airplane stored in a park as a static display somewhere in Arizona when we were kids. How many hours we spent playing like we were flying somewhere! He's supposed to call me back in a little while -- I'm gonna remind him about the airplane.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Vickie, you might want to copy this birdhouse...

It not only is adorable, but it might be a dollar maker at craft shows...

LOL, I could not find the door for 2 days.

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Article.aspx?ContentID=42231&r_d=y

[Please]

[I knew your star should be floating and I see someone else likes them floating...granny]

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

DIY Solar Food Dehydrator

This is simple to make. Made from two cardboard boxes (or even timber), some clear plastic wrap, and a little tape and you can build an inexpensive solar dehydrator.

A functional food preservation machine that can be created for little work and little money.

Using the illustration as a guide, use a long thin cardboard box for the collector and a taller cardboard box to be used for drying. The boxes can be made to size by cutting and taping together small cardboard pieces (Alternatively, if you're a bit of a handyman, this can be made from timber - make to any size or configuration you desire).

The bottom of the collector box is to be lined with a black plastic sheet (garbage bag?) or paint the bottom with black non toxic water based  poster paint, (lamp black or soot mixed with a little vegetable oil would work as well). NOTE: It is not desirable to use petroleum based sprays. If you do, let the collector bake in the sun for a day or two before use.

Cover the top of the collector with clear plastic wrap or window glass, etc. Tape it together as shown.

This unit can be quite easily made from recycled materials from the dump.

To increase the efficiency, you may want to cover the sides and bottom of both boxes with some form of Styrofoam insulation.  When completed, place it on a support facing the sun as indicated in the illustration and it is ready to operate.

TESTS FOR DRYNESS:

1. Rely on appearance and feel to judge.
2. Test a handful by cooling for a few minutes before deciding if the fruit is done.
3. When no wetness can be squeezed from the fruit when cut, it can be considered dried. Fruit should be pliable and tough. Don't overdry as the fruit is not as nice to eat.
4. Vegetables should be dry and brittle.

PRE AND POST-DRYING TREATMENTS:

Steam blanching is a safe pre-treatment technique. This can prevent spoilage with low acid foods such as vegetables.

STORAGE:

It is important to ensure food is cool before storing - a condensation build-up can occur leading to mould if this is not followed.

Dried goods to be stored in small quantities in glass containers is desirable.

Always check frequently for mould or dampness.

Keep in a dry, cool place. Ideal temperature range is between 4 C/40 F and 21 C/70 F.

Make the most of the long hot summer by drying your excess fruit and vegetable crops.Sunshine, drying is free and easy. It is easy to do and you will find the end product so much tastier than the bought variety. You will also know that no chemicals or preservatives have been used in its preparation.

http://ecobites.com/content/view/857/48/

Solar Food Dryer
http://ecobites.com/diy-projects/diy-solar-food-dryer.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

The engines on them were probably good, but you have to have a purpose for them. <<<

I do have, you do too, a few parts and make electric.

I have one for my sluice box.

I had one for my dry washer.

We had one on the water tank on the trailer, sucked water out on the canal and then pushed it up to the top of the big water tank. [same type pump that is on the sluice box.]

They will run a pump for a shallow well.

They will run a grain grinder.

Put one in sight and it will vanish, they are magic and quickly stolen.

They were worth 3 to $500.00 35 years ago.

I doubt that my family even remembers that I have the sluice box and motor hidden and yes I went out and used it, until about 15 years ago.

No, I didn’t need a stream, hauled barrels of water and recycled what I used.

No, it never paid for itself.

I wish the drones I found, had of had the motors, we really needed them at the time.

I too played in wrecked airplanes, during WW2, would walk miles to the airport at Otay Mesa and spend hours there.

Then my mother started making me take my brother with me, as girls shouldn’t be in the river bottom alone.........Fred went as far as the river bottom, where we found him a shade tree, an old car seat and there he stayed, while I went on my way.

I look back now and wonder if I got a beating for that action, I did for every thing else......but then Fred just wanted to be quiet and think, he grew up to be an Ordained Baptist Minister.

If it had been my brother Ray, he would have gone with me and fixed the planes, but he was too young for such a long walk...Knowing him, had he been left under the tree, he would have built a raft and went out in the gravel pits [40’ deep holes full of water] and drowned........

I think a child needs to play at things, that are pretend, things that stretch their minds and let them roam.

We had timbers, as LOL, Mary and I drug those home one day and I could see a tripod, with the drones on cables, they could even have moved a wee bit....

We were on the bombing range, prospecting, so many times that I did not have to go to the base in Yuma and ask for a permit to go on the range, I called a phone number and they said if it was safe and LOL, furnished me with Gov. / Military maps, so that we could hunt for lost this and that, they wanted if found, and would be look for it, if we went to this or that area.

It was an exciting place to live, dopers stopping to ask for the road to pick up the load, trucks with barrels of fuel, for refueling the dopers airplanes, stolen farm equipment on its way to Mexico, illegals and even a pair of spies, wanting info that we did not have, about the things tested on the bombing range.

Said they walked the 5 miles out from town, and I looked up and there they were looking in my window at 10:pm.

We didn’t have a clue what they thought we should know, until the next day, the Sunday paper had a big write up about the fancy jet helicopter....news to us.

I did see the plane that could make a turn like a car, instantly, not a banked turn, he flew low over my house and then made a sharp right turn on to the bombing range.

Bill said “No, you saw a helicopter, airplanes can’t make a sharp turn”.......time proved him wrong, it was an English plane with a Rolls Royce engine and the paper showed it making the turn.

And then there was the space ship.

When you see your first one, you are scared to tell anyone, as they will call you nuts. We saw one about 1965 in Ramona Calif., had no idea what it was, just that we had seen ‘something’.

LOL, it was based at Yuma in the 1970’s, and flew over my place, every night at milking time, just at dusk, so it would not be seen.

At last about 2000, Popular Mechanics did a spread on it and when I showed the photo to Ray, he says it was being tested in Alaska in the late 1950’s and 1960, when he was there in the Air Force.

Yes, it is a space ship, it too makes sharp turns and you don’t really see the shape of it, as it is covered in bright lights, so you cannot, but is is round or oval shaped and much like the many photos that people say they saw.....which they did..except many of them do not ever admit that the pilot is
U.S. Air Force.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

This Flowerpot Birdhouse Will Fill Your Garden with Song

Here's a rather interesting twist—a flowerpot project that has nothing to do with plants and everything to do with birds.

With a little bit of remodeling, you can put out the welcome mat for wrens with this easy-to-build birdhouse, which requires a minimum of tools and effort.

Susan Vater created this birdhouse for her garden in Middleton, Wisconsin. Because the house is small, she says it's perfect for hanging in the thick vegetation that wrens prefer.

The only difficult part of this project is making the entrance hole in the flowerpot. The hole should be 1 inch in diameter, or as veteran wren house builders say, "large enough for a quarter to pass through".

Glass drill bits work best for drilling into the clay, but masonry bits work almost as well. If you don't have either, don't worry—regular drill bits will do the job, too. They'll just need sharpening after you're finished. But if you think you can take a shortcut by using a spade bit, don't try it. You'll end up with a broken pot.

Here's What You'll Need...

• 8-inch clay flowerpot
• 10-inch x 10-inch piece of plywood at least 1/4 inch thick
• One 8-inch eyebolt and nut
• Two fender washers
• Hook or chain for hanging birdhouse

Recommended Tools...

• Rat-tail file
• Power drill
• Half-round file
• Saber saw

A Little at a Time

1. Locate the entrance hole and use a small drill bit (1/8 inch or less) to start a hole at its center. Then work your way up to larger bits, gradually enlarging the hole. Here are some suggestions that may help:
   • Use a slow speed while drilling.
   • Wipe the bit often with a damp rag to clean it. (Keep electric drills away from water!)
   • Do not use force as you drill.
2. Once you've used your largest drill bit, it's time to test your patience-the rest of the hole will be enlarged by hand with a rat-tail file and finished with a half-round file. This may take up to 30 minutes.

   There's a secret to making steady progress-keep your file clean. Tapping or brushing out the dust won't be enough; you'll need to rinse the file in a bucket of water before continuing.

   Once the entrance is just large enough to pass a quarter through, the most difficult work is finished. But be careful...this is no time to accidentally drop the flowerpot!

3. Trace the open end of the pot on a piece of 1/4-inch or thicker plywood to make the floor to the house. (Be sure to use plywood and not particle board, which soaks up water like a sponge.) Cut the circular base with a saber saw about 1/4 inch wider than the guideline.
4. In the center of the plywood base, drill a hole large enough for the eyebolt to pass through. Then set the flowerpot upside down on top of the plywood base.
5. Slip a fender washer onto the eyebolt and pass it through the pot's drainage hole and through the plywood base. Slip another washer over the end of the eyebolt and secure it with a nut. (Be careful not to over-tighten the nut-you might break the pot.)

Now your wren house is ready to hang. Using a hook or chain, suspend the house from a sturdy support 5 to 10 feet above the ground, preferably in an area with plenty of low growth. Then wait for the your tenants to arrive.

There'll be no doubt when the wrens do move in&mdashthey're especially robust singers, with a distinctive trill at the end of each song.

Because the wrens' diet consists primarily of insects, you'll not only be grateful for their beautiful serenade. They'll police your garden, eating many uninvited guests.

[10th - I wonder if you could put a piece of tape over the place you want to drill through to keep the terra cotta from shattering?]

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I’m telling you, there’s a fascinating book in your life story. I love your stories. Mine are dull in comparison, I think.

[nw_arizona_granny]

1. NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2008
Release #09-059

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 541-1345
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Doll Clothing Sets Recalled by Manhattan Group Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Groovy Fashions(tm) Sassy Jammies(tm) Doll Clothing Sets

Units: About 9,200

Manufacturer: Manhattan Group, of Minneapolis, Minn.

Hazard: Surface paints on the pajama pants contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recalled doll clothing set features a two-piece pajama set, eye mask and slippers. The pajama top is pink satin and the pants are dark brown with multiple-colored flowers printed on them.

Sold at: Mail order, Internet and specialty gift stores nationwide from January 2008 through October 2008 for about $12.

Manufactured in: Indonesia

Remedy: Consumers should take the product away from young children immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund or store credit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Manhattan Group at (800) 541-1345 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.manhattantoy.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09059.html

******************************************************

2. NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2008
Release #09-060

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (877) 655-8697
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

OKK Trading Recalls Toy Army Figures Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Army Figures

Units: About 5,400

Importer: OKK Trading, of Los Angeles, Calif.

Hazard: Surface paint on the face of the Army figures contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recall involves 7 ½ inch tall plastic toy Army figures. The figures are dressed in Army fatigues and have guns.

Sold at: Dollar type retailers and OKK Trading’s Web site www.okktoys.com from June 2008 through September 2008 for about $1.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact OKK Trading for a full refund or replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact OKK Trading at (877) 655-8697 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.okktoys.com (pdf)

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09060.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you for bringing over the birdhouse instructions.

A few years ago, there was a good market at the craft fairs for birdhouses, several people were paper macheing half gallon milk cartons and with a little effort, making them look like a ghost town building.

Once you had the design down for the first one, the others would be easier.

Old rotten boards work also.

This one is creative and pretty.

[nw_arizona_granny]

LOL, of course looking backwards, one can choose to see the possible humor in the events, or moan and groan due to the events.

I choose to see the humor, I already know the other side of the story.

It is not really an old lady reaction......when I was careless and let the flower pot hanging above the TV over flow flood the tv,
I had 15 minutes to whip out a dialogue of ‘how it could have gone’, with a fake husband, before I left for a class in writing.

And got a passing grade, with a good girl added to it.

When I got home and explained to Bill why he had a note saying to not turn the tv on, [which was of course an on going thing in this house....], he didn’t say anything, except some thing like “it was a rough day and I was going to watch___........”

But when it came time to plot a story, he entered into the fun and as he was rock solid and I am apt to fly off in any direction, he was my anchor.

I started discovering that other folks did not do so many of the things that were ‘just living life ‘ to me, about 40 years ago, when a lady told me I was lying, that I had never cooked on a wood stove........

I have no idea what she thinks one cooked on, before the electric reached the sharecroppers shacks.

We did have kerosene stoves, but they were only hot plates, and it took money to buy the fuel.

Mom tells of cooking with dried cow patties during the depression, not a surprise, as the pioneers did also, once they are dry, they burn fine.

In one Pottery class, we filled a galvanized trash can with dry dung, put in our pots, lit the dung and let it burn for several days...and I have a couple pots with interesting black markings from the fires, burned in the clay.

There was so much more that I wanted to do, maybe next time around.

[nw_arizona_granny]

=== Google Blogs Alert for: Urban Chicken farmers ===

City Commission Meeting on Keeping Live Fowl
By Mother Earth News
A representative of the Coalition of Lawrence Urban Chicken Keepers (CLUCK)
said she saw no issues with developing regulations to avoid problems, and
that CLUCK would be happy to work out the details of regulations with the
commission. ...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Happy-Homesteader/Commission-Meeting-On-Live-Fowl.aspx?blogid=1510
The Happy Homesteader
http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=1510

Show your support for urban agriculture and food security
By Marc Lefkowitz
A nice, DIY backyard chicken coop Tonight’s public meeting on the city of
Cleveland’s proposed law to let residents raise chickens and tend bees is a
crucial time to show support for urban agriculture and food security. ...
http://www.gcbl.org/blog/marc-lefkowitz/show-your-support-for-urban-agriculture-and-food-security
GreenCityBlueLake - Advancing...
http://www.gcbl.org/

---

[I thought of removing this one, it is an ugly hate piece, on all who would eat meat, but it is more than that, in the rant he talks of some almost million dollar prices for so called modern art, that builds a rage in me too.
granny
~~~
From Bull Market to Bear Market: Why Animal Commodities Still Sell
By js
Meanwhile, in the Third World, increasingly desperate farmers, displaced
urban workers, and landless peasants will turn more and more to “scorched
earth” consumption practices simply to survive in the face of regional
and local wars, ...
http://vegworcester.com/blog/2008/12/03/from-bull-market-to-bear-market-why-animal-commodities-still-sell/
VegWorcester.com
http://vegworcester.com/blog/

---

=== Google Web Alert for: Urban Chicken farmers ===

Urban Chickens: Creating a map of urban chicken farmers
Sit back, smile and admire how many other urban chicken farmers there are
around ... It’s book #1 of 9 recommended books for aspiring urban chicken
farmers. ...
http://www.urbanchickens.net/2008/06/creating-map-of-urban-chicken-farmers.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

You might understand this blog, I don’t knit.

Knitting and books:

http://mooncalfmakes.blogspot.com/

[Has a lot of links]

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.hdu3a.org.uk/Recipes/b5.htm

Mock Crab

War time always brought out the best in women’s resourcefulness, and the number of “Mock” recipes is unbelievable. There was Mock Crab and Mock Salmon to mention but two. They were probably nothing like real crab and real salmon but no doubt delicious in their own right. Brenda Law well remembers, when she was a care assistant in the 90’s she used to help an old lady who had managed though two world wars. She would give Brenda tastes of Mock Crab and Season Pudding but was reluctant to divulge her recipes. Just before she died, the old lady confided these two recipes to Brenda.

2 large tomatoes , peeled 1 piece (?) onion
2 oz cheese 1 egg
1 oz butter salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients into a pan, adding the well beaten egg last. Cook until the onion is tender

Supplied by Brenda Law

Season Pudding

2 well beaten eggs 2 oz shredded suit
1 grated onion 8 oz flour
2 oz oatmeal Salt, sage and thyme to taste
1 thick slice of bread, soaked and beaten to a pulp

Mix all the ingredients together and beat well. Either cook in the oven or fry.

Supplied by Brenda Law

Nellie Barker’s Recipe

Mock Salmon

1½ lbs tomatoes, skinned 2oz grated cheese
grated onion 1 egg
½ oz butter salt and pepper
2 oz bread crumbs

Put butter, grated onion and skinned tomatoes into a pan and simmer until tender. Add grated cheese and breadcrumbs, then the beaten egg and seasoning. Blend until it thickens put into a dish and cover with melted butter.

Supplied by Sheila Craven

Mock Cream

2 oz sifted icing sugar 1 gill of milk
2oz margarine few drops vanilla essence
½ oz cornflour

Blend the cornflour with the milk and boil for three minutes. Allow to go cold and then beat into the creamed margarine and sugar, a little at a time. Add the essence and beat until smooth

Supplied by Peggy MacKay

from the Creamola booklet

Ruth Vigors remembers
When I was girl, we had very hot summers and my visits to Australia remind me of those hot days. We used to have a lovely cooling salad that looks most attractive served in helpings on beds of lettuce.

Soufflé Salad

15 to 30 mls lemon juice 1 packet of lime or lemon jelly
5 oz hot water 30 mls mayonnaise or salad cream
5 mls salt 2½ oz cold water or pineapple
juice

Beat all the ingredients together and quick chill until almost set. The add about 1lb of carrot cabbage and pineapple all shredded (or cabbage, apple and raisin or any combination of your choice). Then chill to set.

Supplied by Ruth Vigors

[I am guessing that Lime Jelly is Lime Jello...

Suit, would be suet....granny]

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.hdu3a.org.uk/kitchen.html

Click here for recipe page 1
Biscuits Galore

Click here for recipe page 2
Parkin - White and Red Rose Style

Click here for recipe page 3
The Staff of Life

Click here for recipe page 4
Autumn Harvest

Click here for recipe page 5
Wartime Mock Recipes

Click here for recipe page 6
Now only Poachers’ Fare Perhaps

Click here for recipe page 7
A Recipe from 1791

Click here for recipe page 8
A History of Recipe Books

Click here for recipe page 9
Care for both Body and Soul

Click here for recipe page 10
Notes from Jean Dyson