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 ...
That sounds great, that’s really surviving!! LOL
Granny, are you out there?
placemark
You missed your chance to start a goat diary.
I have made cheese, used Rennet in the beginning and then made many pounds with vinegar or lemon juice, it is not that difficult, takes more time checking the temperture than anything else.
There is nothing quite like goat milk for ice cream, it is different, better and so good. All you need is a few berries and a pinch of salt, maybe a dash of honey. and freeze.
When I kept goats, I did not drink cokes, and for drinks at work, I put a little strawberry jello and milk in a jar, shook it well and filled it with ice cubes, that simple to take a shake to work.
Gravy, puddings, breads, LOL, so many of my recipes taste so flat today, after cooking with gallons of goat milk.
I wonder where your goat came from?
If you have a property did and it says, easements, not known, have a deeper search done.<<<
So very true, some date back to the first deed and you can find a roadway being graded in places you don’t want them, or a train track.
I have heard that Nubians were a warm country goat, came from Africa, as I recall.
I do not know how they do in the cold. The Toggenberg should be fine in the cold, but the Nubian has a richer milk and I like them better than other breeds that I have owned.
When I was breeding them, my buck was King Louie, a wonderful father, his daughters took the Best of Fair trophy at the Yuma Fair.....
King Louie Is a long story, he was special, I made payments on him and finally brought him home, LOL, when he was about 2 months old, so he thought he was human.
Every summer, a friend picked up King Louie, who sat in the cab of the pickup with Harold, for the 65 mile trip to visit with Harold’s grandkids for the summer, LOL, which included swimming in the family swimming pool.
In the extreme heat, we did not breed in the summer, some say the semen will not be viable and the stress is extreme.
Harold started the summer visits for his grandkids during King Louie’s first summer and they continued for several years.
I am glad you already know how to care for them and don’t cuss, when you find them in the hot tub.
I praise God that He caused me to want to learn these things BEFORE they were needed.<<<
Thank you for your prayers, they are felt and I am convinced that God has given extra attention to Freeper prayers.
You sound like me, I have spent more of my life learning the old ways, than the new.
Anyone with a credit card can go and ‘buy’ what is needed, but what if there is no store to go to?
I have seen what an empty grocery store looks and feels like.
In the late 1970’s, Safeway truck drivers went on strike and there did not deliver to our local store. At that time, it was the only large market in our area.
In a few days, the shelves were bare, the few things for sale were up near the cashier, with a strict limit of one package of bread or cereal per person.
The store manager was hauling all he could, in a pickup, from Las Vegas, over 100 miles away.
During the 1960’s I lived in San Diego, they advised having supplies on hand, as at that time, it was thought that there was a 3 day supply of food, in the stores and warehouses, which the Gov would take control of if we were attacked by Russia.
We know that once the Gov fools were in control there would be no getting your fair share, except blackmarket.
So I have years of thinking of how to get by.
Yes, I could have learned more, wish I had.
Glad you are here and hope you will share some of your idea’s, don’t worry about if they have been posted before, a good idea is worth repeating, and we add new readers all the time.
Granny, are you out there?<<<
I think so, feels like I am here.
[Smile]
Hello, I am happy you are reading the thread, do join in if you want to do so.
Heh!
I got used to waking up when the occasional goat/chicken/horse would walk in our house and bum treats... in those days one could leave the doors wide open with no fear of intruders of the two leg type!
Had to teach "Bad Horse! Bad Horse!" when they stumbled in as they COULD raise havoc inside... LOL!... goats, not so much! Them baby nubians are so danged cute we would let them bed down on really cold nights... lots of pellet patrol when that was allowed.
Laughing, and remembering all the animals that found a way to come into my house over the years.
A daughter, who went out in the rain, got her new horse and brought it in out of the rain, I found them in the dining room.
A goat that would open the magnetic latch on the screen door and ‘come on in’, she ruined several of my naps, walking down the long hall to find me, sounds like a woman in high heels.
My brother came to visit, when his son Kendall was about 2 or 3 and they loved the nubian babies, so brought one in, it was a site to see, the goat in the middle of their sleeping bag, all night and not a drop to clean up.
I have even had chickens that came in the house, when the greenhouse that was attached, was left with an open door.
Bill called me at work one night, wanted to know if I had the rooster in the house for a reason, it had been watching him through the sliding glass door, when he came home from work, LOL, he said the rooster looked as tho he liked it in the house and had always been there to guard it.
Sometimes, the animals give real meaning to life.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2176447/posts
For anyone who is hungry or eating poorly, I have a secret to share. (Hussein’s America)
2/01/09 | Unknown
Posted on 02/01/2009 5:26:12 PM PST by Libloather
Interesting thread.
I can't wait until springtime and starting my new garden.
God Bless,
MaxMax
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2176485/posts
Chinese gear up to buy U.S. homes
Peoples Daily Online (China) ^ | February 1, 2009 | Xinhua
Posted on 02/01/2009 7:01:34 PM PST by hreardon
From what I’ve seen driving around this area there are more goat farms than cattle these days. Lots of horse ranches too.
Goat cheese is one of my favorites. :) I wonder what happened to that goat. LOL
I’m wondering if any of them sell the milk. I have an ice cream maker I haven’t used for years. I guess there’s never enough time to do everything.
Today is a work day and I have both an eye infection and what feels like a kidney infection this morning. One of these days I may have to give up wearing contact lenses.
Next week I am going to have to look for some source of cooking without electricity. Last week our power was out for most of the day and I found that I had tons of food but it all needed to be cooked or at least heated up and my cheap little gas BBQ would not light. Then I couldn’t get the little propane can off either. I remember the last time I did that when it was hot and the thing almost blasted off the connection. :)
I look forward to your posts later granny when I get home. Considering how things are these days, like the Chinese buying our homes now [thanks for the ping] I like hearing about how things were many years ago and your stories of your life are the best.
{{{{HUGS}}}}
I will continue to add you in my daily prayers ma’am. I have spent some time starting at the beginning of the thread and seeing what I could glean from it. I do have limited time as I am trying to keep up with beginning this year’s garden. I have read about your physical and other needs and they have my prayer attention.
Like you, I was given a wake-up call many years ago as to what it’s like to have to do without. I have been poor and I have been comfortable but the lessons learned while poor are more valuable than a great paycheck.
Right now, the one thing I have to mention here is that a good garden starts with good soil. Compost is wonderful stuff. My own personal composting secret is that I go to the small local grocery store at appointed times and pick up their produce waste. I bring it home, process a bit and put it in my compost piles mixed with whatever leaves, hay, and other things I come across.
It’s an old adage that compost is “gold” to us gardeners. I find that purchased compost is very lacking and a waste of needed money. The compost I make is far superior and FREE! For many years I had trouble getting enough of my own made. And I have never had space for livestock so don’t have a supply of manure. With my “grocery store” secret, I have far more than I need and also barter a bit with another gardener friend using my compost as my “payment.”
We won’t always have the luxury of even that kind of supply of compost. But, when it’s there and free for the taking it’s almost a sin, to me, not to get all I can.
I am going to have to find out from you one day how to make goat cheese. Before April we are planning to find a place with 2-5 acres. That’s all we can afford. But, I have already put my request in for milk goats. It’s been a laughing matter around here for a couple of weeks but I’m determined to learn to milk a goat and make cheese. I too love goat cheese, but never had the chance to learn to make it.
Okay, I’m gonna post an open question here.
This year the new thing I am doing to expand my gardening abilities is to grow my tomatoes and peppers from seed. I have heirloom seed varieties so I can save the seed. I have a small greenhouse for the first time which I hope will enable this to work for me. I’ve read up on it from books and internet sources but I could use any first hand knowledge.
I’ve got a homemade bottom heat box. I’ve got a greenhouse. I’ve got seed and I’m figuring on planting them soon as the time should be right in my part of Texas.
In the past I’ve attempted to grow these things from seed with no success. The first time, they froze in the house. (no heat in the house) The second time I used the tops of appliances for bottom heat but the appliances were located in very dark areas so they hadn’t much light. (and it was probably still a bit chilly) Now, I’ve got a greenhouse so they won’t freeze and I’ve got my homemade bottom heat box to give them that.
Anybody gonna tell me what more I need to do? Was gonna start them in soilless mix of peat, sand and vermiculite. Any better ideas?
Don't count on it!
Pollen from GMO's can and have severely affected Organic seeded plants and many of the Heirloom seeds.
Fortunately all the farmers for over a mile from me all are very cautious to also avoid GMO and particularly the Terminator Gene type. There have been several lawsuits over this -
a group of Saskatchewan organic farmers is now suing Monsanto and Aventis because their fields are literally being invaded by GM canola plants making it impossible for them to sell their crops as non-genetically modified. The European Union strictly prohibits GM canola. Arnold Taylor, president of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, told CBC News Online, "Since (the companies) started five, six years ago, it has been virtually impossible to find any seed stock that's uncontaminated."
Then to add insult to injury, Monsanto has been suing for royalties (and winning) over your growing crops infected with their patented Roundup Ready genetically modified strains.
Monsanto vs. Percy Schmeiser was heard in a Canadian court June 5 - 20, 2000. According to reports, Monsanto never directly tried to explain how their genes got into Schmeiser's field. In fact, the Western Producer, a Canadian agriculture magazine, quoted Monsanto attorney, Roger Hughes, as saying, "Whether Mr. Schmeiser knew of the matter or not matters not at all." In other words, Schmeiser's fields were contaminated by Monsanto's GM technology, and it didn't matter if Schmeiser was aware of the contamination or not. They were going to make him pay for it! Percy Schmeiser said, "It was a very frightening thing because they said it does not matter how it gets into a farmer's field; it's their property... if I would go to St. Louis (Monsanto headquarters) and contaminate their plots--destroy what they have worked on for 40 years--I think I would be put in jail and the key thrown away."
On March 29, 2001, nearly three years after the contaminated canola was discovered in Schmeiser's field, Canadian Judge W. Andrew MacKay agreed with Monsanto that it did not matter how its genes got onto Percy Schmeiser's fields; the farmer was still guilty of having them without having paid for the privilege. (You can read the entire decision at http://www.fct-cf.gc.ca ). Sadly, as part of the damages, the farmer also lost 40 years of work improving his own canola seed line, as his crop was confiscated.
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