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To: nw_arizona_granny
With rising food and fuel prices I am tripling the size of my garden this Spring to grow plenty of staple crops like dent corn for grinding (which I do with a simple hand grinder and it's so much better tasting than store bought meal), shell beans and purple hull peas for canning. We prefer canning over freezing in the event the electricity is interrupted for an extended period. We always grow plenty of squash, tomatoes, and okra. I may even put in a row of potatoes this year.

My brother and I converted away from hybrid plants to to growing heirloom vegetables a few years ago so that we can raise and store our own continuous source of seeds. We try to keep a one or two year supply of seeds on hand in the event market seed supply is interrupted.

We pick and can wild blackberries each summer for pies and cobblers. We have a local blueberry farm where we can pick them for $7 a gallon. We do freeze those as they don't can well.

We have a free standing Fisher wood stove which we use for heat and can cook on when needed.

The key that I've learned over the years to minimize interruption and inconvenience is to diversify, i.e. don't rely on just one energy source (i.e. all electric - we use butane for cooking and wood for most of our heat), keep a well stocked pantry, be prepared for extended outages, have a sufficient stock of ammunition, and keep a few gallons of gasoline or diesel in stock in case of emergency (but you will need to rotate and use it periodically to prevent it from ruining).

115 posted on 03/24/2008 6:45:19 AM PDT by OB1kNOb (The Presidential election is a race to the bottom. Which Party will out stupid the other to lose ?)
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To: OB1kNOb

The key that I’ve learned over the years to minimize interruption and inconvenience is to diversify, i.e. don’t rely on just one energy source (i.e. all electric - we use butane for cooking and wood for most of our heat), keep a well stocked pantry, be prepared for extended outages, have a sufficient stock of ammunition, and keep a few gallons of gasoline or diesel in stock in case of emergency (but you will need to rotate and use it periodically to prevent it from ruining).<<<

Excellent advice, very wise.

I am glad you will have a large garden, and am praying that folks all have a bumper crop.

During WW2, we had many Victory gardens, people planted food and not grass.

I do not do lawns, not when the same amount of effort will give me either food or beautiful flowers.

You are correct, I may have more flour and beans in my freezer, than anything else, as frozen food will be the first to spoil.

Good, that you are able to save your own seeds, so few even have an idea of how to do it.


163 posted on 03/24/2008 7:47:09 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. ... . Mark Twain)
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To: OB1kNOb
----and keep a few gallons of gasoline or diesel in stock in case of emergency (but you will need to rotate and use it periodically to prevent it from ruining).---- There are a couple of great products for keeping gas and diesel fresh called PRI-G for gas and PRI-D for diesel. They are way less expensive to use that Sta-bil and are more effective. A $25 dollar jug will treat over 500 gallons, and will treat fuel that has already gone bad as well. This can be had at Nitro-Pak which was mentioned earlier.
240 posted on 03/24/2008 9:33:30 AM PDT by ResponseAbility
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