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."

[combat_boots]

Hi, Granny.

I grew up across the street from a couple who had escaped Nazi Germany. The lady of the house had a compost pile set up in here back yard. I thought it was a great place with all kinds of treasures. Consequently, I had to be closely monitored each time I wandered near it. Otherwise, I would have been dirtier than normal. All the time.

[diamond6]

ping

[diamond6]

bttt

[freemama]

bookmarked

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

I think PRESTO makes a good one. I’ve used them for years off and on, can’t beat them!

[Cinnamontea]

Bookmark for later reading.

[ChowChowFace]

Bump

[FrogMom]

Ping for later!

[AngieGal]

bookmark

[DCBryan1]

Click on this link, and “bookmark” it.

[Joya]

http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?p=98

homemade cottage cheese site

[thanks yahoo group]

[Mrs. Don-o]

there's a wonderful fellow you can find by googling

robert waldrop gardening

who feeds hiimself and scads of other people on 1/7 of an urban acre devoted largely to permaculture type edible plantings.

btw, do you have a ping list, granny? if so, please add me and ping me back to this thread from time to time. thanks.

[TASMANIANRED]

Afternoon.

Had a hard time locating my place.

Worked my fanny off this weekend.

The squirrels spared my grapes this year for some unknown reason. I now have 10 lbs of washed, plucked and frozen grapes that I need to figure out what to do with.

Thanks for the tomato pie recipe..Sunday’s dinner.

Any many, many thanks for the dryer sheet in the burned pot solution.

Seems I was simmering a small amount of tomato juice to test a recipe and render it down.

I lost track of time and discovered a burned black mass in the bottom of the pan..very nasty. It was concrete.

I put cold water in the pan and it amazingly loosened and lifted straight out after a soaking interval..But there were some unfortunate bits around the side.

Remembered the dryer sheet and a long soak. It worked.

[Joya]

.

[Patriotic1]

Do you need to rotate the frozen water bottles or replace them ever? I started doing this over a year ago based on your post.

[ransomnote]

blf

[conservativesister]

bookmark

[conservativesister]

bookmark

[laundry]

1. Puerto Rican Chicken With Rice Posted by: “*~Tamara~*” Puerto Rican Chicken With Rice 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 1 large onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons capers 1/4 cup olives, small, pimento stuffed 1 cup tomato sauce 1 tablespoon oregano 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups rice, long grain 4 1/2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup parsley, chopped 1/2 cup peas, cooked 3 tablespoons pimiento, chopped In a stockpot or Dutch oven large enough to hold all of the ingredients, heat the oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 4 minutes. Add the capers, olives, tomato sauce, oregano, pepper flakes, and garlic and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir the mixture well. Add the chicken stock and parsley and stir. Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Garnish with the peas and pimento and serve. You can also read about best laundry tips.