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."

[djf]

Lol! How to survive! Save yur old sneakers!

[toomanygrasshoppers]

We have 2 large rubbermaid tubs full of packages of beans and rice that we stored in a closet. They have been there since after 9-11 and never opened. Just something else our children and grandchildren will get a chuckle over when they clean out our house after we are gone.

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Okay, if a keyword is decided upon please let me know.

[djf]

We think alike.

Years ago I just had an uneasy feeling and started stocking up on non perishable foods and a few med supplies.

I remember it crystal clear.
One week.
It was one week before 9/11

I kid you not.

[Uncle Ike]

” Okay, if a keyword is decided upon please let me know. “

See my post #180 ;~)

Granny - maybe you could ping the list to it??

[metmom]

As long as you’re updating your list, add me, also.

[Uncle Ike]

Now I really do have to go...

Starting another ****trail of breadcrumbs****

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You are on my...smile list.

How sweet, thank you. :)

Now if I don’t loose the paper, keep checking back, after I get some sleep, I will put up some new posts. and daily, if all goes as planned.

Will do. Being prepared is half the battle. Surviving it is the other half.

Thank you for being here.

You are more than welcome. Please keep up the good work. Many of us on FR fall under the ant and the grasshopper category.

[Gabz]

I guess because we do a lot of fishing on a regular basis, I never thought of fishing gear in this way. You’re both correct fishing gear is as important as ammo or food.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you, I did not know there was a gardening thread, so I was no help at all.

You have children, do you know this site?

She is an author and artist, I visit to see her art work, you will find many pages to color and learning tools.

This is out of date, but it will give you an idea of what is there and would not hurt to have a few of her pages tucked away with crayons or colored pencils for emergency times.

Sign up for her newsletter and you will know when she changes the theme, for most of the important holidays.

granny

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~ Valentine’s Day Coloring Placemat
http://www.janbrett.com/place_mats/valentines_coloring_place_mat.htm

~ Hedgie’s Valentine’s Day Chocolate Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/hedgies_valentine_chocolates_main.htm

~ Hedgie’s Valentine for You Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/hedgies_valentine_for_you.htm

~ Hedgie’s Valentine Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/valentine_coloring_page.htm

~ I Love my Teacher Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/i_love_my_teacher.htm

~ I Love my Students Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/i_love_my_students.htm

~ I Love my Mom Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/i_love_my_mom.htm

~ I Love my Dad Coloring Page
http://www.janbrett.com/i_love_my_dad.htm

~ Make Your Own Personalized Valentine’s Day Transfers
http://www.janbrett.com/valentine_letters/form.html

~ Personalize and Print Valentine’s Day Cards and Envelopes
http://www.janbrett.com/pdfcards/pdfcardgenerator_valentines.htm

~ Email Valentine’s
http://www.janbrett.com/vcards/gbrowse.php?cat_id=8

~ Hedgie’s Valentine’s Day Mailbox
http://www.janbrett.com/hedgies_valentine_mailbox.htm

~ Hedgie’s Valentine’s Day Mailbox Nameplate
http://www.janbrett.com/hedgies_valentine_mailbox_name.htm

~ Valentine’s Day Napkin Holder
http://www.janbrett.com/valentines_day_napkin_holder.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

Download Free How to Draw Videos -
http://janbrett.com/video/video_main_page.htm

This message was sent by Jan Brett,

She is a nice person, before 9-11, we were writing to each other and I found her to be a fine person.

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“Stinkbait”

I love it!

[toomanygrasshoppers]

I’ve played out in my head what would happen if we lost the power grid in this country. No lights, communication, computers, water (most run on electric pumps), gasoline, etc. It would be suicide to try to go to the store. People would panic and you could get hurt. Cash registers would not work and there would be major looting. If you don’t have what you need prior to a disaster then you likely won’t get it for a long time. Stores will be cleaned out and no deliveries will be made. All you can safely do is hunker down and see how it all plays out.

[nw_arizona_granny]

When I tell my kids how we used to eat bacon grease sandwiches or butter, sprinkled with sugar ones they get a disgusting look on their faces.<<<

So did we.

I mix, honey, peanut butter and a little butter into a mixture and now use it on muffins and toast.

Keeps it from dripping down the arms.

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*snicker*

You bad, for shame. Hahahahahahaha

[Gabz]

Thanks for the links — I was not familiar with that site.

I keep art supplies of all kinds on hand one never knows when they will come in handy, and not just for the kids!!!!

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you, your mothers tomato pie is a recipe that I will enjoy.

I am glad that you posted it.

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You’re both correct fishing gear is as important as ammo or food.

Yes it is. Hopefully lurkers on this thread will add it to their storage supplies. Nothing can be overlooked no matter how small it may appear to some.

[Joya]

Thanks for the thread, thanks for the ping.

(I meant this thread, Quix.)

[Quix]

THANKS, ALL.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Some people are born to work the soil, others are not.

For me, I could forget the world and see the promise that is in every seed.

Maybe we can interest more people into teaching the young to garden.

But to even suggest it, gets us lumped in with the tree sitters and that does no good.

I Think of Jeanette, who was staying with me in her 9th year, I had taken her to the doctor and not the other kids, so I suggested we stop at the nursery, she pitched a fit, but I stopped anyway.

As we were leaving she said to me “Aunt Ruth, I will go to the nursery with you anytime, I thought you were going to take me to nursery school”, so for one young lady, for an hour, there was another world, outside her own.

I can’t imagine living in town.