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 ...
***Your bookmark is getting too far behind, won’t you come and join in the thread, it is still growing.
Couldn’t resist, as you are one of the first bookmarks posted.****
Sorry I’ve been away too long.
I love gardening, raising animals ect. but I have a problem. My work hours conflict with gardening and my family will not eat what is grown. It ends up in the freezer and after two years is thrown to the pigs and chickens.
My wife will not can anything ,”It’s too hot”! and expects the crops to come off at her convenience. I keep trying to show her it doesn’t work that way.
And she is an old farm girl but I can’t compete with CSI and her cop shows.
Meanwhile, my chickens are laying again!
It’s sure not easy to find pork neckbones in the supermarkets nowadays.<<<
Would something like spare ribs work?
Might be worth a try.
Is there a butcher that does custom slaughtering in your area?
You might call him and ask if he has extra, as some who raise the animals would not want them.
Or look in the phone book for a shop that sells freezer beef.
Or, you may have to raise your own.
I would think that living in Florida, you would be in the area for southern cooking supplies.
My wife will not can anything ,”<<<
That is a difficult problem to get around.
Have you tried dehydration of the food?
There is often no perfect answer, at least you are able to have the animals.
Spring is here, the hens lay, the babies hatch and the world continues its spin.
You are welcome to join in here.
I have to go with memories, as I cannot do the things that I once loved to do.
Do you have only chickens?
Is the Truckers slow down showing up in your area.
[post 831]
We keep posting links and info.
Don’t get too far behind
Your turn to post...........trying to joke with you.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994595/posts
New CPR advice: chest compressions only
The Columbus Dispatch ^ | March 31, 2008 | Suzanne Hoholik
Posted on 03/31/2008 1:31:01 PM PDT by buccaneer81
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994655/posts
[photo]
Dog Comes To Rescue Of Baby kangaroo
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 3-31-2008
Posted on 03/31/2008 3:03:20 PM PDT by blam
Dog comes to the rescue of baby kangaroo
Last Updated: 5:52pm BST 31/03/2008
A dog has rescued a tiny baby kangaroo, gently carrying it to safety in its mouth after the joey’s mother was killed by car.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994766/posts
Less Corn Could Mean Higher Food Prices
AP via Yahoo! ^ | March 31 | Mary Clare Jalonick
Posted on 03/31/2008 5:32:46 PM PDT by Brilliant
WASHINGTON (AP) — From chicken nuggets to corn flakes, food prices at grocery stores and dinner tables could be headed even higher as farmers cut back on the land they’re planting in corn this spring.
Corn prices already are high, and a drop in supply should keep them rising. Combine that with the huge demand for corn-based ethanol fuel — and higher energy costs for transporting food — and consumers are likely to see their food bills going up and up.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1994785/posts?page=1
HOAX, SPAM and “Phishing” Site DANGER to all Military and others.
Posted on 03/31/2008 6:00:14 PM PDT by SandRat
This is a copy of an Email forwarded to all Army Installation Tour Recreation (ITR) Offices, and Key Army Morale Welfare Recreation (MWR) managers at Army Bases worldwide.
On March 29, someone in Vancouver Washington established a “phishing” site at HYPERLINK http://mwr.army-support.com. Many ITR/ITT offices and some Army IT staff received an unsolicited email, on Sunday afternoon.
This is not a legitimate offer, it is not a legitimate site. It gives the appearance of being part of the official Army MWR web site http://www.armymwr.com/, but the other site is not authorized.
continued.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994798/posts
Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients Via Computer
Anand Tech ^ | March 31, 2008 | Jason Mick
Posted on 03/31/2008 6:17:58 PM PDT by rmlew
Internet troublemakers, known as griefers, conducted an organized hack attack against an epilepsy support message board last weekend. The attack, designed to inflict bodily injury, is the first known example of a large scale hack designed to inflict physical damage on the victims. The attackers used injected JavaScript to trigger flashing images on the computers of their victims, causing them severe migraines and seizures.
The site is run and maintained by a nonprofit organization, the Epilepsy Foundation. Its goal is to provide a place where epileptics and family members can provide each other with support. The group had to close the site briefly on Sunday to remove the malicious code and beef up security.
Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation states, “We are seeing people affected. It’s fortunately only a handful. It’s possible that people are just not reporting yet — people affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast.”
Hackers launched the attack Saturday, March 22. They used a script to generate hundreds of messages with flashing animated GIF files attached. On Sunday the griefers upped their assault injecting JavaScript into many posts. The script would redirect the users’ page to a complex image crafted to induce seizures. The malefic page was specially designed to trigger seizures in both photosensitive and pattern-sensitive epileptics, two major classes of epilepsy.
One pattern sensitive epileptic, RyAnne Fultz, a 33-year old mother who regularly uses the group, was a victim of Sunday’s attack. After initially clicking an innocent sounding post, her screen was filled with a large pattern of blinking squares. She says she “locked up”. Fultz who works IT Coeur d’Alene, Idaho explained, “I don’t fall over and convulse, but it hurts. I was on the phone when it happened, and I couldn’t move and couldn’t speak.”
Fortunately, Fultz was rescued by her 11-year-old son who came into the room and forced her gaze away from the screen and killed the process. Fultz emphasized how bad a seizure the attack caused, stating, “It was a spike of pain in my head. And the lockup, that only happens with really bad ones. I don’t think I’ve had a seizure like that in about a year.”
Browen Mead, a 24-year-old epilepsy patient in Maine, suffered from a daylong migraine from the posts. She said it was worsened by the fact that she lingered on the page, trying to figure out who was responsible. She states, “Everyone who logged on, it affected to some extent, whether by causing headaches or seizures.”
There is some circumstantial evidence that the attack was carried out by the group Anonymous, who gained public attention for their hacks on the Church of Scientology and successful protest campaign against the Church. Anonymous was allegedly incensed by posts mentioning EBaums World, a site much despised by the group. Those who believe Anonymous to be behind the attack point to a since-deleted post on 7chan.org; an Anonymous stronghold that allegedly organized the attack.
Despite their suffering, many epileptics expressed their support and appreciation for the site and the Epilepsy Foundation’s work and response. Said Fultz, “We all really appreciate them for giving us this forum and giving us this place to find each other.”
Epilepsy comes in many forms with about 50 million people affected worldwide. Approximately 3 percent are photosensitive meaning that flashing lights and colors can trigger seizures. DailyTech had previously discussed proof-of-concept attacks on medical implants such as pacemakers, but this is the first known real world attack with the intent to physically injure.
***Do you have only chickens?***
Right now I have only chickens. Last year I had five steers and two pigs. I am still eating one beef and one pig out of the freezer.
I would like to get some more but the price is out of sight for me. Except for the pigs which are always cheap.
I have been thinking about some goats but no plans yet. The wind and ice storms here have put several trees down on the fences so if I ever get a day off I need to do lots of chainsaw work and fence streaching.
Meanwhile, there are lots of deer here. I saw seven on my back pasture about four days ago and fourteen two weeks ago.
ANTHRAX - UK: (WALES), TEA
*************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 14 Mar 2008
Source: Western Mail [edited]
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/03/14/diluting-the-deadly-effects-of-anthrax-with-a-nice-cup-of-tea-91466-20621052/
Diluting the deadly effects of anthrax - with a nice cup of tea
Prof. Baillie said, “The discovery came out of some Friday afternoon
science. Our American colleagues were drinking vast amounts of
Starbuck’s coffee and we wanted to show them how much better tea was
for you. We decided to research, under very strict laboratory
conditions, if English breakfast tea was more effective than a
commercially available American medium-roast coffee at killing
anthrax. We found that special components in tea such as polyphenols
have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax quite
considerably. The Chinese and Japanese have said for many, many years
about the medicinal qualities of tea and there have been studies to
show it can protect against some forms of radiation.”
Having spent nearly 20 years researching anthrax — including working
at the British Defence Science Technology Laboratory in Porton Down
for 12 years and 5 years at the US Navy Biological Defense Research
Directorate — Prof. Baillie was pleasantly surprised at the results.
“I certainly wouldn’t suggest anyone who discovers anthrax, not to
call the emergency services and just pour a cup of tea over it,”
added Prof. Baillie. “But I like the idea a nice cup of tea could
help to get you through a moment of terror. It’s a very British way
of dealing with a problem.”
But that’s tea without milk. The scientists found that adding milk
negated tea’s antibacterial qualities, leaving it useless against the
biological weapon.
Professor Baillie continued, “I would suggest that in the event that
we are faced with a potential bio-terror attack, individuals may want
to forgo their dash of milk, at least until the situation is under
control. What’s more, given the ability of tea to bring solace and
steady the mind, and to inactivate _Bacillus anthracis_ and its
toxin, perhaps the Boston Tea Party was not such a good idea after
all.”
Researchers now hope to use their findings from studying anthrax in
America to help their understanding of _Clostridium difficile_, the
harmful bacteria which is suspected to have caused a number of
deaths, including 90 people at a hospital in Kent from April 2004 to
September 2006. The team at Cardiff University said they would like
to be able to apply their science to save lives in Wales and across
the world. [Indeed. - Mod.MHJ]
[Byline: Tim Lewis]
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org
[This account of the teams’ research was not absolutely clear so I
checked with Les. He replied: “Yes indeed, we looked at English
breakfast tea and as one would expect it worked in the lab on agar
plate. That’s as far as we have gone.” It is probably wise that they
limited their research to tea and not the possible benefits of a
single malt. On the other hand we would get into real trouble if tea
starts competing with chicken soup’s effects on flu. - Mod.MHJ]
....................mhj/ejp/mpp
Where are you located that you have so many deer?
I loved the goats for milk and cheese and honestly think that goat milk is better for a person.
The highest butterfat comes in the Nubian Goats milk, or did when I kept them.
I like the Nubian for this heat and for their personality, they are fun and interesting.
Be sure the milk is tested for Bacteria and that there are no lumps in their bags.
If you are thinking only of meat, then there are breeds that are larger and will produce more meat and I know nothing about them except that they exist.
I like hogs and eating pork.....but love goats.
If you had goats, I had good luck buying day old calves and feeding them the goat milk in a bottle, we were buying 10 at a time and selling to the feed lots for further feeding, when they were weaned.
Except of course for those we ate.
If you have all that pasture, I would sure have something on them.
What is the law about out of season deer? There was an old law that, allowed them for food in the mining camps and loggers camps, but it is sure to have been changed.
Stay safe.
That is a beautiful place to live.
It must make you feel good to live there and see the deer come in.
Thank you for sharing..........LOL, guess I love all animals, even in the freezer.
There is nothing like seeing so many at one time.
Thank you for sharing your photo with us.
***Where are you located that you have so many deer?***
NW Arkansas.
We were dragged here kicking and screaming from my beloved New Mexico way back in 1956. There were no deer here then. I saw my first deer here in 1970. Now there are lots along with wild Turkeys and Bald eagles in winter, My they are lovely!
Granny, yes! Spareribs work fine with the recipe, though neckbones are much cheaper usually.
Now, now. You and Az granny, need to stop slamming spam. I'm starting to believe there is a smear campaign going on here. We have cases of it...and love it.
I have never seen such prejudice against spam. Lololol
For shame - both of you. :)
Congratulations.
I just popped in while my little girl is doing her cursive. I'll be back when classes are over.
I don't freeze mine. I just buy them and store them with our supplies.
Here's a site that may help you. Many links on it as well.
How To Store Dried Herbs And Spices
I must really get off now, she's on her last page. See ya later today. :)
*INSECT REPELLENT SPRITZER*
Materials:
lemon peels and/or orange peels
mint leaves and/or pennyroyal leaves and/or sage leaves
rubbing alcohol or witch hazel
Directions:
(Note Do Not use penny royal if you are pregnant or wish to become so.)
Make a strong tea with the peels and the mint leaves. You can use each
ingredient separately if you like or combine them to suit your sense of
smell. Its best to soak the ingredients over night in a covered pan. The
next day strain. Mix the strong herbal tea half and half with either witch
hazel or rubbing alcohol and put in a spray bottle. Spray your self down
before going outside in the evening.
*INSECT REPELLENT OIL*
Materials:
Salad oil of any kind (but olive is preferred)
lemon peels and/or orange peels
mint leaves and/or pennyroyal leaves and/or sage leaves
glass jar sterilized
pan to heal oil
Directions:
(Note Do Not use pennyroyal if you are pregnant or wish to become so.)
Place torn leaves and peels packed in a sterilized glass jar. Heat oil to
160 degrees F. Pour over herbal mixture in the jar to completely cover.
Place top on, and let sit in a dark place for at least a week. A month is
better. Rub this oil on before hikes or out side activities where one might
sweat off a spritzer.
*FLEA REPELLENT FOR DOGS
*
(NOTE: Do not use this on cats. Citrus is toxic to cats in large
amounts.!!!)
Materials:
citrus peels
water
pan
Boil left over citrus peels in a pan of water. Pour over your dog after a
bath rubbing into the coat. It will make your dog smell like an orange. It
will kill fleas AND keep them off your pet
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