Help Feed Yourself...from 1917

[Clone]

And it's STILL good advice!

[chuck white]

Raise Chickens?

How high should I raise them?

[PonderThis]

A farmer was seen lifting his pigs up so they could eat apples off the trees, and after awhile a bystander could restrain himself no more. He walked up to the farmer and said "Say, I've been watching you doing that for awhile, and I can't help suggesting, wouldn't it save a lot of time to just pick the apples off the tree and then feed them to the pigs instead?" To which the farmer replied incredulously "Time??? Time means nothing to a pig!"

[tvguy]

Are you really saving money by growing a garden? I'm sure it was true in 1917 somewhere in the sticks but is the effort , labor, time and cost of water , seeds or plants really worth it? Compared to some other endeavor to make money?
Clone I'm not picking apart your post. This is something I've always wondered about..

And the chickens. Maybe that is a deal but I'm not sure.

[Clone]

Are you really saving money by growing a garden? I'm sure it was true in 1917 somewhere in the sticks but is the effort , labor, time and cost of water , seeds or plants really worth it? Compared to some other endeavor to make money?
Clone I'm not picking apart your post. This is something I've always wondered about..

And the chickens. Maybe that is a deal but I'm not sure.

It's good to know for sure where your food comes from, yes?

[Clone]

Oh my, and here's a simple thing to do with your extra 'maters!



Every year we go into tomato season knowing that it's fleeting—enjoying all we can in the warm weather before those rosy summer beauties are just a memory. But what if there were a way to preserve that singular summer flavor all year long?

Alana Chernila, author of The Homemade Pantry, has figured out a way to make it happen. Her method involves snatching up pounds of gorgeous summer tomatoes and giving them a low and slow roast with garlic, herbs, and olive oil. This slow cooking method concentrates all of that great tomato flavor, making them perfect for freezing and breaking them out during the cooler, tomato-less months for a bright taste of summer.

What Worked: Summer tomato taste all year long is something that no one should go without. Stock that freezer.

What Didn't: We're all set. Even middling tomatoes benefit from a slow, flavor-concentrating roast.

Suggested Tweaks: Herbs are up to you in this recipe, but feel free to throw in other aromatics, chiles, or diced shallots.

Recipe:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/...r-the.html

[PonderThis]

Are you really saving money by growing a garden? I'm sure it was true in 1917 somewhere in the sticks but is the effort , labor, time and cost of water , seeds or plants really worth it? Compared to some other endeavor to make money?
Clone I'm not picking apart your post. This is something I've always wondered about..

And the chickens. Maybe that is a deal but I'm not sure.

When you garden you're essentially paying yourself retail prices for your produce, versus the (much cheaper) prices real farmers get, since their stuff is marked up and marked up before we get it. I've seen many calculations saying growing your own food is a very valuable way to spend your time. Especially in a time when many people don't have much for employment anyway.

As for chickens, I won't butcher them myself, and there's no profit after you're done paying for butchering. You might not mind that part though.

[tvguy]

Are you really saving money by growing a garden? I'm sure it was true in 1917 somewhere in the sticks but is the effort , labor, time and cost of water , seeds or plants really worth it? Compared to some other endeavor to make money?
Clone I'm not picking apart your post. This is something I've always wondered about..

And the chickens. Maybe that is a deal but I'm not sure.

It's good to know for sure where your food comes from, yes?

Well I can pretty much buy locally all the same stuff I grow and feel pretty sure it's healthy.

[Tiamat]

Are you really saving money by growing a garden? I'm sure it was true in 1917 somewhere in the sticks but is the effort , labor, time and cost of water , seeds or plants really worth it? Compared to some other endeavor to make money?
Clone I'm not picking apart your post. This is something I've always wondered about..

And the chickens. Maybe that is a deal but I'm not sure.

true enough. I don't think I save money gardening. In fact it can become a rather expensive hobby. Was it France I saw that was doing something about an incentive for composting?

[Clone]

When you garden you're essentially paying yourself retail prices for your produce, versus the (much cheaper) prices real farmers get, since their stuff is marked up and marked up before we get it. I've seen many calculations saying growing your own food is a very valuable way to spend your time. Especially in a time when many people don't have much for employment anyway.

As for chickens, I won't butcher them myself, and there's no profit after you're done paying for butchering. You might not mind that part though.

I'd have the chickens for the eggs...as for chopping their heads off, I'd probably end up with a bunch of old hens who haven't laid eggs in years.
I like boneless, skinless chicken breast in a nice soaker tray and covered in plastic, myself.

[cletus1]

A garden saves me no money, in fact it costs me. I don't care though.

[Clone]

A garden saves me no money, in fact it costs me. I don't care though.

I can relate.
There has to be great satisfaction in harvesting the fruits of your own labor.

I love the advice on the poster that says: "Practice thrift in your own home"

This is good advice for all of us, yes?

Recycle and reuse, too.

Thriftiness.

[Scrapper]

Oh my, and here's a simple thing to do with your extra 'maters!

Roast 'em... Mush 'em all up with a little Italian seasonings... Spoon 'em over spaghetti squash! Yummo!

[Tiamat]

If you have the land to raise the chickens and get the eggs, you can use the manure to help compost and then the cost of raising the crops themselves could be reduced.
I compost, but I just paid 10 dollars for about 100 pound of horse manure. That's cheap. I buy lots of manure and compost from garden stores and pay a pretty penny. I like the freshness of the food, and it's a healthy hobby. I never learned to can. I also wonder if canning works out to be cheaper unless you have access to a free source of fruit or veggies. It's a great hobby also.

Funny that with the tomatoes...I put my tomatoes in one morning on low and 5 hours later they still weren't done! but they are scrumptious!

[Tiamat]

Recycle and reuse...how many people do you know who actually recycle/re use to be thrifty? We all should. But don't. Not with cheap crap from China at Dollar stores.

My DIL, now there's a thrifty girl. Makes pennies scream.

[Clone]

If you have the land to raise the chickens and get the eggs, you can use the manure to help compost and then the cost of raising the crops themselves could be reduced.
I compost, but I just paid 10 dollars for about 100 pound of horse manure. That's cheap. I buy lots of manure and compost from garden stores and pay a pretty penny. I like the freshness of the food, and it's a healthy hobby. I never learned to can. I also wonder if canning works out to be cheaper unless you have access to a free source of fruit or veggies. It's a great hobby also.

Funny that with the tomatoes...I put my tomatoes in one morning on low and 5 hours later they still weren't done! but they are scrumptious!

I just recently learned that the Mormons, The Church of Latter Day Saints, have professional canning equipment in factory-type sterile situations. They have that teaching to store food for a year, or something, so they've organized it.
It's my understanding it's not just for them, one just needs to call in advance. They have the cans, labels, everything and teach you how to do it.

[PonderThis]

I knew someone with their own canning machine. They used it to can Mexican marijuana and were shipping it to Hawaii, until they got caught.

[Tiamat]

If you have the land to raise the chickens and get the eggs, you can use the manure to help compost and then the cost of raising the crops themselves could be reduced.
I compost, but I just paid 10 dollars for about 100 pound of horse manure. That's cheap. I buy lots of manure and compost from garden stores and pay a pretty penny. I like the freshness of the food, and it's a healthy hobby. I never learned to can. I also wonder if canning works out to be cheaper unless you have access to a free source of fruit or veggies. It's a great hobby also.

Funny that with the tomatoes...I put my tomatoes in one morning on low and 5 hours later they still weren't done! but they are scrumptious!

I just recently learned that the Mormons, The Church of Latter Day Saints, have professional canning equipment in factory-type sterile situations. They have that teaching to store food for a year, or something, so they've organized it.
It's my understanding it's not just for them, one just needs to call in advance. They have the cans, labels, everything and teach you how to do it.

I've heard that too, but don't really know the details for how that works.

[PonderThis]

The local Mormons used to own a small pear orchard next to one family members house, and they brought in their own crew of church members to care for it and to harvest it, too. I heard they canned them and shared them within their Mormon network, whatever that is. More recently though they sold that orchard, so I don't know to what extent they still do that. It seems like somebody I knew knew some Mormon kids that said they had to work at the place, too.

[Tiamat]

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