Food, Fuel, Feed and Chickens

[2dream]

We are having a neighborhood meeting this week. There will be a definate 5 families with a possible 6th.
(There are only six families in my neighborhood). The idea started with my new extended garden and one neighbors illness and inablility to work right now.
He will be helping with the garden extension as much as he can in exchange for part of the produce.
Our meeting is going to be to discuss other ways to help each other on an exchange basis. Plus I have come up with the idea of using our cell phones when we are at the grocery store to call and say.... hey, I am here and there is a great sale on coffee or whatever do you want me to pick you up some? Since we all shop at different places I think it will be a great way to take care of sale items without running all over town. One neighbor makes a run to the bread store once a week. If he takes orders in advance that will eliminate a trip for someone else.
We are also going to discuss taking turns going to SAMs club once a month and buying in bulk. No one will profit.
All money will be the exact amount charged and all money will have to be paid out to each other immediately upon return with the merchandise. If you don't pay you are out of the link and on your own. Kind of like our own neighborhood CO-OP.
We even tilled and planted an extra row of green beans for the neighbor who is not doing really great and in turn he cut our grass while we were doing that.
I think it is time we all get to know our neighbors and pool our resources.
Anymore ideas out there?

 

[lengel]

Know the resources on your own property. I was astonished when I started to look around. Remember when dandelion greens used to be a specialty salad green? They're everywhere on our lot (we don't spray). I understand that we also have fiddlers ferns (?) which are also edible and very expensive in grocery stores. I'm also wondering about the nuts that drop off of trees everywhere around here and no one seems to know anything about. I also found an oregano bush (yes, bush!). I had planted it years ago when we first got here, it didn't do well and I forgot all about it. Turns out, it came back and now it's huge!

We have a pond. Maybe we could stock it. MIL stocked it years ago with decorative fish. Why not something edible?

Thirty years ago, MIL jackhammered up the concrete floor of the basement and dumped all of the pieces at the bottom of the hill. Every fall afterward, she raked up all of the leaves on the property and dumped them on top of the concrete pile. We hired the neighbor's kids to haul up the concrete pieces so that we could recycle them and the decayed leaves have turned into this incredibly rich black soil that's better than what I could buy at any store. We also found a bunch of river rock in the pile that we could use to build a retaining wall. Not everyone has piles of debris lying around that they can sort through but we're finding a bit of a gold mine in ours. We're also starting to collect branches and sticks for next winter's kindling as a matter of course.

Just some thoughts.

PS Just bought a canner. Does anyone have any tips? I will be self-taught.

 

[Malbri]

Quote:
Right, if it's cute and on sale, then you buy it

 

[curliet]

Southernsibe makes a point that I have long thought. We have starving and homeless people all over this country, 3rd world countries in the middle of all of our big cities. Why are we so worried about making sure that people in other countries have more. No, I am not hardhearted, and wouldn't have thought myself an isolationist, but things have come to the point where we have to stop denying that we have a big problem here. We need to take care of our own people, and then help others. Remember what they say on the airplane, "put on your own oxygen mask first, so you will be able to help someone else."
And 2dream, your neighborhood has the right idea, band together for the good of all. No one person should be more important than the whole community. When you work together with everyone having a voice, then there is real strength in the result.

 

[2dream]

lengel - My DH has a pressure canner that he loaned out to a cousin years ago. I have never canned either but the canner is on the way back to my house. We will be canning this year. DH has canned but it has been years and I have only made some jelly which only required a hot water bath.
I have been researching on the internet. Lots of great info out there. I did not know you could can chicken until I started reading up on this stuff. DH says you can also can fish. In Alaska they make something called Squaw Candy according to DH. I am in the process of researching that one.

Edited to add - found a great link to the Squaw Candy http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Departments/Recipes/Canning/salmonjerky.html

 

[spook]

Quote:
I understand what you mean but, if we all heat with wood the smoke would smother us all. Not to mention deforestation.

This is one reason that we have people that do not clear cut, choice cutting and not stip cutting. There are a lot of ways to harvest wood without "deforestization". It is healthy for a forrest to be trimmed and select cut. If we refuse to cut trees, then a once upon a time forrest killer virus/insects, such as the spruce bud worm, that will kill trees, creating forrest fires from lightening etc.
I would really like to think that wood smoke was easier for the plants and trees to convert natural carbons vs fossel fuel.
The dream world would be to have solar and wind power. No one wants a turbine in THEIR back yard...and to be honest, I have watched the people of these United states vote in a Nuclear plant vs wind power plant. Would much rather see dams rather then solar power.
One of the best things we can do is to raise our own food, if you cannot grow it, buy it from the farmer, preserve it. Often if you ask, letting them know you want it for processing, they will pick special for you, a few hours fresher anyways.
In my case, we freeze a lot, put up atleast 2+ bussels of tomatoes, we use a lot of them and they are most expensive. Sauce it (can or freeze), add zucchini and onions, basil etc that we have grown.
Freeze in smaller amounts for individual use (or family use), purchase bulk rice, pasta, freeze or can meat and fruits.
The less you need to buy in the winter months, the better off you are and more fuel you can buy. Also, instead of buying burning logs, roll news paper, many layers, tie it in a log shape, soak it in water for 24 hours. drain and allow to dry in the sun.
Feed the chickens left overs (if you eat like we do- few preservatives) and learn to play board games with the kids.
Chins up, its summer soon and we can forget (temporarily) the woes that are storming upon us.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

I agree that the Farmers Market sellers charge about the same price as the big stores but, they have to pay a fee for the table or booth (sometimes up to $15 a day) and the good thing about this is you know what your getting is fresh.

 

[buc]

Quote:
one of the best books for small gardens is --- square foot gardening http://www.squarefootgardening.com/


Even tho space for me is not an issue I still use many of the tactics in close planting for maximum produce.

 

[jhill1440]

Quote:
Hello,

As far as canning goes, did you get a pressure canner? They are the most useful. A wonderful resource for canning is the The National Center for Home Food Preservation http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

My family has canned for a longtime and always looks forward to eating homegrown foods even years later. My grandmothers basement had row upon row of canned goods some were older than us grandkids but tasted great.

Anyway, if you don't have a pressure canner, get one. The above resource is a great reference and will show you how to can and preserve almost anything.

peace
josh

 

[lengel]

Quote:
Thanks everyone. Yes, it's a pressure canner. My favorite recipe in the book is for canned bear. Apparently, you can can pretty much anything!