For Seedcorn: How do you live without eating processed food

[smom1976]

We have just really started this year.. To the pp.. it is a process.. We have 2 4x8 veggie beds up and going.. Havent gotten any food from it yet but I do have some green tomatos that are getting bigger...

But we started with the garden and have a compost going.. we have our 16 chickens that are 14 weeks old now.. We are getting ready to collect rain water for the garden..

Here are the things that I want to be able to do.. my plan ..


I would like to get 4 more 4x8 gardens up and running (planning to build the raised bed boxes this fall) But we have to get dirt to put in them, and that can get costly. We will amend with our compost but our pile isnt that big just yet.

Get my compost pile put into two seperate bins.. I plan on building somthing with used palats. That way I can move them back and forth getting more compost faster. And I will compost everything.

I want to get some fruit trees, I just have to make the investment on them. I have the spots for them, but need to figure out which ones to get.

We are figuring out how we will do some meat birds.. Maybe if we find someone around here to split an order of 25 from somewhere. We could do that. 25 is just quite a few.

I have all the stuff I need for my rain barrel collection except for the rain barrels themselves.. I have to go to a car wash and get some.

We do want to put solar pannels on the house.. We are not sure how we are going to pay for them.. There is a state grant that woud pay for 95% but upon further investigation of this it has already been exhausted for 2008 and they have already been pulling from the 2009 funds and they are not even sure that they will be able to do a 2010 fund. So a bit risky investment. We dont have the 20,000 to put into that right now.

We might try to do it in $2000/year incriments.. Using the tax rebate opton but I havent looked into that yet. So we will see.

 

[farm_mom]

We do it too. We eat from our gardens and we raise poultry. We buy meat and dairy from small, local, organic, sustainable farmers who raise their animals they way we would if we had the land. We buy things like grains, flours and honey from local farmers through farmers markets. We fish, and have started considering hunting as well. I'm a stay at home mom, and I prepare all of our meals and we put by alot of our food for the winter. We see it as voting with our dollars for a food system we can support, and opting out of the commercial food system we do not wish to support.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I have a CSA for grass-fed angus beef, and one for veggies,I've planted pear and fig trees (but I think this year's heat and drought have got those), I buy pastured pork and eat only a little chicken because the locallly raised is so expensive. I grow my own eggs. I try to buy locally produced produce as much as possible and freeze for seasons when fruit is not around locally. We do eat out and we do buy commerial products, but I'm slowly trying to eliminate many of these things. Most of what I buy at the grocery is dairy products (Texas isn't a huge dairy state) and various starches....cereal, bread, rice, dried beans, flour, and pasta. I'm still looking for organically raised corn meal, but I think it is going to take shopping at a speciality market to find that. I also try to limit or elimenate foods containing high fructose corn syrup. Anyone reading this thread probably knows how I feel about gene modified foods, and why. I also consider this voting with my dollars, or putting my money where my mouth is.

 

[smom1976]

It is so hard to put your money where your mouth is when you (myself) are barely making it by as it is.. let alone paying more for food that you could pay less for.. it is heart breaking..

 

[bigzio]

Growing your own food is alot of work, but keep in mind that the rewards are priceless.

We can and freeze thousands of dollars of the best food one could buy, if it was for sale....keep it mind that growers sell the leftovers and keep the best for themselves.

It takes time to aquire all the canning jars you will need for a total harvest, however everything that is preserved is superior to any purchased product.

I've been at this for over 35 years, and the rewards are even greater today than when I started this life long endeavor.

Keep the harvest going, and the money you save providing your family with wholesome food is worth all the effort in my opinion.

bigzio

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Direct, well said, and to the point.

 

[tygab]

Bigzio, that is good to know, because I am at the starting end of the spectrum, and it's hard to see where there will be a reasonable amount of success/return!

thanks for the positive outlook.

 

[fullhouse]

Quote:
You can make a raised bed, then use it as a compost heap all summer. Throw all the fall leaves in. Next spring you'll be able to add a small amount of soil and have a garden without needing $100+ in top soil.

I am putting in some berry beds and used 4' long cedar planks from an old fence we are recycling. Free and to trips to the store even!

 

[Beekissed]

And ANY Advice those of you allready living this way is really appreciated!! Hard to find some basics in this small town!

YOU folks need to come on over to the SufficientSelf.com forum and brainstorm with all of us other folks on this topic. Also, run, don't walk, to subscribe to Countryside Magazine. Go out and buy the recent issue and it will convince you of the need for this little gem. I was raised on a self-sufficient homestead and still get some of the best ideas out of this mag!

Come on over to the BYC sister site, SufficientSelf and share your ideas and questions, won't you? We need all the members we can get and it already is brimming with good ideas!​

 

[dangerouschicken]

--garden a lot
--forage often
--fish
--trade when possible
--buy from local farmers what we dont do ourselves
--only eat veggie when going out to eat unless the meat is sustainably done
--can, freeze, dehydrate harvests
--cook from scratch as much as possible


We really do it! See my website!