Homesteaders

[Serenashome]

Everything you said and it is cheaper to run.... The initial investment is about double a heat lamp and shield but at 60 watts compared to 250 watts for a bulb, it quickly pays for itself...


For those of you living in the northern areas, how many of you grow peas in your gardens? Do you grow the type where you eat the shells or need to be shelled?


If you raise the kind that need to be shelled, how do you shell them? Is there anyway to shell peas without thinking you have wasted a whole day? I can shell for hours and have the bottom of the bowl barely covered with peas...

We grew peas with the exact same result. Tiny yield for a lot of ground. Once we get the chicken moat completed it is my plan to grow peas for the chickens to eat right off the vine. So my only solution is let the chickens have them and call it a day. Not very helpful, but I feel your pain.

 

[nanasacres]

I just read everything and God bless this person and her story  

X2

 

[Beekissed]

Here ya go! They call these peas but they look more like beans to me...I would guess black eyed peas?

Here's more my style.... bungee and a drill...

 

[Beekissed]

But this lady gets my vote...dual purpose is my milieu.....I have a cart exactly like that, have had it for 12 yrs now and it's a dream.

 

[duluthralphie]

If you are looking to not shell by hand there are peas shellers that use 2 rubber rollers with a crank handle.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pea-Sheller-Jr-Mr/dp/B000BTATUG

A handy person could probably make their own

WOW, the neat stuff they make these days!!

 

[KlopKlop]

I was reading on another site about the inclusion of pigeon meat (also called squab?) being a source of protein (comparing to quail) for self sufficiency which I had never though about. Anybody ever eaten pigeon?

I have always thought of them as disease carriers. We would flush them from the sheds and shoot them and throw them in the burn pile.

Inevitably the discussion led to discussing harvesting them in urban areas and if it would be bad to eat birds that eat garbage.

Not going to convince me to add pigeons to my farm but it is an interesting train of thought.

 

[Molpet]

I was reading on another site about the inclusion of pigeon meat (also called squab?) being a source of protein (comparing to quail) for self sufficiency which I had never though about. Anybody ever eaten pigeon?

I have always thought of them as disease carriers. We would flush them from the sheds and shoot them and throw them in the burn pile.

Inevitably the discussion led to discussing harvesting them in urban areas and if it would be bad to eat birds that eat garbage.

Not going to convince me to add pigeons to my farm but it is an interesting train of thought.

about the same as morning dove... ate one as a kid.... seems like a waste since they are so small... but I think the same for wild bob white quail

 

[KlopKlop]

about the same as morning dove... ate one as a kid.... seems like a waste since they are so small... but I think the same for wild bob white quail 

Agreed. I don't think it would be worth raising them, but if there was a large natural population it maybe would be ok. You could harvest with an air rifle even

 

[Raech]

We got rid of about 30 homeing pigeons for a friend at her house a couple of months ago, I don't think I could have ate them. Too many feelers about it, all negative, after cleaning the deck they roosted over for 10 years.

 

[Raech]

As for shelling peas, I have children to help with them. The youngest eats about 1/3 of them, but it is a healthy snack so I am ok with it. I just pop on a cartoon and tell them to race, winner gets to have a treat. Going to plant more peas this year, I would really like more than just 1 bowl full; I only did 8 plants last year. I used an upside dowl tomato cage that was left here by my landlord after he broke it. I am going to use a different trellis this year though.