The Road Home

The Road Home
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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Survival Gardening Scenario

I have a scenario for you. Somehow, it doesn't matter how, you have found conclusive evidence that there will be a catastrophic collapse of societies, governments and economies worldwide sometime between the end of October and the end of November this year. Remember, this is a fictional scenario I am giving you. There is already evidence of disruptions in the food supply for the coming months, along with sharply rising prices.The media dishes out a plethora of reasons for these problems that amount to nothing but more wasted oxygen by never ending talking heads. You have some things growing in your garden, enough that you can preserve some of it for winter. But now you realize that you need to grow food. A lot more food. As much as you possibly can, for the rest of the growing season in your area.


My questions are these. What will you grow? How will you preserve what you grow in the shadow of an impending collapse? Do you have the space, seeds, and supplies you need to do so? If not, are you still able to procure what you need?



I would really like to hear from as many people as possible. There is much we can teach each other, and I learn a lot from the differing perspectives, locations, and experience of the people that read here. So, please share your thoughts. An example. Our friend Grace down the road a ways, can grow things in her garden that we can't grow. We can grow things that she can't. I have bug problems she doesn't and she has some that I don't. It's important to know what grows well in your garden, and how to preserve the harvest of your labor. Remember, this is a collapse scenario, so you can't put it all in the freezer unless you have a reliable source of power.

The other day when I was out in the garden, I took stock of what is there. At the end of that exercise, I felt like there wasn't much in the way of food quantities. I still have places that need to be replanted and have plans for those areas. There are crops that will soon be harvested leaving more space for additional crops that will grow into the fall. And yet, even with all of that planning, I felt like there wasn't enough of a food supply to sustain Frank and I for the winter. 

When I posed this question to Frank he had a ready answer. Plant what grows here. Simple, direct and right on target. He said we know we can grow green beans. If we have enough green beans to eat everyday, great, that's what we'll eat. We also know we can grow squash, tomatoes, cowpeas, cucumbers, turnips, peppers, beets and carrots. Plant as many of all of these as you can. What we don't preserve we can give away, and many of these crops are also great for our animals.

I have written articles about the nutritional contents of some of the vegetables we grow. My purpose was to see if the things we can grow will provide the nutrition we need to remain healthy and active in a collapse situation. I have yet to go back and evaluate the information on these vegetables as a group to see if they would meet our needs or not. But in the long run, what we can grow will be what we eat.

There are many ideas and scenarios I ponder from time to time. Some realistic, some idealistic, and some just down right silly, but this one has stuck with me like it is something very important that I need to pay attention to. We have many things vying for our attention right now at our homestead and I am not spending near the time in the garden I should. It continues to beckon me with it's empty spaces. Spaces that need to be planted, for the time is near. There are many indicators that the fall of the year 2015 may be monumental in the history of our planet Earth. The world has become a much smaller place with the complexities of interwoven economies, food supplies and power struggles. The fall of the year may bring the fall of us all.

So, tell me. What would you grow and why?

Until next time - Fern

70 comments:

  1. Interesting and thought provoking post, as usual. Thanks
    I would collect as much seed for sprouting as possible. I would rely on sprouts for my winter greens if I had no power. In the garden, I would concentrate on beans. Typical green beans for both pressure canning and as dilly beans for water bath canning. I would also grow whatever beans is available as a storage bean. I have been experimenting in my climate with chickpeas. For you it might be any number of beans from pinto to black bean. I would grow these since I don't have a source of animal protein under my own production. You might feel differently with your various 'meat on the hoof". I would also grow tomatoes both for fresh eating and canning. I would also be stockpiling canning vinegar, bottled lemon juice and canning lids. Thanks for the exercise and can't wait to read other people's ideas. SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. Great comment, SJ, thank you. Beans are an excellent source of protein, and seem to grow well almost anywhere. As I was picking yellow squash for lunch today I spied many a small green bean amongst the blooms on the trellis. We'll be eating some fresh before long, and I hope to be able to can many. We also have pinto beans growing specifically for the ability to dry and store a great source of protein.

      Can you grow cowpeas that far north? I am growing purple hull peas again this year because they produce so well. This is another very nutritious plant for both humans and animals.

      Stockpiling vinegar is a good idea. I'll need to check my inventory. I don't think we will ever have enough canning lids. We also have some tattler reusable lids for backups. I'm glad we decided to experiment with reusing regular canning lids. It's not recommended, but works great. If taken off with care, we have found they can be reused up to three times. I never tried a fourth time, so maybe they can be used longer, I don't know.

      I'm looking forward to the others ideas as well, SJ. Thanks for getting us started. Blessings.

      Fern

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    2. reuse lids for vacuum sealing though many reports of the new lids failing even the first seal.

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    3. I think salt is a necessity, Deb, you can't have too much salt. Non-idodized salt will be needed for canning, tanning hides and curing meats.

      Sugar? We haven't had any sugar for over 6 months, so I know it would be easy to do without. If we have another year, we plan to add bees to our homestead. We thought about doing it this year, but we already had too many irons in the fire.

      I have heard about some of the newer, less expensive brands of canning lids that have a problem with failing to seal. We have continued to buy Ball or Kerr and haven't had any problems. Thank you for bringing that to everyone's attention.

      Fern

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  2. Hello Frank, excellent article and mental exercise. Not only will folks need to grow their own food but they also need to save their own seeds. Living in an area next to a national forest in east Texas should provide enough meat and the small town nearby is surrounded by a goodly community of self reliant and hard working families. We have purchased a few books on wild and weed edibles. We have sheep and chickens and I knit and have a large stash of fabrics. I have been studying home remedies and healing oils.
    Even so, we don't know what the future will bring and what we might have neglected to consider that is crucial. Our hope and faith is in our Heavenly Father and his love and promises to those that love him. We can only do our best and then leave the worry and future to the Good Lord.
    Thanks for all you do from your blog.

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    1. Seed saving is an art in itself, Shannon, something I am still just beginning to learn in some instances.

      We live in an area that currently has plenty of wild game. After a short period of time when many are hunting for their daily meal, that plenty will quickly turn into scarcity.

      We try to figure out regularly what we may have overlooked. You just never know what may turn out useful on the homestead or as a barter item. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

      Fern

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  3. We're growing more beans and peas for drying than we have in the past. We are growing 5 different kinds, each for a reason. We are also growing green beans but not as much as last year since I already have some left from last year. We are growing corn for us to grill, throw in a fire(in foil), can, freeze and put in relishes and salsas; but in a pinch for feeding the animals. We raise tomatoes for soups, sauces, salsas and juice, cucumbers for pickles and relishes, summer and winter squashes, winter squashes since they keep in the cool basement and summer squashes for soup, stews and casseroles. We grow potatoes, red, white and sweet along with onions due to the ability to store them easily although I do put up in canning jars a lot of smaller new potatoes, extra cabbage for sauerkraut, and broccoli, cauliflower and carrots for mixed vegetables along with the fact that carrots store well too, even though I will can several. We grow lettuces, cilantro, arugula, horseradish, dill, beets, eggplant, peppers, both hot and sweet. We use garlic and peppers both for food and medicinal purposes. We grow a plethora of herbs for flavored blends, teas and medicines. We are trying to can, dehydrate or fresh-store all that we can and freeze what we cannot.

    We are already trying to not fool around with what we grow. It's just too much work to waste anything. We grow what we can and will eat and in the process are learning different ways to make them taste good. We figure there's no sense in growing something you're not going to eat.

    I use to prepare open crock pickles, haven't in years. I'm doing it again this year, just in case. It's looking a little scary out there. We also grow grapes, red raspberries, strawberries and pears because they seem to grow well for us. Persimmons, blackberries, etc. grow in the woods. Would love an apple tree but don't have one yet. We wanted fruit in the spring as well as fall and we wanted fruit for not only cakes, pies, sauces and jellies but they can be preserved in vinegars and alcohol as well. Some of the items take sugar, stevia or honey and while I am capable of still canning, I put them up and in a tight spot they would satisfy a sweet tooth.

    We are simply attempting to learn more about gardening, good foods and stretching our physical capabilities for survival along with our minds. We are older and realize we are not as tough as we used to be. But for now, we are what we are and we are still growing and learning and quite healthy. We are still stumped on the whole "grain" issue. That may be something we end up bartering for but are working on it. While I do forage a lot, not nearly enough, plus if things got bad everyone will be foraging and that's just not going to feed a family well. But anyway that's some of what we grow and why.

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    1. Wonderful information that gives us all much to think about. I genuinely appreciate the time you took to share this. Frank and I can relate to, "We are older and realize we are not as tough as we used to be." We do what we can each day and hope for the best. Thank you again for sharing.

      Fern

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  4. I have also been feeling for a while now that what I want to do to get ready, needs to be ready by this fall. We enlarged our garden again this year, to approx. 3500 square feet, in order to grow more of what we eat all year. I have been keeping track of how much our family consumes in a year, eg 50 lb of potatoes per person. We are putting in some things for the first time: berries, corn, mangles. I will plant wheat this fall, also for the first time, and have stored 350 lb of flour to get us through this winter. I am growing more herbs this year, for medicinal purposes. I have been working on more ways to store food for winter without power, and plan on working more on this. We already have chickens for eggs and meat, and goats which we have just started milking. And this is the summer we put in the wood cookstove, as well as replace the roof. To me these are part of getting ready for the fall. Will we be ready? I don't know. But with a lot of hard work we won't starve.

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    1. It seems that there are many people that have this feeling that something is nearing, Karin, something that makes us nervous and creates a sense of dread. I guess we're not the only ones that have increased the size of our garden this year. There is a lot of work going on at your place, and I hope it all pays off in the long run. Take care, and thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  5. I would suggest in addition to the standard fall type crops such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, swiss chard, green beans radish, and spinach that you also look at extending your growing season. One excellent method to try is low tunnel row covers. Your crops can stay in the ground even in minus double-digit temperatures with no need to preserve them.

    http://www.motherofahubbard.com/the-garden-survives-another-record-breaking-winter/

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    1. Thank you for sharing this link. There is a lot of good information on that site. We hope to complete our greenhouse this summer to allow us an extended growing season. If our calculations are accurate, we should be able to grow food year round. We will see. That will be another new learning opportunity for us.

      Fern

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    2. thanks anonymous. went to site of 'mother of a hubbard'. very good for winter growing.

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  6. I would grow what I normally would but more of the types that you normally can. This is no time to experiment with new varieties.
    Also your point of no grid power is worse than we may think right now such as, do you irrigate the garden with your well water? Without power irrigation it won't be available so vegetables that are more drought tolerant would be wise to grow and a lot of.
    The other thing that concerns me would be neighbors raiding the garden in the middle of the night. You could very possibly wake up in the morning and find a couple hundred row feet of goodies missing!

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    1. We agree that this is no time for experimenting, Mike. I guess the exception to that would be if someone were in a new location and just learning what would grow there.

      Our water wells have hand pumps on them and we will soon have our rain catchment/water tank system up and running. We hope that will suffice when the time comes. Drought tolerant crops are not something we have specifically considered so thank you for something new to ponder about our gardening techniques. I hate to think about someone close enough to raid our garden. That would not be a good situation. But it is something to think about. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

      Fern

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  7. Great thought-provoking post! I have a large garden and freeze or can lots of my produce. Last year I put another dehydrator into service. I often have two going with the maximum number of trays to each one. I have been experimenting with what is really possible to dry. So far I have done gallons of grees--kale, lambs quarter, spinach, beet greens, and this last year I added carrot greens. It is a bit of work to clean up the greens but they are a dream to dry. We have discovered we love the carrot greens. I make pesto with them, believe it or not! I am drying all my herbs, sliced carrots, tomatillos and tomatoes, salsa, onion, peppers of all kinds, and some fruits. I have lots of stuff in the freezer, of course, but in a pinch, I'd dry corn and peas as well. The canner I use for beets and green beans, some carrots and some potatoes. I feel better about having several means of storage. What we lack is a cool cellar for root vegetables and such. That's on my dream list. Our neighbors have honey bees and chickens, which we use as well. We have deer on our place so that gives us some meat in the freezer. Thanks for all the tips. I need to figure out what amount we truly need in one year. Right now my larder is full and would probably take us through at least two years. God only knows His timing for all that we have ahead of us. Trusting Him is #1 on the list!

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    1. I need to do more dehydrating, Lorraine, but it seems I never get to that task. Especially the herbs. Several means of storage and the know how to do it, is a great thing. Thank you for sharing some of your techniques and ideas.

      Fern

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  8. You know that I don't know how to say what's in my heart, but I believe that I was led to prepare. Not by something I read online, or saw on the news, though I do pay attention to things that are said and not said. But I believe I've been led by God. I (we) started this journey 3 years ago. That was the first year of my garden. It has grown by a few feet every year. And when the time comes, it will be doubled.

    It has been a learning process for me, as all gardens are. Our diet has changed some and we try to only grow what we eat. Tomatoes, squash of various kinds, cucumbers, green beans and cabbage. I've not had great luck with turnips, but I'll keep trying. I love them and they are good for me. I also have watermelons and cantaloupe, and sunflowers and zinnias, because they make my heart glad. We eat really well. I can, dehydrate and share with others, because it's the right thing to do.

    You can buy all kinds of things at the grocery store and fill your pantry, but when it's gone, it's gone. So the time to learn to grow your food and preserve your harvest is now. The days of searching on the internet for recipes, how to can, and how to cook will be over. Have a notebook and write things down, we might not have the luxury of those things next week or next year. The time to learn is now.

    Grace

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    1. I am grateful God introduced us, Grace. We have learned a lot from each other in the last few years. It's always nice to have someone to compare notes with. I'm glad you have some of this year's green beans on your shelf, and this is just the beginning of the season. Thank you for sharing from your heart.

      Fern

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  9. Fern, I read several good homesteading blogs so I may have gotten you confused in this one regard, but I think I remember your saying that you and Frank were not going to grow potatoes this year because of your new diet. I can identify with the need to lose weight, but in a collapse situation, I believe that we may need all the calories we can get. And if you don't want them, someone around you might be dying for lack of them. Good to barter with, maybe. Potatoes can be served in healthy or unhealthy ways, but there is good nutrition in them. My doctor recommends sweet potatoes for me over white potatoes because of diabetes. I'm also thinking they may be a safer crop since they'll be underground, requiring that someone dig for them. If someone did come into your garden uninvited, the root vegetables might be less likely to be stolen. I'm even thinking that if they were planted outside of your garden, maybe near some untrimmed shrubbery and in an unkempt area of your property, they may go totally unnoticed by those who believe in taking what doesn't belong to them.
    This may have been just a hypothetical scenario, but my husband and I strongly expect things to turn south this autumn. You and Frank are so capable, industrious, and good at planning, researching, and trying new things. I admire you both and appreciate so much the things you share with us. One of the things we might lose in the future is our internet. If that happens, please know that I'll be thinking of you and Frank, praying for your health and safety, and missing you both.

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    1. You're right about the potatoes, C.M. We intentionally didn't plant any this year since we are restricting our carbohydrate intake. But as the garden grew, more and more volunteer potatoes came up, about 20 or so. God knows much better than we, doesn't He? We talked about it not long ago. When the potatoes are ready to harvest we will keep them for seed potatoes, and we're very glad to have them.

      It is very humbling to know that strangers we have never met, that have become our 'internet' friends are praying for us. That truly touches my heart, C.M. All I can say is thank you.

      Fern

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  10. Heirloom Dent corn or flint corn makes our list...it stores exceptionally well and with grinding produces meal or scratch for livestock. The stover can be used for kindling and livestock bedding. Beans are a must and we have already got a very good assortment of old variety bean seed in our seed bank. Irish and sweet potatoes as well as winter squash also make our must have list, they are easy to grow and easy to keep seed from.
    Perennial herbs like chives and thyme are currently in buckets and we have added quite a number of annual herbs to the seed bank.
    Peanuts our on our list, they are easy to grow and as a legume help build soil plus they store exceptionally well and roasting them makes them a nutritious and tasty snack. I have saved radish seeds for the first time this year. Salt may be the one thing we have to pay attention to....it is so vital in canning and curing food for storage without power and is not easily accessible.

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    1. It sounds like you have a good handle on your seed supply, Fiona. That is great. We get non-iodized table salt by the 25 pound bag and Sam's Club. Works great, stores easy. Nothing will get into it. Next we need to learn to brine and cure meat with salt and no refrigeration. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  11. grace is right abt writing things down.
    as a side note get paper maps as gps may be gone. including maps of places you don't intend to go.
    in the past many southerners were in mental institutions but it was discovered they were vit. B deficient. treated they became sane but returned to poor nutrition at home.

    fertile soil makes nutritious food.
    foods must be sufficient. you can live on beans but study nutritional content of your choices to remain healthy.
    i am trying to acquire some necessities, got a pressure canner a few months ago but have not used it. laid in some canning jars and lids. have a wish list.
    an oil expresser, a sorghum juice expresser, other things of which i know not but which could make a difference in the quality of survival and the products of which could be bartered could come to mind as a result of your question.
    these are not in answer to your question but thoughts about the ability to process and store what you are able to rise.
    if possible grow something from which to extract oil unless you can trade for lard.
    you will need to eat it but also make candles and soap.
    you are far enough south to raise peanuts which are easier to shell than sunflower seeds. of course coconuts and olives are out of the question.
    it is written that eventually the antichrist will control all buying but the angel was told not to hurt the wheat , wine, or oil.
    by wheat i think it means grains,since at Jesus time i have read that millet was more widely raised.
    i hope that Bible passage means those without the mark of the beast will have access to wheat, wine, and oil.
    sorry to ramble but worry about so many things, especially access to clean water.


    we don't have our own land so are limited. have two very small raised beds out back and rely on grocery stores.
    just praying for God's mercy and guidance.

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    1. addendum; can't find the site but read that corn not subject to alkaline treatment does not release its nutrition. popped popcorn has nourishment, but grinding popcorn does not give nourishment.
      i think the alkalizing process was called 'nixtalizing' or 'mixtalizing'.
      mexican word. know they use lime for tortilla making.
      what do you know about this, Fern?

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    2. We have grown peanuts before and will be trying another crop. We choose to go the lard route with our new pigs instead of trying to extract oil from a vegetable crop. Deb, I don't know anything about treating corn to release the nutrients, I'm sorry. Maybe one of the readers will be able to answer your question.

      Blessings, Fern

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  12. Anon. provided the link to Mother of a Hubbard. Check it out! She has excellent tutorial with photos. We did the winter garden with row cover last winter. We will do it every year now! The agro bond 70 fabric is not expensive, and if you take care of it could be reused. Mostly greens and cabbage. you are not going to grow tomatoes in it. The list of things we grow/can/dry is to long to list.. If people are really concerned about a situation where you have to provide most of your own food. I would recommend laying in a lot of dry beans. you can can them now if you have enough jars. or keep in mouse proof containers and can as you have empty jars. Here is a fun experiment... Mark a jar so you can identify it. A dab of paint, twist a wire around the neck etc. Now find something to can in that jar every month for a year! You can do it! Yes I know there are not veg growing every month... that is the month you can meat, or dried beans, or dried hominy. How many things could you forage and can? Something else to consider,,oils and cooking fats would be like gold in a collapse situation. What would you be able to buy pork fat for right now? Pretty cheap around here. This is easy to render into lard, in the oven or on an open fire outside. Pour piping hot into canning jars & seals as it cools, keeping for years. Take that further.......instead pour some into those throw away pickle jars, marichino cherry, mustard jars (what ever has a ring of rubber in the lid) lard will keep for months even unsealed. These tiny containers would be a fantastic barter. Fantastic. I have heard stories of folks in Ky 70 years ago would run short of food every winter. They would resort to scraping the hide of the rabbits they shot to try and get enough fat to cook it in. Gives me goosebumps.

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    1. Great information, thank you very much for sharing. We are considering how we will store the lard we get from our pigs when we butcher them. It's encouraging to hear that it will keep a long time using the method you outlined. Thank you again for sharing.

      Fern

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    2. will the lard you buy in the store be okay as is or must it be canned? thanks

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    3. The lard from the store has preservatives added to it, Deb.

      Fern

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  13. with all the trouble in Israel, we better get prepared now! Time is growing very short.
    We grow as much of what we eat as we can. I have 1 years worth of food on hand but
    still need to stock up more. We stocked up on some clothing that will need replacing.
    I have to take medication daily so there may come a point where medication will not
    be there.
    Thanks Deborah for reminding me to put salt on my list.

    My biggest concern is water, not a creek, river or lake close to our home. I have some stocked but you can't have to much.

    Frank and Fern may God bless you both.

    Sue

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    1. I can see why your concern is water, Sue. I hope you find a viable resource. Thank you for the encouragement to get stocked up and ready. I think many of us feel the same way. Blessings.

      Fern

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  14. Fern - excellent post and excellent discussion. for us, having access to so many rivers and the ocean makes getting wonderful, healthy and nutritious protein a breeze - plus my husband is an awesome fisherman and we already have a diet that is heavy with the fish he catches and shellfish that we gather! we have our canoe for our river(s) and a boat for the ocean. there are millions of islands in our river and they would be great for planting additional food on that no one would ever know about. we have access to fresh water springs and there are tons of abandoned/homes cottages around here that have deep-dug wells, as we have. we also have a lifetime supply of berkey filters that we saved for and purchased over the years. i agree with centennielmagnolia above about the nutrition of potatoes and the fact that you can prepare them in so many, delicious ways, but i know of yours and Frank's dietary concerns. for years we have saved seed potatoes from our harvest and always have waay too many so i would definitely plant a ton of potatoes on our islands. i would also plant more amaranth to be used for flour and seed. we also have access to a ton of a variety of foraged food - cattails, plantain, dandelion, etc. we grow all of our own herbs - some year round some just during growing season. i dry the herbs for use in the winter.

    we have saved seeds from all of our fruits and veg for years, vaccuum-sealed them and keep them in the freezer. however, if there was no electricity we have saved seeds in the past by just letting them dry out, bag them, put them in our pantry (dark and cool) and planted them the following year with great success. we love fermented food so a lot of our autumn harvest would be fermented. we live in the middle of nowhere in a heavily forested area so heaat/wood would not be a problem.

    we would have to say goodbye to limes, lemons and avocados (my 3 favourite foods!) but other than that, we could live a pretty happy, normal life just like our grandparents did here less than 100 years ago (most of our friends here in their 50's distinctly remember when they first got electricity, showers, tv's etc.), by growing the food we currently grow - but we would have to grow a lot more of it - that is for sure. it can be done.

    we are fortunate and grateful to live in this small fishing village where everyone already helps each other and i do not see that changing in the event of a collapse. i hope that as many people as possible start to prepare and learn to grow food - i don't know what or when it will happen - but something feels like it is coming.

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Fern - not sure if you will come back and check our blog for an answer to your comment so i thought i would post it here:

      "Fern - i think this will be our best year here! we had everything nailed when we lived in ontario - everything we knew kind of went out the window when we started gardening here! but we are learning! all of our extra potatoe seeds are in boxes in the basement with towels covering them - bahahahah! we planted 200 potatoes in 40 tires and we are expecting at least 200lbs of potatoes this year. i found your latest post very interesting and i really enjoyed the comments."

      but your question about the potatoes has given us an idea for an excursion/picnic in the next few days so thank you! we are going out in the canoe and taking pics of a bunch of the different islands that are in our river to hopefully give people who live near rivers/lakes the idea that if you have to hide your garden sometime in the future - then islands in rivers and lakes that people don't frequent would be a good place to do so.

      hope this all makes sense!

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    2. "i hope that as many people as possible start to prepare and learn to grow food - i don't know what or when it will happen - but something feels like it is coming." Amen, Kymber, Amen.

      And, yes, the potato comment makes sense. I do check back to see if you respond to comments. (-:

      Thank you for sharing the example of how you live. You just never know when something you do will help another.

      Fern

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  15. Great comments and so thought provoking that I pulled out my notebook to take notes. Yes, I am 'old fashioned' and have a three-ring binder with various recipes and lists. I, too, collect paper maps. I, too, believe the internet may be unavailable some time in the near future.Have to add salt and sugar to my buy list. As for cowpeas, Fern, I will check that out and thanks. Our climate is so cool most years that we have a very short growing season for any crop needing warmer temperatures. Hence my experiment with the chickpeas. They germinate well in our cooler spring temperatures.
    I should also note that I have experimented with container gardening in 5 gallon food grade buckets. Since I am not in an apartment and my gardening is in community gardens well away from me, I am concerned about other people helping themselves to my crops. It happens currently and in harder times would only be worse. So, in my buckets and my location I grow the following: blueberries, huckleberries, raspberry, rhubarb, asparagus, green onion, beets and turnips for the greens, bay leaf, parsley, Jerusalem Artichoke, oregano and lettuce. I have tried to grow a mixture of perennials and annuals. I chose the J-Choke because it is invasive in my climate so grows well. Also, the roots can be ground into a flour. They are also something to harvest here during the winter months. I have not tried to make the flour yet but have read about it . Knowledge is key. Thanks again for all you do. I echo the sentiment already expressed that if the internet goes down, I will miss this online community. SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. Another good example of how you can grow food in a different way, SJ. Thank you for explaining how and why you grow things the way you do.

      " Knowledge is key." This is so true. Even if you lost all of your 'stuff' in a catastrophe, you would still have the knowledge of what you have learned. Excellent, SJ.

      Fern

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  16. This isn't very imaginative, but if I concluded today that I needed to grow food for this winter, I'd plant beans and corn. I have a bunch of heirloom dent corn from last fall still on the cob that instead of grinding I would plant, and while I don't have a lot of bean seed, I think it would work pretty well to just buy a bag of cranberry or pinto beans at the grocery store and plant them--commercial varieties are usually bush type and, as far as I know, there are no hybrids of either of those. I'd have to add some blood meal to keep the corn happy because I don't have much in the way of compost at the moment.

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    1. Two very nutritious crops that are pretty hardy and usually productive. Good choices. I didn't know that the cranberry and pinto beans at the store weren't hybrid. Thank you for teaching me something.

      Fern

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  17. Hello Frank and Fern, N.W. Illinois here. Thanks for the informative post and all the great comments from those that post in reply. You can never have enough info. As far as gardening goes I'm growing what I eat, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes , green beans, carrots, onions, all the usual veggies. I also decided to grow several types of root crops, things that are easy to store and keep well in a Root Cellar.

    I have been stocking up on all types of canning supplies. I am going to purchase a "Survival Seed" package, there are several sources out there. Actually I have been stocking up on all manner of things. Supplies you may not be able to get readily in a you know what situation. Never know when you might need to barter. Along with this I have begun purchasing canned meats as well as other canned goods. Making sure my stores are stocked. Doesn't hurt to have the readily available now supplies on hand. You just never know when the stores will be closing down for lack of deliveries.

    I do not believe we can be over prepared for what is coming. We have three grown children and grandchildren who are just plodding along as nothing is going to happen. So we will probably end up having to feed them too.

    In closing Pray for you're families, Our Country as well as you're neighbors. And thank God on a daily basis for what he does for you.

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    1. "You can never have enough info." This is so true, N.W. You have given us another good example of stocking up, growing and preserving food, and thinking about barter items. We pray with gratitude everyday for our many blessings. Thank you for the reminder.

      Fern

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  18. I had to think about this post over night before I replied. My first reaction was "we'll be fine" I garden, preserve all the food I can, make soap, bread, knit, sew and the list goes on. But then I really thought about it. Yes I garden and yes I preserve but do I really have enough growing or the seed stock to replace what we use? I complacently thought of the seeds I have stored away and went and looked at them. When I really assessed what is there is it's not enough!!!! I save seeds (as many as I can) but am not sure if the store bought seeds that I have will produce more viable seed. I need to increase the amount I'm growing drastically and buy more heirloom seeds. We only plant what we will eat - anything else is not worth the effort and water. I also need to increase the amount of "shelf stable" food we have. While I grow as much as I can to have store bought food will be a help in times when the garden isn't producing as much as we want it to.

    Land isn't a problem as we have two acres. We have protein in the form of chickens and sheep and are in the process of refencing in order to provide separate smaller pens for the sheep so they can be rotated around to allow feed to grow. Last night my husband and I planted our first crop of oats - just in time for the rain that has begun falling -yipee!!!! There won't be enough oats to totally sustain our sheep flock - but it will help. Come spring we will plant lucerne and vetch. A friend has offered to help us harvest the crop using a sythe and to stack it the old fashioned way. Another valuable skill to be learnt. I also canned beef yesterday for the first time.

    I need to plant loads more fruit trees and berry bushes as time and money permits. Even though we live in a town in a farming area I'm not sure where I would obtain wheat to grind for flour - something else I need to look into. We have a wood stove that warms the house and heats water but do need to seriously stock up on several years worth of wood. It's easy to pop out to a friends farm to cut a load of wood now if we are getting a bit low but in a real crisis we won't be able to do that. Power won't be a problem and we are slowly obtaining more water tanks to store rain water.

    Yes we will manage but like so many others it will be tough. We have the ability to learn skills now and are doing all we can to prepare for whatever is coming. Two of my children are still at home and are supporting our efforts in anyway they can - the third is four hours away and I worry what will happen to her and her partner but they have to make their own choices. With God's help we will survive and I give daily thanks for all He has done.

    Thank you so much Fern for such a thought provoking post.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your thought process as you considered what you are doing and what you still need. Our mental preparedness is more than half the battle. The ability to analyze and deduce needed outcomes is a very valuable tool. Thank you for sharing your life and your efforts.

      Fern

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  19. This will be our fourth year gardening and it has grown every year. I had never gardened before so it is still a learning experience. It improves with each year. I can't grow beans to save my life but I can grow herbs and mustard like crazy! I can also grow squash and pumpkin so I have focused on the varieties which can last a long time. I have planted fruit trees and berry plants. However, it would still not be enough to feed us for a year. I have many saved seeds to ramp up gardening when necessary, and constantly add more. I have enough saved food to last for a year or two, hopefully a cushion long enough to figure out any gardening skills that we are weak on.

    In order to have more food security, I started to learn foraging skills four years ago as well and now teach classes. January and February are the only two months here that edible plants are difficult to locate. I dehydrate and can recipes using wild ingredients, as well as my garden, which fills in a lot of gaps. Wild things that grow in abundance here are blackberries, elderberries, crab apples, plantain, dock, poke, watercress, kudzu, mustard, amaranth, wild grapes, acorns, and Autumn olives. I know people will be foraging, but that really does take skill and if you know where and when to look, you will be leagues ahead of everyone else and your skills will be in high demand, better yet, if you know how to cook palatable food with those items, your family will be less in shock. I recommend to anyone to learn about the most abundant wild plants in your area. They will change every few weeks. Mark on a calendar when and where to pick. Experiment with those ingredients. While you may be prepared, what would happen if you were forced to leave?

    I would love to get bees and learn to tap trees. Either would provide a sugar source for canning. I buy salt regularly when shopping. It doesn't cost much to add a bottle every time. Meat would be difficult. While we are learning hunting skills, we have not had a successful hunting trip yet. We can't have farm animals where we live. I know plants that have protein but need to up my skills on growing beans!

    I have learned to make vinegar and alcohol so hopefully I'll be able to trade for what we are in need of.

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    1. Very interesting, Dr. Mom. You do can some strange things. (-: Like plantain and grape leaves. And then you make your family eat them. No really, I enjoy reading your blog and learning about the things you forage and what you do with them. It has already taught me a lot.

      Keep trying with the beans. When mine bloom, but don't produce, I water them with whey from my cheese making, for the calcium. Powdered milk is supposed to work as well. Thank you for sharing an alternative source of food.

      Fern

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  20. This is only the second year we've been on our little farm. We've gardened off & on for 40+ years in multiple states. We are now experimenting with different varieties to see what types of yields we'll get from various veggies here. We also have another constraint as many of us have very severe food allergies. We love veggies in the cabbage family plus, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, asparagus, beans and have all of these in the garden. We need to learn to grow garlic and herbs. (The current herb garden looks pretty awful.)

    This year, we've decreased the number of varieties of tomato we're planting based on success last year. Squash is something that we're growing more of - we can get a huge amount of food to freeze/can/dry/store for very little effort. For now, our favorites are spaghetti, zucchini, and yellow squash. By using row covers, we've finally been successful at raising cabbage and it appears we'll have a bumper crop.

    So our issue this year is rabbits/raccoons. They are eating the seeds and uprooting the seedlings we're planting. They devastated our cole plants. We had nice, large seedlings of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mustard, kale, kohlrabi, chard, choi and spinach that raccoons have annihilated and they continue to either dig up or nip off at the base many plants. This is one of the biggest threats to our gardens.

    We keep learning and growing our knowledge and skills because these ate the things that are most likely to get us where we need to be with our garden.



    It seems like I go out every morning, just to figure out how to replant multiple areas where they are digging up my seeds or plants from the past several work sessions in the garden.

    You need to take into consideration all the bugs, animals, diseased who are likely to impact your success in your garden.

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    1. Thank you for sharing your garden thoughts. Over a handful of years we have also narrowed down crops to one or two varieties, like tomatoes, for example. We grow an Arkansas Traveler and Rutgers, both are non-hybrids and they produce well for us. A couple of days back we had our first yellow squash of the year, sauteed in a little butter, it's hard to beat. If you like squashes, may I recommend a Cushaw? It's a winter squash, similar in taste and texture to a pumpkin, but we have never had any luck growing pumpkins.

      Racoons and rabbits. We don't have a racoon problem, but we do have an issue with rabbits and opossums. Depending on where you live, and what your local laws are, I would recommend a shotgun for pest control. I know there are people that cringe at the idea of killing any animal, but to me they are a pest, and if I don't control them, then they can destroy months of work in a couple of days. I like the shotgun with bird shot, it covers a larger pattern, and does not travel a great distance. I put the animals in a trash bag, with no other identifying trash and I dispose of them at the local dump. By the way, I use the same technique for any animal that is molesting my homestead, be it dog, cat, snake, whatever. Make sure you check your local laws.

      I went to visit the sheriff once about some neighbors dogs causing me problems. He told me to kill the animal, get rid of it and keep my mouth shut. This was the advice from our local sheriff. I voted for that man after that. Hope this helps. Thanks again for sharing.

      Frank

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  21. Tomatoes, first and foremost, then beans of any kind, carrots, pumpkin / butternut and kale / spinach. I reckon that combination would have all the nutrients required to keep us going. Plus, they're all easy to preserve - whether canning or dehydrating.

    Fruit - lemons, plums, apricots and apples.

    Like you - we grow what we eat - no point in wasting precious water / gardening space on foodstuff which doesn't really appeal to us.

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    1. Thank you for your comments. We experiment on occasion to see what will work at our home, but it's odd that the lady down the road can successfully grow things that we can't grow here. We are getting things narrowed down. As things continue to look bad in the world, we will continue to narrow it. You see, I don't like pickles and every year Fern continues to find the perfect cucumber, and a way to make a good, crisp pickle. We try every year, and it just hasn't happened yet. That's not a negative criticism, it's just that we try, and sometimes we fail. If it's something that we really want to do, we keep trying. I hope everybody can find peace with what they do in life. Thank you for the comment.

      Frank

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  22. I, too, would grow shell beans, cowpeas kale, and other greens. I would grow corn, amaranth and buckwheat. I don't have good luck with quinoa and I don't have the room to grow wheat. I always have a seed stash going, so I would just continue. And instead of canning, I would dehydrate everything that I possibly could.

    I would stockpile vinegar, honey, salt, coffee, wheat berries. Bleach and vodka for sanitation purposes. I would make sure I had a good supply of essential oils -- thyme, rosemary, orange, lavender. Lye and oils for soapmaking. I would get several batches of sourdough starter going. I have a water distiller and I would distill and seal into jars all the drinking water that I could. I would store non-distilled water, as well, for other uses. I read somewhere once that Mormon cooks fill their newly-emptied canning jars with water and put the lid and ring back on, then put the jar on the shelf. If they hadn't had to use the water by next canning time, they'd use the water in the canning process.

    If I had a bad knee or hip, or if I had a cataract growing in my eye, I'd get that done now.

    I would start canning the meat that my freezer contains.

    I would buy wood for burning in the fireplace. And I might see about building one of those rocket heating stoves that they show how to build on the permies website, and at least make sure I had the materials to build one. I could use the space on the lower floor of our tri-level, since the freezer would not be usable, what with no electric and all.

    We have a septic tank, so as long as we have water to flush, we're good. We have a cistern that we use for watering the garden, but it isn't holding water very well. So I'd have that fixed.

    I'd make sure I had plenty of warm clothing and blankets. I'd assess whether we need to buy extra shoes and clothing items.

    I'd buy extra ammo for the shotgun. I'd buy a new set of tires for my bicycle and locate my hand-operated bicycle pump. I'd assess my garden tools and determine whether I need to buy a new shovel or whatever, and if I did, I'd buy the best quality I could find.

    I would look into cooking method alternatives, as we are all-electric. I don't see buying a propane cookstove and tanks of propane as a long-term solution. Sooner or later, we'd run out. Maybe a cooking pit, or solar cooking, or even the building of an outdoor "pizza oven". Some way to bake bread.

    I grow and dry herbs for use in the winter and I would probably expand on that.

    Almost all Hubs' tools are electric or at least run on rechargeable batteries. I'd have to see if we still have any hand tools.

    I'd use my internet access, as long as I had it before anything happened, to research anything else I needed to do. For sure Hubs and I would need to be in good health in order to continue on. We'd probably need to house our son and grandson and their families, but we would have the room for that and might be able to make it ok, with all those extra hands.

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    1. Hi Ilene. I have a question. How would you dehydrate things if the power was off? I have seen these long netted shelving units that are made for drying, and heard of folks using window screens in large frames. I'm just curious what your plans would be.

      It's interesting you mentioned cataracts. When they found mine last May, we went ahead and had the surgery. Some seemed to think it was rather quick, but I wanted to be able to see as well as I could if a collapse did happen. I didn't want to wait around to see if my eyes got worse.

      If you have a small solar system, your husband could still charge the rechargeable batteries. That is a very simplified statement, and whatever system you installed would have to be capable of handling your recharging needs, but it can be done.

      Good thought processes, thank you for sharing them with us.

      Fern

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    2. Fern, very often I dehydrate things in the attic. I set up sawhorses and I have some large window screen inserts that are outfitted with fabric netting that fit across the sawhorses. Only takes a couple days for things to dehydrate up there as it gets pretty hot. I dry my herbs on the dining room table on newspaper, though, as they are more delicate and the oils and flavor get stripped out in the heat of the attic. Same for seeds I'm saving for next growing season. I use the attic for fruit, tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic. I think I'll try drying cabbage this year, since I have some extra to "play" with.

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    3. Great idea, Ilene. Thank you for sharing another idea that we can all benefit from.

      Fern

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  23. Hello Frank & Fern ,
    Good thought provoking post . We live in S.E. Washington and have a pretty fair growing season . We try and grow only heirloom seeds, save seeds and grow starts in the early spring . We plant in the ground around Mothers day or when we are confident frost time is over .
    We have been building our soil with rotten straw , compost, and manure for two years . We grow tomatoes, onions, squash,potatoes,carrots,green beans,cabbage, carrots, beets, corn and some dry beans . We also have 5 fruit trees .We dry some onions, carrots, apple ,plums & potatoes and can a lot of food . We have no animals at this point so we can beef chunks , burger , chicken and turkey . We try to consume as little grocery store food as possible and have stopped eating any seafood from the Pacific because of the Fukashima radiation issue .
    If there is a power problem , we have purchased a 2 burner propane "camp chef" stove to can our freezer meat with and have several bottles of propane and a backup pressure canner .
    We are buying extra fencing posts and fence wire for future garden expansion and salt blocks to keep the deer happy and in range .
    One of our future projects is to dig a root cellar for vegetable storage . My wife & I are both past 70 so we move a little slower , but by the grace of God we are moving in a self reliant direction and that is the important thing to us .
    Blessings to you both .

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    1. As I read your comment I pictured a couple with an empty nest that had been working on their homestead for a while. Knowledgeable, capable people. My surprise came when you told us you are both over 70! You have my respect and admiration. Forgive me, but many people over 70 are just plain old and don't do much of anything. Thank you for inspiring all of us.

      Fern

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    2. Fern, I have a global sun oven with a dehydrating kit. I am planning on trying it out this week to dehydrate herbs. Hopefully it will be a good solution to dehydrating with no power.

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    3. That is something I plan to try out this summer, our Sun Oven. I need to know how to cook in it, so I might as well try dehydrating something as well. Good idea, OC. Thanks!

      Fern

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  24. Got me to making a list of things I need to stock up on for sure. We have 5 acres, with laying chickens and a good dog. For those people who have trouble with coons and rabbits in the garden a dog can be a great help in keeping them out. We have gardened here for 27 years so I am glad I don't have to learn how to do that, and I can the produce. There are many things I would miss if I couldn't get to the store regularly but I don't think we'd starve. I grow peas, carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, beets, onion, garlic, 3 kinds of squash and some pumpkin, dill, cucumber, cantaloupe, dent corn, black eyed peas which I just get from the grocery store and they grow fine, asparagus, tomatos, green pepper and eggplant, green beans and marigolds ( I like these to plant among the squash and cucumber to keep bugs down). Always save as many seed as I can for nex year. We have an all electric house but have 2 outbuildings both having wood burners in them, we also have a well with a hand pump and a windmill on it, both are in working order. That is by the garden and can use to water the garden with when needed. And we have a WPA outhouse that is in working order too :) Luckily our house is old and has windows on all sides so there is cross ventilation if we can no longer use air conditioning. Life would change but Lord willing we'd finally loose that extra weight and we may survive. We also have a cave/cellar where we store our canning and root crops so that is very helpful as well. Nannie

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    1. Nannie, it sounds like you have a very good set up. Even a WPA outhouse! Would you laugh if I told you I am jealous? Frank and I have talked numerous times about where to put our outhouse. We have a small seasonal branch running through the backyard that complicates the decision on a location. We're still pondering. Thank you for sharing your life.

      Fern

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    2. I have also ordered the book, The Resilient Gardener, by Carol Deppe. I read about it after someone, somewhere mentioned it. Looks like it will apply to me very well as I too have celiac as does Carol Deppe. Nannie

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  25. I cannot add much to this, as I have been pretty much a failure at gardening this far, and haven't found many things that will grow easily in my yard. Or I do grow things but don't have a good harvest, they are killed by bugs and fungus first. I have only been at it for a few years.

    But I will add this anecdote: A local talk show host hired a service to take care of his large lawn. He began talking with the guy sent out who happened to be from a former Soviet country. The host said I suppose in your former country they didn't have big lawns like this. The worker said no, in my country we would have half of this in potatoes and half in pigs.

    I have had a little success with potatoes, green beans, and sunflowers, those are a few things I would try. I have very little room, I would be daring and attempt to spill my garden into the empty long next to mine that is owned by the city.

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    1. I have read about a number of people that garden in five gallon buckets, Eileen. Since you are limited on space, you might try something like that. I have been surprised at what they have grown, even squash plants which can get pretty big. Fiona, at Confessions of a Crazed Cattlewoman (on the blogroll) grew a number of varieties of potatoes in buckets. Thank you for sharing, and please don't give up. I think this is the first year I am going to be able to harvest a cabbage and I have tried every year for six years. Take care.

      Fern

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  26. We have been working toward being as self-sufficient as possible for a few years now. I highly recommend Carol Deppe's book "The Resilient Gardener". She recommends five crops to grow for the most nutrition and ease of storage without electricity - dry beans, corn, squash, potatoes and eggs. Very interesting read, and most helpful in planning for survival growing...getting the most nutrition from the least space with the least work in growing and preserving. Excellent book...a must-have in my opinion. I went right out and bought it and recommended it to like-minded friends...who also went right out and bought it after reading it!

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    1. Thank you for sharing this resource. One of my mottoes is that you can never have too many books!

      Fern

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    2. As our home and outbuildings have filled with food storage and the equipment to produce food for storage, have had to become more discriminating on which books I buy. Our local library calls me their "bag lady" as I get a bag full of books each week to try out. Only after I have read something do I decide if I NEED it and am willing to make room for it. "The Resilient Gardener" is definitely a needed book, covering the hows and whys very thoroughly. And finally, an explanation of the differences between flint, flour and dent corns - and why it matters!
      Another absolute must have is Michael Phillip's "The Holistic Orchard". After reading 30 or so college-level textbooks on orcharding, finally ran across this treasure and had to have it. Just in the nick of time, as I was up to around 50 fruit trees by that time! Finally, a book that covers pruning in an understandable way, and explains what to grow as an understory and why. When to mow the understory - and why...when to run the chickens through - and why. What to do about problems - and why. Once I wear this book out, if I can't get another I will copy it by hand to retain its wisdom! We really like making cider. The year before last, we made 100 gallons. Sounds like a lot, but only lasted the extended family until mid-spring! The old Amish crusher/press I got at an Amish auction is a treasure. All my best tools come from Amish auctions...the cider press, treadle/pulley/hand-crank grindstone, treadle sewing machine, butter churns, wheel hoe/cultivators, etc.

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  27. We have grown a garden for 40 years. I remember Mom stopping at the grocery store,
    she would tell us kids, I have $2.39 I have to get sugar, coffee, cornmeal and pepper.
    Sometimes if she had a nickel left over she would get 1 candy bar, which she would cut into 3 pieces for us kids. We knew if we want to eat year round, we had to grow it.
    So us kids still try to live like Mom said.
    we also stock up on canning supplies and seeds. I like to try one new item every year, some are a keeper and some are not.
    But the most important thing to stock up and share is God's word and you faith.

    I really enjoy your post and have learned.
    May God bless you both

    Rue

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    1. Hi Rue. I was born in 1950 and we did not have a frost free refrigerator. My brother and I had to get permission to even open the refrigerator. What was in there that we would need anyway? There were no candy bars, there was no pop. We didn't get to eat junk food period.

      I was raised in a large metropolitan area, actually, it was inner city area. My family went to the grocery store on Saturday morning, and that was it. Our choice of drinks were water, and for breakfast, milk. There were no fast food restaurants, and we probably ate out at a restaurant four or five times a year, maybe. Times sure have changed, haven't they? Now every car is judged by the number of cup holders it has. Yep. Times have changed. Thank you for your comment.

      Frank

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  28. Hi Frank and Fern, Just discovered your blog thru Herrick Kimball. I live on a small Island off the coast of RI and when the collapse comes we are going to be in dire straights as every single thing that most people here on the Island eat, comes on the ferry. I'm 76, wife is 75, and we have a large garden in which we plant all the food staples that my kids and grandkids will eat. Just put up a 48x30' Rimol greenhouse last summer and am learning how to use it to the fullest extant. We could heat it but choose not to until it really becomes necessary.We have been canning, dehydrating, saving heirloom seeds, and raising three to six pigs every year. We do all our own butchering, curling of the meat, sausage making, bacon and smoking a ham if we decide to on a yearly basis. I retired from thirty years in the US Navy and came back here to live in '75, (born here in '1938), and I have become a pepper ever since. Have enough rice, beans, sugar, salt,wheat berries, cornmeal, etc. to sustain the total family of 21 for about two years. I wondered how we would get all the planting, attending, and harvesting, done with no gasoline powered equipment, But with nominees of an income and no place to buy stuff, there would be plenty of hands to do the work if they want to eat! Also have s small sailboat that allows us to go offshore fishing to increase our food stocks. I bought one of those American Can Co. canners about ten years ago and have been storing all the staples in #10 cans for the past ten to twelve years.
    Well that's where we are right now, and I have really enjoyed reading some of your previous posts. I shall continue, Best to you and your spouse, Everett R Littlefield ADCM, NO, AC, USN Retired

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    1. Everett, you seem to have a well established plan. But as you are well aware, living on an island has it's distinct advantages. No matter where one lives, there will always be locals to deal with, but in your case there will not be external crowds to worry about. Fern and I hope to be experimenting with a greenhouse in the very near future. Thank you for taking the time to read, and please comment when you feel the desire to do so.

      Before Fern and I left Alaska, we attempted to find employment on some of the larger islands, but that was not part of the Big Guy's plan. I would recommend you have a good supply of expendable items. This is going to sound silly, but one of the items I will miss the most when things shut down is dental floss. I'm sure there are many different ways to make it, but I will miss plain, old, simple, waxed dental floss.

      Best wishes.

      Frank

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