Some random thoughts and questions from an old man......

[fatbaldguy]

I'm sitting here after coming in from the garden to enjoy the A/C set at 78.  I'm eating a couple a burgers.

The meat comes from a bum steer that I bought shares on March of 2012.  Onions from the garden.  Pickles I made from cuke's I grew.  Green Beans I grew, seasoned with salt pork I bought from a farming friend who always raises 2 or 3 hogs, and I pay in the spring for a mixed 1/4 to a 1/3 of one of 'em.

Are there many folks out there that do this anymore?  I know several that do, and a couple of the younger guys at work are asking me questions about how to do gardens and such.

I've got plans to start raising meat rabbits too.

I'm learning to pressure can meat.  Meals to go.

[Pathfinder]

I had done that when I owned a ranch. Only I had bison, not beef.

Ex-GF's dougn-based products were nothing to write home about, so i can I've had homemade buns and bread, but that's nothing to shout about. But that ain't the reason she's gone. 

I would love to go back to that, but right now, the good Lord has other plans for me.

[jaybet]

Not me. Sounds like a good thing, but I'm not around that kind of lifestyle and there's only a little that comes from gardens. No home-grown meat, that's for sure. Just trying to survive in this "civilized" world.

[mkm]

I'm younger than most on here, sub 30 for a little longer, and my wife and I are trying to wrangle as much home grown as possible. We're blessed with beef from her folks, hunted venison, some veggies from our container garden, some veggies from others' gardens, and, occasionally eggs. We're hoping to shoot a pig or two soon, get a better garden going by next year, and learn to pressure can meat and other stuff very soon. We may not be completely self sufficient, but it is nice and more tasty to eat stuff you know where came from. I hope to get the hang of growing and preserving food soon. 

[tombogan03884]

My Dad and I used to do that when I was younger, raised pigs, veggies, picked and canned blueberries and blackberries, picked cranberries.
The canned blueberries were great, as for the blackberries , think brandy with seeds instead of alcohol.
Dad used the cranberries for sauce and canned cranberry relish that was good.
Raised sour dough as well for bread and biscuits .
Can't do any of that in a second floor apartment though. 

Now I just cultivate the people who can do it . 

[Sponsor]

[Solus]

For those with limited yard space for a garden, here are some links to a very efficient container gardening system...combines container gardening with vertical gardening to maximize the output of the available square footage of yard.

http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/06/02/magic-gardening-how-to-grow-50-nutrient-dense-veggies-in-virtually-no-space/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufEQ6ZljJBE

http://www.gardentowerproject.com/

http://arizonabarrels.com/55_gallon_closed_top_blue_plastic_barrels_drums.html

http://www.bayteccontainers.com/rechigdenpol.html#gsc.tab=0

[mkm]

Thanks for the links! We're hoping to have a raised bed or standard in ground garden next year, but we can possibly use this ideas too.

[crusader rabbit]

Nothing tastes better than what you've raised and harvested from your own garden. 

Wife and I have green beans, red potatoes, tomatoes, various peppers, lots of herbs.  We don't have a lot of space for growing, but we get a lot out of it.

I buy cabbage locally and turn it into sauerkraut.  Local cukes get made into kosher style pickles.

Haz and I (and Deepwater, too) regularly go pig hunting and usually have some boar in the one of our freezers.

We're a little too close to others to actually raise animals, but I am still thinking about getting a young lamb to have ready for Christmas dinner.

All this takes me back to my youth where we had farm fresh everything.  I miss it.  It all seemed to taste so much better than stuff does now.

Thanks for instigating a pleasant trip down memory lane.

Just another old fart,
Crusader Rabbit

[TAB]

The veggies yes, every thing else no.  I use to go in with a group buying steers. Moved, looking for a new group. I would love to buy 5-10 arces jjust out side of town, but ita just not in the cards.

[billt]

I bought Melanie one of those super duper Kitchen Aid mixers and dough makers. You know, the kind that are all powder coated metal, and weigh a ton. Complete with a planetary gear system, and a power takeoff on the front like a tractor....Does that count?