Hungry prepper and farmin

[SJ76]

How are you going about preserving?

I just finished canning peaches yesterday. Maybe one or two rounds of tomatoes to go. No more greens for salsa verde though.

Done maybe 25 pounds of redskins so far. We’ll see how many I bother with there.

Green beans are done. Sweet corn is long over. Swimming in pickles. Did a little pickled asparagus, not much.

Drying basil as I thumb this.

Way more spaghetti squash to cook and freeze than I want to tackle right now.

And haven’t even started with apples or pears. Wasn’t a great year for either one. We got a cold snap right as they bloomed.

I’d start planting fruit trees in the spring. They’ll still produce for your great grand kids. Same with perennials like asparagus and rhubarb. Raspberries and blackberries. And elderberries in the shade.

My grapes and cherries pretty much just feed the birds. But I could net the trees if things ever get fucky.

You can call it homesteading if people shun you for being a prepper.

Dam son that’s impressive. How big is your garden and are you on a few acres?

You gotta homestead Schmitty?

 

[SJ76]

How is the soil at your place?

You gonna be around to water?

Raising mushrooms is easy and zero maintenance after the initial hole drilling and inoculating of the logs. And they don’t need sunshine, so no productive land needs to be used. You can put em right in the woods.

Rocky Sandy soil. Rock everywhere up there. Plenty of water too. Creek is ice cold even when it’s 105. But lots of springs of I want one

I love some shrooms. About grabbed Shitakes at that store today. I need to get on that cuz we have lots of trees and shade. How I learn about the shrooms?

 

[SJ76]

Interesting for sure. I think if I were planning a crop for prepping, I'd make sure to have all of my carbs in pasta and then grow something to compliment that. Peppers, for one.

I’ve got a 7 foot poblano in the garden still kickin. Cut one up for pizza tonight. Peppers thrive round herrr when it’s 150 degrees

Mostly pest free too

 

[SJ76]

My FiL is way into mushrooms. We got him all licensed up to sell to restaurants en sech a couple years ago for his birthday.

Real cool setup he’s got for shiitakes and oysters.

I’ve always been into foraging for em. But just starting to grow. It’s no more labor intensive than picking asparagus once you get going.

I miss morels in Illinois in April. Goodness thems with butter. GTfOH

 

[broncosmitty]

Dam son that’s impressive. How big is your garden and are you on a few acres?

You gotta homestead Schmitty?

Half acre garden maybe. With rows of berries, peaches, pears, apples, rhubarb and asparagus next to it. Prolly 3/4 acre total.

And fruit trees randomly around the yard.

Just one other house on our square mile. I’ve got some acres. But our homestead is down and around the corner. Hope to build near the old gravel pit there someday. We rent it to a friend I used to farm with. All direct contract stuff for Gerber. Kinda wild to watch their harvest process

 

[broncosmitty]

I miss morels in Illinois in April. Goodness thems with butter. GTfOH

Got a few bags left in the freezer.

Kinda same as apples this year, meh season.

Nabbed some chicken of the woods the other day. Not morels, but damn good.

 

[broncosmitty]

Rocky Sandy soil. Rock everywhere up there. Plenty of water too. Creek is ice cold even when it’s 105. But lots of springs of I want one

I love some shrooms. About grabbed Shitakes at that store today. I need to get on that cuz we have lots of trees and shade. How I learn about the shrooms?

They’re great for you and store real well after you dehydrate em. (I just have a cheap ass dehydrater from Menards).

Amazon product ASIN B01FY9RNRE

 

[broncosmitty]

Rocky Sandy soil. Rock everywhere up there. Plenty of water too. Creek is ice cold even when it’s 105. But lots of springs of I want one

I love some shrooms. About grabbed Shitakes at that store today. I need to get on that cuz we have lots of trees and shade. How I learn about the shrooms?

You ever mess with raised beds?

Rocky soil might limit you some with the veggies.

 

[SJ76]

Half acre garden maybe. With rows of berries, peaches, pears, apples, rhubarb and asparagus next to it. Prolly 3/4 acre total.

And fruit trees randomly around the yard.

Just one other house on our square mile. I’ve got some acres. But our homestead is down and around the corner. Hope to build near the old gravel pit there someday. We rent it to a friend I used to farm with. All direct contract stuff for Gerber. Kinda wild to watch their harvest process

That’s awesome. You have any animals?

 

[SJ76]

They’re great for you and store real well after you dehydrate em. (I just have a cheap ass dehydrater from Menards).

Amazon product ASIN B01FY9RNRE

You just drill a hole in a log and stick them in?

 

[broncosmitty]

That’s awesome. You have any animals?

Not right now.

Workin on her to let me. Lol. Got plenty of barns and out buildings when she finally gives in.

 

[SJ76]

You ever mess with raised beds?

Rocky soil might limit you some with the veggies.

Sandy rocky and some reddish clay. Was told sweet potatoes do well there. heck it’s mostly pine trees in my area


Raised bed dry out fast I’ve learned if you don’t water

 

[broncosmitty]

You just drill a hole in a log and stick them in?

Pretty much.

There are multiple ways to do it. But that was it with what I’ve been involved in. And putting melted wax over the plugs.

I started with just blocks of saw dust that were already inoculated. Did it all in the house. Just tented the blocks and misted the plastic with water. You can do that method any time of the year.

 

[broncosmitty]

Sandy rocky and some reddish clay. Was told sweet potatoes do well there. heck it’s mostly pine trees in my area


Raised bed dry out fast I’ve learned if you don’t water

They do. I don’t mess with it. But used to have strawberries at our old place.

Never have grown sweet potatoes. But we eat the hell outtve em.

 

[dhoey]

Garbs, super versatile.

 

[beardown07]

They do. I don’t mess with it. But used to have strawberries at our old place.

Never have grown sweet potatoes. But we eat the hell outtve em.

I have raised beds for strawberries so they don't take over the garden.

Other than garlic, onions and herbs, I've never had much success with raised?

 

[broncosmitty]

I have raised beds for strawberries so they don't take over the garden.

Other than garlic, onions and herbs, I've never had much success with raised?

Strawberries kinda became my ground cover at our old place. Prolly still have jam that made the move too.

Never have grown garlic. Should, love it. How do you even go about it? From seed?

 

[beardown07]

Strawberries kinda became my ground cover at our old place. Prolly still have jam that made the move too.

Never have grown garlic. Should, love it. How do you even go about it? From seed?

Plant it in the Fall. should roll up next year. Some varieties take 2 years.

 

[beardown07]

It'

Strawberries kinda became my ground cover at our old place. Prolly still have jam that made the move too.

Never have grown garlic. Should, love it. How do you even go about it? From seed?

s totally ground cover, and it's kinda the only real way to do it, unless you net the shit out of it, cuz the birds will get half yer crop.

 

[broncosmitty]

It'

s totally ground cover, and it's kinda the only real way to do it, unless you net the shit out of it, cuz the birds will get half yer crop.

Yep, at some point I just quit fighting it.

In a similar situation with raspberries. But not giving up that fight. Those fuckers hurt.