iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Been eating store produce

Started by ErikC, February 15, 2011, 05:23:23 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ErikC

 We have long since ate up the last of the "real food" and are eating store produce. It's just not always very good. :-\ But I traded a couple lbs of bear sausage with a neighbor who has a greenhouse for a bunch of fresh spring greens, broccoli and even some collards that we have been eating the last few days. Much better. :) (I may have to build one) Then I was putting some manure out in the garden, trimming back the trees,  and what not last week while the weather was nice. After that while sorting out some pictures on Sarah's camera disc, I saw these that she took last summer. Makes me want to get on with spring. :)



Sarah's mom wound up with this old yard swing, and gave it to us. Sarah scraped it clean and put some fresh paint, then I built that arbor in the orchard that is if nothing else, sturdy.

Below is some of the garden, about midseason











Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Norm

Thanks for the pictures Eric. So nice to see some green after a long winter here. :)

SwampDonkey

Nice gardens Eric. Another 3-1/2-4 months before I start some jalapenos, bells, cherry tomatoes and cukes.  8) I had a nice garden up until mid august when it burned up.  :-\ Earwigs like Romain lettuce.

After last night's snow, 2 of the three windows in the shop are about sealed up with snow on the glass. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WH_Conley

That sure gives me the itch. Done wore the print off all the seed catalogs. Inventoried all my seed til I think the packages are ready to fall apart. Down here under the hill I don't even have mud yet.
Bill

SwampDonkey

Never had any luck will mail order seeds. Always had better seed at the local store.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Norm

Some things you can buy from them that are ok SD. We have one called gurneys that sends out an early catalog with spend $50 and get $25 off. So I'll do that and then they'll send another one. Of course it's probably what they're worth but the local seed store charges way more than that.

I like to save a few seeds from my winter squash crop. They cross pollinate so you never know what will come up the next year.

WH_Conley

At the local seed stores you have a very limited selection. If you want variety you have to go with the catalogs.
Bill

ely

i start tilling my gardens today. gonna plant my onion sets on the 28th.

SwampDonkey

I can buy all the different seed I need in our local stores. And the plants I get at the same stop, peppers, tomatoes and all the other stuff like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, celery if I want those. There are a lot of different varieties in those order places that are no good in our local climate. Plus with the low germination success I have experienced from those places, I half believe they are selling old seed. Slice masters cukes and buttercup squash are my standby vine plants.  8) Potato seed I can get umpteen dozen varieties if I want to plant them and deal with the Colorado potato beetle, and I don't. The farmers can grow'n cheaper than me and I can pick them for free behind the harvest. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Quote from: ely on February 16, 2011, 09:43:37 AM
i start tilling my gardens today. gonna plant my onion sets on the 28th.

I thought you guys had 2 feet of snow, I didn't know Oklahoma was that warm. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

pappy19

I get my seeds from these guys, and they are the best that I have found so far.

Pap


https://www.seedstrust.com/joomla/
2008 F-250 V-10
2007 Lincoln LT
1996 Ford Bronco
Kubota 900 RTV
Shindiawa fan

ErikC

 I was in the grocery sore the other day, and there are pictures of frozen lettuce and other crops hanging on the shelves, with signs asking for people not to complain about the quality or prices, there was a freeze in the southwest and the supply has been knocked down, it's the best they can do for now.
Looks like my problem is gonna get worse before it gets better ::)
I like several seed companies, Irish eyes, Territorial and Johnny's are probably my top three. They are all from similar climates to me in the PNW, and they have good quality and a lot of varieties that work well here.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Tom

Perhaps you can find a store that sells the wonderfully fresh and tasty vegetables from Florida.  We keep getting your oranges here, surely you must be getting our vegetables.  :D

ErikC

 Do they grow oranges in Florida? It was nice they shipped some out from Ca for me when I went to visit though ;D
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

SwampDonkey

I only like Florida oranges and the church groups here get them from there. The stuff in the store is refuge.  ::) Cantelop this time of year isn't any good either. The only good kind has yellow flesh and sweet and juicy. The lettuce I seen this week was like someone was bowling with it. A goat might eat it, but not me.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Paul_H

Geez Bill,yer getting to be fussy like some kind of a yuppie.Won't eat herring or lettuce.... :D
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Paul_H

yup,you're gettin soft like a piece of old lettuce.  :)
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

SwampDonkey

Well the herring was a mistake. I thought it was fresh, turned out to be salted. I tossed it out on the snow bank last night. This morning when I stepped out the door I felt something like a dog turd under my foot. Well the cats or the fox dragged a couple of them salted fish up on the steps in the night. I tossed them back on the snow and the raven got them today. I guess maybe it was a herring sole this morning.  ::)

But that lettuce was just nasty looking refuge. And just last year the media reported how many cases of ecoli in lettuce? No thanks.  ::) :-X

Oh, and the tribe is heading back your way Paul today.  Ringette in Halifax. So I am not without influence. :D :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Paul_H

tsk,tsk,what a waste of good herring :-\
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

SwampDonkey

Nope, the animals have to eat to.  ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

ErikC

 I cannot condone SD's actions, no self respecting Scandinavian would be so careless with salted fish. Not because it is all that good, but because it is all we had to eat for thousands of years. :-\
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

SwampDonkey

No man coulda ate that without some cardiac issues. And it was tough as rubber.  ::)

The fresh herring is good, but don't seem to be able to get it very often.

And I can't eat that farm salmon, when you've eaten wild Atlantic salmon you wouldn't touch that farm stuff either.  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Paul_H

Quote from: SwampDonkey on February 19, 2011, 05:48:47 PM
This morning when I stepped out the door I felt something like a dog turd under my foot. Well the cats or the fox dragged a couple of them salted fish up on the steps in the night.

I guess they figure you need it more.Wasting away with all that fussiness ::)
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Geoff Kegerreis

Store produce is what it is - much of the environment of the stores are not exactly wonderful for preserving the natural biochemistry of food.  More importantly, what is the basis of it? - e.g. what methods were used to grow it and what kind of soils (or IF they used soil even) are they being grown in?  What about the light?  What about the air quality - all these things affect the nutrient exchange from soils and air to the finished product: Food.  

In the case of meat (BOO YAH!), you are what you eat!

Much of our food here in the U.S. is grown with conventional pesticides (herbicides, fungicides) that may be approved by the USDA and FDA based on questionable methodology.  Growth hormones, antibiotics, etc. become a part of that meat.

Just as an example of questionable methodology, USDA "Organic" means 95% organic...  :D  What happened to the 5%? - and better yet, how is it accounted for?  The devil is in the details.

GMO foods have been approved using the politically inspired "POSE" theory..."Principal of substantial equivalence"...the problem is, physiologically these foods are not equivalent, since they have a foreign protein inserted into their genome.  A recent Study recently showed animal miscarriages from roundup or roundup ready foods.

http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/4523/researcher-glyphosate-roundup-or-roundup-ready-crops-may-cause-animal-miscarriages

and eggs...don't get me started on eggs.  :D

Food prices are on the rise.  This is partially due to several issues affecting the markets - the subsidized ethanol market is somewhat restricting the corn applied to livestock feed, but the largest rising expense in all agricultural products is the declining efficiency of the production of oil (required to make gasoline and diesel fuels) - this will be a continuing trend, no doubt.

These are upcoming challenges we will have to figure out a way around if we want to be successful as a species.

I have been researching these issues in depth - and may be researching at a higher intensity soon if a recent proposal I have submitted to a country on the other side of the globe is accepted.

My personal opinion is that if you can grow your own and conserve the land while doing it, that's great.  If not, educate yourselves about what you're eating and do your best making decisions at the grocery.

I have a garden on my own land and I just tilled another 1.5x as large as the first last fall.  If I remain in the area this upcoming season (our season here starts around May and ends in October), I plan on growing quality 100% organic produce (using seeds from an organic supplier - tougher finding than you may think) in an extremely efficient method, just like I did last year.

There is nothing better than a juicy tomato picked right off the vine (well actually there is - but Mangoes are a bit of a challenge to grow this far North).
I have an active lifestyle that keeps me away from internet forums these days - If I don't reply, it's not personal - feel free to shoot me an e-mail via my website (on profile) if there is something I can help you with!  :-)

ErikC

 I think a good number of the members here on the FF feel more or less the same way about that, to a reasonable degree. There are a lot of beautiful gardens among this bunch, and many also hunt or raise their own meat.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Thank You Sponsors!