Eat what you grow

DTK

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
Messages
332
Location
Brisbane (SW suburbs)
Climate
Sub-Tropical
My goal is not necessarily to grow everything I need, but to have something that I can harvest, despite the season. There is something delicious about walking outside and being able to pick a fresh strawberry, or a peach, or a lemon, or a cucumber, etc, no matter what time of year it is. I try, every day, to find something that has ripened and is ready to eat, and whatever it is, it doesn't usually make it back into the house!
I love that idea Spector. Just today I notice a snap pea that had my name on it (figuratively). There were just a few; nowhere near enough for a meal but the taste/flavour was a treat for me.
 

spector

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jul 15, 2020
Messages
127
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
I love that idea Spector. Just today I notice a snap pea that had my name on it (figuratively). There were just a few; nowhere near enough for a meal but the taste/flavour was a treat for me.

Exactly!! There is nothing quite like it!
 

nzmitzi

Active Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
67
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
I try every day to get at a minimum my daily herbs from the garden. We also get our daily greens directly from the garden. I still shop at the supermarket (no real bulk buying stores in NZ) but nowhere near as much as I used to.

EDIT: Our garden is only 4 years old so far.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Geo

DTK

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
Messages
332
Location
Brisbane (SW suburbs)
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Way to go nzmitzi. As Mark says, you don't have to be self-sufficient in everything, but be self-sufficient in something... or words to that effect.
 

spector

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jul 15, 2020
Messages
127
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Is it bad that I am already anxious for next spring? I have some new (to me) varieties of veggies I want to try. I feel like that old ad, where the customers stood outside the closed glass doors, chanting "open, open, open." I suspect I will be starting some seeds inside FAR too early next year!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geo

Geo

Administrator
Staff member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
105
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Is it bad that I am already anxious for next spring? I have some new (to me) varieties of veggies I want to try. I feel like that old ad, where the customers stood outside the closed glass doors, chanting "open, open, open." I suspect I will be starting some seeds inside FAR too early next year!

I feel that's something every gardner goes through :)

But you know... you could push it and try to grow in the off-season... just to satiate your thirst :D
 

Vicky

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Mar 27, 2020
Messages
280
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Thank you for moving the thread.
I'm thinking that growing a completely balanced diet is possible. We haven't been trained to do it 100%-yet I believe it's possible. We are use to buying our junk food goodies, and not SO necessary items-giving up those creature comforts is the real issue for many people. .it's all about training and perspective.

You are right Martha, it's hard to break the lifelong habit of eating out of the supermarkets or Greengrocers or butchers or where ever it is that we like to shop at and scale back on the quantities that we like to purchase. It CAN be done but no one wants to. No one wants to give up their luxuries, it's understandable, there will be all sorts of reasons or excuses and I'd be just as guilty as the next person for that ;)

Now, if a person were to choose to live that way, it could take a long time (depending on circumstances) to change lifelong behaviour and tastes, finding alternatives that you like and possibly some things that you simply do not!!, then you would have other people to deal with "why would you want to do that?" and "are you feeling ok?" and things like "there's no need to go without dear, we're not poor you know".
Best just to get on with what you decide to do and let other people get on with what they decide :whistles:

It is awesome though, when you meet/find someone else who does the same by choice, then you can have a good old yarn about what works for you what works for them and ideas that you have but haven't tried etc etc etc :wave:
 

nzmitzi

Active Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
67
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
We just had a family get together. We prepared most all food from our garden. ( We bought the butter and a few odds and ends) . It was pretty good.
does recovering salt count? I recover all salt from my brines that I use for pickles - to be re-used for pickles......
 

Simone Pennington

Active Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
20
Location
Germany
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
This is cane harvesting season. The cut cane often spills onto the side of the road and I think I might pick up a few pieces and grow it then I can have sugar. It's really easy to crush and get sugar syrup from.


how lucky you are. We have nothing but potato and cabbage fields in our parts. You do not see many people rushing onto the fields picking up those spillages. :)
 

Vicky

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Mar 27, 2020
Messages
280
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
does recovering salt count? I recover all salt from my brines that I use for pickles - to be re-used for pickles......
that is absolutely intriguing nzmitzi - how do you 'recover' salt from your brines if you don't mind me asking?
 

nzmitzi

Active Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
67
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
that is absolutely intriguing nzmitzi - how do you 'recover' salt from your brines if you don't mind me asking?

I boil most of the water off then place the remains onto a plastic tray and set in a warm place to let it evaporate. It takes some time as it is not a warm climate here and I do have to cover it so the bugs and stuff don't get into it. Once dry, it is literally caked onto the tray so I just break it up and crush to get it back into small particles again. I only re-use for brine. The salt often smells of the vegetables that were in it.
 

Vicky

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Mar 27, 2020
Messages
280
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
I boil most of the water off then place the remains onto a plastic tray and set in a warm place to let it evaporate. It takes some time as it is not a warm climate here and I do have to cover it so the bugs and stuff don't get into it. Once dry, it is literally caked onto the tray so I just break it up and crush to get it back into small particles again. I only re-use for brine. The salt often smells of the vegetables that were in it.
very clever and frugal, I'll certainly keep that in mind when I do my next lot of brine/ferments :)
 

Charity

Member
Premium Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2020
Messages
6
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I had started gardening a few years ago, but had to stop due to several things. I have picked it up again this year and am working toward providing us all our veg. We have already been able to buy less veg from the store, but my little garden runs out pretty quick. My fall crops have just began to grow, but I’m hoping to grow until frost takes them out, usually around Christmas. Being in South Texas, we can grow 2 or 3 sets of crops per year. The height of summer is hard to grow in because it’s so hot. My cucumbers didn’t produce much, but are coming back with a bumper crop now that its cooled down a bit.
 

Vicky

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Mar 27, 2020
Messages
280
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
I had started gardening a few years ago, but had to stop due to several things. I have picked it up again this year and am working toward providing us all our veg. We have already been able to buy less veg from the store, but my little garden runs out pretty quick. My fall crops have just began to grow, but I’m hoping to grow until frost takes them out, usually around Christmas. Being in South Texas, we can grow 2 or 3 sets of crops per year. The height of summer is hard to grow in because it’s so hot. My cucumbers didn’t produce much, but are coming back with a bumper crop now that its cooled down a bit.
You'll soon work out how to maximize your production in the times you can grow things Charity, we have the same thing here in summer, having been in drought for umpteen years there is no ground water so now I am gearing up to grow a lot of things in pots, using any kind of vertical space that I can find. Planning a 'preserving' garden is something that everyone could benefit from as well as the plot to eat from!!
 

Charity

Member
Premium Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2020
Messages
6
Climate
Sub-Tropical
You'll soon work out how to maximize your production in the times you can grow things Charity, we have the same thing here in summer, having been in drought for umpteen years there is no ground water so now I am gearing up to grow a lot of things in pots, using any kind of vertical space that I can find. Planning a 'preserving' garden is something that everyone could benefit from as well as the plot to eat from!!

Let us know how that works out for you. I might have to try some of your vertical techniques.
 

DThille

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
407
Climate
Cold, Cool, Mountains, or Artic
Has anyone here tried growing sugar beets for a sweetener? There used to be a sugar plant here in Winnipeg, so there was a lot grown in southern Manitoba. It ultimately shut down and, without a market, farmers switched over to other crops. There are plants that process beets for sugar just south of the border in North Dakota, so quite a bit is grown there. Thus, I know it can be grown here...I understand it’s a bit of a process to get the sugar, but I’d like to try it some year. I’d looked some years ago and did find a Canadian mail order seed company that carried seed. We’ve got a short growing season, so for anyone that doesn’t get stupid hot, that’s something that should be able to grow.

Another possibility for sweetener is to tap hardwood trees for sap and boil down to syrup. Maple syrup is a big industry in eastern N. America. I understand some trees are more suitable, but I believe I’ve seen birch syrup as well. I know there is a local community that has a syrup festival and taps the local Manitoba maples in the spring...something like 200 trees in the community get tapped.

If we get more into good sleeping patterns and rise with the sun, or rooster, as our forefathers did, we could perhaps get away from caffeine. My wife is addicted and gets a headache if she doesn’t get coffee early enough in the morning, so I suffer through making and drinking coffee daily.

Derek
 

DivingTemptress

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
176
Location
Nassau Bay, Texas USA
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I try, every day, to find something that has ripened and is ready to eat, and whatever it is, it doesn't usually make it back into the house!
We are a lot like you at this point, Spector. I am really looking forward to "over" abundance, so more can be stored for the future. Am hoping next year we will be able to freeze asparagus, make more pickles, starfruit, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and hibiscus jam, and eat more fruits. Last year only the lemons were productive enough to freeze some back, and the bananas are growing like mad !!! I am pleased that we are off to a running start and that 4 years in, we are harvesting most of the year, even if only enough for a dish here and there.

Happy Gardening !
P J, the Dirt Diva
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geo
Top Bottom