tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836569253657728265.post2233987013503505958..comments2023-07-22T15:00:36.071-05:00Comments on Doing my best for Him: Fill your pantry-an insurance policydebbieohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16591676862695285439noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836569253657728265.post-81295281566323951122010-01-14T08:32:35.931-06:002010-01-14T08:32:35.931-06:00I also try as hard as I can to keep a fully stocke...I also try as hard as I can to keep a fully stocked pantry. That way, I can buy at the best price, when things are on sale, or when they are plentiful and the prices are lower. We keep a big garden and preserve as much as we can, and share the extra with out neighbors. Since there are only the two of us now, when I cook I often cook a large batch of something and then freeze the extra in meal sized containers. That saves lots of time. I pick wild blackberries and make jam with those, and elderberries and freeze those for muffins and also to make elderberry tincture to help fight colds. We also are blessed in having an unheated greenhouse and in August (zone 5). In August I plant things like onion sets, radishes, turnips (for greens) mache, leaf lettuce, kale, Italian dandelions, swiss chard, carrots. Inside of the greenhouse we have some raised beds inside of wooden frames and in the summer we take the plastic off the greenhouse altogether, but as the weather gets colder in the fall, we put the plastic back on and then when the weather gets really cold, we put wire wickets over the beds and cover them with floating row cover for another layer of protection from the wild swings in temperature. We can harvest nice fresh organic things all winter! I also like to plant a lot of kale in the spring and when the cold weather comes, just put some clear plastic over it and weight it down with bricks or rocks. I can pick kale all winter and into the spring. Also, if I plant carrots and parsnips in the spring, when fall comes and there are some left in the ground, I put on a good layer of straw or leaves or hay and put a tarp or plastic over that and I can dig those things all winter and into the spring too. That really helps. I don't have to buy much fresh food at any time of year when things are working properly. We got the basic idea for the greenhouse for Elliot Coleman's book "Four Season Harvest." And the gardening techniques from "Square Foot Gardening" have been very helpful too, although mainly we just filled our boxes with the "Mel's Mix" described in the book. I have used the square foot gardening techniques very successfully when I had limited ability to garden due to health concerns, but now we are back to what my dear husband calls "dirt farming." :D I admire what you are doing! We live in the country and I keep milk goats and so we have plenty of milk and I have learned to make cheese and brew kefir. It is such a blessing.loves2spinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02072576848451758173noreply@blogger.com