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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Distance

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "E. E. Mitchamore Jr" <emitch@att.net>
  • To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Distance
  • Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:32:13 -0500


You make some useful points.  Infrequent shopping implies better food storage than we have implemented.  We have considered and rejected canning (time, effort, heat), and we had a bad experience with a freezer a few years ago, making us hesitant to rely on a freezer.  We're doing some drying of vegetables that we grow, but can't see that making much difference, except in volume, as they still need to be frozen for long-term preservation.  No root cellars in Central Texas, and I know nothing about fermentation.
 
Would you have some tips on food storage?
 
E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.biz
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2007 10:57 AM
Subject: [Livingontheland] Distance


Mitch said, and Paul agreed:

"I don't see it as viable for us because the producing small farmers are more than an hour away."

My comment is that it is a complete lifestyle change - but remember that small farmers are often willing to meet the consumer half way, in more ways than just the drive. Also, agricultural areas may be a long drive away, but there may be multiple stops once you get there.

Saturday, my husband was a bit cranky about being dragged 10 miles towards nowhere to buy vegetables. But after we had toured the farm, gotten tips on the Oklahoma growing environment, bought about $50 worth of [chemical free] vegetables for $35 and made suggestions for vegetables we'd like to buy in the future, my husband agreed it was "worth the drive". Last week, he drove over an hour to buy pastured poultry - but combined the trip into our coop pickup. And when he tasted the chicken... wow! Yeah, worth the drive.

It means planning ahead, making the calls and knowing people. I don't know how many of you have trashed the tv, but if you haven't, that can be the first step to food and financial freedom.   I've traded the hours I'd spend watching movies and Seinfeld reruns for time doing country drives and growing vegetables.  It's good.

My shopping now consists of two "once a month" coop pickups (one mostly meat, one grains and Asian foods) two trips to Williams' farm, 2 trips to a discount grocery and 2 trips to the regular grocery store.  I can do the farm and two grocery stops, plus get feed, in one morning. So it's really only 4  2-hour blocks of time to get everything I need for the month. It's taken a couple of years to get to that point, but I save a LOT of trips to the doctor (as in, we never go there anymore!) and dentist (very rare). And I'm doing my bit for green.

Laurie Ann


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