North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Richard O'Barr" <aatopgunaa@mindspring.com>]

With all of that juicing and jellying, I hope you have a steamer juicer
which adds very little water to the juice and is oh so good!!

Topgun
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Olenio" <tolenio@sentex.net>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Corporate farms


> Hello,
>
> Canning fruit and vegetables is very inexpensive, a fraction of retail
prices.  Then there is also
> the satisfaction that comes with doing it, much like the satisfaction of
growing the fruit and
> vegetables.
>
> Personally, I re-use canning lids, and they usually last a number of times
before they need to be
> tossed.
>
> My inlaws run a dairy farm and drink the raw milk on a regular basis.
However, they are reluctant
> to serve raw milk to my family, as we did not grow up on it (their immune
systems are better for
> it).
>
> But we eat/can/freeze as much meat, fruit and vegetables as we can off the
farm.  Saves a bundle
> $$.
>
> More than worth the effort.
>
> Later,
> Tom
>
>
> Naomi wrote:
>
> > About the costs of canning:
> > When you can you do not need new rings, you need new lids.  These are
sold
> > in a box of 12 for a $1.  So you put in your own produce. Sugar,
Vinegar,
> > Spices, salt and Heat. I would not expect your yearly cost for canning
to be
> > above $.25 a quart jar.  The jars themselves go for about$.50 and get
reused
> > for years.
> >
> > My canning starts with the seeds I select in spring.  I fertilize the
plants
> > with the help of my donkeys, goats and chickens.  I pick when the
produce
> > seems ready and I process within hours. I like to make jams of wild
> > combinations of whatever is ripe at the moment and I use absolutely no
> > water. Jam is about how much fruit I can stick in there, no stretchers.
> >
> > Pickles! I love pickles.  I can buy a gallon of vinegar for $2 and a 25
> > pound sack of sugar for $8.  With a couple of dollars worth of pickling
lime
> > I can make $14 quarts of the sweet pickles my son likes and still have
at
> > least 15 pounds of sugar left over.  Can you buy $14 quarts of pickles
for
> > $6 or $7?
> >
> > I can make fermented pickles and sauerkraut with just produce and salt.
> >
> > I know how to make my own corned beef. I got the recipe off the internet
but
> > it came from the deli 6 blocks away from where I grew up in Louisville
> > Kentucky.
> >
> > And yes, selling milk for human consumption is legally ridiculous.  But
> > there are people who solemnly swear that they are going to feed their
pets
> > goat milk and goat cheese.
> >
> > You see, I am a city person.  I grew up with cans from the store and a
cat
> > was the biggest animal we ever had at our house.  I learned how to do
these
> > things because I chose to do them.  It is lifestyle as I said before.
> >
> > Quite some time ago I was reading an article in FORTUNE MAGAZINE.  The
> > author was describing hanging off the side of a mountain, cold, wet,
> > tired...he said to himself, "Is this something I would do for ANY amount
of
> > money?  NO! There fore I must be on my vacation and I must be having a
good
> > time."  Well, I am not on a vacation but I am having a good time because
I
> > sure would not do this for money.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> > [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Bruce & Joyce
> > Caldwell
> > Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 2:29 PM
> > To: mrtejas@lycos.com; North American Fruit Explorers
> > Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Corporate farms
> >
> > >>The myth of the small farm died in the 1930s after tractors became
widely
> > used.  You might be suprised that the average farmer...<<
> >
> > It isn't suprizing that most families don't have a cow these days. A
good
> > milk cow will give gallons of milk daily, some over seven gallons a
day.Not
> > many farms can use that much themselves, but it is almost totally
illegal to
> > sell milk for human consumption. You are supposed to be certified, which
> > costs a bundle. Then there is the issue of working seven days a week
while
> > the cows are lactating. Health maintenance expences, breeding fees... It
is
> > expensive to mantain one cow, and not likely to be sustainable, let
alone
> > profitable.
> >
> > Can your own vegetables you say? It costs less to buy a can of most
> > vegetables than it costs to buy the rings for canning. Then there is the
> > equipment, the jars, and have you checked out the cost of fuel for the
> > stove? You can't compete with the commercial producers that way!
> >
> > Personally, I would like ot produce all my own food, but you have to be
> > realistic about it, and few people today have the interest to resurect
the
> > old ways, like root cellaring, cold frames, ice houses, etc.
> >
> > Our government is doing all it can to support those big commercial
farmers,
> > to the direct harm of the shall family farm. It isn't just about wages.
Just
> > having to file farm taxes is a nightmare for an individual with a small
farm
> > income. If the big guys had to spend a proprtionate amount of resources
on
> > the paperwork, they might well go out of business too.
> >
> > Joyce
> >
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> --
> Thomas Olenio
> Ontario, Canada
> Hardiness Zone 5b
>
>
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