I am so glad I have invested in good quality buckets for my dry goods storage. We had a water leak over the food storage room and outside of losing some Quaker Oats in the original cardboard packaging, none of the dry goods were damaged. We didn't figure we needed to put the oats into the buckets as we had planned on rotating them out first, but my wife found too many good deals on the flavored packets that we hardly touched them.
We transferred all the remaining undamaged oats to better containers and have been eating a lot more oatmeal lately, so it's been a plus. The kids have even discovered that there are other uses for the dried apples and peaches we put up.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fall Gardens
Its been a while. The garden and kids have kept my wife and I very busy. Summer planting came and went. The squash plants are already huge and I have zucchini almost ready to pick. I finally got the drip system finished tonight. Now the corn is on the system, so the only things not on a drip system are my fruit trees and some blackberries. I still have plans for more blackberries, so that isn't a problem.
We were inundated with lettuce and peas. We couldn't keep up with them, so we gave some to friends who did the local farmer's market. We also have been sharing with friends and neighbors. The lettuce is bolting so much now that I'm not sure that we'll be eating much of our own until September.
We were late getting the Swiss Chard in, so we can substitute with it in the meantime. I still plan on planting more. We will also be starting several varieties of lettuce indoors in a few weeks for Fall planting. We'll be doing Romaine, butterhead and more leaf lettuce. I'll probably do some spinach too. I will be pulling up the current peas once they stop blossoming and will plant more for the Fall.
The bush beans are thriving, but I am a little late getting the pole beans in for Fall. They need cooler weather for better production.
The carrots didn't do terribly well, but I didn't really expect them to thrive in the cool weather. I'll be getting several varieties in this week. I am really looking forward to trying out the SugarSnax variety that was recommended for excellent taste and sweetness.
I think the best thing about all the work is seeing my oldest kids taking responsibility for weeding, watering and harvesting. The work is good for their character development, and it is often a good opportunity to talk about important things to us. The additional benefit is seeing all but my second son eating vegetables right out of the garden. he eats the fruit, but get him near the peas or broccoli.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
We were inundated with lettuce and peas. We couldn't keep up with them, so we gave some to friends who did the local farmer's market. We also have been sharing with friends and neighbors. The lettuce is bolting so much now that I'm not sure that we'll be eating much of our own until September.
We were late getting the Swiss Chard in, so we can substitute with it in the meantime. I still plan on planting more. We will also be starting several varieties of lettuce indoors in a few weeks for Fall planting. We'll be doing Romaine, butterhead and more leaf lettuce. I'll probably do some spinach too. I will be pulling up the current peas once they stop blossoming and will plant more for the Fall.
The bush beans are thriving, but I am a little late getting the pole beans in for Fall. They need cooler weather for better production.
The carrots didn't do terribly well, but I didn't really expect them to thrive in the cool weather. I'll be getting several varieties in this week. I am really looking forward to trying out the SugarSnax variety that was recommended for excellent taste and sweetness.
I think the best thing about all the work is seeing my oldest kids taking responsibility for weeding, watering and harvesting. The work is good for their character development, and it is often a good opportunity to talk about important things to us. The additional benefit is seeing all but my second son eating vegetables right out of the garden. he eats the fruit, but get him near the peas or broccoli.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Clean Water
Perhaps it is due to all the rain and snow we have gotten of late, but I want to cover water needs. (The weather has kept me out of the garden for almost a week now.) Water purity can be a big problem in emergencies. How are you preparing to have clean water?
There are two major issues with water. The first is drinking water and the second is sanitation. The later can be easy to prepare for. "Grey water" is often easy to come by for toilets. Water for washing is another story. I like to store water in old two liter soda bottles. They wash easily and when filled with hot water, seal nicely. I don't recommend the tinted plastic as you can't see what might be growing inside. I store mine under the stairs where they are out of the way and can stack easily.
Drinking water can be a more difficult proposition. I have a small filtration pump for my 72 hour kit for mobility. Treatment tablets can also be useful. For longer term water needs, you can store large barrels of food grade plastic. I also recommend having a large purification system such as the Big Berkey water system which can purify as much as 3.5 gallons an hour. That is plenty for a large family.
I'll have to cover laundry needs soon. It's always nice to have clean clothes in stressful situations.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
There are two major issues with water. The first is drinking water and the second is sanitation. The later can be easy to prepare for. "Grey water" is often easy to come by for toilets. Water for washing is another story. I like to store water in old two liter soda bottles. They wash easily and when filled with hot water, seal nicely. I don't recommend the tinted plastic as you can't see what might be growing inside. I store mine under the stairs where they are out of the way and can stack easily.
Drinking water can be a more difficult proposition. I have a small filtration pump for my 72 hour kit for mobility. Treatment tablets can also be useful. For longer term water needs, you can store large barrels of food grade plastic. I also recommend having a large purification system such as the Big Berkey water system which can purify as much as 3.5 gallons an hour. That is plenty for a large family.
I'll have to cover laundry needs soon. It's always nice to have clean clothes in stressful situations.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Spring Gardens
Now is the time to be planting your spring garden if you live in Utah. My family and I are working hard to prepare our spring garden planting boxes and transplanting the onions and lettuce that overwintered.
Starting a small garden and working your way up is a great way to into gardening. Make it simple and as you learn, you will want to expand. Take the hard knocks as they come and learn to appreciate your successes. It is a learning process.
I was miserable with my initial failures and gave up for years until I start using square foot gardening. I had some success with it and have sought out more productive methods. I do not regret using that method as it got me kick started into gardening. I now understand why it is not the best method for gardening, but if I hadn't started with it, I doubt that I would have ever gotten into gardening. Now I can't stop thinking about what I am going to plant and harvest.
I would recommend finding a good mentor. I've been lucky to have a very generous one in Gordon Wells who grew up on a farm and got a Masters in Agriculture, even though he was a lawyer by trade.
Remember, wheat is not food storage if you have nothing to eat with it. Gardening is a great way to save money on produce, it helps relieve stress and it helps to bring parents and children together in a worthwhile effort.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
Starting a small garden and working your way up is a great way to into gardening. Make it simple and as you learn, you will want to expand. Take the hard knocks as they come and learn to appreciate your successes. It is a learning process.
I was miserable with my initial failures and gave up for years until I start using square foot gardening. I had some success with it and have sought out more productive methods. I do not regret using that method as it got me kick started into gardening. I now understand why it is not the best method for gardening, but if I hadn't started with it, I doubt that I would have ever gotten into gardening. Now I can't stop thinking about what I am going to plant and harvest.
I would recommend finding a good mentor. I've been lucky to have a very generous one in Gordon Wells who grew up on a farm and got a Masters in Agriculture, even though he was a lawyer by trade.
Remember, wheat is not food storage if you have nothing to eat with it. Gardening is a great way to save money on produce, it helps relieve stress and it helps to bring parents and children together in a worthwhile effort.
- Mark
Value is based on perception.
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