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Reading Room:  Animal,Vegetable, Miracle Book Club - Interested?  |
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
 Posted - May 07 2010 : 05:02:40 AM
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The food I picked at the grocery store was cantaloupe. It can only grow in very warm conditions and has a 75 day plus growing cycle according to my gardening book. I live in Northeast PA, where our first day of planting isn't until this Sunday because of late frosts. That means the cantaloupe was planted in February, somewhere extremely warm. My guess was Mexico, California, or South America. I thought I'd check so I asked a store employee in produce where are the cantaloupes from. Boy, did I throw him off with that question. He stared at me a minute, said 'what', I repeated the question, and he told me he'd go check. Guess what answer he came back with - 'They came in on a truck - don't know from there. Do you want me to keep looking?' That was all the answer I needed - my food came from a truck!!! Speaks a lot to what we are reading in the book.
All the best,
Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 09:08:06 AM
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Ok, that is so ridiculous it's funny. Sometimes I just want to smack these people who work in these stores. They need a course in food and what it is and where it comes from before they are hired. But the sad thing is, it's the older people, not always the young kids. What a shame.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 7:33:39 PM
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All you banana lovers--you can grow banana trees in most climates but you have to bring them inside for the winter. At least you do here in Illinois. I've seen people grow them around here so I know it can be done. Seems like a lot of work, though.
Cindy
"There is more to life than increasing its speed". Mahatma Gandhi
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 7:45:53 PM
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I have to tell ya'll about my DD. The one who plowed up her front yard to put in gardens. We went over for a cookout tonight. I helped her bring out all the food. She said she even got vine ripe tomaotes and they were so good. I asked where they came from. Ok, ya'll. Get ready. She said Walmart. OMG! I just fell down laughing. I guess they have a farm outback of Walmart and they run out there and pick every day so they'll be nice and fresh for all their customers. I am still working on her. She did have turkey burgers though.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 7:46:55 PM
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Cindy, I will have to check on a banana tree now. We have a big nursery in Chattanooga that might have them. I will see next week.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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textilelover
True Blue Farmgirl
557 Posts
Dianne
Middletown
NY
USA
557 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2010 : 03:35:36 AM
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The stories about produce coming from "the truck" and Walmart are so sad they're funny! Most people don't even think about where their food comes from and, I admit, I did not just a few years ago. I went to the supermarket yesterday and the produce I looked at was grape tomatoes (3 pints for $5--a sale!) but they were from Mexico. Considering they needed 70 days to mature (AFTER being started indoors 8-10 weeks before setting outside), according to one source, I did not put them in my cart. My youngest son eats them like candy, so I did feel bad, and the sale price...Ouch! I did buy some bananas, though. They are practically a staple in our house, but after reading more about them, I'm not sure how long we'll be buying those either. I can't imagine growing bananas here in NY. It's Mother's Day today and only 40 degrees this morning! Dianne
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." --Leondardo da Vinci |
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2010 : 05:07:37 AM
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Good morning all!
Diane I'm in Northeast PA in the Pocono Mountains and the weather gauge outside for me is saying 38!!! I was planning on planting my vegetable and flower seeds today, but looks like I'll have to be patient one week more because they are calling for two late season frosts this week. I'll be using Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as my patience inspiration - - I so wanted to be in the garden planting this morning!
Since it is Sunday, we are up to Chapter 5 discussion. Here are the questions for what we read:
1) BK references her region's "cash crop" - for better or worse - as tobacco. Research what the cash crop is in your region and let us know. Could you discover any reasons why it is your area's "cash crop"?
2) At the end of Ch. 5, BK beautifully describes her first day of planting for the season and lists what she included in her garden. Share with everyone what you are planting this year and when you are able to plant.
By the by, I am cooking mother's day dinner for my mother-in-law tonight and the asparagus/mushroom bread pudding recipe at the end of the chapter looked so good I'm going to give it a try! I'll report back on how it turned out!
Wishing everyone a wonderful mother's day!
All the best,
Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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textilelover
True Blue Farmgirl
557 Posts
Dianne
Middletown
NY
USA
557 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2010 : 4:10:23 PM
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Tina, If you're in the Poconos you can't be too far from me in NY! Happy Mother's Day...I remember one during which it SNOWED! Dianne
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." --Leondardo da Vinci |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2010 : 9:11:39 PM
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Way back on page 1 I said I wanted to be in on this discussion and here I finally am, better late than never my mom would say. And I loaned my book to someone and don't have it back yet. However, I've read it twice so I think I can keep up. So now I'm caught up on everybody's posts. What a great discussion! This book really reinforced so many things for me starting with really knowing where our food comes from. We grow most of our own food anyway and my family has always done that too. My parents have a huge garden and over the years have fed so many people. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of food my dad can produce.
We live in a very rural farming area in SE WA state--I'm a little bit of an oddball because 'organic' is a four letter word around here. Betcha didn't know that. In our garden we grow many heirloom varieties and we started with tomatoes. Love those things. Now I would say about 75% of what we plant is an heirloom variety. Besides our garden, we also raise our own beef and hogs(not every year) and chickens. This year we've started grinding our own wheat for flour. Our goal is to become as independent as possible.
Chapter 5 discussion questions: The cash crop in this part of Washington state is soft white wheat, barley and some red wheat. Most of the farmland in this area is dryland and these grains have been hybridized to grow well in this climate and with low amounts of rainfall.
Planting:All of the maps say we are zone 6 but they lie. This is really about a zone 5. The first day I planted anything was April 28 and it was potatoes, spinach, swiss chard, and mesclun. We finally finished planting the potatoes today and did some other cold weather crops: broccoli, radishes, carrots and beets, sugar snaps and kohlrabi. Toward the end of the week we'll do more if it warms up. We don't plant any warm weather crops until the locust trees start to leaf out because then all danger of frost is past. I'm sure that's an old wives' tale because it was told to me by an old wife---my mom, but it's never failed me yet.
"Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other art follows. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization."
Daniel Webster
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patchworkpeace
True Blue Farmgirl
478 Posts
Judy
Jackson
Michigan
USA
478 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 08:23:47 AM
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Our cash crops here in mid-lower Michigan are soybeans and corn.
This year I have planted 4 varieties of lettuce: red leaf, green leaf, a micromix and Bibb. Also, in the ground but not up yet are beets, a few carrots, dill, chives, onions, red potatoes, radishes and parsley. We've already been eating some of the lettuce and rhubarb. The peas are also up.
After the last freeze, (its still supposed to freeze tomorrow night), I'll be planting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, bush beans and pole beans. There also will be some happy flowers like zinnias, marigolds and poppies. I hope, if I can find more sunny places to plant, to add squash, a few herbs, and pumpkins.
Hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day.
Judy
Success is measured not by the position one reaches but by the obstacles one has to overcome to reach it. Booker T. Washington |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 11:54:26 AM
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In this area the cash crop is hay and corn. And if chickens count then chickens. And beef cattle.
I planted onions, potatoes and peas on Good Friday. Then a week later put out my tomato plants I started from seeds. With sunflowers in between them. Then zuchinni, 3 kinds of squash, beets, and some heirloom corn and popcorn. Okra came a little later with field peas and beans. Also a half row of shallots which are doing great. They are really pretty with their green hats. So cute. Also cucmbers and melons.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 12:36:30 PM
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Hello All,
Our cash crop here is corn - not for eating but as feed for farm animals. They process it and store it in silos on farms and ship it out around the country. I have often wondered if it goes to other farmers or corporate farms. I certainly hope it is other farmers, but somehow I doubt it.
I am planting a container garden with mesculan greens, pear tomatoes, french radishes, thumbilina carrots, and baby cucumbers. I also have coleus around the shady sides of my house and an herb garden on the front porch (basil, mint, lemon thyme, cilantro, oregano, and rosemary).
Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!
All the best,
Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 1:43:56 PM
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I forgot to mention - I made the asparagus mushroom bread pudding for dinner last night. It was amazing - I ended up giving the recipe to everyone who came. I highly recommend everyone giving it a try - even the kids liked it!
-Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 5:22:57 PM
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Our cash crop here in IL is corn, and particularly corn for ethanol production (St. Louis area is trying to be the ethanol capital of the world).
I've planted sugar snap peas (doing great!), lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, basil, and yesterday transplanted my pepper seedlings. It's still a little on the cool side here and it rained some today with more in the forecast. I'm still waiting to plant fennel, carrots, and winter squash. this is my first veggie garden so I'm not sure what to expect yet. I hope it's getting enough sun as I have two big trees in my backyard. I love hearing about your gardens. I just got my MJF in the mail today so guess what I'll be reading tonight?
Cindy
"There is more to life than increasing its speed". Mahatma Gandhi
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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Catherine
True Blue Farmgirl
166 Posts
Catherine Ann
Temple
TX
USA
166 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 6:27:40 PM
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The main cash crop around here is corn. Next would be cattle ;) .
I doubt that any of the corn is for human consumption, and after living right across from a huge corn field that was frequently crop dusted by plane ... I wouldn't want to touch it! I loved the small town community, but didn't love living in a chemical zone. We also have a large USDA research center here, and many of the crops seem to be trial crops with numbers or names designated one from another ... probably all different GM varieties. Who knows!
On a brighter note ;) ...
Between the family community garden and Zera Community Garden (our ministry project) I have planted: tomatoes- almost all heirlooms(other than 2 Celebrity the man at the city community garden gave me),zucchini, yellow squash, white scallop squash, cucumbers, okra, pole beans, bush beans, tomatillo, a few various green things, some herbs, and flowers. At home I have containers with 2 kinds of potatoes that are just beginning to bloom :) , a pot with 1 tomato, 3 peppers, and some dill and basil planted in it, and several potted herbs. I planted sugar snap peas in a bed behind the house, but from the looks of it, a cat has decided it makes a nice bed because the pea vines are flattened down to the ground :( .
Interesting conversation, ladies!
http://lovelivingsimply.blogspot.com/
Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
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textilelover
True Blue Farmgirl
557 Posts
Dianne
Middletown
NY
USA
557 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2010 : 04:17:35 AM
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Good Morning, Farmgirls! I am loving this book...so glad we're doing this book discussion online. Without real research to back me up, I would have to say the Hudson Valley cash crop is onions (home of the Black Dirt onion). Whether onions are truly our "cash crop" I'm not sure, but that's what we're known for and that's what you see for miles and miles around here. We have just been able to work the soil here, as our microclimate is 20 degrees cooler than surrounding areas (wonderful in the summer, not so wonderful in the winter!). It is almost impossible to grow root crops on our property because we have lots of rocks--wish we could farm those! About 2 years ago we converted our vegetable patch to a fruit "orchard" (apples, pears, raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb). We have to grow our veggies in containers on the deck now because deer eat EVERYTHING here. So, in addition to our herb garden, which is about 16 years old, we grow heirloom tomatoes, basil, and lettuces. I did start sunflower seeds indoors (the kitten got to those, so I'm not sure how they'll transplant) and baby round squash from seeds Amy Grace sent me. We used to grow much more in our veggie garden, but keeping the critters out was a full time job. We do buy every week from the local farm markets and console ourselves that way! Dianne
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." --Leondardo da Vinci |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2010 : 06:26:06 AM
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I just checked this book out from the library. I can't wait to get it started.
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2010 : 4:24:44 PM
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Cash crop around here is wheat and lentils/dried peas. The soil and geography are particularly suited to growing these. Also I think the area was settled by a lot of german immigrants who were familiar with wheat cultivation already - funny how you bring things with you!
As far as what I'm growing this year, I have already planted potatoes, onions, lettuce, arugula, peas, carrots, radishes. I will be planting kale, chard, cabbage, corn, beans, zucchini, herbs and summer squash, as well as tomatoes and peppers. Plus we have two cherry trees, two plum trees and an apple tree, although I need to give the apple tree some TLC I think it has fire blight.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2010 : 7:22:22 PM
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Amy Grace, I have 3 pear trees with fire blight. I am so upset. I planted them 4 years ago and they were just loaded with blooms this year and I was thinking I'd finally get pears and now this. They look like they were frost bitten. It was where all the blooms were at first and now the leaves are all burnt looking. I bought some spray and sprayed all 3 of them and 2 of them look like they will not make it. What are you doing with your tree? I would love some advice. I am cutting off all the dead looking limbs and pretty soon there will be no tree left. I am taking away all I cut off also. It's just horrible.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 04:59:25 AM
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Good morning everyone! Today is Wednesday, which means time for Chapter 6's questions for discussion!
Chapter 6 focused on responsible meat eating practices. Here are three questions for the group:
1)Where can you locally buy free range meat in your area and what is the cost comparison to the standard meat products in the grocery store?
2)Are there any heritage breeds of meat available in your area? If so, which ones?
3)In Chapter 6, Lily shows a passion for chickens and horses as a young girl. When you were young, what agricultural passions did you display? How are those still part of your life today?
Have a great day everyone! Looking forward to reading everyone's answers!
All the best,
Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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sonshine4u
Chapter Guru
1205 Posts
April
New Prague
MN
USA
1205 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 07:01:24 AM
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Hi ladies! I thought I'd hop in on the discussion! I read this book last year and loved it! I am going to start reading it again!
Answers to question:
We have several sources to buy free range chickens and grass fed beef in our area (twin cities metro). We just purchased a 1/4 side of beef last week and our freezer is full of grass-fed, organic beef goodness! So yummy!
I'm sure there are some heritage breeds available, but I haven't checked that out yet.
I grew up on a conventional wheat/beef/pork farm. I did raise a couple sheep in 4-H, but currently we have no animals in suburbia! I think that because I grew up on a conventional farm, it certainly fueled the fire for learning all about living sustainably and organically now. I now want to live on a farm and live a sustainable/bio-dynamic/organic lifestyle. For now, my farm is in my backyard! I have 4 raised beds and my hubby just added number 5 for us this spring!
Playing in the Sonshine
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/sonshine4u |
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textilelover
True Blue Farmgirl
557 Posts
Dianne
Middletown
NY
USA
557 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 08:40:47 AM
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Good Morning, It finally warmed up here in the Northeast and it feels like spring again! We have many sources for free range, grass fed meat in our area (considering we are 90 miles from NYC), but the prices are at least 4 times more per pound, so we think of it as a luxury. However, when I consider how much of our meat from the supermarket I wind up feeding to the dogs (because it's practically inedible) it seems like a necessity. I have not researched heritage breeds of beef, pork and poultry, but I do read about them occasionally in farming magazines, so I'll pay closer attention next time and ask more questions at the farm market. I grew up on LONG ISLAND, where farming was a dirty word until just a few years ago. My husband and I never thought of ourselves as true LIers (2 incomes, 2 kids, 2 vacations a year and a mini-mansion), so we moved to the Hudson Valley almost 20 years ago. Though my Papa and my dad gardened on our quarter-acre plot growing up (they were transplanted from the city), the only memory I have of "agriculture" was picking blueberries and feeding the birds! Dianne
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." --Leondardo da Vinci |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 08:56:59 AM
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There are several farms near me that are free range grass fed animals. And I also raise my own. But I did just buy 2 chickens from the farmer's market in Chattanooga a few eeks ago that were $5.50 a pound. So the 2 I got were $47.00. Very expensive. I could have gotten 25 meat chicks for that price and raised them myself. But the I bought some bacon from him yesterday for $6. for not even a pound. It is good though. And about 3 times the price of the big grocery store prices. But well worth it to know where it came from. I also raised a steer from a few hours old and had him butchered in Nov. I had not eaten beef in about 12 years. It's really good.
As far as heritage breeds, I am not sure. If I looked I'm sure I could find some close by. I am looking for a few pigs to raise on pasture that can sustain themselves that way without much feed from me. And I am looking for meat chicks but don't want the Cornish cross that the big chicken farms get.
Both sets of grandparents farmed and were preachers too. But my mother's dad was the one I knew. We always went to their farm. He had pigs and chickens. I loved going their. I guess that's where all my farming abilitiy came from.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
Edited by - kristin sherrill on May 13 2010 09:03:04 AM |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 5:14:33 PM
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Well - the store I work at has pretty good meat, hormone, anti-biotic free etc. However - all the companies we work with are larger and I just hesitate to buy into that. So....the farmer's market has chicken, beef, pork, and goat. There are also a couple of farms around that you can buy direct from - heritage breeds on beef and pork both, chickens not so much,and I'm not sure about goats. Price-wise the beef is fairly reasonable, pork is either fairly reasonable or absolutely ridiculous, chicken is spendy. Go figure - chickens should be the easiest and cheapest you would think. Also rabbit - what is up with the price of rabbit? Don't they multiply like crazy? Sorry, got off on a tangent.
I think the only agricultural passion I displayed was my love of Laura Ingalls Wilder - grew up in the suburbs and was scared of animals. Now I have chickens and pick up centipedes bare-handed to feed them:)
Kris - sorry I didn't answer your question about fire blight earlier, this week is a bit crazy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do - I know I read about it in one of my books, will let you know.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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dreamingofafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Tina
Bangor
Pennsylvania
157 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 6:11:43 PM
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Hello Everyone,
We have many sources for free range and grass-fed chicken and beef which is fortunate. One is a small health food/organic grocery that is locally owned and the other is a supermarket chain. The locally owned store buys from local farms and it is very expensive - over $7.00 a pound for chicken! The grocery store hovered at around $6 per pound for chicken. I also have the opportunity to buy direct from farmers. I have a large freezer in the basement so buying direct is cheapest because if I buy enough I can negotiate out a cheaper price.
I had never heard of heritage breeds until reading the chapter in the book this week. I checked at the local farms I know, the farmers market and the organic grocery store, but none of them carry heritage breeds so I'm not sure where I can find them.
When I was a young girl I grew up in a city with little to no agriculture around me. I always dreamed, though, of how wonderful it would be to ride horses and grow vegetables. I am happy to say that now that I am an adult I successfully grow veggies in containers and - just last month actually - I started taking English horseback riding lessons and get to spend time on a farm with horses each week!
All the best,
Tina
Farmgirl Sisterhood #1355
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones afterall." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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Reading Room: Animal,Vegetable, Miracle Book Club - Interested? |
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Animal,Vegetable, Miracle Book Club - Interested?
