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Kelly Craig wrote:The ONLY food preservation I haven't done is, smoking and brining.
I took the plunge and, instead of a vacation, four wheeler, bike or rig upgrade, bought a freeze dryer. Though someone said they are slow, the food supplies add up far quicker than one might imagine.
I live in farm country. One farmer has acres of apples and grows various row crops each year. Since I never charged him for the eight foot wide steps off his deck, painting his deck railing, enlarging a bath entry for his handicapped son, and so on he owes me a favor or two. Said another way, I'm not hurting for access to row crops, apples and so on.
If I froze these things, I need a row of freezers, and it would all be gone in a big power outage. Everything else works, but has a "pay close attention to it" lifespan. Not so the freeze drying, and many things come back (eggs, shrimp, etc.) indistinguishable from fresh.
I both vacuum seal and insert a oxygen absorber. They aren't so expensive I would worry about risking an investment.
Now, if we need milk, all we need is water. So too it goes with sour cream. Eggs become omelets, but are easy to store. And on and on it goes.
Nancy Reading wrote:Hi Todd, Thanks, I've been loving it too. It's taking a while, but it feels good to be growing stuff outside again. I've mostly been planting trees and only growing food stuff (other than fruit) in my polytunnel, so I'm getting a nice feeling of purposefulness from moving towards more basic food growing.
Todd Bud wrote:
1) do your techniques translate to an extremely dry/hot climate (Arizona).
I don't have experience of that sort of environment, I suggest you browse the 'greening the desert and look for techniques there, maybe post in the soil forum for more experienced replies. I've been following Heather's plot here and that seems to have some techniques for water harvesting. I gather that hotter climates really struggle to hold onto organic matter on the surface, and burying it to retain the water under the soil can be more successful. Rufaro's thread here with seasonal rain has some other techniques such as Zai holes that may be appropriate. I understand that the idea of adding organic material and feeding your soil organisms is generally the way to better growth of crops, but what you would plant in your climate I expect would be very different. I want to maximise my heat: in peak summer just now we haven't had temperatures above 20 Celsius. My 'solar beds' are sloped towards the sun because I am at 57 degrees North and want to increase my solar loading. You will probably want to shade your plants from midday sun and maybe sloping your beds away from the sun will be beneficial!
2) with a crap ton of hard dirt sitting stagnant, what are some things I can do NOW as a slow progression towards that NRS (nutrient rich soil 😂 😀🤷♂️)? I probably won’t begin the gardening/growing for another year or two.
I still think water management is going to be key for you. Try and hold on to whatever water falls onto your land, which may involve earthworks, and rainwater collection/storage if appropriate. I understand that dew fall can be a significant source of water in some climates - so simple structures like piles of rocks can give a small but useful amount of water. Collect whatever organic matter you can to build compost, and grow plants. Weeds can be your friends. Particularly plants native to your area are likely to give you organic matter without needing babying all the time.
I don't feel I've been of much help, sorry Todd! If you haven't already, digging a test pit and getting a feel for what your soil is like currently is definitely worthwhile. Is it clay, or sand. Is it acidic or basic. Rich in organic matter, stony, salty? I'm changing my aspirations based on what I have grown (and not grown!) this year, so just having a small bed to try out some ideas in a small way will probably save you wasted effort in the long run. Try and get seeds that have been grown in a similar climate area, or locally. Have a look at some of the threads on Landraces, which I think will make my gardening much easier in future: here and here for example. Have fun and keep us posted!
Mike Haasl wrote:In a week I'd actually break off the shoots in the first photo and pot them up on their own in potting soil. They'll take off and then you can plant them out when frost danger is past. I might submerge that tuber less so that those shoots can get above water quicker and make better leaves before popping them off.
I'm guessing the second one just needs a bit more time.
T Melville wrote:I have no advice for the second one, but for the top one, I'd either:
1) Plant the whole thing on it's side in a wide shallow pot, and let it continue to grow slips from there, or...
2) Watch those slips that are growing from below the water, and remove them as soon as you think they're viable and grow them as normal cuttings.
Ben Skiba wrote:Todd Bud I am in Northern Arizona as well.When do you usually plant your tatoes?I planted onions,cabbage,swiss chard already but didn't wanna jump the gun planting the potatoes.I was told wait by elders.
Mary Wildfire wrote:Todd asked me to post pictures of my sweet potatoes suspended in water. I am tech-challenged. With help from my husband I managed to use the phone to take some pictures.