store bought or harvested

[Chris]

I don't do much hunting or fishing for food or sport so I can't really say if it saves ME money or not. But I do know that gardening/growing my own food when possible has saved ME money.

Too many people take gardening over the top and spend way more time and money on it than needed. Once our raised (not till) beds on the farm are planted and mulched we rarely need to maintain them other than the tiny amount of weeding done while we are harvesting the vegetables, as well as some watering when needed (if we had a drip irrigation system set up on a timer we wouldn't even need to do that).

For soil amendments we use compost made from the dead garden plants, kitchen waste (might be setting up a worm farm this year so that will no longer be going into the pile), as well as dead leaves and some yard waste. The beds are mulched as needed will grass clippings from the lawn.

Once your garden is set up it is really up to you as to how much time, energy, and money you want to put into it. Some of out biggest squash and zucchini crops ever were from neglected plants that were accidentally started.

Over all I get better quality, and better tasting food, for less money by growing my own when possible. Take a look at the price of asparagus. It grows like a weed (something like an inch an hour in 80 degree weather) yet it is very expensive to buy in the store. Yet at the farm we GIVE IT AWAY because we can't eat it fast enough. Same with out rhubarb and chives. All three are also grown with minimal care at our place.

I'm not saying for everyone that gardening will save money, but for me it does.

Once your garden is set up it is really up to you as to how much time, energy, and money you want to put into it. Some of out biggest squash and zucchini crops ever were from neglected plants that were accidentally started.

Hehehe, boy howdy.

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2008/10...ash-squirrels/

Over all I get better quality, and better tasting food, for less money by growing my own when possible. Take a look at the price of asparagus. It grows like a weed (something like an inch an hour in 80 degree weather) yet it is very expensive to buy in the store. Yet at the farm we GIVE IT AWAY because we can't eat it fast enough. Same with out rhubarb and chives. All three are also grown with minimal care at our place.

I agree on asparagus, it is such a cost effective and easy plant to grow. I don't get why more people don't grow it. I think its because they don't think they'd like to eat it or something.

[RaymondPeter]

Personally, growing up I hated the stuff. Now I've expanded my tastes and don't mind it. It's all how you prepare it really. Just like everything else. One other reason people don't grow it is because they are told that it is hard to grow (it isn't).


Back on topic. I do understand for some people that buying all their food is cheaper than hunting, fishing, trapping, gardening, and foraging. It's really how much you want to put into it all up front. Fishing doesn't need that $500 pole, lure, fish finder, etc. But if you are the type of person that has to have that stuff, fine, have fun! If you don't need it, great, all the more power to you!

One reason I don't hunt... I KNOW that I have a mind set against inexpensive rifles. Why? No clue, because as long as they are safe and hit what I aim at then they work. But I still do. So I am one of those people that until the SHTF I "need" the high end rifles to hunt with. Which is why I don't hunt. I'll stick to my .22's and my Grandfather's old .30-30 for now (and will continue to until I die or my future kids take my toys away from me...lol)

[Alpine_Sapper]

Personally, growing up I hated the stuff. Now I've expanded my tastes and don't mind it. It's all how you prepare it really. Just like everything else. One other reason people don't grow it is because they are told that it is hard to grow (it isn't).

(can I get this more as a warning, than an admonishment?)
Roll it in some olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and bake it the oven until crispy @~350. awesome.

[Ole WV Coot]

Nothing new for lots of folks. We always had gardens, canned, pickled holed up potatoes & apples. Dried beans all the food we needed and more. Cost practically nothing and veggie wise well worth what little we spent on seed. I and everyone else hunted and fished, not exactly legally but we ate what we caught, shot or trapped. Country folks have always done well around this part of the country. We would help butcher and always get prime portions of the meat and we did the same. We nor anyone we knew ever wanted for food back in the '50s and I guess we can do it again.

[wareagle69]

you know what coot, thats why i like living in between to small towns one pop of 500 the other pop of 1200. you get to know folks and learn lots of cool stuff. things that are second nature to you, but all new to me, but things i could not learn in the big city, i feel like such a rube here, a grown man and feel like , despite my skills that i have nothing useful to bring to the table, but i am a fierce and fast learner.

[Nativedude]

Wareagle69 wrote: ". . .i feel like such a rube here, a grown man and feel like , despite my skills that i have nothing useful to bring to the table, but i am a fierce and fast learner."

Wareagle,

Don't sell yourself short. You have a lot to offer and bring a proverbial bounty to the table.

We all have things to learn. That's why we're here right? At least that's why I'm here!

[wareagle69]

i know i have my wilderness skills and wild edibles, but i am also spending time with folks that have spent their whole life in this area, in the bush and working the land, i do bring unique experience to the table, it just seems that some things should be obvious and they are not, its like learning to crawl then walk the run, i'm still crawling

[Ole WV Coot]

i know i have my wilderness skills and wild edibles, but i am also spending time with folks that have spent their whole life in this area, in the bush and working the land, i do bring unique experience to the table, it just seems that some things should be obvious and they are not, its like learning to crawl then walk the run, I'm still crawling

Don't sell yourself short. You're willing to learn and work at it. The old folks appreciate that in a man. You'll learn more than you think without trying and the folks will be glad to help you if you help them. They will learn from you also. You bring a strong work ethic and open mind, willing to learn. That's more than most men can bring to the table today. I grew up in that environment, closest town now has 4,000 pop. smaller when I was a kid and we lived at the end of a hollow 5 miles from town. We were a small community where we helped each other. A decent man can fit in anywhere, you won't have any trouble.