Friday, January 21, 2011

Sunday Dinner...From Close to Home


 


Eatin' food grown close to home.  It's the way I was raised, and I'm sure it's the same for many of you, too.

The ham is from a side of pork we bought from a neighbor's hog.

The corn is from my friend's garden (ours didn't do well last year.)  I taught her to can, she sent me home with a few grocery sacks full of corn.

The potatoes we grew in our back yard.  I was amazed at how long they lasted through this winter and last, we are still using them.  We will grow them every year, as well as onions.

The rolls are hidden in the basket.  We didn't grow the wheat or produce the milk ourselves.  I wish we had a milk source.

The strawberries for dessert were grown in our back garden. 

The pride I feel when a meal is mostly grown close to home is immeasurable.  I wish more Americans could know what this could mean to them.  More independence and pride is something we could all use.  

Those who are "less fortunate" and those in government making a fuss about "food deserts" should learn to grow their own food and not count on someone else to get it to their table for them.  

Sorry, but that's how generations of Americans have survived and the government didn't have to do everything for them.  Even the city dwellers had garden plots in their back yards.  

This spirit of dependence instead of independence, well, it's just plain pitiful to watch.  This is not American, to have the government thinking of and doing everything for our families.

The way the coming "food shortages" are becoming bigger and bigger news, I think we'd all do well to grow more of our own food this coming year.  (The above link will take you to a news story recently that talks about everything that's coming together that is creating this problem.)

Have you heard these news reports about the military being ordered to prepare for "food riots" because the food supplies are LOW, and the price of food is going to skyrocket?  I know you've already noticed prices of groceries going up, up, up.  

There are stories all over the news about this.  I'm starting to notice them picking up.  I am shocked at that.  The dollar is becoming more and more worthless and that means commodities will be more and more expensive, including food especially.

I am thinking I'll order my garden seeds early this year and stock up on more canning supplies.  I have some cuts from our side of beef that need to be used and am considering canning a lot of vegetable and chicken soup with it as well as some of the veggies we still have left from our garden that we stored in the freezer.

These days are sure full of fear and uncertainty.  

Are you worried?  Are you planning on a bigger garden and preserving more of your own food?



 

17 comments:

Heather Lee said...

Your table setting alone is a feast for the eyes! What a satisfying meal, to know where it all came from. I've already been thinking of the garden and all of the benefits of growing fresh veggies for the table. I know that there could be a lot of worries about provisions during these challenging times, but, like you, our faith is in the Lord and not in man.
Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day!
Heather

BumbleBeeLane said...

I've always grown a garden and am learning to can this year.I believe as you do we depend to much on goverment,if we worked more as a community and helped our neighbors when they really need it life would be better.People today are so used to a hand out instead of working and earning what the need.That's why we have the crime and riots because people don't know how to take care of themselves anymore.Me and my husband have always taken care of ourselves and others that may "need" it.I think we'll be fine as we never depended on anything other than what we could earn.God has always blessed us and I'll trust in him to provide my needs.But I probly will store up a few extra can goods here and there.~Amy

Unknown said...

I can't believe you wrote this today. I just got back from the grocery store, I was picking up a few things I needed to make homemade bread and chili. When I grabbed the dry milk I couldn't believe it, it was $6.99 and the bread flour was $3 something. I spent $35 at the grocery store to make chili and bread.
Kim Bois

Cher' Shots said...

We do plant a garden, can and freeze a lot of our own produce. I think I will go through my freezer too and make up some soups, chili, etc for canning.
Jer 17:5 "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord."

Cindy said...

Thank you for sharing..the Food shortage...It is interesting that you posted this today.
We recieved a cryptic message from.. my daughters friend..he is military...the question was...what were we going to do when the ---- hit the wall?
We didn't know what he was talking about..now we know thanks to your blog. It all makes sense to us now.
The commisary this last week was offering all kinds of soup for such low prices..we said we had never seen that before.
In chatting with many this morning privately..we have found out the word is spreading to get prepared to stock up and to plant gardens.
We had already plowed up her garden this last week..this is their first year in this house.
We will now be doubling it!!!
We do can..we will be learning more techniques in the upcoming weeks.
I will post Monday on my post about gardening..Some will listen...some won't..all we can do is spread the word..not to alarm!!

Thank you again...hugs Cindy from Rick-Rack and Gingham

lil red hen said...

Yes, I do worry, more for the children growing up than for myself. We've always had a garden; however it's smaller now that our children are gone from home, and they have their own gardens. It takes a lot of effort to have a good garden, especially when the weather doesn't cooperate, but the food is oh so much better.

Bonnie said...

I agree with your post, people need to start having some pride. Around here, there are so many people who have too many kids they can't take care of and think they deserve all the handouts they get. They know how to play the system so they get 2 free Thanksgiving dinners or Christmas dinners. It saddens me and their kids are going to develop the same attitude.

Donna said...

We are a little bit worried. We are seeing the prices go up quite a bit too. We don't have a big country spread anymore and we're now in a villa home. So there is very little land beyond the footprint of our home and a garden just won't fit. We stockpile food, of course, because we are practical and buy in bulk on sale. Thank goodness we cook from scratch and keep the overall food costs down!

Julie Hinds said...

I just heard on the radio this morning how everyone should order from this certain add, heirloom seeds, enough in the lot for an acre of everything you will need and because they are not hybrid seeds, you'll be able to start saving seeds. The add was really pushing everyone to order, I wonder how much it would cost?

Julie Hinds said...

http://www.non-hybrid-seeds.com/?gclid=CLza8__GzKYCFYQUKgodGG69HQ they were called survival seeds, family of 4, $149, this co. out of Canada, lots of prices and types of seeds, interesting...

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

We doubling our efforts also. It is only the two of us, but what we don't use we pass on elderly neighbors that can no longer get and work in their gardens. I worry about them.
We are quite self-sustaining here. We heat and cook by wood. We have gas heat if we need it, but the past 2 years we have not even ordered any! We do through about 4 riks of wood a week when the temps are this cold. J cuts wood off our land in the summer for winter use.

Yes. I am worried. And I live in one of the top welfare states in the country. A huge number of our residents are on gov't assistance.
They not only depend on their EBT cards, but also local food banks. The food banks are already rationing!
Thanks for an interesting post, Joni!
xo, misha

Paula-Pieces from the Past said...

Great post and your table setting and food look absolutely yummy!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I am worried yet but I'm concerned. We already have lots of fruit we grow but I grow little in the way of veggies. May try to grow more this year. I like the heirloom seed idea for that.

I have been working on rebuilding a bit of a pantry, just because I think such a thing is always a prudent thing to have. I've done that before but wasted too much so this time I will be more careful in what I choose and rotating it.

I agree with the others who said we must trust and turn to God--we need His wisdom on this. Thanks for a great post!
Blessings,
Aimee

Anonymous said...

Well written....

Linda said...

Love your table...looks inviting. Yes we are worried about everything going up. I planted a small garden last year....first time in 3 yrs, we have a lot of trouble keeping the deer out of it. For several years I had 3 gardens...one for corn, one for peas & beans and one for squash, cucumbers, and peppers. Planning on a big garden this year.

Leslie @ Farm Fresh Fun said...

Enjoyed my visit as always... What a fabulous feast! (And that new table set is adorable!) I too LOVE eating local. Home and neighbors provide much of our foods. Am eager to start gardening although it's hard to imagine on this 12 degree night! Thanks for the motivation. I'm not worried about riots but wish many more would try to garden and eat local! Congrats too on your sisters final chemo! Praise be!

Boyett-Brinkley said...

You are right about people having gardens, even in the city. My g-grandparents immigrated to Scranton from Wales at the beginning of the 20th century and she always had a "kitchen garden" so if you can do it in a city with houses close together, you can do it anywhere. We used to garden, in our younger days, and I am thinking more and more of starting it up again. Definitely going to start putting things in the freezer.