Rising post-pandemic inflation has doubled grocery bills, prompting creative purchasing strategies: buy clearance items, track rotating sales and holiday specials, and purchase in-season fruits and vegetables. Save long-term with bulk staple purchases and grow your own food. Preserve your harvest and cook from scratch to avoid preservatives. Lastly, foraging and hunting complement the savings.
Category Archives: gardening
Beans, Planting, Canning, and Harvest
The author recently finished planting their summer garden, including pole beans next to the previous year’s tomato area. They explained the benefits of canning dried beans and detailed their canning process. The author shared plans for the garden’s future and offered helpful gardening books for those interested in starting their own vegetable garden.
Planting the Main Garden
In the Ozarks, the arrival of blackberry winter marks the time to plant garden mainstays like tomatoes and peppers. Preparing transplants involves gradually exposing them to sunlight and ensuring ample water. After the last frost, the author plants various vegetables and herbs in prepared garden beds, managing the process despite uncooperative weather. If interested in vegetable gardening, the author offers helpful books on Amazon.
The Fruitful Corner Behind the Barn
Behind one of my sheds is a patch that I don’t have to plant, weed, or fertilize anymore. It can’t even be called a bed because it’s just a collection of plants that are growing as companions to one another. Every one of these perennial plants has a use. Some are for food, some for flavoring, and some for eating either fresh or cooked. In this small space, there is a plant that I can use for the next several months.
A New Kind of Revolution
This week we celebrate the 249th anniversary of “The Shot Heard Around the World.” Did you know that the American Revolution didn’t begin when the first shot was fired at Lexington Green in 1775? They started the revolution shortly after the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War) because the British wanted them to payContinue reading “A New Kind of Revolution”
What to Do If Your Plants Are Too Big for Their Containers
The tomato plants need to be transplanted into larger containers before being planted in the garden. Use a mix of seedling medium and garden soil, add organic amendments, and plant the tomatoes deep in the soil. Monitor their hydration and consider books on vegetable gardening available on Amazon for further help.
Does Gardening Really Help Your Emotional Health?
A few days ago, someone asked me why I thought everyone was so angry and unhinged all the time and I said that I thought it was because they weren’t spending enough time getting their hands dirty. There’s science behind the idea of the emotional benefits of gardening. Scientists have long wondered whether humans boastContinue reading “Does Gardening Really Help Your Emotional Health?”
Rambling in the Garden
The garden has been planted with potatoes, onions, lettuce, and brassicas, using fabric bags and direct ground planting. Challenges with chickens digging and mulching are managed with a fence and timed roaming. The author connects gardening with spiritual thoughts, tying the season’s renewal to religious holidays. Several gardening books are also promoted.
Is Prepping Biblical?
This blog post discusses the author’s experience dealing with people who challenge the idea of prepping due to religious beliefs. The author draws from historical and biblical examples to argue that taking practical steps for self-sufficiency is consistent with Christian teachings. They emphasize the importance of sharing and giving back, and offer their books as resources for starting a vegetable garden.
Investing In the Future, Homesteading Style
The author discusses the impact of food inflation and their investment strategies. They focus on self-sustainability by growing food, raising animals, and selling produce. They emphasize cooking at home, buying in bulk, and investing in wood fuel and energy-efficient solutions. They prioritize tangible assets over traditional investments, advocating for a self-sufficient lifestyle.
The Perpetual Homesteader 