Gardening in small spaces means you can have your own Victory Garden no matter where you live. Container gardening and raised bed gardening help to make the most of your small spaces. No matter your living arrangements, you should be gardening. There I said it. Having your hands in the soil and growing even some of your own food is very rewarding. It's good for the soul. Don't worry if you don't have a huge backyard. Gardening in small spaces is possible if you look at things that ...
Homesteading
What do you get from a side of beef?
Last week, I picked up our side of beef from Bringhurst Butchers in Berlin, NJ. I know there was a lot of interest in what you get from a side of beef and the cost. Let me break it down for you. Cost of a Side of Beef On July 1st, I paid $2.99/lb hanging weight for our side of beef. Since we purchase through the butcher and not through a farm, that cost includes custom cutting and wrapping. I like the convenience of one price that includes all of my butcher fees. ...
Buying a Side of Beef
Buying a side of beef is a good choice if you like to cook, you eat a lot of meat, you have storage space, and quality is important to you. The cost savings and peace of mind you'll have from a full freezer are worth the investment. When we got our tax return, I planned on getting our side of beef for the year. That came through in early February, but we still had a lot of stuff in the freezers and I figured we would put it off for a bit. And then things started shutting down. I ...
Buying Produce in Bulk
Buying Produce in Bulk For us, buying produce in bulk usually means I’m going to be doing a lot of canning, dehydrating, freezing, or baking! Although we have a sizable garden, there are some things we can’t grow in our zone, or we can’t grow enough of or its not producing yet, so that’s when I look to buying in bulk. There are many options for buying produce in bulk – Aldi, the grocery store, warehouse stores like BJs and Costco, Restaurant Depot (if you’re lucky ...
Canning & Preserving Plan for June
Whether your garden is in full swing, your CSA is keeping you busy, or you are frequenting your favorite farms, it is time to start thinking about canning & preserving this season's harvest for the future. For an overview of what we can in an entire year, check out our Annual Canning Plan. Dehydrating We have a dehydrator and it is currently sitting on the counter working on our recent harvests. Over the course of the year, we use our dehydrator to preserve herbs and dark leafy ...