I dropped my chicken.

Taters. It just kills me when taters rise to ridiculous prices. And apples.

On the upside, strawberries are so cheap here right now. I got 4 lbs for 6 bucks. Forgot how good plain, real strawberries are.

Haddock is $2 for a tiny can. Ramen is still cheap

Too bad we've paved over so many empty lots in the cities. They'd make great spots for bringing back the neighborhood Victory Garden concept as a way to combat the high-priced food these days. Consumers of food are now competing with comsumers of ethynol. We will probably need the Victory Gardens before too long as we are already losing the energy battle.

Either that, or we need to turn those lots into solar arrays for the neighborhoods so we can bypass the high-priced ethynol farmers.

Dont you think farmers are allowed to earn a decent quid for the food they produce? Equivalent to a building company or insurance company? Oh and don't forget all the people who have to deal with plucking and gutting and waste disposal and transport.

Yeah, but all some of us can afford are the feathers, with these prices.

That isn't the problem, Dadpad. Many food growers have switched to growing crops for ethynol because they do get higher prices for the yield. Supply and demand being what it is, that leaves the supply of food growers in short supply making produce very high priced because we are paying for the transportation of it from other countries (and dumping lots of carbons in the process).

The other problem is that due to all the e.coli episodes with various crops, people aren't eating those veggies and have turned to others, again making the demand on the supply of those already sparse crops extremely high priced.

An artichoke at Safeway is priced at $2.95 each. That's unheard of. A head of cauliflower is about the same price. Last year artichokes were going for $1.00 at their highest price. Even garlic prices have doubled. Last year they were $.50 a head. Now they are $1.00 Potatos are going for around $1.10 a pound. Last year they were under $.60 a pound.

butterflynet.
As a farmer, I get pissed at this conclusion. Its not true (but the food cartel is making you believe that its so). EThanol from grain does NOT destroy the grain for use as food. In fact, the grain's bulk and protein levels are actually increased. Brewers "must" (the fermented grain pulp) can be dried and then used as cattle food and its not a net loss because the cattle derive most of their energy from pasture, the rain is complete ration. Weve fed our sheep with dried brewers must and it workd great. Weve tried to get our feed mills to buy this stuff from the ethanol plants in Lancaster county.

When i was a child, my grandparents (using our labor along with their own) grew almost all the vegetables we ate, all the onions and tomatoes, most of the potatoes, and the majority of the fruit we ate.

I'm lazy . . . i'd rather just go to the store.

I planted a garden my first two years living here, but, the tall trees make it next to impossible to grow anything worthwhile. It took the tomatoes so long to mature, they were still green when the weather turned cold, and I lost nearly all of them.

I was going to plant my garden this year, since I hadn't done it the last 2 years, but I have so many projects going, I haven't had time.
I am going to till it at the end of the summer to get it ready for next year though. The price of food is getting a bit too rich for my blood.
One good thing about living around farms is that when harvest time comes, I hit the U-Picks and get my stuff cheap enough.
If the farmers have too much left over at the end of the season, they sometimes allow people to go and help themselves for free.
We have blueberries that grow wild along the woods next to our house, so I pick them free of charge and enough for the year.
If I ever fell on real hard times, I'd manage with just my garden, the blueberries and I'd hit the dock during the herring run, when the fishing boats roll in and they give me all the herring I want free of charge.
Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to give me meat and I only eat the most expensive cuts of meat.
Good thing I don't eat a lot of meat because I'd end up in the poor house with my T-bone and sirloin steaks

My neighbor has a bunch of young steers for sale (Mostly angus hereford cross). You can get a good deal for under 500$and pasture raiise them for the next 2 years till full weight. Thatd be enough beef for a coupla years.

Thanks Farmer, but once I know the cow, we would become instant friends and I can't kill my friends. In turn, I'd end up with another mouth to feed

WWII Victory Gardens
We had a huge victory garden in the vacant lot next to our house. Our neighbors helped to maintain the garden and share the produce. We also raised chickens in our back yard. After the war ended, we converted the lot into an archery site where my family could practice for tournaments. ---BBB

WWII Victory Gardens:

As part of the war effort, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant "Victory Gardens." They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables.

Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call. They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism.

Farm families, of course, had been planting gardens and preserving produce for generations. Now, their urban cousins got into the act. All in the name of patriotism.

Magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and Life printed stories about victory gardens, and women's magazines gave instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce. Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops. In 1943, families bought 315,000 pressure cookers (used in the process of canning), compared to 66,000 in 1942. The government and businesses urged people to make gardening a family and community effort.

The result of victory gardening? The US Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables. So, the program made a difference.

Kelly Holthus remembers that it was hard to find fresh produce, and it was a way for individuals to do their part on the home front. "It was a great moral thing," he says. "And for young people like me, it was, you know, I could do my part. I was a part of the effort!"

When World War II ended, so did the government promotion of victory gardens. Many people did not plant a garden in the spring of 1946, but agriculture had not yet geared up to full production for grocery stores, so the country experienced some food shortages.

Farmerman, the point I was making is that farmers who use to grow other crops have now switched over to growing those grains. Not, that the grains were no longer being used for food production. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Other produce is being replaced by the fields of grain.

I've been reading a little bit about container gardening, need only 5 gallon containers to grow tomatos, beans, cucumbers etc.

I think I'm going to try that next year, just start with 1 or 2, like for tomatos...nothing like a home grown tomato.

Chai,

I live in an apartment and do a bit of container growing. Mostly it started as an experiment and for seedlings. Only have a tiny patch of dirt that I can use outside and have to share with the ladies who want flowers.

Beans grow easily. Cukes, my experience has been mixed. They are better off put outside cause they love room. Tomato is a cinch.

It is nice. A few veggies and a herb 'garden' (just a tiny greenhouse sill) are easy if you have a good window.

Let me know if you have success and try it.

Thanks, I have my hands full right now with the front yard (see my latest gardening question) but I'm definately going to try it next year.