Episode 24: Preserving Potatoes, Dances With Ducks, and Garden Economics Project

Do you ever give some advice to people, then realize the person who needs it the most is you? That’s basically how last week went here at the Holler Homestead. The ducks discovered the creek resulting in a cascading series of projects that were of top priority, and not originally on my list.

Today, I will cover something promised from last week: potato preservation, go over questions to ask as a result of reading chapter 6 of Gaia’s Garden, there will be the first in a series of gardening economics discussions, and, last but not least, Dances with Ducks - a view into how keeping animals means you can’t depend on any plan you ever make.

Justin Rhodes chicken tractor plans

 

Eating Seasonally

• Wild Garlic and Watercress still going strong
• Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum , Identifying it (Salads, sautee’s and with eggs)
• Chickweed, more on this next week

Getting the Gardens Ready

Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running.

• Sweet Potato Slip Update: The first slip is starting to poke out! 
• Organized seeds

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

How we are keeping our winter stores interesting.

• Freezer Audit: (Notebook is awesome, in theory)
• Sweet potato, potato puree
• Green beans as breakfast
• Renewed effort on the pickled things - Man! Dilly beans are fantastic!

Stories from the Holler

Bee mentor/ Hive inspection 

Potato Preservation

• Drying.
• Canning - The guide: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE04_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf

Lessons learned from Toby Hemenway

This week: Chapter 6
Next Week*: Chapter 7

Questions

1. What do I want/need to support with my plants? (shade, forage for animals, shelter from wind, food for us, enjoyment, pest resistance vs attracting beneficial bugs - or wildlife for that matter?
2. What problems do I currently have that plants can help with? (Deer destruction, sad soil, etc)
3. What do I really love? How can I plan my homestead to support those things?
4. What balance of mulching, soils loosening, nutrient mining, fungal growth sparking, and so forth will be best for my land - and therefore what plants should I integrate to set this up?
5. What areas should I develop first with intensive planting, versus setting the stage for a longer-term play?

Garden Economics

Do home gardens save you money?

Dances with Ducks

 

It is so nice at this time of year to go outside in the morning with my cup of coffee and watch the world go by for a few minutes before diving in. And despite the ducky duties this week, things are still moving forward at the Holler Homestead. Thank you so much for joining me today here on Living Free in Tennessee and make it a great week!