POA

The following blog post is 4th in a series of fugal home food preservation for the novice.

Before u fill one jar or even a zip lock bag you need to have a Plan of Action.

A method to the madness if you will a system.

Even if this is your first time putting food by you need to have or appear to have a way.

It will give you comfort and stop those Na Sayers.

1st decide what produce your family will actually eat. Not what you want them to eat. Not what they should eat. But what they will actually eat when you dish it out and place it in front of them.

For us in the preserved vegetable category; carrots, sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, wax beans (really only the 14 y.o. & that may have passed). 

Broccoli will only be eaten if it's frozen. Eggplant I freeze & peppers I dehydrate.

Preserved fruit category; applesauce, anything berry- blackberries, cherries, strawberries, grapes, and peaches.

So take your list and go to this website Pick Your Own.

Go down to the section Crop Availability Calendars / Harvest Dates, click on it.

Find your state.

Grab your family calendar, day planner, cell phone what ever and start marking in harvest dates for the produce your family will eat.

This will be your time to put food up. Unscheduled everything else spread the word all hands on deck. Act like this is important because it is.

This is how you are going to feed your family healthy & frugally.

Now call around to the u-pick farms closest to your area and inquire about pricing (ask 'bout bulk or windfall produce), and hours of opperation. Get a feel for prices in your area so u can budget. 

This state specific calendar is also good to guage when produce will be availible @ your local farmers market along with giving u a time frame for bartering, foraging, & gleaning.

POA people, POA.

Wish me luck, I have an interview this afternoon with a family for on call respite care. The roof has been leaking.

~~ pelenaka ~~