Increasing Prices

[Hound dog]

Mom2odd, easy child and I have firmly decided we're going in together next year on both a cow and a pig. Somehow we just didn't get around to it this year. But prices on meat are vastly cheaper if you can manage to do it that way. Wish I knew someone to sell me chicken......but our local market sells chicken from local amish and they're always cheaper than the other chicken such as tyson you see, not to mention free range and taste better, so I pick them up.

sister in law also wants to learn to hunt. Unfortunately he doesn't really know anyone who hunts. And the only person I know who hunts is in Virginia, so that is no help. lol He fishes, but as far as I know he only tosses them back. I fish, but do the same thing. The lake where I grew up.......fishing was a sport, you didn't dare eat them, you'd get very sick from all the nitrates in the water. So I never learned to clean them, seen it done but is not the same thing. I'd like to know how so as not to have a zillion bones to contend with, especially catfish my favorite.

I did pick up easy child a food dehydrator for xmas, one that doesn't require electric to use, bit more expensive but will save her some money in the long run. I'm thinking about getting one for myself......but I can't chew dried fruit and need to ask someone if the dried veggies soften with cooking. Because if they don't......it wouldn't do me a lot of good.

 

[InsaneCdn]

but I can't chew dried fruit and need to ask someone if the dried veggies soften with cooking. Because if they don't......it wouldn't do me a lot of good.

Dried fruits and dried veggies need time to re-hydrate. So... dried veggies do best in pot roasts and stews and soup and such. Dried fruit can also be re-hydrated... we do this all the time (kid with braces = can't have chewy stuff, so... we soak dried fruit, eat it with a spoon...)

 

[Mom2oddson]

I found that chopped onions and chopped peppers freeze well. You can only use them for cooked items because they will be a little bit mushy. But it's a great way to have peppers and sweet onions in the winter while having paid summer sale prices.

I want a dehydrator! It's on my wish list of things to get someday. What kind doesn't use electricity??

 

[greenrene]

Hound dog -

Have you ever heard of square foot gardening? If not, you should check it out - it's all about maximizing your yield while minimizing your effort. It's a GREAT method for raised beds. There are 2 versions of the book by Mel Bartholomew - both are great resources, and you can probably find them at the library.

All those pine needles would be a great mulch too! Good luck!

 

[AnnieO]

Lisa, check your town regs first. We are not allowed to have livestock inside the city limits... There are always exceptions, of course.

AAAANNNNDDDD... sister in law does know someone who hunts... When he can... And can find someone to go with him... husband!!!

 

[InsaneCdn]

All those pine needles would be a great mulch too! Good luck!

Ummm.... not in a garden. You have to be careful what you are growing, if you want to use pine needles... they change the PH of the soil, so that it is not suitable for some plants.

 

[greenrene]

Well color me silly! Thanks for the info - I didn't know that!

 

[Hound dog]

Mom2odd I'll have to see if I can find the dehydrator again so I can post a link. I dunno how well it works although it had a 5 star rating, easy child hasn't tried it that I know of. It's really cool though, AND you can start seeds in it if you want. (no clue how that works, just know it said you can)

Umm. The pine needles is why I'm doing raised beds. I'm talking like decades worth of needles here.......soil ph is not great to begin with. This backyard was abused many years before we bought the house and the previous owner didn't sod it, didn't put in new dirt, just left it that way. I was going to sod after a layer of dirt but husband talked me out of it. I had a nice yard of grass going until my 2nd or 3rd year of school when it got intense and I no longer had time to care for it or monitor husband's care of it. Resulted in no care and the yard reverting back to rather dense weeds. Ugh. Should have heard me cussing him yesterday. Nichole, her husband, Travis and I were out there pulling mega weeds out by their roots, digging out those that had been there so long the roots seemed to go to china. Even put Aubrey to work which she didn't mind a bit. Unfortunately we didn't get near as much done as we'd like because it is that bad. It's supposed to be sunny and in the 70's the next several days, it's raining today which will make it perfect for yanking weeds......so guess what I'll be doing all week. ugh

greenrene, I'll certainly look into those methods. I've got to study up on this raised bed gardening. I've never done it that way before. Lucky for me, Nichole's father in law has done it for years......which means her husband has helped him for years, which means he can help me. lol

But you've reminded me of something. You guys know those topsy turvy planter things that cost so much??? (I have 2 by the way) I told Nichole's husband tomatoes will be planted in those because Rowdy likes to eat the darn things. (he thinks I plant them just for him) He said well you know those paint type buckets that are like 3 bucks at Lowes? Why don't you get those, cut a hole in the bottom, line it with newspaper (with a hole too) put the tomato plant through the hole, fill with dirt, plant herbs at the top and hang those up? I just stood there with my mouth hanging open kicking myself in the rear for not having thought of the cheap buckets instead of the topsy turvy things (which thankfully I got on sale). Newspaper keeps the dirt from leaking out the hole. So for those of you who want to container garden.........there is a CHEAP way to go about it. The buckets are sturdy too, the topsy turvy thing is most definitely not.

 

[Star*]

AND DO NOT FORGET TO PLANT (ADD A ROW) for your local neighbor or food bank - PAY IT FORWARD......


Greenerene - THAT's what I was talking about!!!! Table sized garden. AND if ya'll need help knowing what you can and CAN NOT plant next to each other - BE AWARE NOW -

SOME vegetables DO NOT grow well next to others - so plan accordingly when you plant..........

AND make SURE you are planting for your zone -
AND make SURE you are putting up barriers from critters - OR it looks like for some of you -----extra critters would be another meal (EWWWWW) just get the tag before you shoot.

I'm looking for a dehydrator now too MOm2oddson. DF's wanted one forever.

ALSO for you people doing container gardens??? USED and RINSED coffee filters make EXCELLENT pot liners water filters through, they're bio-degradable, and they last. And remember some plants do BETTER in plastic buckets - SOME do better in terracotta planters.

And bees........be aware of ANY CHILDREN that have bee allergies -and be prepared - YOU SHOULD ALWAYS plant some kinds of flowers at the end of your garden to help with pollination.

Most extension offices can help if you call them - get your soil tested first and go from there if you aren't doing a raised garden and treat for weeds and fire ants BEFORE you start ------

 

[AnnieO]

Star you are soooooo silly... But correct... And squirrels and rabbits and opossums don't require a tag... but anything bigger than a BBgun can't be discharged in the city limits... But the stew... Crud, now I want squirrel stew. CURSES!

 

[DammitJanet]

Squirrel burgers are yummy!

rabbits are good too. Lisa, you could raise rabbits in your backyard. Just like chicken and they breed like well...bunny's...lmao.

Lisa if you want Tony to make a youtube video showing you how to clean a fish let me know. I will video him doing it and post it to my channel. He is the best fish cleaner and filet's a fish better than anyone. Jamie actually just got him an electric fish filet knife but he has been using this cheap filet knife from Walmart for years.

 

[Hound dog]

Great Janet! Now all I have to do is get an opportunity to go fishing. Oh, and buy poles........mine vanished. husband was not the least bit fond of fishing.

Rabbit IS yummy. I've eaten squirrel, can't say it did anything for me, but I think my Mom was the cause......she was ticked off she had to prep & cook it. (her idea of dirt poor and reminded her too much of her childhood) I think she made it taste gamey as all hades on purpose because her husband at the time kept trying to tell her she was doing it wrong. So I'd have to try it from someone who knows what they're doing before I can honestly say I don't like it. Deer.......I've not had good experiences with. I again think it was who was preparing it mostly. I expect a little gamey, but this was overwhelmingly so........and done by various people. I did have it once as meatloaf and it was ok. Buffalo on the other hand I could eat all day long. lol

 

[AnnieO]

Squirrel is a tad gamy, you have to add the right spices or, well... Ugh.

Venison, on the other hand, can be gamy or not, depending. We made stew - ooh, yum, not as greasy as beef! And sausage... Heaven... Until Onyxx figured out what it was, then she refused to eat anymore and made herself puke. I don't get it - she likes chicken, fish and beef, what's the differece? (She thinks lamb is horrible, too. Hope she's never DIRT poor.)

 

[Star*]

All I have to do is say the word....Skwirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrellllllllllllll and I have a pack of hounds that will be more than happy to accomodate your dietary wants Step.

SKWIRRRRRRRRRRELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.............SKWIRRELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. (PKEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW) and it's Pootie in the lead, follwed close by Ouixa, and on the outside it's Mangey Dream..........coming up from the back of the pack it's Casper, now Bull, now Casper, now Bull, and Pootie is UP the tree, Ouixa jumping up in the air and gnashing, but misses and Mangey Dream leaps for the finish and bumps the pack and it's POOTIE with a tail in her teeth....and we hear a squeeallllll, Casper and Bull pulling into a close 3rd and 4th Mangey Dream lagging behind, and Ouixa and Pootie are neck in neck - yes ladies and gentlemen it's going to be close - AND. IT"S POOTIE BY A NOSE.......literally.

(insert wooga wooga wooga) shakey shakey shakey moves...........and me screaming "OMG RUN RAT RUN!!!" - and what she was shaking was a scrap of pinecone. (phew)

I have no less than 14 Vultures that sit in our dead pine tree on any given morning..........and now you know why.

 

[donna723]

I live right smack in the middle of deer hunting country and have had lots of venison that other people have given us. I'm not that crazy about it but if it's free ... ? Some is OK and some is gamey and terrible, depending on whether the hunter knew what he was doing when he butchered the deer. If it's not bled properly you get that gamey taste and it's nasty. Around here, during deer season, you can drive through town and see deer dangling from the tree branches like giant Christmas tree ornaments! It does best if you use slow cooking methods that you would use for tougher cuts of beef. There are processing plants that will take your deer carcass and give the meat back to you wrapped in neat little packages ready for the freezer. It does make good sausage though, depending on what spice blends the processor uses.

 

[muttmeister]

Around here deer are thick as flies. People do hunt. The meat isn't bad if it's fixed properly but unless it's given to you for free it's not such a good deal. You have to buy the license, the gas, the ammo, the guns, in some cases the beer, and take the time. Then if you can butcher it yourself it's not so bad but if you have to take it to a processing plant to be processed and pay them, it's cheaper to buy meat in the store. Hunting for sport is one thing (I'm not crazy about it but given our deer problem I see that it's necessary) but hunting deer to save money on meat doesn't always work out.l

 

[donna723]

When we first moved here to Tennessee almost thirty years ago I thought the deer were so beautiful! We lived in the country then and there were a lot of them. But when they start jumping out in front of your car, they don't look quite so pretty anymore. My son was a regular deer magnet in any vehicle he ever drove, including mine. Of course he was driving around at night a lot too. It wasn't long before my pretty new white Grand Am had the perfect impression of a Bambi butt in the hood ... NOT attractive! I drove my next new car for almost five years until the day that a big deer jumped up out of a ditch right in front of my car - no way to keep from hitting it and my car was totalled. So I'm not a bit sentimental about the deer anymore. Kill them all - I do not care! There's swarms of them around anyway. If the hunters didn't kill a lot of them, there would be so many that you couldn't drive ten feet down the road without hitting one!

 

[greenrene]

I was born and raised in Nashville, and my folks still live there on 77 acres that is adjacent to a wildlife preserve. The deer are EVERYWHERE! I know exactly what you mean, Donna!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Have you ever heard of the "hunt for hunger" programs?
The food banks and soup kitchens get together, with a central point of contact.
Butchers donate their time, or provide a highly discounted rate (to cover expenses like electricity for the coolers etc.)
Hunters who don't want their meat... call the central number, and are told which butcher to drop it off at.
The meat doesn't go to waste. The oversize herds get culled. And the hunter who wanted a "trophy" doesn't feel guilty about not using the meat.

But... hunting is NOT cheap any more.

 

[AnnieO]

husband likes to go hunting, but uses very little ammo when he goes... because he just sits there most of the time. Unfortunately, he's not a great hunter... He just likes to.