Guest guest Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 One of the best ways for local veggies is to build an insulated (double paned) green house that is connected to the house for heat. Even George Washington had one in Virginia for his 4000 acre farm, which was heated via the floor, fed by a wood burning fireplace. Of course he had slaves to keep the fires burning day and night that slept in there. That's why I suggest a window abutment to the house for a heat source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Thanks for this info. My husband and I want to build a greenhouse before next season. We plan on using as much recycled material as possible. We have a lot of old windows stored in the barn. I have also been learning to can and freeze and dry foods this year. We have wild blackberries on the farm, chestnuts and walnuts, plus some fruit trees, and what we have been trying to grow. Luckily my husband is a great handy man. He also plans on putting in a sprinkler or irrigation system by next summer. We will be using cistern/rain water for that. I just thank God everyday he settled for me. You mention slaves. Some of my inspiration for this has been a lady whom I met when I was only 8 years old. She was 103 at the time, mopping the floor, when I met her. She was born into slavery, living to the age of 110. I've been trying to write about her life. She was such a hard worker, living on a farm, and doing every task imaginable, working in the garden and the stables, making her own cream and butter, traded eggs to the local general store for other items - walking there and back with her baskets in her 90's, canning foods outside over an open fire and picking herbs and greens from the river bank to use in cooking. She was known for her cooking. One of my husband's and my dreams is in large part to be able to live off the land in an organic manner. Hope this stuff wasn't off topic. Now, to get off the computer and out into nature. Jerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Jerri, What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. Traci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. Roseta , Traci Vujicich <balanceyourlife wrote: > > Jerri, > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > Traci > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Where is the Whole Foods market? Barbara Brea At 10:22 AM 9/18/08, you wrote: >Jerri, > >What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle of >Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. The >closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > >Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > >Traci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 It's a grocery store chain. The one I go to is in El Segundo, California, and it's as huge as a Costco or WalMart. Seriously, I was like a kid at Disneyland the first time I went!! Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. -Paulo Coelho --- On Thu, 9/18/08, Barbara & George Grenier <grenier wrote: Barbara & George Grenier <grenier Re: Re: local veggies Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:03 AM Where is the Whole Foods market? Barbara Brea At 10:22 AM 9/18/08, you wrote: >Jerri, > >What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle of >Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. The >closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > >Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > >Traci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Ahhhh... I see. I'm in Redondo Beach, where all the houses are crammed together like shoeboxes in Imelda Marcos's closet.... We do have a fantastic ocean, though!! My dream is to get to a place where I can have some land and a fantastic organic garden. I want to live off the land too!!!! Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. -Paulo Coelho --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo wrote: rosetalleo <rosetalleo Re: local veggies Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:00 AM Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. Roseta , Traci Vujicich <balanceyourlife@ ...> wrote: > > Jerri, > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > Traci > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Teri, not quite living off the land, unfortunately I need to keep my day job a bit longer (I wish I could just garden all day every day and then hike!). The gardens are small but we can garden from January to December, so we produce quite a bit, intensive though. I love the weather here! In order to see the ocean I need to climb a mountain or two plus have a clear day, so enjoy your ocean views! , Traci Vujicich <balanceyourlife wrote: > > Ahhhh... I see. I'm in Redondo Beach, where all the houses are crammed together like shoeboxes in Imelda Marcos's closet.... We do have a fantastic ocean, though!! > > My dream is to get to a place where I can have some land and a fantastic organic garden. I want to live off the land too!!!! Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. > > -Paulo Coelho > > > --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo wrote: > > rosetalleo <rosetalleo > Re: local veggies > > Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:00 AM Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots > to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city > proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of > gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work > out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los > Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. > Roseta > > , Traci Vujicich > <balanceyourlife@ ...> wrote: > > > > Jerri, > > > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle > of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. > The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > > > Traci > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Oh, sorry Traci, I called you the wrong name... , " rosetalleo " <rosetalleo wrote: > > Teri, not quite living off the land, unfortunately I need to keep my > day job a bit longer (I wish I could just garden all day every day and > then hike!). The gardens are small but we can garden from January to > December, so we produce quite a bit, intensive though. I love the > weather here! > > In order to see the ocean I need to climb a mountain or two plus have > a clear day, so enjoy your ocean views! > > , Traci Vujicich > <balanceyourlife@> wrote: > > > > Ahhhh... I see. I'm in Redondo Beach, where all the houses are > crammed together like shoeboxes in Imelda Marcos's closet.... We do > have a fantastic ocean, though!! > > > > My dream is to get to a place where I can have some land and a > fantastic organic garden. I want to live off the land too!!!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, > waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. > > > > -Paulo Coelho > > > > > > --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo@> wrote: > > > > rosetalleo <rosetalleo@> > > Re: local veggies > > > > Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:00 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots > > to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city > > proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of > > gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work > > out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los > > Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. > > Roseta > > > > , Traci Vujicich > > <balanceyourlife@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > Jerri, > > > > > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle > > of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. > > The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > > > > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > > > > > Traci > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 That's okay, I have a sister named Terry, and my father calls me that all the time. My sister and I actually call each other TerTraci and TraTerry... Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. -Paulo Coelho --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo wrote: rosetalleo <rosetalleo Re: local veggies Thursday, September 18, 2008, 12:48 PM Oh, sorry Traci, I called you the wrong name... , " rosetalleo " <rosetalleo@ ...> wrote: > > Teri, not quite living off the land, unfortunately I need to keep my > day job a bit longer (I wish I could just garden all day every day and > then hike!). The gardens are small but we can garden from January to > December, so we produce quite a bit, intensive though. I love the > weather here! > > In order to see the ocean I need to climb a mountain or two plus have > a clear day, so enjoy your ocean views! > > , Traci Vujicich > <balanceyourlife@ > wrote: > > > > Ahhhh... I see. I'm in Redondo Beach, where all the houses are > crammed together like shoeboxes in Imelda Marcos's closet.... We do > have a fantastic ocean, though!! > > > > My dream is to get to a place where I can have some land and a > fantastic organic garden. I want to live off the land too!!!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, > waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. > > > > -Paulo Coelho > > > > > > --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo@ > wrote: > > > > rosetalleo <rosetalleo@ > > > [vegetarian_ group] Re: local veggies > > > > Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:00 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots > > to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city > > proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of > > gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work > > out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los > > Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. > > Roseta > > > > , Traci Vujicich > > <balanceyourlife@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > Jerri, > > > > > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle > > of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. > > The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > > > > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > > > > > Traci > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Roseta and all, I love walking trails. That is another thing we work on where we live. We started several years ago making trails in our woods. It takes me two hours to walk we have now. I think it's probably about 5 miles. I try to walk out there every day unless it's raining heavily. We started small. I would go out and rake and clear by hand small sections (I have a lot of loops that connect all together.), and my husband would got out with chain saw and clear what I couldn't. We used old lumber and cow shutes (no more cows on the farm - belonged to the former owner) for bridges across the creeks. We also gather a lot of rocks for house and garden projects and downed trees that either go for firewood or into the wood chipper for garden areas and mulch - using a tractor. Now, also, we need to learn herbs and mushrooms, which are plentiful out there. I love Whole Foods. Everytime we take a trip I map those out. My husband's parents live in Texas so when we go there we get to go to the main store in Austin. There is also a fantastic one in Columbus, OH....I got to go to that one on my birthday a couple of years ago. Wild Oats (now a Whole Foods) in Lexington, KY is the closest to me (still 1 1/2 hours away). It's a small one. There is talk of it growing into one of the flagship stores though. Jerri Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. Roseta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 that is so funny, my sis and I say the same thing. My birth name is Maria and hers is Denise. I was always denimaria and she was always maridenise. LOL hugs, Chanda - Traci Vujicich Thursday, September 18, 2008 4:25 PM Re: Re: local veggies That's okay, I have a sister named Terry, and my father calls me that all the time. My sister and I actually call each other TerTraci and TraTerry... Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. -Paulo Coelho --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo wrote: rosetalleo <rosetalleo Re: local veggies Thursday, September 18, 2008, 12:48 PM Oh, sorry Traci, I called you the wrong name... , " rosetalleo " <rosetalleo@ ...> wrote: > > Teri, not quite living off the land, unfortunately I need to keep my > day job a bit longer (I wish I could just garden all day every day and > then hike!). The gardens are small but we can garden from January to > December, so we produce quite a bit, intensive though. I love the > weather here! > > In order to see the ocean I need to climb a mountain or two plus have > a clear day, so enjoy your ocean views! > > , Traci Vujicich > <balanceyourlife@ > wrote: > > > > Ahhhh... I see. I'm in Redondo Beach, where all the houses are > crammed together like shoeboxes in Imelda Marcos's closet.... We do > have a fantastic ocean, though!! > > > > My dream is to get to a place where I can have some land and a > fantastic organic garden. I want to live off the land too!!!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, > waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. > > > > -Paulo Coelho > > > > > > --- On Thu, 9/18/08, rosetalleo <rosetalleo@ > wrote: > > > > rosetalleo <rosetalleo@ > > > [vegetarian_ group] Re: local veggies > > > > Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:00 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Traci, we are growing ALL our fruits, herbs and vegetables (with lots > > to gift), organically, in 2 little gardens in Los Angeles (one in city > > proper, the other in the San Gabriel foothills). If I get tired of > > gardening, or I feel I need more nature exposure (or an intense work > > out) I can WALK to at least 3 different trail heads going into the Los > > Angeles forest. Urban jungle is a garden to me. > > Roseta > > > > , Traci Vujicich > > <balanceyourlife@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > Jerri, > > > > > > What a great post! I am a writer who is trapped in the urban jungle > > of Los Angeles. What a wonderful description of your farm and goals. > > The closest thing I get to nature is the Whole Foods market! > > > > > > Thank you for giving me a great visual image to dream for. > > > > > > Traci > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Jerri, I have a black walnut tree. Would you be so kind as to tell me how I fix the nuts so that they don't go bad? Thank you. Diana , Jerri Schlenker <jerrischlenker wrote: > > Thanks for this info. My husband and I want to build a greenhouse before next season. We plan on using as much recycled material as possible. We have a lot of old windows stored in the barn. > > I have also been learning to can and freeze and dry foods this year. We have wild blackberries on the farm, chestnuts and walnuts, plus some fruit trees, and what we have been trying to grow. Luckily my husband is a great handy man. He also plans on putting in a sprinkler or irrigation system by next summer. We will be using cistern/rain water for that. I just thank God everyday he settled for me. > > You mention slaves. Some of my inspiration for this has been a lady whom I met when I was only 8 years old. She was 103 at the time, mopping the floor, when I met her. She was born into slavery, living to the age of 110. I've been trying to write about her life. She was such a hard worker, living on a farm, and doing every task imaginable, working in the garden and the stables, making her own cream and butter, traded eggs to the local general store for other items - walking there and back with her baskets in her 90's, canning foods outside over an open fire and picking herbs and greens from the river bank to use in cooking. She was known for her cooking. > > One of my husband's and my dreams is in large part to be able to live off the land in an organic manner. > > Hope this stuff wasn't off topic. Now, to get off the computer and out into nature. > > Jerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 Diana, I actually don't like walnuts. I can handle them in certain ways though, such as pesto. So, incorporating them in pesto and freezing that is one way to use them. In the past I've given them away; but most people don't want them because they are such a hassle. So, I have to learn myself on what to do with them; and there are so many here, that we will just preserve a small portion of them. The squirrels will grow fat on the rest. I " m very new to doing all this, learning to can, etc. I " m even relatively new to cooking for the most part. I think all of this must be a mid-life thing for me, learning to cook, garden, hiking, enjoying nature and yoga - trying to get into a healthy lifestyle and more organic, natural way of living. Prior to this I was self-employed and possibly a workaholic. Basically, there are two shells. People have told me that they have just ran over them with their cars to break the green outer shells; but I " m unsure about doing that; although I might resort to it. So, my resources are the internet and asking my relatives, who all of this is second nature to, and asking a lady who my husband works with. She works at the university where my husband works and takes care of the greenhouse, plus also lives on a farm and has always done this stuff. Here is a website I found: http://www.gardengrapevine.com/Walnuts.html I'll get back to you when I start trying to do something with them. Currently what we've gathered are outside in buckets and a wheel barrel. If anyone is close enough to me, Eastern KY, near WV, email me. You are certainly welcome to all you want. This weekend I'm going to concentrate on making jelly and possibly salsa. Jerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 Los Angeles (Silverlake) here, too, where we grow loads of veggies in our tiny back yard - mostly in half whisky barrels filled with good organic dirt! I'm just about to plant the lettuces, greens, broccoli, carrots and turnips for the Fall/Winter garden. And I LONG for a big farm somewhere to plant rows and rows of stuff. I was in Vermont last week and in the little towns I visit, the restaurants all buy their stuff from local organic farmers. When the salad arrived, it was mixed greens but they were all so crisp and GREEN and tasted delicious. I encourage everyone with enough space for a large pot to plant some lettuce and taste the difference in a fresh picked salad! >- Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 First on my list is to start a compost pile. Next is to start with some hearty, fool-proof gardening. Is lettuce easy? I have a brown thumb, (and Out of Sight, Out of Mind memory), so I need something that won't die quickly. Cassie --- On Fri, 9/19/08, tony sears <tonysears wrote: tony sears <tonysears Re: local veggies Friday, September 19, 2008, 10:48 AM Los Angeles (Silverlake) here, too, where we grow loads of veggies in our tiny back yard - mostly in half whisky barrels filled with good organic dirt! I'm just about to plant the lettuces, greens, broccoli, carrots and turnips for the Fall/Winter garden. And I LONG for a big farm somewhere to plant rows and rows of stuff. I was in Vermont last week and in the little towns I visit, the restaurants all buy their stuff from local organic farmers. When the salad arrived, it was mixed greens but they were all so crisp and GREEN and tasted delicious. I encourage everyone with enough space for a large pot to plant some lettuce and taste the difference in a fresh picked salad! >- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 The Compost pile should be easy. I have one of those big black plastic barrels in the back yard and all the clippings and peelings go right in - along with the old dirt from pots I'm replanting. The lettuce is very easy in large plastic pots. I start mine as seed in a seed tray. then once they're sprouted and up a little bit, I transplant them into pots. And I plant mine rather thick, to cut down on watering. Then I just snip away at the leaves, which keep producing for quite a while till it starts to go to seed. Once that happens I pull it out and start over until the middle of Summer, when it becomes to hot for it. - Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 Walnuts keep well in the freezer. But, in regards to driving over them.... my mother tried that one year when she was given a bucket full of nuts and it only broke the shell open on a few. Then, of course, you have to pick them all up again one by one. I have yet to figure out how those little critters get into those nuts, but they do. We, however, required the use of a large hammer (as in metal mallet) on a concrete slab, and then the nuts would roll around when we tried to hit them. LOL. For a brief time, there were black spots where we had hit a few of the nuts on the driveway, but we did manage to open those nuts! But, after that year, we decided it was worth the price of paying for pre-shelled nuts at the store. Live and learn. Surely, there is an easier way. LOL. Good luck! (they're great in quick breads) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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