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Is it worth it? No Pictures,Old please read it

L

larry@stinescorner

Well-known Member
I put no pictures because i wanted Old to read my little story.., . I do canning and many people say,its not worth the time and effort. Sometimes I feel they are right ,but every once in a while something encuranges me to keep doing it,For example my daughter was buying dried fruit,she really likes it,I read the label on the package,it came from vietnam,So now we have learned to dehydrate our own apples and pears,I think it is worth it! Our apples are ugly,and for years no one but me would eat them,After they are peeled and in a bowl they look good,my daughhter grabbed a peeled slice and said wow Dad our apples are good! I t is worth it to teach her that ugly apples can taste as good or better than pretty ones.Another story, I have a good friend in nj who has a garden,but no room to grow potatoes,I told him I will leave a row of potatoes for him to dig.He did come to pa to dig the potatoes a couple of weeks ago, When he arrived he told me his neighbor in nj said to him why are you going to drive to pa ,you can get them in the store? When my friend told me this,I was second guessing was it worth it myself.But as we started digging the potatoes my friend said,he had never dug potatoes before,and the exercise and fresh air,and being away from the stress in nj made him feel like a million bucks! Also we picked other veggies,he drove away with a carfull of fresh stuff,Isaid was it worth it?He said it is priceless! Sometimes gardening,and canning and freezing stuff may not pay dollars and cents wise,but some things you can not put a price on.
I really envy your determination to put up all the garden goods and your kindness to pass out recipes,We have gotten some from you over the years too, Keep up the good work old!,,,,Larry and Family
 
Gardening is a LOT of work! But the joy and reward of eating what you grew is worth all the time and energy you put into it. Now that my garden is done for this year, I'm already excited for next spring to come.
 
Larry I think it has to be your GOLF or your peace of mind place then it becomes very much worth it. My father , farmed, worked, public work and stayed behind all his life but he never failed to have a great garden. He din not golf,fish, or pool halls but he spent his spare time in that garden , he lived to be 89 so think it helped him. By the way enjoy all your photos, feel like I know you yet you are miles away. Keep up the good work. jm. Tennessee
 
Anyone who has never eaten produce fresh from the garden does not know what they are missing.

Pes, green beans, potatos, etc. that can be picked fresh from the garden and be on the table, ready to eat in less than one hour is my idea of gourmet cooking.
 
I have always gardened with my mother, from I was any age and still do...Is it worth it ? Well Mrs40 says we save over £40 per week by having our own veggies and spuds....over £2000 per year=$3000 THEN WE GO AND SPEND ALL OUR SAVINGS ON A HOLIDAY IN AMERICA and eat veggies out of Walmart!
Yes it is worth it!....Sam
 
larry, i do 3 big gardens each year, along with the secret hot pepper garden. (grow some wicked hot ones, but i cant eat em) what ever we dont use or can, i bring to the shop and give away to my customers, neighbors and friends. also have quite a few fruit trees, and the same there. i dont think anything tastes better than home grown and home made goods.

if ya want a receipe for the "baked in a brown paper bag" apple pie, let me know, i can post it for you. just plain good pie!!!
 
It's like asking is fishing worth it. The main thing's been doing what you enjoy. Nowadays I hear advertisements for "food insurance". If it comes down to that I think those who are adept at growing food will be ahead. In the great depression it was common to grow food, might it be a necessity again? Myself, gardening is my favorite hobby.
 
I didnt garden much with my mom,but when my dads stepfather passed away,my dad said to me your job is to help your grandmother with her garden.She taught me a lot about gardening.At the end of the season she would wrap every green tomato in newspaper and then put them in a brown papaer bag so they would ripen,As I was pretty young at the time,when one of my friends visited me I through a green tomato at him. I still remember the hurt in her eyes when she saw me throw the tomato,I was sorry I did it,and she didnt even slap me,I will never forget it ! That year when we all had Christmas dinner she announced the tomato in the salad was from Larrys garden! I think that is when the gardening bug hit me the hardest
 
you cannot put a price on the satisfaction that comes from raising your own. That goes for meat as well as veggies. We further enjoy passing the experience onto our grandchildren (their parents don't garden - don't need to - get what ya want at mom and dads place).
 
It's worth it larry, at least you know what ur eating. It's crazy we're some things come. I saw my wife bought pineapples and they were from Thailand. Ill pass on those. I won't even feed them to the chickens, I compost them! Lol plus if you enjoy it it's worth it, like me making hay to feed may animals or putting up fire wood, it's real satisfying to be independent! If that makes any sense.?
 
I Know its worth it for you,I envy people like you,your own fresh eggs,you raise your own meat and vegetables,and I have seen the pies your wife bakes you,you my friend are a rich man !
 
The best part of canning your own produce, besides the fresh taste, is knowing where it came from and what pesticides, fert, or whatever was used on it.

Store canned goods might have come from China where they like to try and kill us with lead, antifreeze, or other poisons.
 
Well alot just changed last week, my wife was having throat problems, she had allergy tests done and they claim she is allergic to sugar, eggs all poultry, guletin and dairy products, and peanuts and certin other nuts i forgot which ones, i know she can eat cashews and walnuts. She dosent like beef, but she loved chicken. She's going for another opinion. But our diets will be changing now if she feels better not eating those things. But thank you for the kind words, you are also a rich man my friend. Everybody learns something from someone on this site. I know I have learned a great deal.
 
I think it is great,people should know where food comes from. I would like to raise some animals for meat too,but my wife would keep them as pets for 20 years or so,we had a rooster for 12 years and the goat is 12 now!
 
Mom canned everything from our big garden when we were growing up. Wife and I did, years ago, but kind of got away from it- busy with jobs, kids, etc.

I had extra tomatoes and made some salsa- turned out pretty good- I asked her to can it, she wasn't too thrilled- but did it (while me, son and grandson went to a Mariners game). She said it was kind of fun to do again, after all these years. I plan to be retired at this time next year, so I think we'll get back to canning. I may also expand the garden enough to grow stuff for the kids, and put it up. I need a retirement project alternative to twisting wrenches on all the broken stuff around here.
 
It absolutely worth it!!! I made spaghetti sauce for the first time this year. Takes about 4 hours, but WOW! is it good. We canned 60 pints of green beans, salsa, tomatoes, plain and stewed, several batches of assorted jam, and now we're starting on applesauce and pie filling. I've had the enjoyment of watching things grow.

I think some people on here find my food plots and mistakes a bit ridiculous. But I enjoy walking through my corn or bean patch as much as the BTO's--maybe more--because I am learning. It's a labor of love. I have lots of rabbits that make my dogs happy and provide me with hours of beagle music. With luck, I'll put some venison in the freezer. I flush an occasional woodcock and have them nesting in spring. Wildlife of all kinds has always been important to me. In a very small way I am doing my part to help and that makes me feel better than a bunch of money could.

Larry
 
I think all of it is well worth it, as much as person can do, small or large, the return is always worthwhile.

I grew a whole patch of corn this year, first sweet corn here since '97, and it needs a lot of improvement so I look forward to next season, I did get some great sweetcorn though, doing as best I could with what I had, there is no corn like your own, straight off the stalk to the grill.

Onions did not make it this year, next season, something to look forward to.

Potatoes, 1 row, did ok, lot of small ones, enough for the winter at least, its mainly just me anyway, but I figure I spent an hour to plant the row, and an hour to dig by hand. Few minutes to wash, slice and quarter, into baking pan onto the grill, butter and seasoning, very good, and better than any from the store, I will be planting more of those.
 
Last night I picked a head of cauliflower. Wife cooked it up with some cheese on top. As we were eating she said "It sure tasted better when you grow it your self".
City gal. Never had a garden till we got together bout 12 years ago. Ya, it's worth it.
 
Yes its worth it, grow it fresh, pick it fresh, eat it, can it, etc.... wife said lets get some pears when we were first married, she brought some home, hard as a brick, had some pear taste, went to my grandparents house that august, picked some off the tree, juice run down her face when she bit into it and the taste, she never new what a tree ripened pear tasted like.
 
My wife grew up in the cotton fields of Texas where there wasn't enough water to have a garden. She has always been amazed at how good fresh fruits and veggies taste, as compared to the pesticide-laced junk that comes from the grocery store. There really is no comparison.
 
Thank you Larry for the kind words.
Is it worth it heck yes. At least if I can it I know what I am eating and pretty much where it comes from and how it was grown and with what chemicals.
Is it worth it heck yes. If the economy fell apart I would and will have food for me and my family for months if not years and also be able to keep growing stuff for along time. I may have to set up a still at some point for fuel the old JD-B but that could be done also. I would also love to have a steam engine so I could power things like a freezer etc.
 
I'll take a copy of the bag pie recipie. Here's my last pie
a131393.jpg
 
Larry I also have chickens and get around 8 eggs a day and have recipes for making whole meals with eggs and stuff I grow in the garden. I also do a lot of hunting so most of our meat comes off my land so again pretty much know what it has in it. I hope in the future to build an earth home that will be part green house so I can grow stuff year round
 
Hot peppers are easy to eat if you know the recipes for things like Jalapeno jelly or Habanro Gold Jelly, or sweet jalapeno slices all of which are only an e-mail away if you want them. LOL
 
Again Larry if you know how to do it hot peppers can be canned in such a way that they do not have all that bad a bite. I also by the way dry garlic and Cheyenne pepper all from my garden. See my answer to Glen about for some of the things I do with hot peppers
 
larry@stines,

Yes, TOTALLY WORTH IT for the fresh produce... nothing tastes like homegrown produce that is picked when it is actually ripe.

And PRICELESS...is the time spent with one's spouse, kids and/or grandkids working in the dirt and later putting up your own food. Or the joy of sharing the fruits of your labors with neighbors, friends, or co-workers... which you have had the joy of doing, Larry.
 
I grew up with a large garden, my wife did not. Actually her folks were pretty darn helpless about taking care of themselves. After 49 years my side of the family must have rubbed off on her, she cans and freezes everything I grow. We'll can about 3 bushels of apples from our trees Wednesday after we make them into applesauce. Root cellar shelves are full too.
 
Larry, it seems like any fish in the grocery stores in our area come from China. We don't buy it.

Canned peaches - wouldn't you think we could can peaches right here in the USA and sell them cheaper than the ones that say "Product of China" on the jar? Apparently we can't. We freeze our own peaches, so it's a moot point for us.

Look carefully at the juice labels. If it's made from a concentrate, there's a good bet that it will say China in print that is barely readable after you've emptied the jug. Some of Welches grape juice proudly says "Made in USA from Welches own North American Concord grapes" That's the ONLY kind I'll buy.

Canned mushrooms? Forget about finding "Product of USA" canned mushrooms. My son is starting a mini mushroom "farm". He's just starting to get some to harvest, and I'm anxious to try them.
 
Its definitly worth it for my wife and myself to get fresh healthy vegetables that we know exactly how they were grown and what is in them.Nothing better than to go into the room we built just to can,freeze vegetables and work up meat and just admire all the different canned vegetables on the shelves.My favorite is the canned tomato juice as I can't stand the taste of the stuff that comes from the grocery store.Plus when we can and freeze out of our garden ourselves we can get/grow varieties that can't be found for sale usually.
 
When I was growing up we grew just about everything we ate. It was work, but even then I enjoyed seeing the "fruits of your labor". Sister and I always got a kick from seeing who could find the largest potato when we dug them! When the wife and I bought this place we had been eleven years without a garden, but we made up for lost time. One year we canned 200 quarts of tomatoes and 200 quarts of green beans, along with assorted other. With three young children, that goes a long way! Someone asked my wife, "Why do you can so much?" She replied, "Well, we may have a bad year next year!"
Counting travel time, my work took almost eleven hours a day, but I would come home and work in the garden until it was so dark I couldn't see, and then help my wife with canning until 12:00 or 1:00 o'clock. Was/is it worth it? Darned right it is!!!
 
Im going to be the stick in the mud, is it worth it to me, no! Dont get me wrong, I have had gardens in the past, but have lost them to either weather, animals, etc. I do set out tomatoes each year. This year, along with my neighbor, put a garden in at his house. He passed away shorlty afterwards, and the storms that came through the area took out what was left. Now, having said that, I do buy ALOT from farmers markets and roadside vendors. I have my favorites to buy from, and I know they work for it and grow it themelves, and make a little money on the side. For what I spend, I cant grow it. I cant grow a dozen ears of corn for 3 bucks. Plus, my health doesnt allow me to work it like it should. Its pretty bad when a 85 year old man can outwork me. Im 44 and will most likely be in a wheelchair within the next 2 or 3 years.
 
My dad never had a garden when I was growing up, so I never learned much about gardening. Grand-dad had a large garden, and it seemed that he spent hours and hours every evening, from the time he closed the shop at 6 pm until dark, out working in the garden. That led me to believe that having a garden was probably the most work a person could ever take on, because it seemed like the work was never done.

Years later, I realized that the reason Dad never had a garden was because he felt like the garden got all of his dad's attention. So he compensated when my brother and sister and I grew up by spending as much family time as we could cram in to a day. [This was also likely influenced by the fact that his first two daughters, twins, died...one at birth, and the other 3 months later in an auto accident.] As kids, we were in 4-H, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, saddle club, and about every wholesome activity we could find.

As I grew older, and Grand-dad continued to spend every waking hour he was away from the shop working in the garden, I came to realize that the primary reason was NOT that the garden REQUIRED that much work. Grandma was such a wretched person that he simply preferred to spend as much time as possible apart from her...and he didn't want to deal with the stigma that his generation assigned to divorce. It was easier for him to do something in the garden and stay away from the house than to deal with the drama.
 
Gordo, I"ve been looking at your pie.......how in the world did you get those dough strips laced across the top of the pie like that?? I still can't figure out how you did that!
 
Many people are just lazy, plus canning takes some skill.A garden is a lot of work, food stamps are easier plus you can have lobster and steak and frozen pizza.We picked the peppers yesterday because of frost warning.I have more potatoes to dig and we will have enough to last until new potatoes are ready next summer.Woodshed is 1/2 full with more to split in the yard.My mother and father went through the 30s depression so I was taught to be prepared for hard times.
 
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