I pulled all of the parsnips yesterday and was then conflicted about how to store/preserve them. I decided the thing to do was experiment a bit. I put one small bunch in the vegetable crisper in a paper bag. I planted another bunch down by the bees. They will apparently grow quite tall and have lovely flowers that bees love. I dehydrated another bunch. They are taking a while to dry but when finished, I will use the food saver and store them in a cool dark place. Some I plan to pulverize and add to mashed potatoes and soups for thickening. The final bunch was stored in food saver bags with all the air sucked out. I put these in the vege crisper. I love Parsnips but no one else really likes them much so this was good thing to experiment with. If one method turns out poorly, it won’t matter the way it would if we lost a bunch of broccoli or peas.
One of the fun parts of this homesteading preparedness stuff is the experimenting. Admit it. You all love to be the one to come up with some nifty idea to save time/money/labor or that results in amazing yields. I know there are folks out there who think this home making stuff is deadly boring and some of it is. There is just no good way to spice up cleaning a toilet. But figuring out a recipe for home made cleaning solutions, then calculating the cost per ounce (thanks Heather) is alchemy. It makes me feel like a good witch.
It’s easy to run to the store and trade money for a mass produced product. It is much more stisfying to figure how to meet the need without spending money. My Phoebe outgrew a thick cotton dress that she wore over her bathing suit. It has a couple of stains on it and was not really good enough to pass on. I got a brilliant idea. I ran a seam across the bottom. Now using the wide shoulder straps as handles, I have a nifty little produce bag for my occasional trips to the farm stand.
From the old shutters Bruce used to make a curing shed for squash and potaotes to tc the cobbled together hot boxes, experimentation and innovation makes most small farms work.
April 30, 2009 at 7:45 am
This post really speaks to me! I put a post in my blog just a few days ago about my frustrations with folks who’d rather spend 12$ a bottle for ‘Enviro-Wash’ than pull out the vinegar and baking soda. And the ones that will buy those 1$ Walmart reusable bags and then talk about the shameful way other countries use child labor and low wages … Um, hello, reusable bag…made in China…for about 12 cents an hour.
Having a clever mind, an eye for resources and the willingness to make something work…that’s what sets homesteaders apart!
April 30, 2009 at 9:45 am
The list does go on. How about a tee shirt, made from commercially raised cotton, loaded with toxic dyes and made in China with a logo on the front promoting an environmental cause? Or organic produce, shipped across the country when you have the same stuff growing across town?