cows and such

[Down South]

Sold of my cattle herd a number of years ago when I didn't have the time to feed, take care of, mend fence... The list goes on.. I lucked out and sold out when the market was high... I actually made a few bucks for all of my long hrs and days of raising them .

[MaryB]

Yup they came out with a small home unit now https://harvestright.com/product/freeze-dryer-red/ $3k so it may take a year or two to pay for itself... but freeze dried and mylar sealed with an O2 absorber it is good for 5+ years! Could advertise on a prepper site in your state and avoid USDA regs of shipping over the border...

You could look into a freeze dryer to use to package and store any leftover garden vegetables. I have always thought I'd like to have a small farm for my family and that's exactly what I'd do to ensure we are saving and using as much as posseible. With all the freeze dried food companies, I figured I'd work out a recipe to grow and dehydrate and package myself and resell to the marketing dept of the survival food companies.

[MaryB]

If someone offered to me I would have been all over it and filled a third freezer! I blanch and vacuum bag and it lasts for 2-3 years with no deterioration! But I could be called a prepper.. my own garden produce was canned and frozen, I picked free mulberries(might ferment them into a melomel(form of mead)). Just canned more apples tonight so I have a nice stash for pies and deserts or just plain eating from the jar! I also have 10 trays of apples in the dehydrator drying down for pocket snacks when I go fishing or small game hunting.

ranch
Here in the city you sometimes get those that help themselves to your garden stuff as they are too lazy to go to the store and spend money to get it. So far my stuff has stayed with me. I here you on not wanting to do the work even for free food.
When I was a kid I worked on a dairy farm if nothing there I worked on a sheep farm if nothing there I worked in the potato farm. In the fall it was most often the potato farmer that got me as I worked hard and long and made him lots of money because many shippers only allowed the semi to be there for so many hours to load then the farmer paid. I remember one time we had to load two trucks in just 6 hours, no bags just lots of potatoes and the company didn't think we could do it, so the farmer being a good Irishman made a bet that we could and if we did he wanted a premium paid before the trucks left. I made a few hundred dollars that day and the rest of the crew made out well too.
I think we just might be going back to those days, when after the farmer gets what he can a few select folks will get to glean the land, not many but just those who understand what it takes to get from seed to crop. Meat is going to be expensive and only on the table once twice a week like it was when I was a kid and dad was a teacher. Back then they only made something like $3000 a year. Hard times but at least I understand them and hope I can make it through again.
Good to hear your land is yours so all you have to worry about is taxes. Yes it sounds like you at least have a fighting chance. I would like to get back to wood heat, even learn how to cook on a wood cookstove, yep I like some things we have today like freezers, electric lights and pumps, the rest is just to take up time, tv, internet, etc.
One day I hope to have my place in the country before I am too old to enjoy for a few years.\
My place here in the city has a couple of peach trees, an apple tree that needs lots of tlc hasn't taken care of, some raspberries if they made it through this summer, hope to plan some grapes, rhubarb next year, have a better garden got the place in june and and still got some stuff.

[montana_charlie]

Yup they came out with a small home unit now https://harvestright.com/product/freeze-dryer-red/ $3k so it may take a year or two to pay for itself... but freeze dried and mylar sealed with an O2 absorber it is good for 5+ years!

I hear Ron Paul advertising on the radio for a home freeze dryer. He finishes by saying he can preserve all of his favorite foods ... including lasagna and ice cream ... and it's good for 25 years.

Now, how can he get away with that?

[rancher1913]

the freeze dry units look good until you talk to people that actually have them, most report it takes forever and a day to dry food and the electrical usage is thru the roof. we did some serious research on them, not for resale use but just for our own use and canning the food was a whole lot cheaper. you can buy a lot of freeze dried food from honeyville for the cost of the unit.

[Down South]

I hear Ron Paul advertising on the radio for a home freeze dryer. He finishes by saying he can preserve all of his favorite foods ... including lasagna and ice cream ... and it's good for 25 years.

Now, how can he get away with that?

He can't. False Advertising.

[Down South]

mylar sealed with an O2 absorber it is good for 5+ years!

I'm not a Prepper, Errrrrr, I mean I don't do stuff like this because I know that life is full of rose blossoms and everything will be great for the rest of our lives and we don't have to worry about anything.

But..... I have a lot of beans, rice and a "few" other items stored in mylar bags with O2 absorbers stashed back. You know, buy 25-50 lb bags of beans, rice, other stuff in bulk for a great discount... You don't want it to go bad or get bugs in it. BTW, I hard freeze all of that "Stuff" for at least for 24 hrs before sealing in the mylar bags....
But, I'm not a prepper.

[rancher1913]

I'm a pepper he's a pepper, wouldn't you like to be a pepper too

[MaryB]

I cycle through rice and beans fast enough that foodsaver bags are fine for bulk storage. I do it in one pound bags for easy grab and the leftovers fit a quart canning jar to put in the cupboard.