Normally we have wonderful raspberries. This year hardly any. I don't think I will plant any more apples. We have young stock coming up but I am old
Ours are the same way, @Mary Stetler. I think the dry spell at the beginning of summer reduced the yield of raspberries. With the rain lately, things are picking up, but not to the level of previous years.
Don I know one species that is loving it, vines! But we have lost some wild native plants here. Don't know why.
Yes, our grapes are surprisingly good this year. hubby wants to make wine but neither of us drink anymore.
You can make wine vinegar for use as a salad dressing or for other purposes other than long-term food preservation. You can even add some of your farmed or foraged herbs to the vinegars.
I have learned recently that to make good vinegar, you should make the wine first, then open it to the air and inoculate it with the "mother" from other good vinegar and allow it to go to near completion. I previously had just allowed the juice to go straight to vinegar, but apparently that can lead to contaminated vinegar. If you let the alcohol form first, the alcohol kills off both the yeast and the bad bacteria. Then you add "good" bacteria or let it accumulate on its own. It is a similar process to sauerkraut but using the alcohol instead of salt.
While raspberries, as first posted, were in line with prepping, a prolonged discussion about growing raspberries or other plants should be in the gardening section, and this is the shopping section.
i told my husband it'd probably be easier on our mind if we just think of prepping as our new hobby!..and that makes it fun!... Wild edibles Bargain shopping Rain water collection and purification Winter wood and others
It IS fun. And the knowledge can come in useful to help yourself and others. Those that are dependent on the gov't are basically slaves even if they have not been called upon to serve yet. Having no debt and the knowledge to take care of yourself and others will keep you free. Getting free stuff and handouts will not.
I think back about my mother and grandma canning vegetables, making jelly, hanging meat in the smokehouse, etc. and realize that they were simply "prepping" for the coming winter. The food they grew and put up was what fed us when it was too cold to garden.
we must persevere...pray for our health to hold up...and safely do what has to be accomplished...i have learned new way to preserve foods...the wild foods are very important...so much to do...