Farm to Table

During dinner last night I had the realization that everything on the dinner table had been raised and harvested on my farm. It consisted of Beef, sugar beets, snow peas/beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I really try to keep the food pyramid in mind for at least one major meal a day. I also try to keep my money in my account to pay for needed shaving supplies and the mortgage. I know raising food for personal consumption isnt always feasible under every circumstance, but it is neat when it all comes together. At least for one meal anyway.

Anybody else have any farm to table pics they want to share?

Just lovely! I wish I could do that, here, in Vancouver, but it isn't feasible as we rent and do not have access to land.

However, in Portugal, my parents do this with almost all of their meals; they grown their own vegetables, fruit, bread and meat is sourced from our village or the surrounding areas.

I don't personally grow my own vegetables or raise my own meat, but we do buy all of our meats, eggs and butter from a local farm.

Fantastic that you can do that!

Farm to table, no. But garden to table when in season yes. I try to be a locavore and it's not all that difficult in Maine. A standard breakfast for me are eggs from my ladies and homemade bread very often (winter) from our home ground wheat. The backfat I fry in is from pigs that my neighbor raised. We just finished up a few moose and bear steaks supplied by another neighbor. The larder is full of canned chicken from our birds of years past as well as veggies from years past.

My pancakes get real maple syrup from just a few miles away.

I make my own milk kefir and some cheeses, mostly farmers cheese.

The garden is in and it'll start producing kale whenever we feel like picking some, that'll happen very soon. Right now they're still under an A-frame fencing to keep the guinea fowl from decimating them. The other plants will take longer to produce. As I get older the garden gets smaller and we grow what we like and use the most of. The closest neighbor plants things we don't and we swap the bounty. I could easily double my garden but again, I'm getting older and I can't do what I did 2 decades ago when I had the 2 garden spots.

This year I planted a decent size plot of super-sweet corn, tomatoes, hot peppers (habaneros and Jalapenos), 2 types of kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. In a little bit I'll put in a row of black radishes. I might also put in a few bush summer squash; been thinkin' about that, but it's not high on my priority list. I'll need to put an electric fence around the corn when it's almost ripe to protect it from the raccoons.

Oh well, now I'm rambling, but lots of folks don't know what it takes to feed themselves. Lots of folks think meat is grown in packages under plastic wrap. I wish I could find that letter to the editor.

I live in a rural area surrounded by farmers and ranchers although I am neither and one of the things I love about summer is the bartering that goes on for fresh veggies and grass fed beef.... we always have neighbors dropping off items in exchange for me spraying their properties for mosquito and ticks. It's a wonderful piece of Americana that we still get to enjoy. No money exchanges hands, just people being neighborly. In the winter the mosquito spraying is replaced by snow removal and the fresh veggies are replaced with home canned ones and stick to your ribs casseroles.... life is good...

First off I just want to apologize as I didnt realize till later that I posted this in the Lounge instead of the Kitchen, where it probly should be. If Freddy or Matsilainen deem that it needs to be moved, then I agree.

I enjoy reading everyones posts. It reminds me that you dont have to have a stack of money to barter for healthy goods and the sense of small community is still alive. I always tried to buy certified organic fruits and veggies when I was on active duty. Now that I am retired, that really isnt a cost effective option. I spent the last few seasons prepping the area that was to be my garden plot. Fireplace and yard waste burn barrel ashes, sheep, chicken, and a few truckloads of cow manure were lovingly spread and mowed in the area. This spring I knew it was ready so I searched craigslist for a tow behind motorized tiller. 20 yrs ago I could take the beating of the walk behind models but not anymore . I tilled it about 4-5 times and it was soft and rich. I got out there in April and planted dozens of things. Then the flood came. Something about 11 inches of rain in one week just doesnt make seedlings happy. In a way I am glad only about half of the garden survived. I would be buried in veggies right now if it all grew.
I used to cruise the farmers markets for some of my groceries but some farmers just refuse to reveal if they use insecticides/herbicides on their produce. A piece of information I like to know before I put it in my mouth. Since I dont use any on mine, my garden is a bit more shaggy than others, but I havent had any real problems yet. I already have so many mouths to feed on my farm, whats another deer or mouse? The good thing is there are never any leftovers. Anything that the cows or the sheep wont eat, the chickens clean up.
Since this the first yr I have put one out since I lived here it is a bit of a learning process. I have had gardens is other places I lived but that was at my wifes request. They all eventually became my garden as her dedication to them wanes. Now that I am retired I can give it my full attention. She is more than happy to reap and cook the benefits of it though.
I dont know how big this plot is but I am guessing about an 1/8th acre. I didnt even use it all as I ran out of seeds to plant. Good thing since I planted the zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe and pumpkin towards the last rows, and they have totally grown through the beans and stretch across the unplanted areas.

One other reason I decided to plant a good size plot is water. The previous owners of my place had a block lined cistern buried behind my house. When they got hooked up to county water, they repurposed the cistern. They laid the pipe to collect gutter water from the house to the cistern. Once I had new rain gutters installed, and replaced the busted (as in frozen and cracked) cistern pump, I now collect rain water to water my livestock and the garden. It has a push/pull valve that I can open and close when it fills up. So when I water it, it is literally rain water that is feeding it. The reason I mention this is it will be in the 90s here all week so I think it is time to put water out on it again.

I think there is greater appreciation for the food you eat when you had to grow and nurture it along to the point it hits your table. It just has much more meaning and value. I am already planning ahead for the next time I till and buying seeds that are on sale for the garden next spring. And there is always sleeping in the garden in the fall with my pup waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear

olschoolsteel, I did move the thread to The Kitchen, as it makes even more sense than The Lounge. And what a wonderful thread — so many of you are setting an example for what I hope to be able to do (to at least some degree) in the future.

A lot of what has been mentioned (water, vegetables, meat) is something that is so easily taken for granted, especially by city-dwellers such as myself. It really should not be so, and this thread is a good reminder of that. A very interesting and beneficial read.

Zucchini tonight. Thank goodness I like zucchini. Tomatoes are not many days away! I grow a ton of basil and other herbs which are absolutely awesome. Still working on old crop potatoes although the spuds have hooked and ought to have some ready by the tail end of the month.

Wait, you mean they don't grow my chicken and beef already pre-packaged?

Zucchini tonight.  Thank goodness I like zucchini.  Tomatoes are not many days away!  I grow a ton of basil and other herbs which are absolutely awesome.  Still working on old crop potatoes although the spuds have hooked and ought to have some ready by the tail end of the month.

My wife and I had a culture clash when we set out to fix zucchini. I fixed it the way my gma taught me. Skin or no skin (dont matter), slice it, dip in flour/egg batter, fry till golden brown. We both loved it. But it left a splattered stove, used oil to discard, burnt crunchies on the bottom. It was awesome as long as you eat it warm. We dont use a microwave for much, and reheating them, they just didnt taste right.

So I had to try her way, that her gma taught her. Skin it, slice it, put a teaspoon of oil in the skillet, along with a nice dallop of bacon grease. The idea is to cook it till most all of the water leaves. Turning and stirring it so it doesnt scorch. No seasonings or any other items. The result is a slightly firm, mostly soft skillet of fried/boiled zucchini.

Needless to say I defer to her method now as the cleanup is quicker and the after waste is much less.

I do need advice on potatoes. I have about a dozen out there. They have already grown 2 ft tall, bloomed, turned yellow and died. I didnt mark the calender when I planted them but is it safe to wait till mid sept to dig them up? I have kept them covered with dirt so none are exposed. Should I continue to water them? Last time I did potatoes it was with my gpa and it was 1989. I was just his manual labor to dig them up, he never let me in on the specifics on when to tell they are ready to come up.