How we got to this level.

One book I suggest often is When Crisis Hits the Suburbia by Ted Riley. I reread is at least 4 times a year.

I will add the advice that you need to write date canned and rotate when you are canning and eating it. When I am canning green beans , we have it once or twice for meals other wise you get tired of it and won't eat it. M even mentioned that her family got tired of asparagus as she was putting it on the table twice a day. It's a short season and they can only eat fresh. I freeze enough to go every other week .

 Hubby grew up farming,only went to factory when they lost the farm and the farmer they were working for lost his also. They used wood heat. His grandmother did the canning (his mom worked at phone co) so all the kids helped with gardening. Side benefit was he grew up eating pork chops and steaks.

I grew up poor.I walked the streets to pick up cans and bottles so we could scrape up the money to get my brother through college (10 yrs older, got a grant,scholarships and worked 2 jobs while in college). He was the first to graduate from high school and the first to graduate from college in both sides of family. The day he graduated Mother served Tbone steaks for supper.  Regular meals where corn(fresh or canned) and fried potatoes or fried cabbage and fried potatoesor canned greenbeans with potatoes and onions together. Fried potatoes and gravy. Grandpa grew potatoes so we made a trip once a month down to southern Ohio to see him and get 100 lbs of potatoes in season usually started getting them in Aug.About Feb was the last of them as the rest Grandpa had was to be planted.

We had a large garden. I was canning by age 5. I lived near the Amish and my Daddy's family was from the hills of Ohio working coal mines. At that time it wasn't good money. He had bean soup for lunch and supper every day, no eggs as they couldn't afford to buy them or raise the chickens. More than once we went hungry because the garden didn't produce enough, looking back I would say they didn't grow enough even though we had the land to grow more and they didn't can enough. Daddy canned even when his second wife died. They didn't grow 3 sisters which would have had the dried beans and pumpkins growing with the corn.

More than once Daddy told me he didn't crawl out of the mines for me to crawl in them because way of life seemed calm to me even with the work load. When we told him we bought an Amish house and showed him pictures (was already being admitted to nursing home). He asked if we were converting ourselves or the house. So I told him our plans to make this a home we wouldn't have to leave because we couldn't be in a wheelchair in it...which is why he was going to nursing home. My in laws are facing that issue now themselves even though they took care of the elderly. Didn't measure the bathroom or bedrooms doorways when they bought the new house, too small for a wheelchair. I would just tear them out and widen the doorway. Lot cheaper than nursing home.

Hubby has been in emergency services, squad, home land security for over 45 yrs. He has trained to handle being off grid. 

When the kids were little I would have Grandpa's childhood day every other Sunday. No electric was used except hot water heater and stove. Oil lamps, candles, reading instead of blasting their radios, milk gravy with bread and oatmeal for bfast, bean soup and bread for lunch and supper. All have said they thought it was neat but stupid but thankful I did it as they used that knowledged more than once since leaving home. 

So the back ground is there for both of us. But my growing up without enough to eat triggered for me to make sure my kids didn't go that way. I've grew food in kids sand buckets. Gleaned fields,cleared gardens for others. I learned to cook more than just bean soup. Beans and rice, bake my own bread and noodles etc.

I have cerebral palsy, parents told I would never walk and most likely die before I was 5 due to stomach and heart issues and I have had a stroke. I grew up already dealing with issues.

With that said I went from in ground gardening to strawbales then to raised metal beds. Less bending over and at the height if I was in wheelchair I could still garden. Amish told Hubby to use landscape cover which is like weed barrier but thicker. It's strong enough to handle a wheelchair being on it. We still need to make a pathway from driveway as the ramp from front porch to driveway to garden beds. But the garden area is built around the thoughts of me being in wheelchair.  I started with 12 of 2 ft by 8 ft beds. I'm up to 36 beds now.Half is planted right now with garlic that will be ready next summer, I will sell what ever I don't need at produce auction. That also keeps those beds from being planted with spring or mid summer crops so I will have them for fall crops.

Several of the Amish have offered how to deal with old age and still getting work done. They are in 80s (one couple are in their 90s), cutting fire wood and growing large gardens and canning. I now have a larger pressure canner (less water, more jars canned at once and less fuel used to can).I can my own kraut. 

Raised garden beds with the barrier under it, plant 3 seasons (4 if you have greenhouse). Eat fresh as it comes in can for late Fall to Spring.. When asparagus comes in. Grow perennials, berries, some fruit trees etc. Mother didn't like fruit.

I did strawberries first. Then added blackberries (Daddy and my favorite) Then red raspberries. Then black raspberries. I tried golden raspberries but they don't do well. I should have spaced them more apart . I did 4 ft thinking that was wide enough, it's not mid season where the vines are going nuts.

I get my corn (for freezer) from E or Amish or a Mennonite. I have grew my own popcorn but it's not worth the space at this point and time.

I looked at what I was buying at the store and figured where I could grow it myself for cheaper. I look at what I can store with the least amount of effort also. I can grow winter squash (which includes pumpkins) for little effort.I grow small ones... baby butternut, acorn, kuri and such. Hubby not thrilled with it but it puts food on the table. I had to buy potatoes and sweet potatoes this year. So I stocked dehydrated potatoes (slices, diced, shredded and instant mashed) to make it through as I buy my potatoes local from Amish. Very seldom get any the size of my palm but it's just us not a family of 10 plus.  

I stagger plantings, I try to get varities that suit spring or fall. Even with trying to make sure it does not all come in at once... there are times it does. I've put tomatoes on to cook then let it cool before straining, while I cook beets to peel and can then go back to the tomatoes. I've blanched broccoli, etc while doing tomatoes. I just finished tomatoes, yes it's Nov and that's not usual either. While dealing with winter squash.I have to finish canning some meat I shoved in the freezer (tagged to can) so I can start on the pumpkins. I want some mashed in 1 cup servings in freezer and then I will can in chunks (do not can pureed) the rest. I will do the same with winter squash if I don't see us getting them ate before going bad. I miss the root cellar I grew up with. 

As I get older I will focus on planting bush tomatoes and bush peas and bush green beans as I won't be able to reach the top of trellis from wheelchair. I sat in a computer chair to check. I will have to either pay or share for someone to pick my berries and harvest my asparagus if Hubby can't either. They mostly will just share as they need all the food they can get. I've seen M in early spring serve "just a taste" of several things to get enough food on the table for her family of 13. 

The Amish we bought house from (E's brother) mentioned they had been looking for a driver to haul hay and beans. As the one they had was killed in accident. They paid in cords of wood with some gas money as he used his tractor like Hubby does. He thought that when Hubby got to the point he needed firewood cut for him, he could barter it that way also.  He has another one that will bartar wood scraps for Hubby hauling, even give gas money and wood.

 On Sunday we talk about where we want to be, then bounce thoughts of how to do it, the cheapest way that will LAST and be easy to maintain. We pay attention to how the Amish do it as they do it until their 80s. 

Prayers for peace

Blessed Be