"fudge" wrote in message
...

I have a root cellar kept at zero degrees celcius behind my farmhouse
full of homespun stored vegetables. I can chose from carrots, turnips,
sprounts, cabbage and potatoes. I also have a cold room in my house
containing onions, garlic and various types of squash. A freezer holds
frozen peas, lima beans and soy beans along with frozen chicken and
turkey. The cost of these items is virtually nothing.

Farmer John

Well, you work hard for those vegetables, don't you?

maxine in ri wrote:

On Feb 16, 12:55 pm, "Seerialmom" wrote:

Not saying these are the "freshest" fruits/vegetables but they do
still have shelf-life at the .99¢ Only Stores. Won't work for anyone
not in California, Nevada, Texas or Arizona of course. For example
yesterday when I was in there saw 4 packs of Asian pears and 5lb bag
of white potatoes.

Oh! One other place for good buys on good produce are the ethnic
markets. I shop at the Asian market, and the prices are amazing.
$1.30/lb for ginger root; $1.99 for pineapple; Garlic 6/$1; Shallots
$0.99/bag of couple dozen small.



Yup, you are spot - on :-)

Just got back from Tai Nam, an Asian store here on the North Side of
Chicago (south of Argyle on Broadway)...spent 12 bucks for three big
bags of stuff, including produce:

- ginger @ .79/lb, got a big lovely knob for .30 cents

- a hefty bag of Thai purple basil for a buck, the aroma of it was
nice coming home on the grotty #36 bus on a O degree day. They had
loverly mint, cilantro...

- big honkin' okra for $1.99/lb

- nice pea pods $1.99/lb

- pound bag of bean sprouts for .50 cents

- decent big red bell peppers for $1.49/lb...the local stupormarkets
have squashed PITIFUL specimens of these for around three bux per
pound. Where do Tai Nam and these other Asian grocers get theirs, I
wonder...is it a Big SeKKKret or something...???

- Napa cabbage for .50 cents/pound

- bag of Thai bird peppers for .99 cents

- tray of nice peeled garlic cloves for $1.25

There was tons of other super produce but I can only carry so much and
EAT so much, lol...

And these are winter - season - in - Chicawgo prices...

Scored a 15 oz. can of French Market coffee for $3.49, and some name -
brand European chocolate (Lindt, Ferrero...) for less than it would be
on sale at Walgreen's or wherever...

LOTSA interesting sweets for Chinese New Year, I must say they go all
out for fanciful packaging...

Oddest Asian shopping find of the day (did NOT buy): "Fruit -
flavoured beef jerky". WTF...???

Next week I'm getting a big wok - skillet w/handle, they have a huge
selection of such for under ten bucks, perfectly serviceable for
everyday use...

I also go to Edgewater Produce here on Clark St. in Chicago, it's
Hispanic - run and produce is dirt cheap there too...half to a quarter
the price of major stupormarkets and better quality to boot.

--
Best
Greg

Sheldon wrote:


On Feb 16, 9:57?am, "James" wrote:

On Feb 16, 9:19 am, George Shirley wrote:

James wrote:
Produce is high these days. ?Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. ?I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Try using bird netting to cover your fruit trees, I use it with great
success to keep the grackles and squirrels out of the several fruit
trees I have. A good cat or small dog will keep them out of your garden
area. My rat terrier does a fine job of running squirrels and birds out
of the veggie garden, doesn't even try to kill them, just enjoys running
them off.

Biggest bang for your buck is growing your own. We canned 42 pints of
green beans last year from a 24 foot row of Bush Blue Lake green beans.
Plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes,
and various greens too. More than enough to feed the wife and I plus
extras for the dog, who enjoys veggies.

George

It's pretty hard to net a 30' high tree.

Once a bird was under the grape netting. ?It found a way in but
couldn't find a way out. ?Trouble with fruits is if you're the only
one growing them every bird and animal in the neighborhood stops by
for a snack.

What type of tree... orchard/grove trees are typically no more than
15' tall... sounds like yours need serious pruning.... how are you
harvesting fruit 30' up? If your trees are kept tall primarily for
shade/specimen planting then there's nothing much to be done about
marauders.


I was gonna say, are there many three - story tall fruit trees...???
What's the tallest, say, an apple or cherry tree or whatever can
grow...???

--
Best
Greg

On Feb 16, 8:41 pm, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

Oddest Asian shopping find of the day (did NOT buy): "Fruit -
flavoured beef jerky". WTF...???

Sounds good, actually. Why not use fruit in the drying process
instead of all
salt and savory?

I was gonna say, are there many three - story tall fruit trees...???
What's the tallest, say, an apple or cherry tree or whatever can
grow...???

Older trees were not dwarfs grafted onto regular rootstocks, they were
just regular trees. The one in my parents' backyard was not quite as
tall as the house, a 2-story.

Nowadays (probably for the last 40 or more years) they use dwarf
trees, and keep them pruned so that they can be harvested while
standing on the ground (the picker, as well as the tree).

maxine in ri

One way we like bargain apples is to core them, slice them in wedges, and
then drizzle the pieces with melted peanut butter...MMMM they are very good
that way.


"maxine in ri" wrote in message
oups.com...
closer to 59 cents. Some of the apples were tonight's dessert,
washed, cored and filled with raisins, nuts, brown sugar and spices.
The rest which are fine, will go into our lunches and snacks the next
couple of days.

George,

Now that it is just the wife and I at home, the kids have gotten hitched and
runned oft (heheh), we're finding out our typical quart canning jars are
just too big. How are the pints working out for you?

We're about out of green beans so we'll be plating them this season. I'd
love to get 42 pints out of a 24 foot row! What kind did you grow? I have
only been growing the blue lake bush variety.

Brian


"George Shirley" wrote in message
...
James wrote:
Produce is high these days. Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Try using bird netting to cover your fruit trees, I use it with great
success to keep the grackles and squirrels out of the several fruit trees
I have. A good cat or small dog will keep them out of your garden area. My
rat terrier does a fine job of running squirrels and birds out of the
veggie garden, doesn't even try to kill them, just enjoys running them
off.

Biggest bang for your buck is growing your own. We canned 42 pints of
green beans last year from a 24 foot row of Bush Blue Lake green beans.
Plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, and
various greens too. More than enough to feed the wife and I plus extras
for the dog, who enjoys veggies.

George

Gregory Morrow wrote:

...decent big red bell peppers for $1.49/lb...the local stupormarkets
have squashed PITIFUL specimens of these for around three bux per
pound. Where do Tai Nam and these other Asian grocers get theirs, I
wonder...is it a Big SeKKKret or something...???

Same place the supers go (Los Angeles Central Market, here), but the small
markets can buy the smaller quantities of stuff that the growers would
rather sell cheap than take back home or throw away at the end of the day.

--
Cheers, Bev
=====================================
Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled.

In article ,
says...

"fudge" wrote in message
...

I have a root cellar kept at zero degrees celcius behind my farmhouse
full of homespun stored vegetables. I can chose from carrots, turnips,
sprounts, cabbage and potatoes. I also have a cold room in my house
containing onions, garlic and various types of squash. A freezer holds
frozen peas, lima beans and soy beans along with frozen chicken and
turkey. The cost of these items is virtually nothing.


Well, you work hard for those vegetables, don't you?


It depends on what other alternative activities would have filled
that time.

Lots and lots of people spend hours per day BEING vegetables, in
front of their television sets. And it saps their energy
(physical and mental.)

I don't see too many people suggesting that the time/energy THEY
spend on the TeeVee to be any sort of cost or sacrifice.

And I have also never heard any of them explain the payback (in
food, money, or any other benefit) of those hours and hours
devoted to the idiot box.

It is a value system whereby Avoidance Of Effort is the most
important thing. Regardless of the waste and lack of any payback
whatsoever.


--
Want Privacy?
http://www.MinistryOfPrivacy.com/

On Feb 16, 8:53�pm, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:
Sheldon wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:57?am, "James" wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:19 am, George Shirley wrote:

James wrote:
Produce is high these days. ?Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. ?I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Try using bird netting to cover your fruit trees, I use it with great
success to keep the grackles and squirrels out of the several fruit
trees I have. A good cat or small dog will keep them out of your garden
area. My rat terrier does a fine job of running squirrels and birds out
of the veggie garden, doesn't even try to kill them, just enjoys running
them off.

Biggest bang for your buck is growing your own. We canned 42 pints of
green beans last year from a 24 foot row of Bush Blue Lake green beans.
Plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes,
and various greens too. More than enough to feed the wife and I plus
extras for the dog, who enjoys veggies.

George

It's pretty hard to net a 30' high tree.

Once a bird was under the grape netting. ?It found a way in but
couldn't find a way out. ?Trouble with fruits is if you're the only
one growing them every bird and animal in the neighborhood stops by
for a snack.

What type of tree... orchard/grove trees are typically no more than
15' tall... sounds like yours need serious pruning.... how are you
harvesting fruit 30' up? *If your trees are kept tall primarily for
shade/specimen planting then there's nothing much to be done about
marauders.

I was gonna say, are there many three - story tall fruit trees...???
What's the tallest, say, an apple or cherry tree or whatever can
grow...???

The poster refuses to say which type of tree but the typical full size
orchard/grove trees grows no more than 15 feet, and are kept pruned to
about ten feet.... dwarf and semi-dwarf grow to much lesser heights,
six and ten feet respectively, and those are typically also pruned a
couple of feet lower. There are some fruit trees that grow much
taller, like avocado and date trees. Trees like apple, pear, plum,
cherry, and citrus don't bear fruit more than about 20 years, some
less like peach/nectarine only bear about ten years, so they may show
a spurt in tree growth once they begin to stop fruiting... and they
typically don't live very long, crop fruit trees rarely reach 100
years, most half that and less. And there are ornamental varieties
and varieties grown for lumber that do grow more than 30 feet but
those don't bear fruit crops... for example a Bradford Pear may attain
forty, even fifty feet, but 35 feet is more the norm, and it's a
specimen tree grown primarilly for it's showy blossoms, its fruits are
about the size of a pea, but the birds eat them.

Perhaps the poster exaggerates, or can't judge height very well, but
any fruit tree thirty feet tall is a very impressive sight indeed.

Sheldon

On Feb 16, 10:21 pm, "Sheldon" wrote:
On Feb 16, 8:53?pm, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:





Sheldon wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:57?am, "James" wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:19 am, George Shirley wrote:

James wrote:
Produce is high these days. ?Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. ?I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Try using bird netting to cover your fruit trees, I use it with great
success to keep the grackles and squirrels out of the several fruit
trees I have. A good cat or small dog will keep them out of your garden
area. My rat terrier does a fine job of running squirrels and birds out
of the veggie garden, doesn't even try to kill them, just enjoys running
them off.

Biggest bang for your buck is growing your own. We canned 42 pints of
green beans last year from a 24 foot row of Bush Blue Lake green beans.
Plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes,
and various greens too. More than enough to feed the wife and I plus
extras for the dog, who enjoys veggies.

George

It's pretty hard to net a 30' high tree.

Once a bird was under the grape netting. ?It found a way in but
couldn't find a way out. ?Trouble with fruits is if you're the only
one growing them every bird and animal in the neighborhood stops by
for a snack.

What type of tree... orchard/grove trees are typically no more than
15' tall... sounds like yours need serious pruning.... how are you
harvesting fruit 30' up? ?If your trees are kept tall primarily for
shade/specimen planting then there's nothing much to be done about
marauders.

I was gonna say, are there many three - story tall fruit trees...???
What's the tallest, say, an apple or cherry tree or whatever can
grow...???

The poster refuses to say which type of tree but the typical full size
orchard/grove trees grows no more than 15 feet, and are kept pruned to
about ten feet.... dwarf and semi-dwarf grow to much lesser heights,
six and ten feet respectively, and those are typically also pruned a
couple of feet lower. There are some fruit trees that grow much
taller, like avocado and date trees. Trees like apple, pear, plum,
cherry, and citrus don't bear fruit more than about 20 years, some
less like peach/nectarine only bear about ten years, so they may show
a spurt in tree growth once they begin to stop fruiting... and they
typically don't live very long, crop fruit trees rarely reach 100
years, most half that and less. And there are ornamental varieties
and varieties grown for lumber that do grow more than 30 feet but
those don't bear fruit crops... for example a Bradford Pear may attain
forty, even fifty feet, but 35 feet is more the norm, and it's a
specimen tree grown primarilly for it's showy blossoms, its fruits are
about the size of a pea, but the birds eat them.

Perhaps the poster exaggerates, or can't judge height very well, but
any fruit tree thirty feet tall is a very impressive sight indeed.

Sheldon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

These are asian pear and apple trees. I was cheap in '86 and bought
the standard trees which were a couple dollars cheaper than dwarf
ones. When I'm on the roof of my 2 story house they're at least 5'
higher than my eye level. I've never pruned them. I harvest what the
squirrels drop. They usually take one bite and drop them. It doesn't
matter to me because I just eat the good parts.

Sheldon wrote:
(Dick Adams) wrote:
James wrote:

Produce is high these days. Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

The best bang for your buck is a small hydroponics system. See the 11
plant system athttp://hydroponicsonline.com. There is a learning curve
and a high startup cost, but it has been worth it to me. Just be
prepared for more food than you expected!

Read a basic book first. I suggest "Hydroponics for the Home Gardener:
An easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide for growing healthy vegetables,
herbs and house plants without soil" by Kenyon & Resh

A search at Amazon.com on "Howard M. Resh" will prvide you with several
titles worth reading,

Read about companion planting at http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/complant.html

For the average home gardener an inexpensive fence and some netting
works just fine... I don't think very many families will be interested
in investing in like $40,000 worth of arbortorium to grow a dozen
heads of lettuce and a few pounds of green beans.

The 11 plant system mmentioned above is a less than $150 DIY project
including 20 gal resevoir, water pump, air stone, and timer. The major
upfront cost in hydroponics is lighting and I spent around $400 for that.
Big advantages are no weed, no birds, rabbits, deer, or groundhogs having
their meals at your expense. Plus you get year-round planting as in fresh
tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, eggplant, bell peppers, etc. 12 months a year.

True you don't need it if you're living alone, but a family of four or
more can save beaucoup dollars - without $40,000 worth of arbortorium.

Dick

Not saying these are the "freshest" fruits/vegetables but they do
still have shelf-life at the .99=A2 Only Stores. Won't work for anyone
not in California, Nevada, Texas or Arizona of course. For example
yesterday when I was in there saw 4 packs of Asian pears and 5lb bag
of white potatoes.

Oh! One other place for good buys on good produce are the ethnic
markets. I shop at the Asian market, and the prices are amazing.
$1.30/lb for ginger root; $1.99 for pineapple; Garlic 6/$1; Shallots
$0.99/bag of couple dozen small.

Asian markets are terrific for vegetable prices. A friend runs a deli
and found a local Asian market selling retail for what he is paying
wholesale! He laughed and said at least he got his delivered.

Dick

Sheldon wrote:


[SNIP useful info]


Perhaps the poster exaggerates, or can't judge height very well, but
any fruit tree thirty feet tall is a very impressive sight indeed.




Mayhaps he was peering at that "tall" tree through a ten - foot tall
martooni glass...

8-)

--
Best
Greg

On 15 Feb 2007 17:08:54 -0800, a day that will live in infamy, James
stood on a soapbox and proclaimed:
:Produce is high these days. Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
:fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.
:
:Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
:fruits before they ripe. I do however get a few odd veges and a good
:crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.
:
:
One good thing is to look for a list of what fruits/veggies are in
season for which month... produce in season is ALWAYS cheaper and
better. We are SOOO spoiled by having tomatoes and strawberries in
winter; they never taste anywhere as good as when they are in the season
when they naturally come ripe.

"Only two things that money can't buy,
And that's true love and home-grown tomatoes."

--
RivahCat ^..^
"IN BAST WE TRUST"

On Feb 17, 1:05�am, "James" wrote:
On Feb 16, 10:21 pm, "Sheldon" wrote:





On Feb 16, 8:53?pm, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

Sheldon wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:57?am, "James" wrote:
On Feb 16, 9:19 am, George Shirley wrote:

James wrote:
Produce is high these days. ?Cheapest for me for 5 daily store bought
fruit & vege servings a banana, cabbage, dry beans, carrot, squash.

Home grown is even more expensive because animals and birds eat my
fruits before they ripe. ?I do however get a few odd veges and a good
crop of tomatoes and garlic each year.

Try using bird netting to cover your fruit trees, I use it with great
success to keep the grackles and squirrels out of the several fruit
trees I have. A good cat or small dog will keep them out of your garden
area. My rat terrier does a fine job of running squirrels and birds out
of the veggie garden, doesn't even try to kill them, just enjoys running
them off.

Biggest bang for your buck is growing your own. We canned 42 pints of
green beans last year from a 24 foot row of Bush Blue Lake green beans.
Plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes,
and various greens too. More than enough to feed the wife and I plus
extras for the dog, who enjoys veggies.

George

It's pretty hard to net a 30' high tree.

Once a bird was under the grape netting. ?It found a way in but
couldn't find a way out. ?Trouble with fruits is if you're the only
one growing them every bird and animal in the neighborhood stops by
for a snack.

What type of tree... orchard/grove trees are typically no more than
15' tall... sounds like yours need serious pruning.... how are you
harvesting fruit 30' up? ?If your trees are kept tall primarily for
shade/specimen planting then there's nothing much to be done about
marauders.

I was gonna say, are there many three - story tall fruit trees...???
What's the tallest, say, an apple or cherry tree or whatever can
grow...???

The poster refuses to say which type of tree but the typical full size
orchard/grove trees grows no more than 15 feet, and are kept pruned to
about ten feet.... dwarf and semi-dwarf grow to much lesser heights,
six and ten feet respectively, and those are typically also pruned a
couple of feet lower. *There are some fruit trees that grow much
taller, like avocado and date trees. *Trees like apple, pear, plum,
cherry, and citrus don't bear fruit more than about 20 years, some
less like peach/nectarine only bear about ten years, so they may show
a spurt in tree growth once they begin to stop fruiting... and they
typically don't live very long, crop fruit trees rarely reach 100
years, most half that and less. *And there are ornamental varieties
and varieties grown for lumber that do grow more than 30 feet but
those don't bear fruit crops... for example a Bradford Pear may attain
forty, even fifty feet, but 35 feet is more the norm, and it's a
specimen tree grown primarilly for it's showy blossoms, its fruits are
about the size of a pea, but the birds eat them.

Perhaps the poster exaggerates, or can't judge height very well, but
any fruit tree thirty feet tall is a very impressive sight indeed.

Sheldon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

These are asian pear and apple trees. *I was cheap in '86 and bought
the standard trees which were a couple dollars cheaper than dwarf
ones. *When I'm on the roof of my 2 story house they're at least 5'
higher than my eye level. *I've never pruned them. *I harvest what the
squirrels drop. *They usually take one bite and drop them. *It doesn't
matter to me because I just eat the good parts.- Hide quoted text -

Those are some freaky trees to get that height. Anyway pear trees
aren't bothered by birds as pears need to be picked while quite
underipe... pears are weird in that they ripen from the inside out, so
if left on the tree a little too long they will just drop off and
split open. You won't often find a damagad pear at the market and
they are typically always stone hard... pears will ripen off the
tree. Apples do not ripen off the tree.