While this may seem like a topic that needs to be in the gardening section, it really is a topic that should be filed away under tips for stocking up. After all, if you are growing your own food and preserving it, you do need to know how much to grow!
So here is a simple chart that hopefully will help you plan your garden and stock your pantry!
Beans: 1/4 pound of seed plants one 25 foot row. Each 1/4 pound of seed yields somewhere between 12 to 15 pounds of beans.
Broccoli: Plant five plants per person.
Cabbage: Plant five plants per person.
Carrots: Each 25 foot row will produce 1 pound of carrots.
Celery: Each 25 foot row will produce 30 pounds of celery.
Corn: Plant a total of six 25 foot rows per family of 4.
Cucumbers: Plant 22 plants for a family of 4.
Lettuce: Plant five rows of lettuce that are 5 feet in length per family member. Plant one row per week for five weeks, then begin again as the first row is cleared away. Remember to keep lettuce cool by planting in a partially shaded location or using shade cloth in the heat of the summer.
Melons: Plant 2 to 4 hills per family member depending on how much you eat.
Onions: Each 25 foot row will produce 20 pounds of onions. One row per family member should be sufficient.
Peas: Plant 3 rows that are 25 feet long per family member. Each row should contain peas that mature at different times.
Peppers: Plant a total of 12 plants per family member. Remember to plant sweet peppers in one area of the garden and hot or mild peppers in different areas so they do not cross pollinate.
Potatoes: Plant seven 25 foot rows for a family of four. If you use more than twenty pounds of potatoes in a month, you will need to plant more than this.
Radish: Four ten foot rows for a family of four. Plant each row a week apart and re-plant each row as it is harvested.
Spinach: One 25 foot row per family member. Plant additional rows every 10 days as weather permits. Spinach is a cool weather crop so it does best in early spring or fall.
Squash: Plant 1 hill per family member.
Tomatoes: Plant at least 4 plants for canning. Plant 3 plants per family member for fresh eating.
Turnips: Plant 10 feet of turnips per family member.
Keep in mind that this is just a guide to give you a place to start. If you can a lot of tomato products such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, pizza or spaghetti sauce, etc. you may find you need more plants.
It is also a good idea to plant a little extra to donate to food pantries or to share with your friends, family or neighbors.
Filed under How Much To Plant, Tips For Stocking Up by on Jan 14th, 2010. 1 Comment. 
Once your harvest starts coming in, rather it is flowers, herbs, vegetables or fruits, you will want to preserve it for later use. The most common methods of preserving are freezing, canning and drying.
Drying may be the simplest method and certainly requires the least monetary investment. Fruits and herbs can be cut up, laid on screens or racks and dried right out in the sun. Flowers and herbs can be bunched up into little bouquets of four to six stems, have a rubber band put around the stems so it is tight and hung in a dark, airy place to dry. If you want to invest in a dehydrator, herbs, vegetables and fruits can be put into that to dry. Flowers can be dried in silica gel and will retain their shape and most of their color.
Freezing herbs, fruits and vegetables may be the next easiest way to go. Get a good book on freezing so you know which ones need blanched and how long. A good book will also tell you how long the storage life is. Freezing takes energy and if your harvest is substantial, you may need a chest or upright freezer. The Ball Canning books generally have some information on freezing in them, especially the Ball Blue Book.
Canning is the next most popular method of preservation. There is cold pack canning which is used for most fruits and pressure canning which is used for most vegetables. This method does require a monetary investment. Even if all the canners, jars and bands are given to you, lids must be bought. The lids, which contain the rubber seal, are only good for one use. Get a good book on canning, such as one from Ball Canning, if you are going this route.
Filed under Food Preservation by on Jan 13th, 2010. Comment.
This homemade BBQ sauce can be made when tomotoes are in season or it can be made from canned or store bought tomato paste. Keep in mind you may need a bit of tomato juice if the sauce is too thick for your liking.
Here is how you go about making homemade BBQ sauce with fresh tomatoes.
To make a really thick BBQ sauce you need to remove the tomato juice from the tomato paste. The easiest way to do this is to use a steamer juicer such as the Mehu-Liisa, although this is not the only way.
When the steamer is finished extracting the juice, bottle it and can it. This is tomato juice in its purest form. You can also squeeze the juice from the tomatoes, set the tomato pulp aside and can the juice.
The tomato pulp that is left in the top of the steamer juicer is what you want to use. If you removed the juice by hand, then you will still use the tomato pulp. You can remove the seeds or simply blend the mixture until it is smooth, whichever you prefer.
Begin by putting 20 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes into your steamer juicer or into a foley mill or chessecloth.
When the tomatoes are juiced, remove the pulp and put the pulp in a stainless steel sauce pan. Add:
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon ground mace
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup of honey - optional, used to thicken the sauce
Stir well, bring to a boil and cook for thirty minutes. Taste it to see if you prefer to add other ingredients such as fresh ground black pepper.
When the sauce is the consistency of store bought sauce, ladle it into hot, sterilized pint canning jars. Wipe the jar rims, lid and band until fingertip tight. Place the cans in a cold pack canner and process for twenty minutes. Remove the lid, let the jars sit for five minutes, then remove and let cool.
When the jars are completely cooled, check to make sure they are sealed. If not, use immediately or put on a new lid and reseal.
Feel free to spice the BBQ sauce to your personal taste. The ingredients listed above are only a starting point. Homemade BBQ sauce is different in consistency than store bought. Using pure tomato paste will give you a thick sauce. To thin it down, add tomato juice.
When the BBQ sauce is opened, store the extra in the refrigerator.
Filed under Canning, Food Preservation by on Dec 31st, 2009. 1 Comment.
The first week of the year you should look for nuts. Look at the after Christmas sales. The nuts may be 50% or more off. The dry roasted ones store best, but you can freeze nuts as long as you put them into a freezer bag and keep them for a long time. Try to buy at least two pounds per person.
The second week of the year is the best time to look for cleaning supplies. An average is one gallon of bleach per person. The average person does 156 loads of laundry per year, so stock up on enough laundry soap to get by for the year. Also look for other types of cleansers at this time unless you make your own. If you do, take time this week to stock up on supplies you need to make your own cleansers for the upcoming year.
Week 3: This is a good time to stock up on needed supplies such as feminine products, Pepto Bismal, Vicks, cough drops and syrup, Tylenol, Calamine Lotion, Kaopectate, Ipecac, and sunscreen. Dispose of all outdated medications in your medicine chest. If you make any of your own salves, creams, etc. take this week to stock up on supplies you will need over the coming year.
Week 4: Is a good time to continue to stock the medicine chest with products such as Band-Aids, antibiotic ointments, Ace Bandages, steri-strips and other first aid needs.
Week 5: Is the time to stock up on personal products such as soap, deodorant, toilet paper, shampoo, lotion, hand soap, etc. An average on hand soap is fifteen bars per person. Again, if you make your own, use this week to stock up on supplies you will need.
Week 6: The only thing you need to stock up on this week is peanut butter. Buy ten pounds per person. Peanut butter has a long shelf life, so if you overbuy, it will keep.
Week 7: Stock up on oils, remember the FDA says 60 pounds per person per year. Solid shortening are less expensive than oils. Keep your oils and shortenings rotated so the ones that expire first are used first. These products have a long shelf life and will generally last several years especially if they are kept in a cool, dark place.
Week 8: This is a good time to look for 100% pure juice. Do not buy watered down versions. Go for the gold and get 100% pure lemon, orange, pineapple, whatever flavors you like. If you can your own juice, this may be a good week to look for canning supplies instead as fruit this time of year can be expensive. If you do find a good sale, by all means, stock up. You can juice fruit any time of the year.
Filed under Smart Shopping, Tips For Stocking Up by on Dec 27th, 2009. Comment.
Everyone eats different foods and different amounts of various foods. Knowing how much to store depends on many things including the space you have to store food in and what foods your family eats. Before stocking up consider how you will store the extra food you buy. Do you have plenty of freezer room and a back-up plan in case the electricity goes out? Will you be canning all the food you store? Maybe you will dehydrate your extra food or use a root cellar. Whatever method you choose, make sure it works for your situation. After all storing food is useless if you will not use the items you store.
There are some general guidelines from the FDA to help get you started, but the reality is you will have to do your homework. Some things you may not use at all and others you may use more of. Some things you will need to buy and some you can grow. Anyone can stock up, even if you live in an apartment.
There are different times of the year when it is best to stock up on certain things because they can be found on sale. Here are some yearly averages according to the FDA. These are based on one adult, so multiply this by the number of people in your family to get a better idea of what you will need.
Meat – 200 pounds per year per person.
Flour – 300 pounds per year per person.
Sugar, honey or other sweeteners – 60 pounds per year per person.
Fats or oils – 60 pounds per year per person.
Salt – 5 pounds per year per person.
Powdered milk – 75 pounds per year per person.
Water – 375 gallons per year per person.
Vegetables and fruits – 700 pounds per year per person.
While this is not an end all of what you need, it is a starting point. It is a way to get you thinking about what you may need and a way for you to save some green at the grocery store. How you ask? By buying in bulk when food is in season or by growing your own. Let’s say you grew 50 pounds of green beans this summer. Well, subtract 50 pounds from the estimated 700 pounds of fruits and vegetables if you canned them all. If you bought that 50 pounds of green beans canned you would have spent between $25 and $50 depending on the brand you bought.
While the initial investment to get set up preserving and storing your own food may seem like it doesn’t save anything, in the end, you will come out ahead and best of all, be prepared for almost any emergency that comes your way from being snowed in to being short on cash.
Filed under Food Storage Chart, Tips For Stocking Up by on Dec 27th, 2009. Comment.
I really expect the winter months to be bad this year due to increasing prices and the fact that the stores are already having bare shelves. With the produce season in full swing, prices should be coming down and store shelves should be fully stocked. Even though no one really knows what lies ahead it is better to be prepared than to do without.
So far I have put up quite a bit for winter. I go out early every morning to see what is available to can, freeze or dehydrate for that day. Last night I was blessed with ten dozen canning jars – that makes almost 500 jars! I only need 1,000 more! I just might make it.
Here is what we have put up for winter so far – and the list grows daily.
6 half pints of rose jelly
2 half pints of rose honey
2 two pound packages of honey wheat bread
2 one and a half pound packages of honey wheat bread
1 package of orange sugar cookies
4 pacakges of peanut butter and oatmeal (mixed flavors) cookies
4 packages of dinner rolls
1 pacakage of honey spice cookies
4 pounds of noodles
3 quarts plus 1 1/2 pints of chicken broth
5 pints plus one half pint of strawberries
1 pint spinach
3 half pound pacakges of sugar snap peas
1 pint of carrots
1 pint plus 14 four ounce jars of grape jelly
7 pints of tomato juice
7 four ounce jars plus 1 6 oz. jar of lemon balm and lemon verbena jelly
1 half gallon of mixed herb vinegar which I will divide up once it is ready
1 pint black stem peppermint leaves
2 pints sage leaves
1 quart lavender flowers
1 quart chocolate mint – still filling the jar
1 pint lime balm – still filling the jar
1 pint rosemary
2 pints tarragon
1 pint oregano – still filling the jar
I have raisins in the dehydrator. I have no idea how many I will get but I am guessing around a pint. I may package these in little zip bags to make division easier.
I am heading back outside now to see if there are anymore ripe strawberries or any vegetables ready to harvest.
Sheri
Filed under Canning, Dehydrating, Food Preservation, Freezing by on Oct 31st, 2009. Comment.
Keep an eye on this post if you want to know what else we are adding to the stockpile. The top number will be raised and all new items we can added in as the season progresses.
The canning season is indeed in full swing here at Exotic Gardening Farms and Wildlife Habitat. Last winter was a bad one for high bills and the food we canned in 2008 was a real life saver, so here we go again! Here is what we have so far.
Apple juice 1-pint
Apple pie filling 2-pint jars
Apples in red hot sauce 1-pint jar
Applesauce 5-pint jars
BBQ Sauce 3-pint jars
Blueberries 2-4 ounce jars
Blueberries in light syrup 3-4 ounce jars and 1-half pint jar
Cherries 1-half pint jar
Cherry juice 2- half pint jars
Chicken broth – from our own chickens 1-quart jar
Chicken wing sauce 1-pint jar
Chocolate raspberry sundae topper 7-pint jars
Cinnamon applesauce 3-pint jars
Cinnamon chocolate mint fruit cocktail 5-pint jars
Cinnamon pears 6-pint jars
Dehydrated potatoes 2 gallon jars
Grape jelly 1-pint jar and 7-4 ounce jars
Grape juice 8-quart jars, 2-pint and a half jars and 6-pint jars.
Green Beans 4-quart jars
Green Tomatoes 1 quart jar
Honey cinnamon pecan peaches 1-pint jar
Ketchup 2-pint jars
Lemon balm and lemon verbena jelly 7-4 ounce jars and 1-cup jar
Marachino cherries 6-4 ounce jars and 4-half pint jars
Marachino cherry juice 2-4ounce jars and 3-half pint jars
Mixed berry preserves 1- cup and a half jar
Mixed herb vinegar 6-4 ounce jars and 2- half pint jars
Orange marmalade 1-cup and a half jar
Passion fruit mojito 1-quart jar
Peaches 4-quart jars
Pear juice 1- quart jar and 6-pint jars
Pear sauce 3-pint jars
Pears 11-pint jars
Pineapple, banana and orange fruit spread 1-cup jar
Pineapple, banana and passion fruit spread 1-cup jar
Plums 4-quart jars and 1-half pint jar
Pomegranite juice 3-quart jars
Potatoes 21-quart jars
Raspberries in light syrup 5-half pint jars
Raspberry and Mulberry Vinegar 1-half pint jar
Raspberry syrup 4-half pint jars
Raspberry vinegar 4-half pint jars
Roasted garlic Italian vinegrette 2- cup and a half jar
Rose petal jelly 6-half pint jars
Seasoned tomato sauce 2-quarts, 1-half pint jar
Seasoned tomato sauce plus basil 1-pint jar
Strawberries 2-pint jars
Strawberry fruit spread 1-quart jar
Strawberry juice 1-pint jar and 1-4 ounce jar
Strawberry/raspberry lemonade concentrate 6-pint jars
Taco sauce 5-4 ounce jars and 1-pint jar
Thai hot and sweet dipping sauce 5-pint jars
Tomato Juice 25-quart jars, 5-pint and a half jars, 15-pint jars, 8-cup and a half jars and 1-half pint jar.
Tomato sauce 2-quart jars, 1-4 ounce jar and 1-half pint jar
Tomato soup 11-quart jars
We grow a lot of the food we put up ourselves, sometimes we buy some when it is on sale or we are given the chance to pick food that someone else has grown. This list does not include the numerous spices, teas and other such items that are dehydrated and prepared in our kitchen.
Filed under Food Preservation by on Oct 30th, 2009. Comment.
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