Not Just Eggs

Last month we blogged about the backyard chicken craze. At that time, we noted that some New York based members of the family had established a flock. Well, it turns out that chickens provide more than eggs. Once my brother-in-law determined that they owned three roosters (which is two too many), he set his mind on a chicken dinner. The way he tells it, one can behead, pluck, gut, stuff, and roast two chickens in as many hours. Now my brother-in-law is well known for his squeamishness when it comes to blood and guts, so if he can do it without breaking a sweat, it should be a good option for most homesteaders. When it was all said and done, I asked him how it tasted. He answered, predictably, "like chicken."

Forebears

I came across this picture of Poppop today. Talk about homesteading. He'll want to do a little something about that roof before winter. Actually, despite Poppop's possessive look, no one at Rural Ways grew up in this cabin; no one at Rural Ways even knows anyone who grew up in this cabin. But, it doesn't look too bad. With a little water piped from the spring, a shed full of dry pinyon, and some clay and wattles for the roof, it might even do for Willie Yeats. (Sorry for the obscure reference.)

Cucumbers

We've tried to grow cucumbers before without much success. This summer we planted about three or four hills of them, hoping that each one would produce a cucumber. Well, each one has produced about a dozen . . . every day. We've had so many cucumbers that we rented a billboard on the freeway to try giving them away. OK, not a billboard, but we did have a sign. When Rural Ways was out of town, these two got together and formed a socialist republic. It turned into a vigorous knife fight, but we were finally able to sever them from the vine and cart them into the house. Now we'll see if they're good for eating.

Garden Costs and Benefits

OK, so having a big vegetable garden is a nice hobby, but does it pay? This is something I am always wondering about: By the time it is all said and done, does it save any money to grow a bunch of vegetables? My gut feeling is that it really doesn't . . . at least not much. But, as I promised last week, I am posting my sister and brother-in-law's back of the envelope calculations. This is what they figure:

"Greens: we eat lots of lettuce type greens. Off season, we can easily dedicate an average of $60/month from the grocery budget to greens. While the garden is producing (and we get greens for 5 months) we eat even more, and a much wider variety, and it’s all organic. We invested $14 of seeds. 5 months @ $60/month = $300.

Beans: Isabella (now 14) spent most of last summer (she believes) sitting in the garden picking beans (we sometimes call her “Harvester Belle”). Last year we yielded about 50# of beans. Beans are easy to freeze and lasted through much of the off season. Seeds cost $5. 50#’s @ $2.29/lb (organic) = $114.50

Tomatoes: Last year we froze about 20 quarts of sauce which (the organic equivalent) might cost $5.99/qt to buy = $119.80. We also had two months of eating lots of fresh tomatoes – (can I say “priceless”?) we invested $40 in plants.

Squash: We estimate a yield last year of 50#’s. @ $2.99/lb for organic squash = $119.50 (seeds were $10).

Peppers: Last year we spent about $30 on plants and yielded about 30#’s. You can easily average $5/lb for organic peppers = $150. This year, [with the global climate cooling trend stopping our peppers in their tracks] who knows?"

So, there you have it. They are figuring that the garden produces a net financial savings of approximately $700/yr. for a family of five. Of course, this does not account for the value of the land, the cost of water, the up-front costs of building the deer fence, etc. It also does not account for the cost of labor . . . but, hey, it's a hobby, right? For me, the thought that comes to mind is that big American agriculture is incredibly efficient. I know, I know, agribusinesses are second only to the people that provide us with cheap energy in the list of those we should hate, right? I mean, we can sit here fat and comfortable surrounded by food cheap enough to throw away and smirk self-righteously at "big agribusiness" because the media tells us relentlessly that they are bad. But, I've got to say that it is tough to complete with that kind of efficiency.

Thrifty

Rural Ways went shopping for back-to-school clothes yesterday. We bought nine items—three pairs of pants, three shirts, one pair of shorts, one skirt, one dress. Total cost: $4.50. Then, we went to Cal Ranch for one item—a hat. Total cost: $22. Granted, the hat is a bit of a specialty item—a 7 and 1/8 inch Bangorra by Alamo—but, clearly, the Catholic Thrift Shop in Cedar City, Utah will continue to be our retailer of choice. (John Maynard Keynes must be rolling in his grave.)