Food Prices, Shortages & Inflation - The Trash Index

[k0xxx]

Here's a quick video from the Associated Press about the coming increases in food prices.

Grocery Bills Are on the Rise

In reference to a recent PM and without mentioning the sender, I know that most of us here are already aware of the coming food inflation and as members of the SS community are preparing. However I continue to post these articles and other info in an effort to warn those that have not been preparing their pantry's to be motivated do so. I apologize if the material gets old to some.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

k0xxx - i for one am always glad to see your posts and articles.

as you say, many of us are in a good position but these kinds or articles are good to show folks not in the know. and there are a lot of new folks to this board that DONT post... so THANKS for keeping us informed!

 

[miss_thenorth]

For those of you who have time to dig up the research for us, I for one am grateful. I feel reassured, that when I am having a conversation with someone, and i need to back up my statements with facts, I can come to this forum and look up the appropriate information, instead of sorting through the myriad of hits when I google it for myself. when I see a link to something that I find interesting or useful and could be useful for someone else, I post it here too, so I can have quick reference.

 

[freemotion]

I appreciate the links and copy/pasted articles, too. If there is something I'm not interested in, I just skip it.

I am seriously thinking of planting grains this year, at least a bit to learn about it. We don't eat much by way of grains, but we do eat some, and I think it would be good for me to know how to grow them....for the chickens, too.

OFG, didn't you recommend a book on this when it came up before? I think I need to get a copy. What was it?

I am thinking of rotating my grain crops to make it simpler, maybe gear up so I can do corn one year and store it, wheat the next, and buckwheat and oats, too. It will take some experimenting, but ....um....who is the guy who posts the permaculture videos? Paul Wheaton, I think. He posted a short clip of a homemade thresher made with a drill, a piece of bar stock, some chain, and a five gallon bucket with a lid. That made the whole thing actually seem possible to me.

 

[Boogity]

Hey Mr. Sunshine, I think I speak for almost all of us when I say thank you for the news clips and links.

I also studied that video a few months ago, free. Very interesting. I always like to browse Paul's stuff.

<snip> Paul Wheaton, I think. He posted a short clip of a homemade thresher made with a drill, a piece of bar stock, some chain, and a five gallon bucket with a lid. That made the whole thing actually seem possible to me.

I even went out and found a 35 gal steel drum to make a mini-thresher. It's one of those projects that will be given birth when I get a-round-to-it. Round-to-its are hard to come by these days.

 

[Icu4dzs]

It's one of those projects that will be given birth when I get a-round-to-it. Round-to-its are hard to come by these days.

Ya know...I've suffered with that disease for years. Then one day, I got one... a Round 'Tuit.
It was a gift from someone who recognized my weakness and decided to help.
It was made by the Wilton Foundry Company in Pennsylvania. It is now kept in my shop so I have to use some other excuse to explain why my projects aren't done...o my...

 

[freemotion]

Hey Mr. Sunshine, I think I speak for almost all of us when I say thank you for the news clips and links.

I also studied that video a few months ago, free. Very interesting. I always like to browse Paul's stuff.

<snip> Paul Wheaton, I think. He posted a short clip of a homemade thresher made with a drill, a piece of bar stock, some chain, and a five gallon bucket with a lid. That made the whole thing actually seem possible to me.

I even went out and found a 35 gal steel drum to make a mini-thresher. It's one of those projects that will be given birth when I get a-round-to-it. Round-to-its are hard to come by these days.

If it is a metal drum, don't forget ear protections!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

I appreciate the links and copy/pasted articles, too. If there is something I'm not interested in, I just skip it.

I am seriously thinking of planting grains this year, at least a bit to learn about it. We don't eat much by way of grains, but we do eat some, and I think it would be good for me to know how to grow them....for the chickens, too.

OFG, didn't you recommend a book on this when it came up before? I think I need to get a copy. What was it?

you said it baby... Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon:
http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Gene-Logsdon/dp/0878571477

also Gene has a GREAT blog
http://thecontraryfarmer.wordpress.com/

i think he is the beez knees.and his new book is called "Holy Sh*t", which of course, makes me love him more.

 

[Denim Deb]

OK, I think I need to get that grain book.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Growing grain is no different than crowing anything else. Just go ahead and give it a try. So far we have grown assorted maize (corn), broomcorn, milo, flax, buckwheat, amaranth, millet and wheat. The what did not produce, because the animals love it so much they keep eating it down

Most of the time I just planted what I got at a store for food purposes.
Flax is too much bother to extract the seeds for what you get. I still grow it and just dry the whole plant and give it to the critters like that. Actually I do that with most of it.
I only seperate some of the grain. Corn and broomcorn is easy to seperate. I haven't tried cooking with broomcorn, but it is supposed to be a good edible grain, I think it is a milo.
We also grew nijer one year. We ended up with some volunteers from birdseed. I saved the seeds and planted them. They grew nicely, but again it seemed too much work for the amount of seed you get.
I still plan on coninuously planting all these grains and more, even if just to experiment. And by saving the seeds, I feel more secure in knowing I can plant them again and provide my animals and my family with variety.

I recommend anyone with a bit of extra space just try to plant some. It is fun and your animals will eat it anyway, even if you end up giving them the whole plant in the winter. Just think how much fun your chickens will have scratching out the seeds and they'll eat the dried green stuff too.