From your garden

[digitS']

How much of your diet comes from your garden?

We have TEG gardeners who are great at food preservation. They cook, dehydrate, can, freeze, etc. up a storm !

I will guess that 20% of my daily calories are coming from what the garden produced this year ... maybe a little closer to 30% as long as I'm staying away from Starbucks ! The number may go higher during some months but must be offset by Gatorade then .

What would you like your garden percent to be?

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Realistically, I don't have the strength and energy to have the garden I would like -- or to preserve all the fruits thereof.

I have the room @digitS' would give his (right? left) arm for.
I have the rich, black, rockless top soil most gardeners would give their eye teeth to possess.
I even have mostly adequate rainfall and easy access to well water if necessary.
I need worry about few predators or snakes or vermin as I garden.
I am far enough from society that I am seldom bothered, yet close enough to shopping, entertainment medical care and good restaurants when desired.

I really would have loved getting to the point of self-sufficiency for food and energy, but times change, health changes, people and situations change. Now I am happy to be able to grow and raise a fresh, healthy supply of food, to be able to preserve some and to share some and make hay while the sun shines.

 

[digitS']

No, @Smart Red , I won't be giving up any arms ... altho I may have a wisdom tooth I could spare for that soil. Any way you can get some to the airport for me??? I'll take it from here once it touches down on the tarmac .

Yep, I've had way too many ground offers, locally.

It's a little difficult getting to them and I wish that the cheap gas would show up during the growing season!

Steve

 

[w_r_ranch]

We grow & preserve about 90% of our own food here (including our meat).

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea what percent of our daily diet comes from the garden or chickens. Breakfast might involve an egg or maybe dried blueberries or something like that in cereal. Lunch is often my jelly on a peanut butter sandwich, maybe scrambled eggs, maybe a chicken sandwich, or often leftovers from supper. Any veggies for supper are almost certainly from the garden, fresh in season but canned or frozen out of season. About half the starch is either my potatoes or sweet potatoes. Supper two nights a week involve my chicken, one of those also soup I canned with stuff from the garden. Dried beans I grew and canned help with the main dish at least one night a week. We don't often have dessert but if we do, it often involves fruit or berries I grew.

In season I get a few daily snacks from my berries, fruit, or veggies.

I don't have any set goals other than not running out. It's available when needed.

 

[AMKuska]

During the summer months, 25% of my food came from my garden. Another 25% came from fresh, local sources. Now that winter is here the farmer's market is closed and I have devoured every single scrap my garden produced. My goal for next year is all of my vegetables and some of my dairy to come from my backyard. It's probably going to be my last gardening year at this house, so I really want to make the most of it!

 

[catjac1975]

No longer raise meat.I would say 80% of veggies for the year.

 

[canesisters]

So far this week dinner on Tues, Wed, Thurs and lunch today have been completely from the chicken coop or the canning pantry.
But it varries wildly. Might pick up a pizza tonight.

 

[digitS']

@Ridgerunner is a fine example ... of someone who can pass up dessert!

@AMKuska , we can help again this year. Altho', if there are people I can appreciate as a group ... farmers' market customers are near the top !

Steve

 

[bills]

That question, "How much of your diet comes from your garden?" is highly dependent on the time of year for me.

Currently I'd estimate 15% fresh, probably another 15% from frozen or canned. In the spring the percentage climbs, and by mid July I'd estimate the number to be around 65-70%.

Now if I raised chickens, or animals for meat, I'd probably be around 90%. Some things such as wheat or grain, for flour, sugar cane, coffee beans, etc..I will always need to buy..