Last edited by M4Fundi; 07-08-12 at 04:35.
"First gett'n shot, then gett'n married... baaaad habits"
"If you're gonna subscribe to hero worship, at least worship a real hero."
M4Guru
Gal 2:20
With the exception of chicken, the vast majority of the meat we eat is venison or feral hog that I or my father-in-law have shot. We kill 6-8 deer a season between us and my mother-in-law doesn't like venison so I average about 5 deer in my freezer every year. Hogs have been less common as we haven't had a good place to hunt them but that has changed this year as they have started to invade a co-workers "farm" (25 acres he intends to retire on), our deer lease, and a property one of my cousins leases to run cattle. We also do all of our own butchering including ground meat and making our own sausage.
As for birds, I intend to get into turkey hunting this year as they have repopulated our deer lease finally and have also moved into my Aunt and Uncle's farm. I have only been duck hunting a couple of times as my father was mever a bird hunter but my father-in-law, who had stopped hunting ducks due to some vision issues, has promised to teach a friend and I everything he knows on some public land near us that is open to duck hunting with the right permits.
I am trying to get fruit trees going. Figs and loquats are going good but lemons and tangerines/satsumas are just starting this year. Now I need a couple of other fruit trees and at least a pecan tree for nuts. (Houston Urban Harvest tree sale here I come.) The wife and I have plans to put in a garden in one of our side yards this fall/winter but right now we buy most of our vegetables through a local farmers co-op. My wife even has a small bee-keepers rig ready to set up once the garden is in but we have to have our daughter checked to make sure she is not allergic (like her aunt) before we do that.
Last edited by cdmiller; 07-09-12 at 23:47.
Restarting our garden efforts this year. Slacked of. A couple years but back at it. Already picking blueberries in the lower garden. Apples starting to appear. Should have enough for canning. Planting just a small vegetable garden and several more herb bushes.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! ... Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry in an address at St. John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia, on March 23, 1775.
I eat most of what I kill. I have deer, elk, halibut, salmon, trout, and antelope in the freezer right now. I dont do all of my own butchering, but I do grind burger and make an assortment of sausages.
I also grow veggies, but not as much as I would like due to lack of space. I do trade a lot of meat for fresh veggies from family members who do have pretty sizeable gardens.
I do a lot of food preservation, fresh made salsas, sauces, jams and jellies as well as soups, stews and meats. This is something I have rediscovered in the last few years, and I really enjoy it, as well as the fact that I get to control what goes into the food I am eating. The convenience of a home cooked meal in 10 minutes after a busy day is nice, rather than spending 45 minutes cooking. Especially with a screaming 1 year old in the background and a GF who's ready to fall over from exhaustion after a 13 hour shift at the hospital.
Producing your own food is a very rewarding experience, in my opinion. Maybe we could start a recipe thread, if there isn't one already.
Better late than never.
We have a decent sized garden from which we can for the winter and eat fresh if canning isn't much of an option.
Herbs
Watermelons
Purple Hull Peas
Okra
Tomatoes
Cantaloupe
Muscadine/Scuppernones
Green Beans
Corn
etc.
I also eat local wild as much as possible:
Whitetail deer
Dove
Squirrel
Rabbit
Crappie/Bass/Catfish/Bream
Sure beats paying the local grocer if I don't have to.
I eat all that I kill except small rodents, we also have a large garden that we do seasonally here in NY
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