Subsistence Living

I have been reading a lot of self-sufficiency books lately. You know the "grow your own food, get off the power grid" kind of stuff. The more I read and the more I contemplate putting some of these things into practice, the more I realize that

A) Self-sufficiency is really a neat catch phrase for subsistence living (having the minimum necessary to survive)

B) Subsistence living is a FULL TIME JOB. No City Boys commuting off to work are allowed.

C) I really have gained a new appreciation for . . . the grocery store!! What a marvelous place, where the food is all cleaned and processed and you don't have to do it yourself.

D) I really appreciate farmers who do do this growing food thing full time.

Canning is . . . a PITA

Hair brained idea #1:
Grow lots of veggies and I can can them for the winter.

I have tomatoes coming out of my ears. Not to mention bell peppers, garlic, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, and pumpkins . . . .

Yeah and if anyone has had any experience canning tomatoes I am sure you can understand my frustration. But I finally got the hang of it and found out I can make a pretty mean spaghetti sauce and it is much easier to can spaghetti sauce than whole or diced tomatoes.

I have shredded and frozen most of the zucchini -- zucchini bread in the middle of winter will be a nice treat I think.

I have no clue what to do with the bell peepers. Can you freeze them? I would prefer it as it only takes about 30 seconds to stick them in the seal-a-meal!

Squashes I can cook (you know with butter and brown sugar . . . mmmmm) and put in individual-meal sized bags in the freezer.

The garlic is dried and working nicely! I am not sure my cube neighbors appreciate it though!

The big problem is my pumpkins, they are way to early for Halloween . . .

Truck People

My Dad informed its all over. I have bought a truck and will never drive a car again. His theory being once you drive a truck you will never want to drive a car again.

Being my first truck I felt the need (sticker shock) to start with the entry level truck: The Chevrolet Silverado work truck. No frills, no power windows or locks (yeah adjusting to locking the doors by hand has been . . . weird), no carpet, just a big ol' truck bed to haul things in and a small cab to fit me an' the missus when we head out to the ho' down (can't even really imagine that . . . ).

When I tell you I've bought a pair of cowboy boots (or that pig I've been considering) . . . then you'll know I'm really becoming a wanna-be farmer . . .