We have moved, down sized. No veg. garden at all. I insist on a bean fence, I like to grow silver-beet in my flower garden, and to top off I will build a nice little hydroponic system for a few lettuce and tomato plants.I took the lettuce out of the hydroponic unit and feed the them water only for a few days to sweeten them up last year. They grew well. I also grew chili in the unit, they were supreme, thousands of chili, I won't be growing them again for a long time, maybe one plant for fresh chili.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 2:06am
I wouldn't buy 2 pumpkins these days. At $1.50 each, uli they must be near being pig food. They are just not keeping. I deal with a whole pumpkin now and freeze it in meal lots, as they are not lasting at all.
samanya,
Jun 17, 4:49am
Not everyone has the luxury of space for a large vegetable garden .or a temperate climate.
norse_westie,
Jun 17, 7:45am
-frozen vegies sometimes work out cheaper than fresh in winter, and the nutrients are locked in, often better for you than vegies which may have been sitting around for a week before being bought. -keep an eye on TM (home and living- food and beverages). I get great deals on bulk stuff on here, sometimes I go shares with another family or two. For instance I got 10kg of cooking apples really cheap and the resulting stewed spiced apple has given me oodles of icecream containers full. Walnuts, fresh and organic - buy them in bulk, as when you win the auction, the seller usually offers you as many kgs as you want. Save on freight by bulk buying and go halves with someone else. Right now I have 10kg of frozen strawberries in my freezer for a grand total of $20. We had hot strawberry shortcake for dessert.
-crockpot meals go a long way. Small amount of meat = a great meal. -soups: dump in all your withering vegies -flour, sugar etc can be bought in bulk, again, share with another family -can you get a Gilmours card! -mention to neighbours you would love any excess fruit or vegies - repay with something made from it, like jam, or lemon honey.
donnabeth,
Jun 17, 8:18am
I'm budgeting very carefullytoo and having to think hard about best nutrition for my dollar. While in Central Otago this summer, I bought big boxes of cheap apricots and peaches, lovely juicy and too ripe for the markets. i tooke them home, stewed them gently and froze them flat in zip lock bags. We're now enjoying them on cereals and puddings. Rhubarb grows so fast I give it away and the rest I chop and freeze in big bags, cooking a few handsfull at a time.
Yesterday I bought 3 lambs hearts for $2.40, lambsfry for $1.98. That will be two meals covered. Meatloaf is surprisingly expensive to make, but vey versatile. It can be sliced thinly and smothered in gravy as well as used in sandwiches. Ibaked some in muffin tins, topped them with whipped potato and cheese and serve them up as pies. Make homemade pastry for your pies and you have cheap variety. Two large salmon steaks for $7.80, which I will cut in half so I get two flash meals from that. The servings will be small, but mixed with lots of veges, they will be adequate. Even down south, my garden supplies potatoes,carrots, parsnips, cabbage, silverbeet,leeks, broccoli and spring onions. The worst time here is between August and November while we wait for the Spring planting to mature.Sadly my own frozen beans just don't taste like Mr Watties'. Water down your milk by a third for coffees and milos or custards.
genpat,
Jun 17, 6:04pm
Pickles,have you thought of growing in boxes, etc?A friend had to work in Japan for a year and grew lettuce,tomatoes,herbs etcin window boxes on the balcony of her tiny apartment.Just a thought.
patxyz,
Jun 17, 6:28pm
Gee, you must eat a lot of pumpkin uli...
lythande1,
Jun 17, 8:06pm
Good for you. I wasn't referring to your specific patch. I live in Auckland - one of the zones you say can be a winter garden area. I'm pointing out that's not the case - not on my bit anyway. It would be nice, but despite planting things and the things left in, nope, they're all on hold. So no need to get snotty.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 9:42pm
No, I havn't....genpat....I had a hydroponic set up at another address, and bought all the gear with me. It is the most efficient way I have ever used to grow veg. in.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 9:47pm
We have a trailer just down the road to buy pumpkins from, honesty box. $2.00 $3.00 and $4.00. Some get a bit rough. We have moved, down sized. No veg. garden at all. I insist on a bean fence, I like to grow silver-beet in my flower garden, and to top off I will build a nice little hydroponic system for a few lettuce and tomato plants.I took the lettuce out of the hydroponic unit I had last year and feed the them water only for a few days to sweeten them up last year. They grew well. I also grew chili in the unit, they were supreme, thousands of chili, I won't be growing them again for a long time, maybe one plant for fresh chili.
uli,
Jun 18, 9:29am
I have lots of kunes that help me :)
elliehen,
Jun 18, 10:53am
Kunes might like to overdose on pumpkin...kids don't ;)
In cool Nelson I'm picking succulent everlasting spinach every second day....grew it behind my Blue Lake bean teepee against a north-facing verandah and it's a happy plant.
buzzy110,
Jun 18, 1:49pm
I have been following uli's advice that she gave me earlier on in the year and to date my garden is supplying me with silverbeet, cauliflower, broccoli (which I have coming out my ears), an unlimited supply of big, sweet carrots, leeks, chilli, lemongrass, all the culinary herbs, cabbages and celery. today I harvested my first broadbean tops. I'd have peas on the go by now if the dopey birds hadn't eaten them all!!
On top of that, I have been harvesting macdamia nuts, avocadoes, persimmons, guavas (almost finished now), cooking apples, granny smith's (picked last big juicy one last week) and 2 types of lemons. Soon I will have grapefruit, oranges, tangeloes and more mandarins.
Uli's advice has saved me hundreds of dollars so far. I buy organic seedling punnets at 6 for $10. That works out at 36 plants which produce enough vegetables for our household and my daughter and her family.
I wish I could find a forum where uli could provide me, exclusively with advice because I have found what little she can share on here before all the knockers come in, to be invaluable.
Oh. I almost forgot to mention the salad greens that just keep on self seeding and growing.
buzzy110,
Jun 18, 1:57pm
I'd like to add to this advice. If you can make pastry then this cold time of year is brilliant for making flaky/puff pastry and freezing it for later use. I find that fats melt in summer and the pastry does not turn out anywhere as well as that made in the winter. I use frozen flour, ice cold water and make my lard (everyone else probably uses butter) as cold as I can get it while still being able to work it.
buzzy110,
Jun 18, 2:07pm
In the summer I use excess cabbages to make at least 15 litres of sauerkraut. I usually grow my own but at certain times of the year we can buy huge cabbages for $2 each. Sauerkraut can be cooked ( today I served guests up with a special concoction of sauerkraut, apples and spices, baked in a terracotta casserole) and they begged to take the leftovers home with them. The apples were free and I must have used about 10c worth of sauerkraut. The crushed spices would have been cost no more than 5c.
$10 worth of cabbages turned into sauerkraut will last all winter. Mixed with salad greens it makes a nutritious and tasty lunch or breakfast salad every day of winter and well into spring if you want.
Three rows of beans will feed us for all of summer and give leftovers for freezing. Properly done (not like someone here suggested, and just chucked into the freezer, unprocessed) they are better than Watties. I also have summer cauliflower and broccoli frozen as well. I tried fermenting them but they aren't so nice done that way.
What is a real taste treat is fermented carrots. Naturally sweet, fizzy and spicy, these little, crunchy sticks are most sought after by anyone who comes to our place for a meal. In season carrots are very cheap, once again.
buzzy110,
Jun 18, 2:10pm
Two apple trees provide us with more apples than we can eat. I preserve a dozen jars and any that aren't eaten get juiced and turned into vinegar. I have 4 litres of raw apple cider vinegar just waiting for bottling and it cost me nothing as I had the demi-johns, juicer and sundry equipment already.
genpat,
Jun 18, 6:04pm
Pickles,have you thought of growing in boxes, etc!A friend had to work in Japan for a year and grew lettuce,tomatoes,herbs etcin window boxes on the balcony of her tiny apartment.Just a thought.
patxyz,
Jun 18, 6:28pm
Gee, you must eat a lot of pumpkin uli.
lythande1,
Jun 18, 8:06pm
Good for you. I wasn't referring to your specific patch. I live in Auckland - one of the zones you say can be a winter garden area. I'm pointing out that's not the case - not on my bit anyway. It would be nice, but despite planting things and the things left in, nope, they're all on hold. So no need to get snotty.
toadfish,
Jun 18, 9:36pm
Thats fantastic Buzzy and I truely mean it....
pickles7,
Jun 18, 9:42pm
No, I havn't.genpat.I had a hydroponic set up at another address, and bought all the gear with me. It is the most efficient way I have ever used to grow veg. in.
buzzy110,
Jun 19, 12:08am
Thanks toadfish.
Another of my savings is sour dough bread. I always make my own bread now and have learned how to created absolutely scrumptious, stay-fresh for days, large, fluffly, soft sour dough bread using wholemeal, stoneground and rye grains. It is also so much better for your internal health as well.
theanimal1,
Jun 19, 2:13am
What fantastic ideas, thankyou all xxx
motorbo,
Jun 19, 5:54am
some great advice. many cannot grow as they have no land or decks.....but the buying tips are always good for everyone
firebird20000,
Jun 19, 9:44am
Buzzy-Where do you get your 6 for $10 organic seedling punnets?
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