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Sometimes called the Cole crops, this family of cold hardy vegetables also includes Kale. They readily cross pollinate, so if you want to save seeds, you MUST choose only ONE variety of ONE of these crops in the entire family. The flowers do not form to pollinate until the second year of growth. You must Winter over at least a half dozen plants from the previous year. The second year is when you have to be concerned about cross pollination. For details about saving seeds, my favorite web site is... Read more →

Tomatoes do require starting indoors here in the North. That is not usually a project for beginning gardeners. They are very tricky because they are vulnerable to plant diseases, and need to have just the right amount of heat and water. Artificial light or a well heated greenhouse are needed too. When times are tough, providing these things will be much more difficult. If you master starting tomatoes indoors, you should have no trouble selling some plants if you like. In fact it would be an ideal Cottage Industry. It... Read more →

This is my great grandmother's recipe. My family enjoys it every Spring. Salad for 4-6 people Gather a brown paper grocery bag half full of dandelions. Cut the dandelions plant just below the root. Rinse well with plenty of water. 2 cups of water 1/2 cup of cider vinegar 3/4 pound salt pork , chop finely 7 hard boiled eggs Pick over, wash, and chop dandelions. Fry salt pork until crisp. Set aside fat. Boil water, vinegar, and about 1/3 of the fat. Mix boiling liquid with dandelions, stir well... Read more →

We live in a time of plenty. Foods are brought to our local stores from far and wide. When times get tough, what foods will we NEED to eat? Now we often look to our garden or a produce department to provide vitamin rich fresh foods. Colorful salads look great, but we need foods which provide the energy to keep us going. Our bodies need protein to maintain them. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies won't matter much if we have already STARVED to death! Grains, starchy vegetables and fruit all... Read more →

When storing seeds for many years keep them dry and cool. Suzanne Ashworth's book confirms what we have been doing for many years. "The two greatest enemies of stored seeds are high temperature and high moisture."1 and "Home-saved seeds will retain maximum vigor when thoroughly dried and stored in a moisture-proof container."1 Moisture can pass through plastic, as well as paper. Food bags that are metalized 2.2 poly provides two layers of protection from moisture and light are ideal. These are used to preserve foods and grains. They should be... Read more →

SeedforSecurity has set up a YouTube account with our very first video: Pesto - An Instructional Video. You can subscribe to our channel to get our latest videos. Check it out here Read more →

Think this couldn't happen? Think again. Supermarkets typically have only 3 days of food available. What if delivery was interrupted? This could, of course, be from a natural disaster or from a terrorist attack. The idea is to plan ahead, especially if you are like me and have many mouths to feed. O.K. So what do you do? Do not panic; think! Have at least 4 weeks of food on your shelves. By this I mean canned meats, hearty vegetables such as beans, corn, and some starch. Pasta or rice... Read more →

Our neighbor gave me a few dozen strawberry plants several years ago. I set out a single row, and they have been spreading over a wider area each year. Now I have a bed of strawberries 60 feet long and 15 feet wide. I pick gallons of these sweet berries, and many of them are made into jam. Bending over and picking so many berries near the ground is hard on your back, but all our children are eager to get jars of homemade strawberry jam. You don't need to... Read more →

Few people have the luxury of enjoying an evening cup of tea by going out on their deck and collecting a handful of healthful herbs. I have a raised bed off of our deck with a melody of plants including peppermint, spearmint, and lemon balm. I use a little of each to make a delightful after-dinner beverage. These herbs, the experts say, help one to relax and also aid in the digestion of food. Perennial herbs, such as the above mentioned, are easy to grow but can become invasive. I... Read more →

Until a hundred years ago, the majority of Americans were farming the land for a living. Most foods were locally produced and consumed. In my home library, I have a number of market garden books written by Peter Henderson in the late 1800's. He started out growing food for the New York City market, and became an authority on the subject. Henderson bred new varieties of vegetables, and founded a large and successful seed company. He recommended one able bodied man for each acre of market garden. My own great... Read more →