Producing Food Archives - A Country Girl's Heart -Beats that Matter

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I slowly digested Ten Acres Enough by Edmond Morris in the summer of 2018. Reading a few pages while I ate lunch or found I needed to sit down for a break. As I read, I often felt renewed energy and motivation to continue, keep on with the tasks at hand staying focued with the big goals.

The end of 2020 is approaching. I find myself looking back at what I accomplished and what goals I want to set for 2021.

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Pasture on CG Heartbeats Farm — Current horse pasture, but may serve a new function as the year unravels.

I gained a new perspective for the property I live on reading thorough Ten Acres Enough. My view shifted. Instead of seeing it through the eyes of where a horse barn, shelters, and pasture could go, I began to see where blueberries, grapes, and garlic might produce the best.

Click on the picture above to purchase your copy of Ten Acres Enough

The mistaken ambition for owning twice as much land as one can thoroughly manure or profitably cultivate, is the great agricultural sin of this country.
Edmund Morris in Ten Acres Enough

At least one of the areas chosen to grow grapes

At times, this homesteading journey can feel a bit lonely, but reading Ten Acres Enough I found a kinship with a man and his family now passed. After living and owning a business in the city for 20 years, he fulfills a longtime dream of owning farm ground in the country.

His farm, he purchased in the 1850’s. This is no typo. Nor is the price he paid, $1,000.00 for 11 acres, with a house and barn on it. The land I have is 11.7 acres and believe me the price was well above $1000.00.

I found myself inspired as I read Edmund’s account of creating food and an income to support his family by farming 10 acres of land.
Maria Graber

Click on the picture above to purchase Ten Acres Enough

Interesting Facts found in Ten Acres Enough

Edmund Morris shares not only of his personal experience, but also of farming practices and the economic impact of the last half of the 1800’s.

Facts to Ponder

produce and fruit prices at that time,
the price they paid for manure (that they even paid for manure),
weed control methods,
how they used manure,
how they dealt with insects and worms that damaged crops,
their experience (or perhaps inexperience) with chickens.

Eventually, Edmund hired not only one, but 2 people to help on only 11 acres. This was a family with 6 children who also helped.

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The words he used to share his story have added to my vocabulary. Some I have never heard in this day and age and likely will not.

This book provided me with a new view of our land and produced many new ideas to ponder on. I intend to reread Ten Acres Enough, as I plan for 2021. In the coming months and years I will reference certain practices mentioned though out this book

It takes a man a great while to learn the way of Providence, and to understand that things are better contrived for him than he can can contrive for himself.
Edmund Morris in Ten Acres Enough

Click on the above picture to purchase Ten Acres Enough

Winter is Proverbially the farmer’s holiday. But it was no idle time with me. ….. The careful man will find a world of fixing up to do for winter.
Edmund Morris in Ten Acres Enough

I recommend this book to any and all who desire a homestead lifestyle. If you read or have read this book, I would be trilled to hear what stood out to you.

If you can not afford a physical copy, good news! Written in 1864, prior to copywrite laws, it is considered public domain. It can be read free as an e-book in downloadable PDF form: https://archive.org/details/tenacresenoughpr00morriala/page/n5

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When it comes to eating, we all like different foods. What goes into a garden is much like planning menu for a week or month. Choosing what we plant and how it develops may actually influence our food menus in coming months, based on what choices we have available.

We have many options when it comes to producing our own food, no matter if we live in town or city, suburbs, or way out in the country . There are wonderful options for apartments, a city lot, 1, 5, 10, 20 acres or a large farm. Almost everyone has options when it comes to producing at least some of their own food if given the correct information. Sometimes, a bit of creative ingenuity will be required.

A financial investment up front is needed(there are ways to reduce the costs), in some cases more than others. The end result lowers the grocery bill and may improve ones health reducing medical costs in the future. Check out Dr Caroline Leaf’s book Eat and Think Yourself Smart for data links and informational ideas on how our diet effects our health. I read this book a couple years ago and will be posting a review link in the future. Click here.

Here are a few guidelines I consider as I decide which seeds I am planting this year

What and where is my available planting space

I have not worked up the ground here for a garden with the exception of where the garlic is planted. I have plans for some ways to prepare the ground for a garden space, but until I do, I am going to use mostly container gardens. I have been offered to share garden space by two of my neighbors. I like my neighborhood!! I am not sure yet, how much extra space that will give me. Renting or sharing garden space is definitely an option for those living in an area with little or no ground of their own. In my case, I simply have not prepped the ground for lack of tools to make it easy and lack of energy to get it done the hard way.

What are my favorite foods

Peas, green beans, lettuce, both sweet and red potatoes, spinach, heritage and cherry tomatoes, different varieties of onions and lettuce, bell peppers of any color, squash

What vegetables do I desire to store for the next winter

Peas, green beans, sweet and red potatoes, onions, tomatoes (for ketchup and tomato Juice)

What tools will I be using I currently have

Tools I will be using include:

Cracked/broken buckets, shovel, small spade, cultivator, various sizes of plastic containers I have been washing and saving for seed starting,

What do I need to purchase and corresponding cost

I have a wish list of products I would like to try, but they are likely going to wait until next year. Items I would like to purchase are:

a warming mat for seed starting $15 – $90
a grow lamp/light(s) $ 20 – $170(+)
a small green house, possibly partly underground to utilize the earth’s heat $80 – $10,000(+)
self propelled gas tiller (Depending on model) $450 – $1,000(+)

We will be discussing the how and when to start a vegetable garden in future blog posts.

What vegetables do you desire to grow this year?

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