A ride with the Man

I have a yard. And the place is near farms. Not in the city centre. The cucumber seeds I bought, the pumpkin were taken from the pumpkin and are growing beautifully. I'm learning. Yesterday I thought I was having a carrot... Surprise. There's nothing there to eat yet.

@The Man Inside: Ok. Pumpkins are much easier to start than cucumbers. If the seeds are still good and the soil stays wet you should see germination in a week. If it didn't work next time try starting them inside in a pot. Or get new seeds. Good luck

@red maple: just bought more seeds. Probably not available in the near future. Got me some strange beans. No idea what that is or if it is any good. No better way to know than trying. Also it's time for watermelon. Getting stupid hot outside. Or I've been working too hard under the sun. Too many people are complementing me crop... half the fence is up, the rest, hopefully, by the weekend will be done.

@red maple: oh... i know what kind of beans it is. The kind I don't like. No problem, more mouths to feed.

@The Man Inside: Oh the food growing on the garden catches people's eyes for sure. And the begging begins. That's when you give em the beans you don't like. lol

@red maple: I may share the excess with one or two neighbours. Maybe. The ones I don't like, mother does. Already told her it's for her. Once the fence is up, only a couple neighbours can see what's growing in my property. With soaring prices, every time I go to the supermarket, there's always something 0,10€ more expensive, some times more. Any food that can just be taken... It will disappear.

@The Man Inside: Times are going to get interesting pretty soon. Rising prices. Scarce food. I need to get my meat production in order. Should be set up in 2 months.

@red maple: as for meat... I have no production, nor the conditions to do so. But there are a shit ton of birds here, and a few bunnies nearby. Bunnies is for the dogs, as I don't eat that. And if the time comes, I have what I need to catch a boar. Obviously those are not nearby, but I know where to find them. And the ocean is a source of food too.

@The Man Inside: You will be hunting. I plan to have chickens and rabbits. I hope the learning curve is shorter than growing vegetables. I want to be harvesting meat asap.

@red maple: shooting birds is a no brainer. Rabbits, almost the same, just they are not that visible. My issue with the pigs is preparing the meat by myself. A large animal is not an easy task for one person alone. Not an issue catching, killing and carrying it on my own, but I won't do it if then the meat is spoiled because I couldn't take care of it in time.

@The Man Inside: You may be better with a hunting buddy for the pigs.

@red maple: I know that. Thing is, who? It has to be a bloke who doesn't back down when the time comes. Many will tell you "let's get a pig", as soon as the pig shows up, the fuckers not only disappear themselves as they scare the pig away. Killing a large animal is not for everyone, and opening the animal and prepare the meat, much less. This is the supermarket society.

@The Man Inside: Supermarket society indeed. Not forever though. Opportunity will present itself eventually. Another pair of hands called in after the kill to carry load is still useful.

@red maple: There's s bloke who got curious, and he would do it. But I had to remind him, that was the easy part. Preparing the meat was the toughest part, and no one would give a hand. It would be only the two of us, until his wife decided he was away for long enough, and then would be only me. But, after, when the stakes, stew, ham, sausages were ready to eat, everyone would show up. And I would not take part in that shit. I talked him out of it. There's another one who would do it to. But that one tells he will not cut open the carcass. Another one would prepare the meat, but if I tell him I got a pig, he shits himself thinking there's something wrong. I'm on my own mate. Easier to fish.

@The Man Inside: I hear you. People are like that. You are definitely right the processing is the hardest part. Even most pig farmers take their pigs to be butchered. The butchering is too much work for them.