I think it’s a great idea to have non-traditional crops growing for the purpose of food security, but I also think it’s more practical to try to grow traditional crops that are easy to store.
One of my favorite traditional crops to grow that is easy to store is winter squash. There is no immediate processing, you just have to hold it at the right temperature and it can stay edible for months.
What are your favorite traditional crops to grow for food security and how do you cook/store them>
Typically we used to grow copious amounts of Triple Crop tomatoes and canned them. Lately we go to the you pick instead.I do miss my Triple Crop tunnels though. Grows great but are kind of mild and boring.
i plant 100 lbs of little red taters and a big patch of green beans to go with them…then we plant lots of maters, peppers, squash, butterbeans and corn…
potatoes, corn dried for cornbread, winter squash, sweet potatoes, cucs and beets pickled, rutabagas, carrots, blanched frozen pole beans. dry beans, dehydrated kale. dried fruit of all kinds keep well in glass jars.
Sorghum, i doesnt need much love, penetrates your soil deep and attracts them buggers. So if planted far away from the goodies its a way of keeping them bugger free. Sudangras doesnt nearly need as much water as corn, is packed with protein and is glutenfree). I like to semi cooked the grains and freeze them. Then when i want i make patties with some seasoning rub on them. And then load those patties with all your goodies🙃
I grow a lot of sweet potatoes. They store all winter in an unfinished basement that stays around 60 degrees. I have much better luck storing sweet potatoes than regular potatoes. Wish I had a root cellar.
On the brassica side of things I have much better luck with kohlrabi than cabbage. Kohlrabi doesn’t get bothered by pests in our area but cabbage gets decimated. Kohlrabi stores for months in the fridge in gallon freezer bags that aren’t sealed.
I like the stands of Sudangras when you see them. But most of the farms will not grow it anymore because it can go toxic for horses and cows if not harvested on time. It is a great silage crop; but few do that anymore.
I like sewing some triticale when I have space. It is good in un-leavened bread and crackers to me.
Woow interesting i didnt know that! Can it be toxic to humans aswell? Ive got 15kg of grinded sorghum flour from a friends dad who has farmed an acre. Im eating one bread a week of this stuff(for now im still alive). So should i eat it or is it a risk?
