Letter Re: Perennial Food Crop, Vines, and Trees

Mr. Rawles,
I have a retreat in northern lower Michigan were I have begun staging my Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) supplies. I have several containers full of non-hybrid vegetable seeds, and a large amount of staples (wheat, corn, dry beans, dry pasta, amaranth etc.) approximately an 18 month supply for four adults. My question is do you know of any plants I can put on the property that I can let grow wild to help supplement my food storage until I can get my garden planted and ready to harvest. I have planted some raspberry bushes, and blueberries that have been thriving. I have also planted some amaranth, but have not been able to get away to see if it has taken or not. I need something that won’t need a lot of attention. I manage to get up to the retreat several times in the summer months and a few times every winter. – Scott from Michigan

The Memsahib Replies: A look at old homesteads will give you a good clue what kinds of plants can survive through years of neglect. The top of my list would be heirloom varieties of berry vines, apples, plums, and rhubarb.