I have lived a prepping/survivalist lifestyle for a lifetime. I was born and raised in the Midwest to parents, who even by mid-20th century standards grew a huge garden every summer. A garden large enough to feed 6-8 large families, either selling or giving the excess to others. They canned and otherwise preserved more produce than anyone I knew at that time. In addition, we milked about 150 head of Holsteins. We were the largest dairy farm in about seven counties. Of course, all of the milk used in the household came out of the bulk milk tank. Prepping was a family affair and my paternal grandmother always willing to do her part would take my brother and I on outings in the woods at least a couple of times a year to harvest mushrooms and pick herbs. We were typically able to return from such forays each with a brown paper grocery bag full of these delicacies. Upon return, my mother and grandmother would meticulously clean, sort and cut up these mushroom and wild greens treasures in preparation for canning. For my brother and I we knew the trip would result in a large platter of fried mushrooms along with the wild greens added to the evening meal.
We typically had one of our steers butchered annually. If for instance, on rare occasions a cow or yearling became injured and was not savable we would butcher a second time. In instances like these, however, we did the butchering rather than take it to someone else to process. In like manner fall deer season meant further opportunities to test one’s butchering skills. As a youth, when pelts were still worth something, raccoon season meant further opportunities to practice one’s skinning skills.Continue reading“Farming and Prepping As a Lifestyle, by Bulldog”
