“Time to embrace the north, the Great Plains, the new reality.”
I too left the bountiful harvest of California, decades ago, for the “harsh” climate of Montana. Although, I am more of a Forager than a Gardner, I am learning. After reading Braiding Sweetgrass, I am inspired to grow the Three Sisters. I want to grow,hunt, harvest and preserve in the traditional ways of my Native American locals.
I looked up your recipes for Chacales. I want to try it. I’m into Dr. Bill Schindler’s work on nixtamalization, as well as sourdough, kefir and other fermenting techniques. Question…would soaking the chacales in alkalized water help release the niacin that’s locked up otherwise?
I did make up an elk pumpkin stew paired with some long fermented einkorn sourdough bread the other day trying to clean out the freezer for this year’s harvest. My son didn’t get an elk yet but he did harvest an antelope! Fresh smoked heart, tenderloin and some backstrap was what was on the menu!
Today after work, I’ll be processing meat. I would like to learn how to make your Machaca to help preserve some of the meat rather than freezing. Plus, machaca would make a great backcountry food! Any tips, especially on best cuts of meat to use, for this process? Thanks Hank!!
We live in the PNW at latitude 47. Mild winters but a short growing season nonetheless. Good tilth is key to bountiful produce for us, and a hoophouse for peppers, tomatoes and cukes. We had a good grape harvest this year.
My wife is from Northern California and we settled in southern Ontario. She’s still adapting and she initially over compensated. I’m ripping lemon balm out still that she planted thinking it would die out over thd winter.
Native chile pequins survive a normal Texas winter but the deep freeze we had a couple of winters ago was very hard on them, killing many in ordinarily fruitful areas.
This is something I want to write about when I get through my backlog. I’m from northern Michigan and learned to garden there. I had what I called the Michigan Subsistence lifestyle down- perch and whitefish through the ice in winter, maple syrup, morels, steelhead and turkey in spring, summer garden, fishing and berries, fall squirrels, nuts and venison.
I moved to Georgia ten years ago and had to learn all over again but I’m enjoying the 12 month growing season and the wider variety I can grow. Still harvesting the venison.
Interesting to read this. I've lived in the U.P. of Michigan my whole life, and I also have the Michigan subsistence lifestyle down - or at least my version of it, which is quite similar to yours. Right now the priority is putting venison in the freezer. Last month it was making wine from all the native fruits I picked this late summer, and putting up garden/yard produce (freezing, dehydrating, canning). Before that it was harvesting and consuming the early garden stuff........greens, snow peas, etc.. Winter used to be ice fishing, but now we winter in Florida, so in the winter I chase redfish, speckled trout, and snook, which we use for great meals. Hank, it took me several years to find the right varieties of veggies for our U.P. climate, but once I settled on the ones that work here, I started having pretty productive gardens. I plant some heirloom varieties of veggies, and some hybrids. If you want a huge harvest of grape tomatoes, try a variety called "Juliet". Hundreds and hundreds of smallish, good-tasting tomatoes, which are great for both fresh eating and dehydrating..
“Time to embrace the north, the Great Plains, the new reality.”
I too left the bountiful harvest of California, decades ago, for the “harsh” climate of Montana. Although, I am more of a Forager than a Gardner, I am learning. After reading Braiding Sweetgrass, I am inspired to grow the Three Sisters. I want to grow,hunt, harvest and preserve in the traditional ways of my Native American locals.
I looked up your recipes for Chacales. I want to try it. I’m into Dr. Bill Schindler’s work on nixtamalization, as well as sourdough, kefir and other fermenting techniques. Question…would soaking the chacales in alkalized water help release the niacin that’s locked up otherwise?
I did make up an elk pumpkin stew paired with some long fermented einkorn sourdough bread the other day trying to clean out the freezer for this year’s harvest. My son didn’t get an elk yet but he did harvest an antelope! Fresh smoked heart, tenderloin and some backstrap was what was on the menu!
Today after work, I’ll be processing meat. I would like to learn how to make your Machaca to help preserve some of the meat rather than freezing. Plus, machaca would make a great backcountry food! Any tips, especially on best cuts of meat to use, for this process? Thanks Hank!!
We live in the PNW at latitude 47. Mild winters but a short growing season nonetheless. Good tilth is key to bountiful produce for us, and a hoophouse for peppers, tomatoes and cukes. We had a good grape harvest this year.
My wife is from Northern California and we settled in southern Ontario. She’s still adapting and she initially over compensated. I’m ripping lemon balm out still that she planted thinking it would die out over thd winter.
Native chile pequins survive a normal Texas winter but the deep freeze we had a couple of winters ago was very hard on them, killing many in ordinarily fruitful areas.
I look forward to seeing the greenhouse you come up with!! ;-)
This is something I want to write about when I get through my backlog. I’m from northern Michigan and learned to garden there. I had what I called the Michigan Subsistence lifestyle down- perch and whitefish through the ice in winter, maple syrup, morels, steelhead and turkey in spring, summer garden, fishing and berries, fall squirrels, nuts and venison.
I moved to Georgia ten years ago and had to learn all over again but I’m enjoying the 12 month growing season and the wider variety I can grow. Still harvesting the venison.
Interesting to read this. I've lived in the U.P. of Michigan my whole life, and I also have the Michigan subsistence lifestyle down - or at least my version of it, which is quite similar to yours. Right now the priority is putting venison in the freezer. Last month it was making wine from all the native fruits I picked this late summer, and putting up garden/yard produce (freezing, dehydrating, canning). Before that it was harvesting and consuming the early garden stuff........greens, snow peas, etc.. Winter used to be ice fishing, but now we winter in Florida, so in the winter I chase redfish, speckled trout, and snook, which we use for great meals. Hank, it took me several years to find the right varieties of veggies for our U.P. climate, but once I settled on the ones that work here, I started having pretty productive gardens. I plant some heirloom varieties of veggies, and some hybrids. If you want a huge harvest of grape tomatoes, try a variety called "Juliet". Hundreds and hundreds of smallish, good-tasting tomatoes, which are great for both fresh eating and dehydrating..
Yeah you know what I’m talking about. If you know what you’re looking for there’s stuff to harvest year-round up there.