It is GOD’s plan for His people to live in the country with a piece of land, a garden, and growing provisions. He prepares the way. Down south there is more sunshine that gives Vitamin D which is very healthy, and there is twice the growing season. It depends how far south one lives, and the tropical fruits like avocados grow farther south and have longer harvesting seasons. It helps to look up on Google if you want to find vegan healthy tasty recipes and growing and harvesting strategies that have helped other people also.
Ellen G. White country living books:
Allows you to take pictures and identify plants, vegetables, fruits, nut trees, berry plants easily and see what kind of state the plant is in and which ones are edible
Seed packets
Planting:
In Massachusetts, the planting season is approximately in May, depending on how warm it is. We start some of our seeds indoors. Some seed packets can be 4 for a dollar, which is very good. You want Heirloom seeds or Non-GMO and you always want to grow Organic. With Organic seeds and Non-GMO the health benefits and taste of the plants will be much greater. You want to plant outside after the last frost. The last frost is after at night the temperature is well above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. A greenhouse can help to keep them warm during the night. That helps to keep in the heat for the plants. You want to make sure they aren't too hot or cold. A small greenhouse can be bought. You want to get really good soil. Trays help to start the plants. They can be reused also. Organic fertilizer helps to advance the plants. They need sun, good dark soil, nutrients, water. Having a well and drip hose system for watering is helpful. Different plants require different levels of sunshine. Down south the growing season is prolonged, and offers multiple planting and harvesting seasons. The healthiest foods and the ones most useful for preserving mankind in a sinless state are right from the garden and orchard.
Protecting from Animals:
The plants need to be protected from bugs, and animals eating them.
“This earth has been cursed because of sin, and in these last days vermin of every kind will multiply. These pests must be killed, or they will annoy and torment and even kill us, and destroy the work of our hands and the fruit of our land. In places there are ants [termites] which entirely destroy the woodwork of houses. Should not these be destroyed? Fruit trees must be sprayed, that the insects which would spoil the fruit may be killed. GOD has given us a part to act, and this part we must act with faithfulness. Then we can leave the rest with the Lord.” 3SM 329.2-3SM 329.3. Fences, netting, and metal sheets around fruit trees and vegetable plants can protect them from the animals eating the produce. Bugs, caterpillars, squash bugs, Japanese beetles, and other bugs need to be prevented from destroying the plants. A netting with holes small enough to keep out squirrels and chipmunks is helpful to put around strawberry plants with big rocks on the exterior of the plants to protect the strawberries from the animals eating them. We also found that having netting around red beet plants protects them from deer eating the leaves and red beets. Deer, and groundhogs can be a problem because of them eating plants, depending on how close you are to a forest. For a lot of plants, like red beets and turnips, you can eat the leaves along with the other vegetables.
Strawberries are protected from the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds by having a netting with small holes and rocks.
Keeping Down Weeds:
Straw can be used to keep down the weeds. Wood chips and mulch make flower gardens more beautiful. It’s important to keep weeds away from vegetable plants so that more nutrients can be soaked up by the good plants. Every day the garden needs attention. It's also very healthy to do gardening because of getting exercise, sunshine, fresh air, nutrition, and a good conscience.
Harvesting:
In Massachusetts, the harvesting season lasts till approximately September. Some vegetables like kale, turnips, red beets and leaves can be harvested to December depending on the temperature. Some vegetables can be planted a couple times, like turnips or lettuce, to have rotating crops and more harvest opportunities. Kale, green beans, and red beat leaves, for example, can be frozen in zip lock bags for the winter. The healthiest and tastiest foods are organic plucked right from the garden and orchard. Canning, drying, freezing, and storing fruit and vegetables for winter is useful for preserving a portion of the nutrients. Onions, potatoes, and turnips can be stored in a basement in winter. The onions can be put on a string and not on the floor. Chives can be jarred after being picked and after being warmed in the oven.
How to Harvest Lettuce:
Cut off the very tops of the lettuce if too bitter
Pick amount of desired lettuce in bowls
Wash lettuce multiple times changing bowls
Put in a salad spinner and spin till dry until no water is in salad spinner
Put lettuce in container or bag to share, then fridge
Enjoy!
Sprouting:
Another option for maximum health benefits, is sprouting seeds from jars with a cheese cloth indoors. That gives you a ton of nutrients. There are a lot of kinds, like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, mung bean, and lots more. You want to get Organic Non-GMO seeds to be the healthiest. There are sprouting seeds that are designed to be sprouted. You would buy the seed bags, then fill a jar with water and put some seeds in and soak 8-12 hours or overnight. Then, you would drain the water and wait 8 hours. Then, twice a day you would rinse the seeds every 8-12 hours with the cheese cloth to keep them moist but not soaked. You want the seeds spread in a single layer and flat in the jar and avoid excess water. A couple days later the seeds would sprout. You would rinse the seeds in water once a day, for a couple days. Then you would place the jar on the windowsill for a few hours to get sunshine in order for the sprouts to turn green from getting chlorophyll. Then the sprouts would be ready to eat. The seeds usually make a lot of sprouts, and you can eat the sprouts in salads, sandwiches, and quinoa to be very healthy. You can throw out any sprouts and seeds that are discolored or that don't sprout, and just eat the ones that look the most healthy. You can try multiple kinds and eat the ones you like the best that are the tastiest. There are different directions for sprouting seeds such as buckwheat, but a Google search on instructions would yield good results.
Delicious and awesome nutritious sprouts
Hydroponics:
Follow the instructions on the unit you have, using water and plant food. You can use your own seeds, the best would be Organic, Non-GMO. For the seeds, you can use vegetable and multiple kinds of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, peppers, herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, thyme, dill. These are links to some of the best kinds, like AeroGarden. This is a way to grow produce in the wintertime inside. There are also other kinds of Hydroponic growing systems, such as Lyko.
The lettuce was delicious.
How to Make Pickles from Garden Cucumbers:
Cut cucumbers
Ice down cucumbers in big bowl
Sterilize jars in boiling water
Stuff jars with cucumbers tightly
Put Ball seasoning syrup in
Wipe down tops of lids
Seal jars, put them back in boiling water for 10 minutes
Take them out of boiling water onto pan to cool
Listen for the lids to seal (the tops would pop)
When sealed, the tops on the glass jars would be flat and not pop
Plum tree, Massachusetts, August
Tomatoes and vegetables started indoors in spring
Tomatoes like to grow along a cage
More to come!