How we store ONE year's worth of Homegrown Food!

[@catracampolieto8989]

I have a crawl space. It's made of cinder blocks with a poured cement floor. When we bought our house, we weren't into growing our own food. 2020 changed that. I had buckets all over my back deck. It was such a failure, I knew nothing about growing veggies. I made that failure into determination. Built raised beds added dirt and horse manure. 2021 was a great success. From the fall of 2020 until Feb 2021 I watched videos, looked up as much information that I could absorb. I truly felt like I was back in school. I'm addicted to gardening. I can't imagine not growing my own food. Now if we could find a bigger house with a full basement. I forgot to mention I learned how to water bath and pressure can. Thank you for a wonderful video.

[@kimmie3504]

Can I just say farming even in raised plant beds, might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and I always thought raising kids was hard.

[@n.a.garciafamily]

I'm so proud of you ❤❤❤

[@Gianna646]

I love seeing & hearing that younger people are getting back to basics!

[@debbiee6535]

KZbin has a lot of them for water bathing and steam canning make it make is one of the best ones I found

[@theresabu3000]

Freezer, Fridge and a dark basement is your best bet for storage. Though my grandma had a big garden + shed/cabin with a little holes in the ground instead of a full basement. She put mostly apples and potatoes. Canning is also really important - mostly for 🍅🥒 and fruits. I also like cooking marmelades with ripe berries. The best tip is to have a garden in a community - and trade different seasonal things you have massive amounts of. You get a good variety this way - and get rid of things you have too much.

[@marywalker2896]

Dang a grocery store in your basement. Actually better than a grocery store cause it’s super fresh food. Hard work equals great food.

[@atlantapage1153]

And look at the family time and values they are teaching their kids. Those kids won't be afraid of a days work and they will need those skills for sure!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So satisfying! Thanks for watching!

[@tdhawk167]

Yes, my dream!

[@luciaperdue5687]

​@@FromScratchFarmstead You could open a Farm Store/Shop ,with all the produce you have. People would be happy to purchase from you.

[@abbeys9092]

Real life basement cleanup footage is so comforting! 😅

[@Hannah_MK]

My thoughts exactly! I’ve been working on my own basement today! 🤓

[@Richard-p8i]

Especially when you have someone else cleaning the basement for you.

[@vessel4thefather]

Yesssss thx because my basement is a nightmare I need to do the same ❤

[@MargaretFinnell]

@@Hannah_MK Oh the forgotten treasures that litter my basement. Time to go .

[@patriciatinkey2677]

Oh how I WISH I had a cluttered basement! ANY basement! South Florida has too high a water table for basements.😢

[@ChileExpatFamily]

We have been homesteading here in Chile for the past 11 years. We have been off grid the whole time. No PROPERTY TAXES TOO... We use solar for our 10kw system. DO NOT do a solar system that attaches to the grid if you can help it because it is a rip off. We also have a back up generator which is a Loncine. We have had our best success with this generator. We have had 4 generators so far and the Loncine has lasted the best. DO NOT BUY A YAMAHA they are designed to fail permanently if you over load them... and you will. Also Hyundai is a good brand. We do not store potatoes or carrots or sweet potatoes long term or plant them because they are so very cheap here. $6 to $10 USD for 50 lbs. Onions are the same. We buy them locally from our neighbors who use no chemicals. All our meat and eggs we grow (6 hogs, 2 steers, 8 sheep, 60 broilers). We do buy raw milk for $10 USD for 20 liters. We grow most of our apples and blue berries and cherries and pears too. Love the videos. Jim in Chile South America.

[@adinamedrea5303]

Wow that sounds nice!

[@ChileExpatFamily]

@@adinamedrea5303 yep

[@sarahturner8678]

thanks for the info about the generators ❤

[@ligionesb6722]

hey, how do you store the apples?

[@journeywithnichole]

Sounds perfect! Best wishes to you. My dream has been to move to La Fortuna. ❤

[@resourcefulgirl]

Nice!! Love seeing the kids involved. They will remember these times for life. My 80 yo mom talks about doing this as a child and the memory always brings a smile to her face. Blessings.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I love that your Mom shares those memories with fondness. I pray the same for our kids! :)

[@cbass2755]

Speaking of organizing and shelving…I live in Michigan. One of the pharmacy stores closed. I waited till the day before and the day of closing, to obtain 2 industrial shelves (metal blue shelves you see being pushed around in big box stores) for 80 dollars each (original price of 187 $ each) and 6 End Cap shelves for $20 each! You should see my basement. It’s a beautiful thing…..

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's awesome! Good finds!

[@ChrisCalmtheCrazy]

I recommend getting enough jars, lids, and bands to can most of your frozen foods if the power goes out longer than two days. I have had to do that twice over the years and didn't loose any food. I had two double stack American canners going for 2 days and was so glad someone else gave me that advice to prepare for a power outage and freezers full of food.

[@atlantapage1153]

Store extra jars in trash cans outside if you need to save space. I was lucky and got a ton of them for $10 each before 2020. You can reuse jars that have good lids for things like beans and rice etc. I am a rebel I have even canned in them once after taking the pasta sauce out of them. You learn what will work and what won't. I have had fails but many successes. So, if you get in a bind you can reuse them if you managed to open them without ruining the lid and still have some good rubber in the seal. Old canning lids saved my life in a pinch during covid as well when I could not find lids anywhere.

[@tdhawk167]

Wish! Don't have space for canned jars. Freezer not big either, but pack it with my garden harvest. While I'm here in this tiny place, doing the best I can. Have lost it once, was horrible! Would love a generator, but rent in an apt building, not sure how to make that work

[@ChrisCalmtheCrazy]

@@tdhawk167 A large gas powered generator wouldn't work in an apartment, but an ECOFLOW Portable Power Station with 160 Watt portable solar panel would do well. Many people use these smaller portable systems to go camping, etc. You can set up the panels on a balcony or window. It is not perfect and may not get you a full day's worth of energy you need, but it will run a freezer for a couple hours each day for a few days to keep food frozen, run an instapot and few other things.

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@@atlantapage1153yes i have reused lids and jars. I bought special tool for opening lids that keeps my lids perfect. So happy to see this. Family working together. I have new grand baby and we are homesteading (starting) once again.

[@debbiee6535]

@@ChrisCalmtheCrazy I've emptied my freezer out all except for six packs of meat and they're small packs so I can cook them up since I'm out of jars😂 I will do the best I can

[@123STEP23]

Good mouse deterrent Put corn meal and baking soda in. Shallow container .. they eat the dry mixture and leave to find water .. the baking soda does it job and the critters die outside .. works great . Also lay out bay leaves loose on shelves .

[@hal-ys5fx]

Agree, that's the best method I've ever used.

[@debbiemarquis3231]

We use the bayleaves in our grains..flour..peas..etc. to prevent weevils..

[@Ari-mo8qo]

Thanks for sharing!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@perrrry]

You are winning at life, and those kids will appreciate all of this when they grow older.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It's such a fulfilling way to live and I pray that they appreciate it! Thanks for watching and the kind words!

[@janejustin1788]

in kenya, we wait for the bean plants to dry in the farm, uproot the bean plants, place on a mat then beat with a stick

[@az55544]

I cut at the base, bring the whole plant inside and pile on a sheet to fully dry down. Keeping the root in the ground helps with soil health and keeps the beans clean. Rotate bean pile daily to dry fully and step on to crack open the pod. Most pods will pop open on their own. The advantage of using large sheets is that they can be moved and stacked so that you can get to the beans when you have time. An oxygen absorber won't take on any moisture from beans not fully dried out. Oxygen. Moisture. You don't need a fan to remove chaff. Use a square box to tip out the beans. Creates a larger surface area for chaff to float off in wind. Do this over sheets in a field to catch everything. Keep an eye on moisture and offgassing of your produce. You need the air to move. Add a vent up high and bring in fresh cool air through a basement window. Drop a pipe to ground level. Cold air will fall down and circulate as it warms up to your vent. That way, you can start keeping beets, carrots and cabbage outside of a fridge (that's just a waste of electricity).

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love these ideas! Thanks for sharing!

[@bonidaexpress]

used to hate it during August holidays

[@Ultra-1127]

The ol’ beat stick method

[@BKaino]

@@az55544 depends with size of farm and weather. Kenya is on the equator meaning enough sunshine. You wait for the beans to dry in the field but not that much since they can start popping on their own. You place it outside on a mat or even ground from morning. By evening it is enough to be beaten and all the beans can pop easily. You can then sieve the beans with a mesh removing the soil. Then after this process, you can remove the bigger materials such as leaves. This is easier. You can then use the wind to blow the chaff. A two day process at best. clean beans.

[@earlenebrown7181]

So happy you had a great harvest this year. I’m 66 now but we always had a garden and did canning when I was a little girl, we did the pillow case for our dried beans and when we had a big harvest of potatoes he dug a big hole at the edge of the garden, then he lined it with straw after they were cured and did layer of potatoes then more straw until it was filled. Then he would top it off with a big layer of straw than a wood board and than placed a thin layer of more straw and then tarred it and placed some dirt around the tarp. We live in Michigan and on the weekends he would uncovered and get out what we needed for a week or so. This worked out great it took us into the spring. If some had start to sprout he would plant them back into the garden for that year.😊❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I love this! Thanks for sharing those memories with us.

[@ilza7146]

I'm a newbie gardener & truly appreciate your tips! Re. a generator, my husband purchased a military grade generator on an online auction. He's in construction, so he asked the commercial electricians to look it over & it turns out, he made an outstanding purchase (quality & price)👍

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Ooh, interesting idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@margaret-annwood5727]

We have a “whole house “ generator. It’s a Generac. Our house is approximately 5000 sq Ft . We live on six acres outside Houston, Tx. Our builder recommended us putting the generator in and after researching we decided it was a good idea. We didn’t include it in our original budget, but decided to forgo some other plans to help cover the cost (about $20,000). It was a good idea. It runs on natural gas,gasoline, or propane. The very first winter in the house Texas had an unusual deep freeze storm. At one time it was 12 degrees for about 27 hours. The whole thing lasted 9 days with the electricity going out the first day. We invited friends and neighbors over to keep warm. Two families had motor homes and they plugged in to run their RV at night while they slept. We’ve had two hurricanes since. Each time electricity goes out first thing. Generator is humming along keeping A/C going and things as normal as possible during this time. I do recommend a generator. Especially if you live outside the city limits. The folks out in the country are the last to get linemen to repair electric.

[@theresabu3000]

I have seen some mini "biogas" sacks that generate gas out of compost (plant + human waste). Not sure how big the output is - it was generally something for one person to cook - but could be a great off-grid idea. It was mostly paired with solar panels to produce electricity. The amount those fridges/freezers need is pretty big though, definitely a longterm project.

[@EC-rd9ys]

Houston seems to get some crazy natural disaster almost every year. Good investment.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Sounds like that was the right choice for you guys! Thanks for sharing the recommendation!

[@TomSargent24]

I think this is my favourite video of real life homegrown living on all of youtube. Thank you for the detailed advice!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the positive feedback! So glad this was a helpful video!

[@debbie7115]

What a joy to have found you on YOu Tube. A family who grows their own food and respectfully harvests and stores if to be used in the off seasons. Including your children really made my happy, they might not be doing much but in their eyes they are! Soon, they will be doing more and more as this is their way of life. They will respect the food grown from seed to harvest to storage to consuming. Such a nice family you have, I'm so glad you popped in my feed.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much for your kind words and for watching! We really appreciate it!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

It’s wonderful to see the whole family involved, the high five with a firm hand grip between you two is so heartwarming. A healthy marriage makes a healthy family, mentally and physically!! I didn’t have that so I encourage you two to stay focused on being a team even when you don’t want to. There is something about going into my basement and seeing all the food I grew and preserved/stored, all the different colors lining the shelves…..just makes me gitty ❤ Blessings

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So thankful to be doing this together! It's so satisfying! Keep it up!

[@kallasusort2986]

Let's teach this BASIC LIFE SKILL in Elementary School. I live in the city and never learned how to preserve food. THANK YOU

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You’re so welcome! We are so grateful to be learning these things now alongside our kids.

[@chantal3172]

That is a lot of squash and potatoes. So happy that you got a great harvest. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you and thanks for watching! :)

[@paulsims6888]

It is nice to see all of you working towards a common goal. I use a freezer with an inkbird high/low thermometer for a root cellar of sorts. Set the low just above freezing, set the high a couple degrees above that. The cooling is controlled by the freezer, the heating is 2 light bulbs. The freezer sits on our deck all year round. Outside temps reach +30 C to -30 C for give me I don't know what the Fahrenheit conversion is. A root celler would be more energy efficient, but this is so handy to have you root veg right out side your door. The freezer keeps the humidity higher than fridge which the veg like. It looks like what you are doing is working , so keep with it. Nothing is perfect.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!! Agreed, no perfect system - do the best you can with what you have!

[@CLance-mo7bo]

SUCH A WISE SMART YOUNG COUPLE!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for your encouragement!

[@esorilefaronall3258]

True.. we used to de-shell mung beans by treshing dried beans using our feet. Instead of banging the pillow case, you can ask your kids to dance on top of it. Make sure they have footwear to avoid splinters😉

[@angelaberni8873]

How utterly delightful to see such young children helping . City kids are far too long on their computers playing silly games. Your children are learning extremely important survival skills. Because one day those supermarkets WILL close !! Your children will never go hungry. Hats off to both of you !!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much! It's such a blessing to do this alongside them!

[@gotab012]

My grandmother stored carrot in sand. It is old-fashioned style. I love you videos.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! That's the way to do it. Thanks for watching!

[@dennismoore8351]

I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes normally. But when i want one, i want one. What you just put on the table makes me want one.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Ha! These are delicious!

[@do4699]

Growing up, my parents would take leftover plastic gallon bottles, wash, fill them with water and add them to our freezers. When there was a power outage, these large blocks of ice would buy us a couple more days before food in the the freezer started to thaw. We also would put a few in the fridge to keep the temperature in the fridge low and prevent the food from spoiling there too. The longest we ever lost power was 4 days. We never lost any food. However, I would be most concerned about your upright freezer as they loose the cold much faster.

[@dennisbentson823]

I’m sure you have generators for emergencies

[@do4699]

@dennisbentson823 We did have a generator but we never needed to use it for the fridge or freezer. In the 10 years that we lived in the mountains (in one of the last houses on the electrical grid) we only used the generator once. That was for Thanksgiving 1996, when an ice storm took out power to eastern Washington and north Idaho for a week. We hosted Thanksgiving for most of our friends that year since no one living in the city had electricity to cook for the holiday. At one point, our house had been off grid so it was pretty well set up to function without electricity. There was a wood burning furnace and stove. The range and oven were propane. We had our own propane tank. We also had hurricane lamps in every room. The only challenge when the power went out was water since our well pump ran on electricity. We kept jugs of drinking water for power outages and would fill the bathtub with water whenever storms started for washing up and flushing toilets. The only thing that we couldn't do when the power was out was shower. As no one has bathed in nearly a week, we were all pretty scruffy looking that Thanksgiving but everything else was easy.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's a good tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@mm5478]

Impressed by your level of organization and intrepidity. Well done. Be well.

[@Redmapleleaf113]

I was just going to mention the storage of onions far away from your potatoes when you mentioned it. I learned that lesson the hard way. You have an awesome lifestyle for your cute little family!

[@MJWINNER_Sketchbook999]

😮 so onions store AWAY from potatoes? THANKYOU

[@Redmapleleaf113]

@@MJWINNER_Sketchbook999 FAR away. A totally separate area.

[@karlteceno9390]

@@Redmapleleaf113because ? I store mine in my root cellar hanging the onions in net bags from the wall and the ceiling. The potatoes are in wire bins below them. I’ve been doing it for 10 years with no issues

[@Redmapleleaf113]

@@karlteceno9390 Because your potatoes will start to sprout a lot faster than they would being on their own because of the off gasing.

[@stuartroberts4544]

Onion gassing is so potent that it can rot rubber fridge seals and even damage fridge cooling fans and electric components, when in larger numbers

[@thehealinghomesteadkc]

We’ve had a hard time getting those plastic bins, but I decided this year I wouldn’t let it stop me. I just bought a bunch of rectangle laundry baskets in bulk. Works great in our root cellar!

[@Richard-p8i]

Or, use coffins to store your root vegetables!? Why not? It's going to be stored in the basement anyway next to the other coffins not containing vegetables!?

[@atlantapage1153]

great idea! The dollar tree has them too but they are weak so I double up. What the dollar tree ones are good for is protecting young plants from chickens and ducks etc. They have holes even in the bottom so light goes through very well.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Great idea!!

[@sylviadutoit4657]

I have so much respect for your heaed woek. Mama must be tired after having the little one on her back. You guys are such a inspiration to us. God richest blessings to your special family.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@sylviadutoit4657]

@FromScratchFarmstead you should be very proud of your preciouse family. God bless.

[@carolcassidy7700]

What good ideas. I never knew that about onions and potatoes being next to each other. Thanks for sharing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! ☺️

[@12pointlife51]

Pilgrims, you are doing well. Keep up the good work. Good to see you teaching your kids along the way!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you! ☺️

[@jessewatson8005]

Awesome way to live folks, we do the same with very little commercial foods. Your wonderful family! I support you and your hard work. Thank-you for sharing your experience and thoughts.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the encouragement!

[@oscar86456]

i am so happy to see all your kids actively helping your works in the farm. compare to most of the kids spending most of their vacant time in the gadgets. What a happy and abundant family you have, you have a lot of foods around you.

[@robertasmith7780]

🥰 even the children can do the bean in the pillow case trick 🤗 That was my first time seeing the corn Sheller machine ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Everyone helps :)

[@stephencameron1709]

Beautiful harvest!! Well done. All your hard work brought an abundant reward. Your family is such an encouragement and blessing to me. I’ve learned so much. Thank you! Val C ❤️🙏🏻

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much, Val for your continuous encouragement and support!

[@TieuPhiDailyLife]

So inspiring! Wishing everyone joy and motivation to embrace self-sufficiency 🌱🍎✨

[@bonne_vie]

I like how thorough and to the point you were. You have some lucky kids.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@ChristinaMoore79]

I think your use of the old doors as drying racks is clever, as well as the sheets for blocking light from the potatoes! I'm all for "use what you have" and upcycling!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! 🙌 We love that too!

[@erikjohansen1873]

We stored potatoes and carrots in the basement in the sand . Lasted for months without issues.

[@TitaGirleanu]

I was no happy with the sand because the sand still remain on the carrot indiferent haw much It was washed and you can feel it when you eat 😮

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@martharentfro6991]

Green houses often get a lot of those plastic bins with all of their bulbs and flower roots they order to start in late winter and early spring. One of our local green houses puts them out by the road and a friend of mine picked up a bunch of them for herself and me. They are really great for food storage.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Good to know! Thank you!

[@palazzolot]

The whole Bean process Was Pretty cool!

[@nannyrx54]

Love the last quote!

[@AndrewZelenka]

We found old commercial dishwasher trays for dirt cheap at a restaurant that was closing. Holds all of our potatoes, onions, ect. Love that they are stackable.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Genius!

[@Mythoughtonpoliticaltopics]

If everyone would do this its does not matter if you are in an apartment do something grow something. Please because its about to get worse, Please listen to this man .

[@pappydaddy7447]

Another dooms day profit. boring

[@caballefam]

Wowww, a lot of food for winter! We are using the same black crates you have and we got them all for free from the fruit/vegetable we shop before where we can get one or two to put what we bought. Then we kept them with the idea of using them when we start a garden. And woww, they're so useful for us now.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

They're the best!

[@hermanvandervoort4807]

Hard work well done guys!!!! Growing food is not for sissies,thank you God and Nature and Rain,well done guys.South Africa

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you! It's definitely worth it!

[@francesball188]

One with my morals too, or at least when i was able bodied. Hubby (Rip) was a stal2art up our allotment. Now i cannot do either, but take great pleasure in seeing others that follow our process. Favourites of my grandchildren Sweetcorm. Plus younger granchildren love little trees ie briccoli.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

❤️ Thanks for watching!

[@fetch33]

We purchased a 20kw generac generator 10 years ago. We have a 500-gallon propane tank that runs the generator, our propane fireplace, and our range. This has been a very good investment. We fill the tank every 2-3 years. In addition to geothermal, we use a wood burning insert for heat. We do have grid-tied solar, which helps with the energy costs of running our 4000 sq ft home and 5 freezers. Last months electricity bill was only $87! We have a Bluetti generator, which we can also use for emergency power. I really recommend having one of these solar battery banks at a minimum.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

This is SO helpful!! Thanks for sharing!

[@roseericson3828]

Those little sweet potatoes are great fried thin sliced

[@blablabla2616]

Best informative video on processing, curing and storeing ones home garden ever👍

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad it's helpful!!

[@melissan.2201]

13:33 to solve the garage fridge from freezing your cabbage and possibly thawing the freezer portion you may want to get a garage fridge heater kit. They run about $16. Really simple to install.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Kazacks9602]

I always look forward to your videos and could watch your family all day. I learn so much from you! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 🤍 from Australia

[@Birdiechik]

In aussie we can buy the collapsible food crates at bunnings for around $13 each

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! Thanks so much!

[@pamelagayle8854]

Your homegrown foods are amazing! I love how much your entire family gets involved in the process. Shelling beans is tedious, but the pillow case method made it a breeze.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So much easier!! Thanks for watching and your encouragement!

[@janetkoball44]

I just subscribed and enjoyed your video very much. I love families that work together and enjoy doing the work, as much as possible. Im already looking forward to your next one. Thanks

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching and subscribing! :)

[@blueraven2345]

You guys are amazing and have done so well. Very impressive, and thank you for sharing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the kind words!

[@lisamedla]

Shelling beans is classic Christmas activity in my country. We do it when dry but not with a pillowcase. My cousins and I used to flee on Christmas and boxing Day morning to avoid it. I'll remember to do that this year😂😂

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I love that this is a tradition for you on Christmas. Thanks for sharing!

[@christinehall238]

I used to use a pea/bean sheller that connected to my hand mixer. I could shell a bushel of beans in about 20 minutes. The best part of your video is that you work together.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Oh cool! I've never heard of a hand mixer that does that! Thanks for watching!

[@stepheniehertzfeld2523]

You n family creative such a beautiful fall harvest God bless u n family remind me of my childhood stay blessed young family❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@Sandra-hk8ks]

When all the hard work is done it feels so good to see the outcome of all your labor. So good for your children to become self sufficient one day. Good job.

[@RAM-db3ti]

Today the power never really goes out for days so I found if you freeze water in used plastic juice bottles and place them scattered though out your deep freezers you are good for 24 hours or longer without loosing the safe zone for sure then in the summer I use them for camping in the coolers and as extra drinking water as it melts.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's a great idea!

[@deborahlawing2728]

We never thought power would be out for days until 1993 when we had a blizzard ( unheard-of here in WNC) and of course then Hurricane Helene came through just about 6 weeks ago ( also unheard-of for this mountainous area) and some are still without power. Just saying, better safe than sorry. 😅

[@dennisbentson823]

What a ton of work ! It looks like all your hard work is paying off. With all the gardening and organizing. Good job

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Hard but good! :)

[@firsttimemommy3735]

Now that’s a great way to save money! A real grocery store in the basement, now that’s what I’m talking about. Great video! I hope to one day have a grocery store in my basement. :)

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes!! Such a fulfilling way to live! Thanks for watching!

[@Bee-n8e]

Other tip on cool box is pile vent for bringing in air if needed add a fan 4-6” pile to 2-3” out to house

[@boa1793]

I’m so impressed and so grateful. Thank you for sharing SO much information. Some wonderful tips.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad this was helpful!

[@ohmfly]

I love preserving my harvest. Cheers to many more bountiful harvests!!

[@Susan-n3o3e]

I really enjoyed your video that sure is a lot of food for your family. You’re so blessed.❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We are so grateful! Glad you enjoyed this video!

[@BFCQ]

Im so happy for this beautiful family. One day my family will get to do this. This year we just did tomatoes and mint.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome!! Yes! A little bit over time adds up to a lot!! 🙌

[@annamccosker7878]

That's incredible! You guys are very blessed . That's a tremendous amount of hard work... I know for sure bc here in NW Florida I have struggled to get the garden to produce much. We have such high pressure of pests here and I think the soil we bought was contaminated. Here's hoping and praying for a successful next year🙏🙏🙏

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We are so grateful! There are some not so glamorous things about where we are but it's a great place to grow food. Praying you are able to find some solutions and have a successful growing season!

[@joeeigo9820]

Very informative. Great to see a family working together. You are very diligent!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@mireksip180]

Loved this video!!! So helpful to us! You are an awesome family!!!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad this was helpful for you!!

[@Biggdaddy903]

Mom and granny would put the dried unhulled beans in the pillow case lay it on the walk path and whack it with a small dowel rod. Stir and whack, stir and whack. It works great for beans and peas. Then the winnowing was done with a big old box fan just as you did in the video.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love these stories!

[@ajuzzisurabaya7679]

❤ God is good all the time

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

❤️🙌

[@deborahlawing2728]

And all the time God is good. 😊

[@Minidailyliving]

I am so inspired to create a homestead one day because of you guys ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yay!! 🙌

[@auntiepam5649]

You had a wonderful harvest! Congratulations

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks!

[@carolwhisenhunt7504]

So proud for your vast harvest. It was great. I don't have a basement but I've created a space for food storage. It's dark and cool. I am thankful for it. Ty for sharing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That's awesome - it's all you need!

[@ladyjinyxx]

Storage crates: as a former retail associate these totes come straight from industrial farmers on pallets. They are shipped in and the stores ship them back so getting them from grocery stores will be difficult because most aren't allowed to give them or sell them because usually they are under contract. You'll have to search for them from where the distributor gets them. You can probably find the company from the pallet label itself at any produce department in Walmart. Just a trail for anyone to follow if they want.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!

[@calh]

So much effort represented in this video! Very impressive, well done.

[@happyhobbit8450]

Garage sale -- that's my go-to for launching big clean ups. Even if you don't sell anything at your garage sale you've gone through the process of sorting and deciding ... once you've decided where it goes don't put it back. The worse thing you can do is just 'shift shit'. To clear all year long you should have a box near your exit that you put stuff that you've decided goes.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! It was just the motivation we needed :).

[@ritakennedy8582]

You are so blessed with your family and all the food harvesting and storing in your basement. ❤🙏🙏🙏

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We are so grateful! ❤️

[@ChrisCalmtheCrazy]

We have experience with the following generators, Champion, Firman, Generac, and Honda generators. The Firman and Generac dual fuel generators have lasted longer and seem to be more reliable with less repairs. Absolute must is to get a dual fuel generator. We had a gas and propane generator running at someone's house and the propane generator used less propane per dollar spent than the gas. It also gives you options in case you don't have one type of fuel in a pinch. We also have a Honda EU2200 inverter generator that I highly recommend (we also have a Craftsman but the Honda uses less gas and is quieter). We use this for different purposes like backwoods camping, woodcutting off location, construction with no electricity, etc. It is portable and lighter but very useful. I can't imagine a homestead without a generator. If you can't get both, get the dual fuel generator.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!! This is very helpful!

[@Nevernowaynope]

I'm impressed and amazed. Wow. Next year plan for 20, not 10, days in Hawaii. You absolutely, positively deserve it!

[@pattymankowski5375]

Fantastic harvest.🌽🌽🌽

[@doroschmidt973]

I very much enjoyed watching your video, it's wonderful to see how people around the world get back to taking care of their own food instead of walking to the supermarket for everything. One thing though, what are you doing with the swiss chard, only ripping off the leaves?? You can cut it at the bottom and eat the whole wonderfully coloured stem as well!! In my opinion that's the best part, because it makes the food so beautiful! It reminds me when I got to the UK and saw people are not using the green part of leek, because they thought it's no good to eat, what a waste, it just needs a little longer to be cooked, thats it...

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! Our chard was a little past its peak so the stems were a little mealy looking to me but you're right, it's a great thing to include! Thanks for watching!

[@ashpash701]

I found my black crates like yours at my local nursery, selling them cheap after getting their bulbs delivered in them. A great off grid solution for freezer backup is solar with battery backup. We have a generac battery bank that kicks on when we lose power and they charge back up off the Sun or grid! (Whenever a storm is coming in it changes to power outage mode and automatically makes sure the battery bank is fully charged and ready). We have a loan on our solar system, but Simplylivingalaska YT has DIY solar videos

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@pammaddox4947]

Azure & Gamma Seal Lids are the Best! We have ordered from Azure for almost 25yrs. The Gamma seal lids I use for everything. Even my buckets of Chicken Feed. Tons of Great info in this video. Love seeing the kids involved. ❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

We've been loving them! Thanks for sharing that!

[@thewitchykitchen]

You are lucky that you have a root cellar. Here in Southern California we don’t . My food storage area usually run between 65 and 70 degrees. This means that we have to process all of our crops. We do have a few crops we can save fresh, like alums, but most need to be processed. This year we grew 800 pounds of squash and pumpkins. We are processing them by either canning, freezing or freeze drying. It’s also very dry here, so things like carrots dry out within a day. Since we get very little frost, I store all of my carrots in the soil they are growing in. If I have too many I can them or freeze dry. This doesn’t mean that we don’t get any fresh foods during winter. We can grow food all year round, so there are always fresh produce to add to our meals. Right now we are prepping our gardens for cold season crops. The crops were started indoors a month ago, and are now ready to be transplanted.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@emmaw5133]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and others knowledge that have worked for you. Much appreciated.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're very welcome!

[@heidi2810]

As to your question as to whether a generator is worth it. I have been off grid for a number of years. And yes a generator is the investment. I have a Honda EU3000. When the solar panels don't receive enough sun, as is the case during winter, batteries can be charged via the generator.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!

[@betterlivingonabudget]

I really enjoyed this video! Thanks for sharing your families homestead and all of your efforts to grow and store food, and for the inspo to make the most of what we have! ❤💚💛

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad you found this video helpful! Thanks for the encouragement! ❤️

[@ColleenH38]

We have several freezers, and two refrigerators. They are always filled to the brim. We also lose power often. I would never store that much food without having our whole house backup generator. We also live in the Deep South. The heat and humidity is unbearable. We had a Briggs and Stratton generator installed that runs off natural gas. Because it is on one end of the house and the power box is on the other, it cost more to have installed. Five years ago, we paid $8,800.00 for the generator and installation. Worth every dollar!

[@CH-hm8ud]

Is your generator is automatic? I am in Central Florida, I still garden for my husband and I, even though I bring tons of stuff to my kids when I visit. We installed a generator directly to the electric box, we use the gallons propane, just in case of hurricane. We did the water pump too, both were best thing we could do.

[@ColleenH38]

@@CH-hm8ud Our generator is connected directly to natural gas. When we lose power, the generator turns on automatically in about 15 seconds and has the entire house running like normal until power is restored. We don't have to do anything whatsoever. AC/Heat, dishwasher, washer/dryer, all appliances, etc are on just like normal. It is one of the best investments we have made for our home.

[@claudialusardi9928]

Now price is about 25K plus..

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!

[@bonitahobbs2374]

Wonderful!!! We were raised on a farm and my granddad used to run a tractor over the sweet potato patch with maybe a harr. plow. I think it was called.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love it! :)

[@janetjohnson998]

Dual fuel generators are great. Gas and propane. Propane stores for ever without degrading and gas will last several months with an additive. You would only need to run it for a couple of hours a day to keep the freezers frozen. You could make a critical load panel that has freezers, some lights, fridges and the furnace and well. Add up the watts and then get one that can run all of the essentials or part of them at a time. Most likely a 4kw would work. When the electricity goes off you can power your critical loads. We have solar and batteries as well so we are never out.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing!

[@cindyq52700]

Doing choirs with the family is a blessing to watch, one suggestion I did like the pillow case to save beans could seal the end with a rubber band and rub the outside to separate the beans from the chaff! Great job growing your own I love growing our own food I have grown butternuts squash but your harvest was amazing great job, roasting in the toaster oven with butter salt pepper and a little garlic powder is how we like it !

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the tip on the beans! That's how we like to do our butternut squash too - so yummy!

[@Richard-p8i]

Install a dumbwaiter between the 1st floor kitchen and the basement.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That would be awesome!

[@stephaniemcgreevy4114]

Try solar panels and a solar type generator. I have a bluetti. Then you can produce your own electricity. I am living in an RV and have an old gas generator but have not needed to use it once since installing my solar system. And get use Chins Batteries. They last 10 years and out perform AGM’s . I love what your doing. I also love that your husband and you are on same page and work together. What a blessing and a huge reason to be grateful everyday. I had a garden in Englewood Colorado and kept bees as well. I used companion planting methods that worked very well. No need for pesticides. But i had to do everything all by myself when home from work. My Former partner helped by giving away a lot of my veggies while i was away working, so there would be less work to do 😢😢😢. I was not happy the many times this happened. Borage is a great herb that greatly helped my Tomatoes grow with out pests and my bees loved it as well. Best of luck with your future growing. Horseradish, planted near potatoes is an excellent protector.

[@krystlebreton3335]

Do you find that your sweet potatoes are actually sweet, without putting them through a warm curing process before putting them away for long-term storage?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

These are very sweet but curing around 80-85 degrees would be ideal!

[@RoseanneEverett]

We step and walk around on the pillowcase. Prevents splitting the beans. Great video.

[@phillippinter7518]

How many pounds of dry beans and corn is that 3 and 5 gallons? And how much space did it take to grow them? I eat about 60lb of dry beans a year by myself (cooks into around 300lb), even more corn (grain corn), so i figure it would take a lot more to cover just myself.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It sounds like you'd need more than this. This was just from 1 -150' row. We like to get them in bulk from Azure Standard too.

[@lcwathome821]

Beautiful family! BEAUTIFUL storage too! Blessings on u all!❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@susie6315]

I saw a video of someone in Ukraine and they stored their potatoes in burlap sacks in a shed. Have you heard of it? They stored their carrots in a box of sand also in their shed.. I'm afraid to store in the shed because it gets so cold here in zone 6b.

[@ChrisCalmtheCrazy]

We used to store our potatoes in burlap sacks (father-in-law did his whole life) and put the bags in this huge wooden bin that looked like a coffin. He never seemed to have issues. I store them in bins like she has and prefer it so I can lug them from the lauder to the kitchen as needed. Also, the sacks are heavy and I don't need all of those at once.

[@goatkidmom]

I live in the same zone. I use the shed for drying in July -Aug. Then storage Sept. - Dec. I bring everything into the house right after Christmas. Except beans. They can stay out. This allows us to eat through some of it & have a clean house through the holiday feasting and sharing. Then it all comes into the house and we use the rest until spring. We usually only heat the house to around 58-62 to save energy, so it works.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

It would get too cold here in the winter too to store things without a heat source. You can definitely store carrots in sand long term. Thanks for watching!

[@Biggdaddy903]

The corn silks make really good tea and can be ground and used in your favorite food it lends a pleasant earthy flavor and sweetness and the tea is good for an anti inflammatory.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Interesting! We should try that. Thanks for sharing!