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

[@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!

[@robertsparling]

@@atlantapage1153 You know, it is a lot of work, but it isn't all that hard.

[@TT_refugee_GmaJenn]

once you get things going, it's not even that hard

[@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.

[@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.😢

[@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.

[@deanyanko3326]

The kids of today will invent robots to do every thing until one day they;ll be the slaves of the robots and its A.I.god. Drones everywhere eyes in the sky.

[@liannebedard5521]

They will still need veggies to preserve…

[@ellag8068]

No practical skills are tight in any schools any longer to keep society reliant on the system. These folks are wonderful for sharing their knowledge!

[@liannebedard5521]

@@kallasusort2986 Find a homey church group…Mormon ladies should be ideal…and ASK who is their expert. Cooking…I taught myself in the dark ages, using a Betty Crocker cookbook. Go online and start simple…eggs, toast. How to cook rice… Time, patience, attention to detail. Start with baking powder biscuits…flour, baking powder, butter, salt, milk, a biscuit pan…it has little cups… And clean up your own messes.

[@ChaamGamer]

I dunno why but watching people farming is so relaxing

[@sifisokaula1870]

This young couple are example of proper productive living

[@fredlooper3686]

Let's not unpack that lmao

[@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

[@AideTsukino]

"some people buy lottery tickets, i plant potatos" i loved that quote ❤. It is so real, because doing that, you are not playin with luck to see if you can win something, you are actively working to get something ❤❤❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes!! 🙌

[@diane7105]

And teaching their kids how to work and be responsible. Their kids will be grateful once they have their own families.

[@barbarawarren9443]

This is the most realistic, educational, inspirational, down-to-earth gardening, prepping and food storage video I've ever seen! ❤

[@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! :)

[@elessartelcontar9415]

Near the end of WWII, it was common in Germany for the farmers to trade a bushel of food for 5 pounds of gold. This was because the city people were fleeing the vicious fighting in Germany's city. They were starving and couldn't eat their gold or silver rendering them worthless so they traded gold and silver for food. This could happen again very easily; there could be huge locusts swarms eating the crops in the fields, or drought that causes tens of thousands of square miles of near harvest time corn that is all brown paper bag in color and shriveled. None of it was salvageable. Or, conversely, too much rain that drowns and destroys most crops by rotting them in the ground and that much water often causes complete loss of a crop on a huge farm due to numerous molds. Or, plant infestations like what farmers call "rust" or "blight", some of these happen all over the US. Or, an adversary deliberately causing our crops to die nation wide. Or, that adversary could contaminate water reservoirs making them toxic and causing death in less than 15 minutes after you drink water. Thinking that's not plausible? It's happened irl. The Nakam (Hebrew meaning 'revenge') was a paramilitary organization of about fifty Holocaust survivors who, after 1945, sought revenge for the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. Led by Abba Kovner, the group sought to kill six million Germans in a form of indiscriminate revenge, "a nation for a nation". Kovner went to Mandatory Palestine in order to secure large quantities of poison for poisoning water mains to kill large numbers of Germans. His followers infiltrated the water system of Nuremberg. However, Kovner was arrested upon arrival in the British zone of occupied Germany and had to throw the poison overboard. It was only good luck that stopped him from killing millions of Germans. I guarantee you that there are Russian, Chinese, Iranian and North Korean sleeper cells in the US waiting for a command to poison our water reservoirs at the beginning of WWIII. Our water reservoir protection is very limited with few on location security guards watching our water supply. The water is tested fairly often but those tests only monitor for pathogenic viruses, amoebaes, paramecium, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites, helminths, and worms but not radiation or chemical toxins. We do have a small group of government employees that are in charge of CISP, Critical InfraStructure Protection.

[@resourcefulgirl]

@@elessartelcontar9415 Okay, interesting comment. I'm actually familiar with much of this. My father was from Hamburg so I studied German history. So regarding the water supply, this is very vulnerable. I think everyone knows that a hacker can change the level of chemicals used for disinfecting the water leading to mass poisoning. I think it is prudent to be independent from all infrastructure. That doesn't happen over night but everyone should try to the best of their ability. Pre-storage of months of water or having an RO system that you can operate if there's a grid down scenario. Meaning, alternate energy sources or being capable of distillation. Guess we will see what happens. It's literally in God's hands. Wishing you well whether the dangers escalate or deescalate.

[@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.

[@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!

[@szymi97]

How are you so sure. My grandparents had a homestead and all but one kid hated this way of life and desperately wanted to live in the city. So, I guess it's wehatever we have not which is what we apporeciate the most. Until you're 45 and finally realised that your parents' farm was actually a good idea.

[@diane7105]

@@szymi97so true. My parents had greenhouses and fields to grow things in the summer months. I enjoyed it as a child but as a teenager I really wanted nothing to do with it. Then I grew up, started a family and realized how much I missed country living. It was too late for mom and dad’s place as they sold and downsized. I never got back to country living but I hope retirement will let me do this.

[@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!

[@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!!

[@Windriverswalker]

Thank you!!!!!

[@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.

[@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. ❤

[@ChileExpatFamily]

@@journeywithnichole Same to you. Jim

[@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!

[@Sketchbook9999]

😮 so onions store AWAY from potatoes? THANKYOU

[@Redmapleleaf113]

@@Sketchbook9999 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

[@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.

[@deanyanko3326]

them voles will be eating good all winter.

[@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!

[@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!

[@ChloeLukich]

You all are a DREAM TEAM!!! Your children are sooo lucky to have you both as their parents ❤️

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! Thanks so much for the encouragement! We are so grateful!

[@bdoll1012]

The security of knowing how your food is raised/grown is priceless!

[@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!

[@denisewhite6237]

Agree!!!

[@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!

[@jannicegreenway1666]

Change your children's minds...let them know what it's like to be without food❤

[@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!!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@deanyanko3326]

I didn.t know fully ripened potatoes to go green must have been green picked.

[@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!

[@deanyanko3326]

saves money on buying ice for the cooler too.

[@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!

[@Llyrianna]

Shelling beans is one of my favourite childhood memories and you have children to help with it! Put them in a potato sack or a pillowcase like you did and let your kids jump on them (slippers prefered to outdoor shoes I guess :D) ! Me and my sister always had a blast doing it!

[@SeepreeAiyer-z6t]

I can watch you guys forever. It is not your farming that is beautiful to watch. It is how you both work as a couple that, makes your video a delight to watch. 😊❤

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Aw! Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@mm5478]

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

[@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.

[@lorigi671]

Little tip for the bean shelling, I give all kids a pillow case and put a hand full or two of beans, And pretend we’re hand washing clothes and that helps too 😁

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Love that! Thanks for sharing!

[@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!

[@elissahoran1130]

Awesome job and great video. You are Blessed 🙌 !!!!!!!!!!! You did a great job with the teamwork. Not the milk crates, but the black plastic storage bins can be found around dumpsters where they sell produce most times. Spices and fruit come in the small ones and the larger rectangle ones usually hold the bigger vegetables. I use them for everything. They are the best for storing anything, since most of them lock together and can be stacked together. They also are a great size for most storage racks.

[@carolcassidy7700]

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

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You're welcome!! ☺️

[@deanyanko3326]

A patch of walking onions you'll never run out they come back every year with fresh green onions

[@karenvancamp5364]

My mother grew up during the depression... this was my way of life griwing up.. we had a small farm..and a large garden she canned and froze everything.

[@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!

[@DadBooom]

This is super impressive. The best part, to me anyways, is seeing how involved the whole family is

[@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 :)

[@MyWittsend3]

Blessed 🙌 ❤🙏 MuchLove Canada🤗♥️

[@TieuPhiDailyLife]

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

[@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

[@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!

[@cruciferousvegetable]

Wow, nice video. I grew a quarter acre garden for seven years in a row. Storing and preserving is key knowledge. The garden forced me to learn so much about storage. Now that Im away from the garden im still working on brining, fermenting and charcuterie. This knowledge has changed how I buy when I cant grow. When I get my farm, I will pick up where I left off. Thanks for sharing.

[@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!

[@deanyanko3326]

some processing plants have plastic barrels, 5 gal pails ,and large square utility tanks to get rid of.

[@joelaroche7667]

What a wonderful family you have! It’s so nice to see how you all function so well together! It’s pretty rare to see such a family as yours! Congratulations!

[@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!

[@BlueSkyPlantation]

Love the sustainable and simple homesteading approach!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@hillarylacy6824]

If you want to grow sweet corn, try growing stalls evergreen it’s a shoepeg corn kernel they always produce. You have more rose of corn on the cob and it’s succulent and delicious and it freezes as well cans well and also makes corn relish well.

[@hillarylacy6824]

If you want to grow sweet corn, try growing stalls evergreen it’s a shoepeg corn kernel they always produce. You have more rose of corn on the cob and it’s succulent and delicious and it freezes as well cans well and also makes corn relish well.

[@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!

[@CPerry-bu1ni]

Epic job with the beans around the 20 minute mark. Love your youngest child just pottering around doing her own thing in cheerful oblivion 🤣 Great video - so many useful food storage tips here. Thank you so so much for documenting this 💕

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!!

[@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!

[@elyria649]

I had to check the speed of the video I thought for sure it was slowed down 😅 it wasn’t so I sped it up lol. That’s a very very impressive amount of food you have there, especially for only having the land for four years! Really amazing!

[@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!

[@blainemcknight7160]

Yo! Y’all just became my new favorite informative small-homestead…..you gotta grocery store forming in your basement! Great work!

[@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!

[@kathleenturley1561]

Hi Guys....new viewer.........you are very fortunate indeed to have available the resources you have to be able to grow your food and store it in your basement. I am soooo jealous. You may want to invest in a freezer dryer to help preserve your food for future use. I bought one and it has been the best investment. Seeing all your beautiful meat in your freezer...I hope you have a backup so you won't lose it in a loss of electricity. Good job! You on the right track

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much!! Yes, I agree that a freeze dryer would probably be an great investment for us! Thanks for watching! :)

[@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!

[@aliceschmid9697]

I prefer sawdust.

[@HalleyBylin]

I love your family and how the kids are so interactive with the harvesting process! Excellent tips.

[@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! :)

[@patrickclark9909]

We have two small Honda inverters. EU2200 & EU3000is. They are both powered by gasoline. I only use recreational fuel. Which means no alcohol in the fuel. I recently I have converted these to propane. Propane doesn’t spoil like gasoline. If the gasoline is left the generator it will cause carburetor problems. Believe me it will with stabilizer or not. Doing these conversions enable us to use either fuel with no problems. I am now in the process of working towards being able to draw propane directly from our large propane tank. Currently I am using the 20 & 30 pound propane cylinders . Think seriously about us propane as your generator fuel. Really enjoy your families videos.

[@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!

[@robinsnestfarm7322]

I LOVE this video! Beautiful family! Amazing garden and harvest! Blessings from Missouri-💕

[@nannyrx54]

Love the last quote!

[@johnmalatesta751]

Wow , really proud of people like this.🎉

[@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!

[@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!

[@roseericson3828]

Those little sweet potatoes are great fried thin sliced

[@v-for-virgo3387]

Nice, I love the fact that the kids are enjoying being involved and learned at their young age the hardest part of life, which is hard work 👍👏👏

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks so much!!

[@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!

[@RoshanThapa-r2v]

First of all, I really wanna thank you guys for such valuable content.😊 this is a family I want.. thanks for the example.

[@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. 😅

[@vetgirl71]

This is such a great informative & educational video! You guys are doing an amazing job! So much hard work and an efficient process , well worth it for fresh veggies to put on the table! Your children will cherish the memories that they are enjoying harvesting and prepping the storage! Best of all, you don’t have to buy any vegetables from the market and are self sufficient! Thanks for sharing this awesome video! Greetings from New York! 👋🏽😃❤️💕

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad this was helpful! Thanks so much for the kind words and for watching!

[@palazzolot]

The whole Bean process Was Pretty cool!

[@bonne_vie]

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

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thank you!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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! :)

[@blablabla2616]

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

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad it's helpful!!

[@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!

[@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!

[@lenitabruno5736]

Hello! Beautiful harvest! Love your storage area. Yeah for the harvest dance.💗💗💗

[@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!

[@deanyanko3326]

I tried freezing sweet corn in the husk remove husk before cooking the husk flavor lingers the corn is fine even froze fresh sliced tomatoes for soups stews and sauces, salsa's

[@thanoscube8573]

Wow! This is super smart food. I've only started my own tiny little garden infront of my door this past season. really inspiring and wholesome! It's super commendable that your family does this.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad you enjoyed this! It's a labor or love and such a fulfilling way to live.

[@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!

[@jaylilburn391]

Miss living on a farm. Miss my food and water security. Looks amazing and respect for the amount of work into that much food. Also love the unpolished production and straightforward presentation. No pretense or hype to try to make it more than it is. 😊

[@auntiepam5649]

You had a wonderful harvest! Congratulations

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks!

[@augustasimone9323]

I feel better watching your basement as I too have boxes that need sorting . I love all the progress you both made !

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Real life!! Thanks for the encouragement and for watching!

[@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!

[@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.

[@savannahdix7480]

I know those black crates as "bulb crates" used to ship bulbs from the netherlands etc. Garden centers often have them!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! Thanks for sharing. Nursery's are a great place to look!

[@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!

[@boa1793]

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

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

So glad this was helpful!

[@what.homeclips]

What a great video!! Thanks. Yes we have an off-grid-capable generator!! We bought an EV! A KIA Niro. We were finally faced with having to replace our old gas vehicle, and decided to go with an EV both to save on gas, as well as to have a means of running our essential electric devices in extended outages (we live on the west coast and do get outages a few times a year, often for a few days). Before a storm comes, we make sure the car is charged, and then if the power goes out we can run our fridge, freezer, and other essentials off the car. We only require one freezer for meat and fruits (those that I want to use in smoothies, pies or ice creams, later) because we're a family of two, now that our kids moved out. But I wanted to mention that, at least here in a cold storage space, we can store a lot of things like apples, carrots, beets, etc. just open on shelves as well. Or n burlap bags that I hang from the ceiling (more difficult for checking for spoilage though). And of course I do can a lot of things if they seem to be heading for spoiling faster than we eat them.