My Experience with Survival

For several years of my life, I was in survival mode. I didn’t do this because I couldn’t afford to buy food at the grocery store. I did it because I could. I enjoyed growing my own food and taking advantage of gathering and harvesting nature’s bounty. It gave me a deep feeling of accomplishment and security whenever I saw all my home-canned goods lined up neatly on their shelves and knowing that my freezers were full of meats, game, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

We kept pigs, beef cattle, goats, turkeys, and chickens, so we always had meat and eggs available. We also hunted for deer, quail, woodcock, doves, ducks, geese, rabbits, raccoons, and wild pigs. We also fished, crabbed, and netted shrimp. Sometimes we picked our own oysters and dug our own clams, too.

We had some fruit trees, but I also took advantage of wild fruits, including blackberries, blueberries, and mayhaws. I also gathered nuts and put them in the freezer.

We had our own milk cows, so we had fresh milk and cream. Sometimes I made my own butter and whipped cream.

I don’t do most of these things now because I can’t. For one thing, my health won’t permit it, and for another, I no longer have the land I once did. I can still share my knowledge and experience with you. Actually, I’m still into survival – it’s just taken on a different form. Now I find deals and buy in bulk and store the foods and other items in the barn or in my survival closets.

What I grew in my huge garden

Acorn squash

Bell peppers (all colors)

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Butter beans

Butternut squash

Cabbage

Cantaloupe

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cherry tomatoes

Corn

Cream forty peas

Cucumbers (slicing and pickling varieties)

Eggplant

English peas

Field peas (several varieties)

Ford hooks

Green beans

Herbs

Hot peppers (several varieties)

Lettuce (several varieties)

Mustard greens

Okra

Onions

Pattypan squash

Peanuts

Plum tomatoes

Pole beans

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Strawberries

Sweet potatoes

Sunflowers

Tomatoes (numerous varieties)

Turnips

Watermelons

White acre peas

Yellow squash (two varieties)

Zipper peas

Zucchini

Frozen meats and poultry

Beef

Pork

Chicken

Goat

Turkey

Wild game

Frozen venison

Venison jerky

Frozen quail

Frozen doves

Frozen rabbit

Frozen duck

 Frozen fish and seafood

Shrimp

Crabmeat

Bass

Bream

Catfish

Flounder

Trout

Whiting

Redfish

Canned vegetables

Green beans

Tomatoes

Carrots

pumpkin

Frozen vegetables

Whole kernel corn

Creamed corn

 Corn-on-the-cob

Yellow squash

Tomatoes

Okra

Butter beans

Ford hooks

Garden peas

Field peas

Butter peas

Diced onions

 Diced bell peppers

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Winter squash

Frozen fruits

Blueberries

Blackberries

Strawberries

Peaches

Jams, jellies, and preserves

Apple jelly

Blueberry jam

Blackberry jelly

Peach jam

Pear preserves

Plum jelly

Mayhaw jelly

Pepper jelly

Scuppernong jelly

Strawberry jam

Watermelon rind preserves

Fig preserves

Pickles and relishes

Chow chow

Whole dill pickles

Dill pickle slices

Onion relish

Green tomato pickles

Bread and butter pickles

Cucumber lime pickles

Pickled okra

Pickled eggs

Pepper relish

Pickled peaches

Pear relish

Squash pickles

Watermelon rind pickles

Zucchini pickles

Other

We also grew our own sugar cane for syrup. The syrup making was done in the fall.

I froze bags of shelled pecans.

I froze bags of boiled peanuts.

I parched and fried peanuts for snacks.

I toasted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

I usually grew a row of popcorn in my garden.

We kept honey bees.

We stored potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions.

I made my own sourdough bread.