In my last post I asked for topics you would like to see addressed, and I’ll try to answer all of them (and any others you think of) in the coming month. Here’s one to start with.
Question: What are some simple ways to save money and help the environment?
The first thing that comes to mind is raising greens. A huge volume of lettuce, kale, arugula, etc. can be grown in a small space, particularly compared to the land required to grow a significant amount of root vegetables. I also notice more of a quality difference between homegrown greens and storebought than any other vegetables save squash, and they are often among the most over packaged items.
Another thought is that chest freezers are wonderful if you have the room for one. Seasonal production, whether from your own garden or a local farmer, will provide a bounty of a given item at some points of the year and a dearth at others. We always freeze the meat when we butcher an animal, but this is the first year I’ve frozen a bunch of kale and green beans, and now I wish I’d started years ago. Of course, for a chest freezer to actually be a net money saver in the long term, you do need to take the time to put up produce and meat, whether that means buying from a farmer or the store when they’re available for a good price, or growing them yourself.