[Imat]

Wow Bydand!! That is alot of fruit and veggies avail... I never knew that! Thank you so much for sharing... I can see all our free time will be out picking and enjoying nature, fruit and foods... if not cooking and canning. :-)

Needingmore - Um, still not sure... I am praying the plans will solidify soon... hopefully in the next 3 - 4 wks.

Thanks~

[bluebird39]

Here's another link for farms and local markets:

Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food

I took my kids every week to a local farm where we spent a few hours picking fruit mostly. Then they helped me prepare and preserve it. We have some incredible orchards and berry patches up here :-). We have 2 freezers, and by the time fall came around, they were stuffed with the freshest frozen fruit you'd ever get! I also canned lots of tomatoes that people GAVE me, applesauce, pickled green beans, etc.. We also joined a "CSA" and got tons of fresh produce that way. I'm not sure I'd do that again though... too much of certain items, not enough of others...

As to costs, yes, 3000 can be tight, but we live in a very rural area where houses are incredibly cheap, so our mortgage is much less than most folks, plus we cut our own wood (you can get a permit for 5 cords of firewood for 20 bucks from the state or forest service), and use it to heat our house. I also hang up all of the clothes to dry on a line, or inside on a rack by the woodstove. We have a well, so pay nothing for the water or sewage. Our cars are all paid for, and we have no debt other than the house. We have DSL for 30 a month, and the 25 TV package (we can't even get TV up here with an antenna. Satellite or no TV are our only options). So, it's totally doable. As mentioned though, health care is one of our biggest expense, and that's been a real thorn in our side!

Don't they have u-pick farms in New York (when you lived there)?

[Imat]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

Here's another link for farms and local markets:

Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food

I took my kids every week to a local farm where we spent a few hours picking fruit mostly. Then they helped me prepare and preserve it. We have some incredible orchards and berry patches up here :-). We have 2 freezers, and by the time fall came around, they were stuffed with the freshest frozen fruit you'd ever get! I also canned lots of tomatoes that people GAVE me, applesauce, pickled green beans, etc.. We also joined a "CSA" and got tons of fresh produce that way. I'm not sure I'd do that again though... too much of certain items, not enough of others...

As to costs, yes, 3000 can be tight, but we live in a very rural area where houses are incredibly cheap, so our mortgage is much less than most folks, plus we cut our own wood (you can get a permit for 5 cords of firewood for 20 bucks from the state or forest service), and use it to heat our house. I also hang up all of the clothes to dry on a line, or inside on a rack by the woodstove. We have a well, so pay nothing for the water or sewage. Our cars are all paid for, and we have no debt other than the house. We have DSL for 30 a month, and the 25 TV package (we can't even get TV up here with an antenna. Satellite or no TV are our only options). So, it's totally doable. As mentioned though, health care is one of our biggest expense, and that's been a real thorn in our side!

Don't they have u-pick farms in New York (when you lived there)?

I dunno - Not really... as I remember. Perhaps my folks weren't really into it...

What is a CSA?

I sounds like I need to plan on getting 2 freezers.

[bluebird39]

Hi there,

I CSA stands for "community supported agriculture", where people buy a "share" of a farm. You pay up front at the beginning of the season, and then get a box of fresh seasonal vegetables from the farm each week. We went to the farm each week to get ours, but some will deliver.

Oh, and our freezers are both very small... one 5 cubic foot one, and an extra fridge/freezer combo in the garage. But had all of the frozen fruits and veggies eaten by January, so we want to get a bigger one....

Becky

[Imat]

Thank you Becky!
All the fruit and prepping sounds lovely! (And makes me hungry... )
You all will have to share tips and recipes for canning and storing fruit and veggies...

:-D

[Bydand]

Juse re-reading through the thread and saw a couple of things I either missed the first time through, or forgot while answering other questions.

Yes I have seen both ways when it comes to housing with some Churches offering temp housing and others that do not. I personally don't like moving at all (even though I am VERY good at it and have done it a LOT) and so the temp housing is a pain for me. If it is a long distance move though, it can be tremendously helpful so you can actually LOOK at the area and figure out better where you want to be for the long haul. If that is not an option in the area you are looking at, then I am sure a member of the Church would be willing to put feet to pavement and find a nice rental for you instead of buying right away.

Niles, Flint, or Detroit areas? Personally I would go for the Niles area. Less crowded and closer to Lake Michigan . Plus it puts you right into a great ag area which is great for growing and/or buying fresh fruits and veggies. While Flint and Detroit both have their solid good points, they also have some very real negative points as well (The same can be said for any area really.) Both Flint and Detroit have some very rough areas and that would be one aspect I would look at VERY closely when it comes time to make a final choice. I really like the Niles/Buchanan/Galien/Three Oaks areas. Farming, smaller population, and a very short drive to some very big cities without having to deal with the hassles day-to-day if you don't want to. Chicago is a VERY short trip and has everything a person could want in a day trip (or afternoon trip even).

Snow wise, no place along the bottom of the state really gets that much snow. And what they do get generally doesn't stay around a long time. Compared to Africa, it will look like Antarctica, but compared to upper and western New York state it will be a breeze. I believe any of those places are under 75" of snow in an average year.