Gotta love perpetuation when it comes to food....

I was thinking about my food storage the other day, and wondering how long what I have will last, and what I really know how to make with the basic staples, and just how much variety I really have planned out when it comes to meals, among other things. Then I had a discussion with a preparedness expert I know, and when I mentioned that none of it would last forever (ok, I was really thinking about convenient things like, oh, canned meat) was reminded that I'll be able to grow things in the garden with seeds we've put aside. And that really does give me hope.

Then today, I got my hands on some literature that gives information about gardening classes and a community garden that was headed, "Want to grow your own backyard garden but don't have a backyard?", immediately followed by "Come to the Idaho Falls Community Gardens". So I called the number listed to see if there would be any objection to advertising their info on this blog (as I figured, there was no problem) and found out that there are actually 3 community gardens in Idaho Falls. Gardeners' registration is not until April 10, 2010, but between now and then there are numerous free classes, like "Basics of Vegetable Gardening in Southeastern Idaho", and "Get Growing: Starting and Growing Seedlings Indoors". The full list can be found here. You can access the main menu here.

I realize that many people already have room for gardening, but they may be interested in the classes offered. Others may have the expertise in gardening, but no room to put that expertise to use. And there may be others who are interested in the whole package of information and garden plot. Whatever the case, the information is there if you are interested in learning to garden, or simply in improving your gardening skills.

If there are other community gardens that you know of in other areas of Idaho, please let me know, and I will post the information. If you are in another state, I would venture to guess that the moderators of your state site would love to receive any information on gardening and community gardens that you are willing to share.

Well, back to my discussion on meat and food storage. Unfortunately, chickens are still not legal where I live. But in a weird twist, when I got the mail today I found an advertisement for a free trial issue for "Backyard Poultry", addressed to me personally. I could wonder how my interest in raising chickens got past this blog and on to someone's mailing list--or I could just wonder if people really hug their chickens, as it asks, "Have you hugged your chicken today?" above my name and address. I would have a hard time getting attached to my chickens, unless I was only raising them for the eggs...