Resource: Foxfire

“Take taters. On th’ dark of th’ moon or th’ old of th’ moon—that’ ‘last quarter,” she explained, “they make less vine; and on th light moon they makes more vine and less tater …

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

wood: “cut it on th’ new, and when you put it in th’ fire it’ll spew water out both ends all th’ time. It’ll rot out before it’ll dry.”

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

“Harvest most crops when the moon is growing old. This will cause them to keep better and longer.”

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

“Pick fruit like apples and pears in the old of the moon (while it is decreasing or shrinking). This will cause the bruised spots and blemishes to dry up rather than rot.”

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

seed saving: (bean seeds) “We’d shell them out and when they dried up, and put them in a can and put a spoonful of soda in ‘em and shake it real good. And that’s your seed for next year. It’s the same way with peas.”
other seeds – “I”d just put them up in a cloth bag in a dry place and hang it on a nail somewhere.”

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

preserving apples … peel, core and slice thin.
Build a small fire in the yard. Put some hot coals from the fire into a shallow dish.
Put the prepared apples into a box and push them up to the sides leaving a depression in the middle for the dish of coals.
Then powdered sulfur is sprinkled over the coals. There is a short burst of blue flame when the sulfur hits the coals but the apples don’t scorch as it does not last long enough. The lid of the box is then shut and the whole box is completely covered with a heavy towel to keep air from escaping.
It sits for 20 minutes and repeated 2-3 times.
Then they are stored in a container covered with a cloth to keep the flies out.
The apples are used for pies, breakfasts and snacking. .. for eating, use as little water as possible as the water brings back the taste of sulfur.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Wow…I’m feelin my age now, I bought the firefox books out of Mother Earth News…before it had ads.
Lot’s of good stuf, both ‘conventional wisdom’ and good ole fashioned lore.

-- A little dirt never killed anyone.

Oh, what to do? My local apothecarist was out of sulphur.
Apparently the modern equivalent is now sodium or potassium bisulphate available at wine making suppliers.

Many other methods of food preservation can also be found here:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/ae075e/ae075e22.htm

Solar drying may be a safer option.

Apparently hurricanes during a full moon is also a bad idea.

So, why so they call it a harvest moon, anyway, if it seems counterproductive?

-- Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. - Thoreau

Mickey … did you know that there are 2012 issues?

Daltxguy – all good points :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

don’t you find it fascinating how they were able to find ways to preserve their food for the year? Ingenious, creative, resourceful

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)