Planting Without Irrigation System or Additional Watering (home, neighborhoods)

[StealthRabbit]

Chucks Produce in owned by a SDA (Adventist, so not meat eaters) not open on Friday after dark, or Saturday, BUT... They have a lot of health conscious programs, and quite good quality produce and a nice cafe.

I try to buy from growers / CSA and then Chucks, and the New Seasons followed by QFC (who seels to have better quality produce than Fred Meyer (same ownership and distribution).

Lots of great choices of food ingredients.

Something new to us when we moved to PNW pre Mt St Helens was Groc sales running Tues - Tues and quantity caps of sale items. But you learn the cycle of pricing and our area is quite inexpensive Yr Round for groceries. (Easier than growing your own).

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Chucks Produce in owned by a SDA (Adventist, so not meat eaters) not open on Friday after dark, or Saturday, BUT... They have a lot of health conscious programs, and quite good quality produce and a nice cafe.

I try to buy from growers / CSA and then Chucks, and the New Seasons followed by QFC (who seels to have better quality produce than Fred Meyer (same ownership and distribution).

Lots of great choices of food ingredients.

Something new to us when we moved to PNW pre Mt St Helens was Groc sales running Tues - Tues and quantity caps of sale items. But you learn the cycle of pricing and our area is quite inexpensive Yr Round for groceries. (Easier than growing your own).

Wow, I didn't know that. They do have a meat department with high-end grass fed beef and wild caught salmon as I've bought wild sockeye there before. It just isn't on my way to anyplace so I rarely shop there while I pass Costco, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and QFC nearly every day.

I haven't noticed the difference between Fred Meyer and QFC except that QFC is frequently more expensive for the identical item and that Fred Meyer has more and better sales. I don't really compare the produce though because I usually get that at Costco unless I'm doing a recipe that requires something that Costco doesn't have like scallions or cilantro.

[Jane917]

One slight clarification. 7th Day Adventists eat meat, other than those who chose to be vegan or vegetarian. However, they do not eat meat declared unclean in the Bible, such as pork. Chuck's sells great meat, but no pork. Also no shellfish or rabbit. I don't think you can beat Chuck's for their produce department for quality and price, except maybe when Farmers' Markets are in season.

[StealthRabbit]

According to the official Seventh Day Adventist Dietetic Association website, SDAs have been vegetarians for over a century. No meats are allowed in their diets, including beef, chicken, fish and wild game.

IDK, We've been to way too many SDA potlucks and homes and had to endure Veggie Meatloaf and soups. Really tough for a lifetime beef grower... (I take NW salmon & Steelhead to CO and TX and trade for Brisket and 'real' beef). Coolers fly free on SWA

But, I do like Chuck's and overall I trust their procurement dept... (As an alternative for the 'non-gardeners' in our readership.)

I used to get a lot of 'seconds / culls' from Gateway Produce on Andreson and (and previously Woodland) back when they had bins of apples and pears for <$0.40/ lb. Cabbage $0.10

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gatew...01212646568772

No more kids at home... eating one meal a day when seldom at home, Costco is no longer viable (and I have got a lot of bad produce from them) Short shelf life.

At the moment... Using HEB and enjoying some great local grapefruit and such. (not cheap for 'local').

[grega94]

Something worth considering are native berries, they might not be as flavorful and juicy as domesticated varieties, but if you want plants that will thrive without watering then native plants is definitely your best bet.

Salmonberry
Thimbleberry
Red Huckleberry
Salal
Black Raspberry
Oregon Grape
Evergreen Huckleberry
Trailing Blackberry

*Himilayan Blackberry (invasive best not to plant)

There are probably more, but these are the ones that I remember.

[texasdiver]

If you like to pick the non-native Himalayan blackberries that are pretty much everpresent along all the trails in any disturbed area in the Pacific Northwest, the best practice is to pick them from waist-high or higher. At least along the trails frequented by dog walkers.

Just saying.

[Mossa]

Thank you, guys for the info on Chuck’s.

grega94, that’s really cool. Thank you for the links. I looked at all of them and apparently, I’ve seen salmonberry on the hikes in your forests before, but it didn’t look quite ripe to try and taste. And I didn’t really know what it was, although I read somewhere that these complex “cluster” kind of berries like blackberry, raspberry etc. have no poisonous varieties, so generally are ok to eat.

[Mossa]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

If you like to pick the non-native Himalayan blackberries that are pretty much everpresent along all the trails in any disturbed area in the Pacific Northwest, the best practice is to pick them from waist-high or higher. At least along the trails frequented by dog walkers.

Just saying.

texasdiver, valid point!

[leastprime]

FYI:
It's cheaper to buy frozen Blues at Costco.
The last 2 years, with DJT tariffs, Cherries were dirt cheap (China wasn't buying)
Likewise for apples.
This fall, we found evergreen (coastal) huckleberries planted as ornamentals along 100 unit apartment buildings, Kirkand WA transit center, and even our local Costco parking lot. I put up about 6-6oz jars of preserves. And I thought I had given up food preservation when we sold the homestead and farm.

[leastprime]

texasdriver,
You should go to WhiteSalmon or Bridge of the Gods (Cascade Locks) and get native caught chinook salmon. Fish are still flopping. Avoids the middleman, and give prayers that Salmon will always be in the Columbia.