FOOD and AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY at the WESTCHESTER COMPOUND
Below is an incomplete list of foods and livestock available to our band of rugged mutant survivors. It is safe to assume that the majority of crops outlined below are cultivated in greater quantities than could be consumed while fresh. Excess quantities are both traded* and preserved. Many fruits and vegetables listed below can be found in some form year-round. Some crops, like apples and root vegetables, have such a stable shelf life that they are available even out of season.
During most intensive harvesting months, many extra hands are needed both to harvest and to preserve. It is likely that all residents of the mansion have participated in these activities at some time, although more likely in the field than in the kitchen. All the same, those interested in aiding with the preservation of food are welcomed and instructed.
During harvest seasons, foods are being put up in the kitchen for much of the day. Common practices include freezing, canning, drying, and pickling. Many fruits are frozen or made into jam. Apple cider vinegar, cider, cheese, butter, olive oil, peanut butter, soy milk, tofu, and flour are produced in large batches. Vinegar is fermented in a well-ventilated room in the basement. Flour and cider are produced in the barn. On an as-needed basis (and ‘need’ has a drastically different meaning here), large batches of chocolate, certain baked goods, or ice cream are made. Chocolate is currently in frequent production, as supplies of cocoa powder have already seen their best days.
Sometimes, high volumes of food preservation or production can take up most of the day and all of the space in the kitchen—sometimes even spilling over into the dining room. On those days a fairly “easy” lunch and dinner are served from the staff kitchen.
Meal times once reliably featured scavenged items, particularly as the two year mark came and went, rendering most food spoiled or past its prime. Now, meals largely feature fresh or on-site preserved foods, with the exception of the supply of scavenged pasta that will run out very soon.
By order of percentage, crops are stored, consumed, and traded.
*Trading, particularly with the Morlocks, is of the utmost importance. As their lives are mostly oriented towards scavenging, supplementing their scavenged-food diets with adequate nutrition is extremely important. In return, the Morlocks trade a variety of items in return—they have a particular knack for locating specific and hard to find items. [The Morlocks could, once provided with a power source for grow lights, have an underground garden of their own.]
TIGHTLY RATIONED [the following items are only available in such small quantities that they are tightly rationed, if at all, and are primarily used at meals] - olive oil - apple cider - peanut butter - oranges - strawberries
SCAVENGED ITEMS [these items were the focus of much food related scavenging activity during the first two years of survival due to long shelf lives; they are all rationed. Some of these items are running low but may be supplemented via production or trade.] Sugar Honey Salt Maple syrup White rice Yeast Pectin Various spices Rice Dried beans (various) Quinoa Unbleached flour Various grains (rye, buckwheat, etc) Hulled oats Cocoa powder [soon to expire] Pasta [soon to expire]
VEGETABLE GARDENING Many of the plants listed below need to be seeded indoors. It might make sense to designate a large “garden” oriented plot or plots close to the greenhouses.
HARVEST Lettuce Beets (through mid-month; first crop done) Carrots (through mid-month, first crop done) Onions (through end of month; done) Cabbage (through end of month; first crop done) Summer Squash (starting mid-month)
HARVEST Kale (through mid-month; second crop done) Broccoli (through mid-month; second crop done)
December
SEEDLINGS
PLANTING
HARVEST
CROP FIELDS These crops are planted in vast quantities in the fields surrounding the barn. Suggested application would be spring/summer: one s/p, one c/p, two p/p; winter: all w/o
Soybeans: seeding April, May; harvest August Peanuts: seeding April, May; harvest August
Corn (with beans): seeding May; harvest October, November Pole Beans (with corn): seeding May; harvest July through November
Potato: seeding March through July; harvest July through September Groundcover pumpkin/squash: seeding June, July; harvest September, October
Winter Wheat: seeding August, September; harvesting February, March Oats: seeding August, September; harvest March
HOTHOUSE PERENNIALS Greenhouse One: Assorted herbs and spices such as chamomile, clove, basil, etc: harvest year round Assorted tea bushes: harvest year round Space for seedlings Greenhouse Two & Three: Hothouse tomatoes: harvest May through November Hothouse asparagus: harvest February through November Hothouse rhubarb: harvest April through August Hothouse strawberries: harvest three times May through August Hothouse grapes: harvest June through December Hothouse spinach and other greens: harvest year round Space for seedlings Greenhouse Four: Olives: harvest September through March Oranges: November through January Greenhouse Four B: Seed lab & Storage Sink, smocks, gloves, etc [note: Pretty much anything can be grown as a “hothouse” variety but it seems most efficient to choose plants that are perennials as well as plants that are productive during otherwise barren months—for example, cultivation of hothouse spinach and grapes allows for fresh fruit and greens to be available in winter. Additionally, citrus plants could be moved to a room in the basement and grown under grow lights. If our fearless heroes could find specimens to steal, they could easily have grapefruit, lemons, etc.]
OUTDOOR PERENNIALS
NOTE: Fruit bearing trees and vines continue to be sought and transplanted on the mansion grounds. Under Ororo’s care, approximately three quarters survive to bear fruit or nuts.
Blueberries (Harvest April through August) (6-8 bushels per plant) Cherries (Harvest May-July) (3-5 bushels per tree) Peaches (Harvest July-August) (6-8 bushels per tree) Blackberries (Harvest June through August) (5-6 bushels per plant) Raspberries (Harvest June through October) (5-6 bushels per plant) Pears (Harvest August-September) (8-10 bushels per tree) Plums (Harvest August-September) (6-8 bushels per tree) Apples (Harvest August-October) (20-30 bushels per tree) Pecans (Harvest October-December) (10-15 bushels per tree) Walnuts (Harvest August-September) (10-15 bushels per tree)
LIVESTOCK/ANIMALS: [Note: If the cows could be moved to a secondary barn set in the midst of grazing land, it might reduce the risk of destructive escapes. The arena could be an ideal space for chickens, ducks, and pigs.] Cattle (x10, conservatively producing 200 gallons of milk per week) Chickens (x50, conservatively producing 200 eggs per week) Pigs
NOTES:
"Straw Potatoes" Potatoes grown by a special cultural method in that they are not hilled or cultivated after planting are called "straw potatoes." The seed pieces and rows should be spaced the same as for conventional cultivation, but the seed pieces are planted at the soil surface. Place loose straw 4 to 6 inches deep over the seed pieces and between the rows. Potato sprouts should emerge through the straw cover. Cultivation should not be necessary. Pull any weeds that manage to emerge through the straw cover and add more straw through the season if decomposition starts to thin the layer. Harvest by carefully removing the straw and picking up the tubers that lie on the soil surface. In addition to weed control, strawing has several other advantages. The straw keeps the soil temperature more uniform and about 10°F cooler, reduces water loss and results in better-shaped tubers. It is usually more rewarding to straw late varieties than early ones because there is a longer period for tuber development. Many gardeners who grow potatoes for competition in exhibits and fairs use the strawing method because the potatoes are of excellent size, color, shape and smoothness.
Also available in New York: sheep, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats