Preserving Garden Excess for Winter Fodder?

ByFaithFarm

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Hello! I am starting to either pull out my first round of crops here in AL, or I am swimming in excess of a few things. I’d love to hear what some of you use from your garden to feed livestock (particularly goats, sheep and poultry)-and especially how you preserve it to be good to use over the winter. Specifically-my small corn harvest, and my abundant cucumbers. I know most things need to be dried (any good DIY drying ideas?), but I was wondering if some things could be frozen and then fed defrosted-like the cucumbers. Or maybe dehydrated would be better? Or some other way?

Thanks for your suggestions!
 

Alaskan

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Frozen works fine, and dried works fine too.

It just depends on what it is, how much you have, etc.

For drying items... if you live in a hot climate you could toss things up on a tin roof. Something like a window screen will hold small items, and then the window screen, with a second window screen on top so wind or birds aren't an issue, can be put on a tin roof.

I dried things in the barn loft, just stir and fluff until fully dry, then stack into a smaller space.

Also, in fall I have gathered up used Halloween pumpkins, and stored them frozen in my barn loft to use throughout the winter.

Some things like carrots and turnips and winter squash are pretty easy to store as is for an entire winter.
 

Mini Horses

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You can probably plant many root crops and greens which can stay in garden all winter. Pumpkins can last several months with nothing more than proper barn storage...also winter squashes.

Overseed in garden and pastures with some barley or winter wheat for graze.
 

Stephine

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You can definitely freeze the corn. Cucumbers are hopeless of course for either freezing or drying 🤣. If they are small and dense you can pickle them for yourself to eat later, if they are large salad cucumbers there’s no way to keep them. Chickens love them and especially in the summer heat they are great for them as they are mostly water and minerals. Just give the rest away, that’s what people with gardens do… 😄
 

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