At this time of year we are gathering up the remains of the harvest.I don't harvest potatoes or pumpkins until November. Here are my grandsons in August 10 yrs ago digging up supper for that evening.

Pumpkins need to be gathered in and when I can get to it I will can up pumpkin pie filling.

This year we got a potato plow attachment for our tractor. Of coarse my hoe worked better. Out of frustration my husband dropped the tractor shovel & scooped along the ground.  A few potatoes got creamed but the rest were dislodged from their tight soil spots and we scooped them up & dropped them into a bag.

(Gus loves to pose for pictures.)It's 17 degrees out tonight.Dog gone cold.I brought  all the remaining pumpkins , apples and potatoes into the dining room to store for now, wherever I could find a spot. That room is closed off with french doors from the rest of the house and has no heat unless I open 2 sets of doors to allow the heat from the woodstove to flow warm air to it.The kitchen still has another 12 gallon crock of sauerkraut fermenting. The harvest is at it's end and I am so relieved. Then I can take a nap and start sewing for Christmas presents when I wake up. (:>

 I love old farm machinery & gadgets.... the manual sort, not powered by electricity or gas or kerosene.Pictured here is a corn shucker which quickly removes dried feed corn off the cobs.I kept it on my porch next to my kitchen. My hen laid her eggs right by my kitchen door under the corn shucker as payment for her breakfast. She's no fool !
     There is a great old book from 1909 that is available in print again, as of 1996 by Rolfe Cobleigh called HANDY FARM DEVICES and how to make them"    ~   yes...how to MAKE them !  I originally found it as an online book that you could download FREE .Maybe it still is but I wanted one on my bookshelf with my other "  JUST IN CASE TSHTF " books .
     Consider the value of these .A scythe will cut down hay .A pitchfork will rapidly scoop it up as you run along the rows of cut grasses and bind it into sheaves. Horses will be needed once again to plow. Their manure will be our fertilizer. I try to think of the resources that my own land  or a neighbor's that can be bartered for. Horse drawn plows are still available in our area at a few antique dealers & market places.
     I'm not impressed by Faraday boxes to try to protect electronic devices from an EMP. For what ? Will you be able to use them afterward ? I think of long term use.
    Once propane tanks fizzle out their gas, they can't be refilled in the event of an EMP attack. Propane,oil, coal,gasoline & Kerosene will be limited in supply.Wood & garbage will be the only available  fuel that will be accessible & easily replenished.(Plant black walnut trees & maple. Oak takes 50 years to become a mature tree).