independence days; 5

1. Planted:arugula, artichokes, 6 raspberries, pineapple mint, rosemary, lavender, more holes filled in

2. Harvested: arugula (1 pound), mint (2 pounds), tastes of lettuce, chamomile (8 oz)

3. Preserved: dried chamomile, dried mint, yogurt bites, 100 pounds of strawberries (jam, canned puree, dehydrated bits, strawberry leather)

4. Stored: flour, sugar, parakeet food

5. Prepped: lamp oil, candles, added shade tents to our camping supplies

6. Managed: Chicken coop cleaned out. Bunny barn nearly done. Hay from barn to compost heap is proceeding very slowly. All gardens and orchards weeded and tended. Created new (non-computer based) storage checklist and spreadsheet.

7. Local: gave a homestead tour and explained choices we are making with our animals and gardens

the long emergency

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century

by James Howard Kunstler

Chapters:

1. Sleepwalking Into The Future
2. Modernity and the Fossil Fuels Dilemma
3. Geopolitics and the Global Oil Peak
4. Beyond Oil: Why Alternative Fuels Won’t Rescue Us
5. Nature Bites Back: Climate Change, Epidemic Disease, Water Scarcity, Habitat Destruction, and the Dark Side of the Industrial Age
6. Running on Fumes: The Hallucinated Economy
7. Living in the Long Emergency

I read this book because I needed a basic understanding of why alternative fuels weren’t going to help us deal with the immediate oil crisis. He did a great job explaining the ins and outs of the different types. I also found the last chapter quite interesting.

Good reading, but take it in small chunks. I still need some “sunshine” in my bad news!

Kim

homestead wisdom

Guest post by CK (my husband).  He’s been a little overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that has to be done RIGHT NOW.  These are his tidbits of wisdom to pass on to our son.

1. Use big muscles rather than small muscles while working with gravity (put your butt behind it).

2. Measure twice; cut once and then tack it all the way up before you permanently attach it.

3. Temporary should be permanent and permanent should be eternal.

4. More nails, glue, screws or tape does not make it stronger: Straight lines, parallel lines, right angles, supports and proper planning will.

5. When containing animals, try to cover corners and edges with the middle of the piece rather than try to secure edges together at the corners and edges.

6. Do a hard task then do an easy task. When working from an eternal list, doing lots of easy or quick tasks is more rewarding at the end of the day.

7. Mental boredom breeds complacency. Change jobs or take a break before you don’t care.

8. Things take longer than they do unless a woman is ‘helping’.

9. Build it before they come.

10. Build it with ease of use in mind, not ease of construction.

independence days; 4

Week four saw a lot less planting, a lot more managing, and a huge amount of planning.

1.  Planted: sweet potato slips (25, and I hope to buy a few more today).  I also filled in “holes” in the garden.  There were places where the seeds didn’t germinate (or a rabbit got in and helped himself), those now have new seeds.  I’m out of planting space now.

2.  Harvested:  arugula, little bits of mint, tastes of lettuce

3.  Preserved:  more dehydrated onions

4.  Stored:  soft wheat, navy beans, sugar, peanut butter

5.  Prepped: added another day of stored water, prepared one closet to be turned into a canned vegetable pantry.  Since I’ve always dehydrated all our vegetable stocks we definitely need more space for canned veggies.

6.  Managed: Drug out all canning jars and stacked them neatly on a utility bookshelf.   Counted and determined I need a few more cases for vegetables this year (since I have the pressure canner).   Chicken coop cleaned out.  Bunny barn in progress.  Hay from barn to compost heap is proceeding very slowly.  All gardens and orchards weeded and tended.

7.  Local:  Still sharing seeds with neighbors and friends

Kim

strawberry bites

Dehydrated Strawberry Yogurt Bites:

For each dehydrator tray combine 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt with 1/2 cup pureed strawberry.  Add sugar or honey to taste.

Place on fruit leather sheet and dehydrate for about 4 hours (at 125 degrees F, if you have a temperature controlled model).

When cool, peel off the sheets and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Dehydrate for 1 hour.

**These are really good.  I love to snack on one when I have the munchies.  They store well in a glass jar.

**I have also seen these made with pre-mixed commercial yogurt.   I believe you would need 2 6 oz containers to make the same amount.

Enjoy,

Kim

when technology fails

When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance & Planetary Survival

by Matthew Stein

An interesting read. A simple but thorough beginner’s guide. We have most of the books he referenced, so this is mostly a lend-out book.

Chapters

1. An Introduction to Self-Reliance
2. Present Trends, Possible Futures
3. Supplies & Preparations
4. Emergency Measures for Survival
5. Water
6. Food: Growing, Foraging, Hunting, & Storing
7. Shelter & Buildings
8. First Aid
9. Low-Tech Medicine & Healing
10. Clothing & Textiles
11. Energy: Heat & Power
12. Metalworking
13. Utensils & Storage
14. Better Living Through Low-Tech Chemistry
15. Engineering, Machines & Materials

independence days challenge; 3

Week three has come and gone.  Here’s my update.

1. Planted: black seeded simpson lettuce, oak leaf lettuce, lolla rossa lettuce, rainbow chard, kale, cantaloupe, luffa gourd, English sorrel, maple tree, sweet purple pepper, neopolitan pepper, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, pimiento peppter, eggplant, celeraic

2. Harvested: arugula

3. Preserved: strawberry yogurt bites, more dehydrated onions, 7 pints salsa (from a bulk purchase), 4 pints pinto beans

4. Stored: white flour, sugar for canning, pectin for jams

5. Prepped: cleaned out more buckets

6. Managed: worked on bunny barn, top fencing on Balfour yard, picked strawberry flowers (again), more bedding from barn to compost heap, May coop order sent in.

7. Local: Helped 3 more people get started on a garden and/or food storage

may on the homestead

I really like looking back and seeing the pictures of April here on the homestead. So I am going to start doing that monthly.

Here is May. You can tell we’ve had a lot of rain.

Here are some of new orchard. The first one happens to be an apple tree. These came looking like tiny little sticks. They have grown quite a bit and all of them have leaves now. The second picture is of one of the new grape vines. The next picture is a three year old grape vine. Finally the strawberry bed.

The bantams are enjoying their new home. They love the space and have learned to fly up to the nest boxes. They are 11 weeks old. In another 11 weeks we could have eggs. I can’t decide how much larger these girls will get.

Lizzy and Libby (5 weeks) and Elsy (3 weeks). They are getting quite fluffy. All the sheep are looking fuzzier again. The goats are currently spending their days tethered in wild places around the property. They enjoy keeping everything trimmed. It keeps me from needing to mow so much grass too.

Here are some shots of the garden. We’re at 3000 square feet of planting beds. The list of what we have planted is up in the garden tab. I’m still thinking about filling in the blank area with more beds yet this summer. We really need the growing space.

Now for the herb/flower beds. Some of the herbs are nearly ready for harvest.

Have great day today. I’m off to watch HM carry more stuff out of the barn. I’ll get a rake and start flattening the new compost heap so that we can add a layer of green then a layer of dirt and then start all over again. Such fun.

Kim

it’s raining again

It is raining again.  We’ve had a wonderful Spring with plenty of precipitation.  My gardens and orchard are growing really well.  The pastures are in excellent condition.    The woods are a deep emerald green.  So what is my problem?  Why am I complaining?

No gutters on the chicken house.  I stand there and watch all that wonderful water pour off the roof, hit the ground, and run away down to the neighbor’s pond.  I want to keep it all for myself.

Does that make me selfish?

One thing I have noticed is that as we implement new/greener ways of doing things my whole perspective changes.  Last year I complained that it rained too much in the Spring.  I complained about all the water squishing under my shoes.  This year my complaint is . . . I can’t keep it.

Ah. . .  changes.

In other news (or enough whining for now) and in list form (because you know how I love lists):

• We are still picking flowers of the strawberries.  The plants are about 5 inches tall now and show no signs of dying.
• The orchard is also showing some good growth.  Not as measurable as the strawberries, but lots of leaves and some vertical growth.
• The garden is doing splendidly.  We have every available space planted (except the sweet potato bed — those come in the mail this weekend).  I am thinking about adding another couple of beds yet this spring.  It isn’t too late and I could use more space for pumpkins and winter squashes.
• My hull-less oat seed finally came.  Too late to plant it this year so I stuck it in an old ice cream bucket in the freezer.  Early next spring we’ll be in the grain business.
• The prairie sunflowers will be planted next to the Balfour yard sometime this week.  They don’t have terrific germination rates, but I am hopeful.
• The bunny barn has posts; the bunny yard has a post (needs 2 more).  The materials are here for the roof and the framing.  I just need to order some concrete for the floor and get the men to work on it this weekend.  It might even be ready for occupants by HM’s High School graduation.
• Speaking of . . . HM’s is coming up very soon.  June 14 to be exact.  The only thing left on my to-do list is shade tents.  Gotta get some shade tents rounded up and in place.
• The lambs are getting enormous.  They are all eating grass, grain, alfalfa pellets, and minerals.  They know where the water is, where the barn is, and who I am.

Off to do the inside chores.

Kim

granola day

Today was a granola making day. No matter how old my children get, they still love the smell of fresh granola and they still eat it like it is a treat.

I don’t have a recipe. I just combine all sorts of stuff, mix in some honey, and just enough oil to give it a slight sheen. Then I bake the whole mess at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Today’s granola has: rolled oats, dried currants, dried cranberries, raisins, sunflower kernels, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, chocolate chips, honey and oil.

happy mother’s day

Happy Mother’s Day!  I hope each of you have a wonderfully restful day.

Kim

Independence Days Challenge; 2

We’ve had more rain this week which is good. I got a lot of indoor work done during the rainy times. That was time well spent!

1. Planted: Rio Zappe beans, green bush beans, more leeks, more lettuce, more broccoli, more tomato, and canteloupe.

2. Harvested:arugula

3. Preserved: dehydrated some onions (My dehydrator came late yesterday afternoon. We wore the old one out.)

4. Stored: I added a little rice and canned fruit to my pantry.

5. Prepped:
* Water storage is up to 5 days (plus the water in the Berkey).
* I bought 1 case of canning jars.
* Purchased a dutch oven cook book.

6. Managed:

*More hay from the barn to the compost heap.

*Cleaned chicken coop and added that to the compost heap.

*Picked flowers off the strawberries.

*Built and filled another 100 square foot bed.

*Kept all gardens weeded.

*Wormed sheep and goats.

*Inventoried seed collection.

7. Other:

* Helped 2 friends start gardens by discussing. Shared heirloom seeds with 3 people. Bought one friend _How to Grow More Vegetables_.

Kim

Wendell Berry — again

I know I have said this before, but Wendell Berry is awesome.   Look at the little nugget I found today!

“If we credit the Bible’s description of the relationship between Creator and Creation, then we cannot deny the spiritual importance of our economic life. Then we see how religious issues lead to issues of economy, and how issues of economy lead to issues of art, of how to make things. If we understand that no artist - no maker - can work except by reworking the works of Creation, then we see that by our work, by the way we practice our arts, we reveal what we think of the works of God. How we take our lives from this world, how we work, what work we do, how well we use the materials we use and what we do with them after we have used them - all these are questions of the highest and gravest religious significance. These questions cannot be answered by thinking, but only by doing. In answering them, we practice, or do not practice, our religion.”

All I can say is “Yep.”

Kim

independence days challenge; week 1

We’ve been really busy this week.

1. Planted: basil, leek, carrot, cascade hops, tansy, amaranth, thyme, rhubarb, horseradish, lobelia, and more pansy.

2. Harvested: pansy, dandelion greens, asparagus, peppermint, spearmint

3. Preserved: 7 pints of black and pinto beans.

4. Stored: I added a little wheat, oats, barley, black beans, and dry milk to my pantry.

5. Prepped:
* Water storage is up to 4 days (plus the water in the Berkey).
* I bought 3 cases of canning jars.
* Animals: Converting the chicks to more homegrown food rations. Rabbits are completely on grass and roots. Sheep and goats are still eating oats and alfalfa pellets along with pasturage. Added 6 months of cat food and 2 months of dog food to the animal food closet.

6. Managed: Moved 30 wheelbarrow loads of old hay and manure out of the barn and onto the new compost heap. Kept up with weeding the garden, herb garden, orchard, and strawberry bed. Started using “Food Storage Planner” from Frugal Squirrels to help keep all this under control. I just deleted all the stuff they had that we’ll never eat or store and added my own foods based on what we grow and eat.

Kim

FEMA, you and a disaster

In the wake of a disaster (like our earthquake or yesterday’s severe weather) I tend to review the FEMA booklet “Are You Really Ready?” This 216 page booklet contains some very practical advise for weathering a variety of storms. Some of the recommendations are really easy to do.

• store enough familiar foods for 2 weeks
• store foods that don’t need to be cooked (for some of the meals)
• In a disaster eat at least one good meal a day, take a multivitamin, drink 1/2 gallon of water, eat enough calories.
• store 1 gallon of water/person/day. That gives you 1/2 gallon for drinking, 1/2 gallon for cooking and hygiene.

They also have guidelines for 72 hour kits. We don’t have these in place, but after completing our 2 weeks of food and water, that will be my goal. We have all the components, just not in one place, not handy, and not ready to walk out the door.

Again from FEMA — In the event you need to leave your home here is what they recommend.

• Three-day supply of nonperishable food and manual can opener.

• Three-day supply of water (one gallon of water per person, per day).

• Portable, battery-powered radio or television, and extra batteries.

• Flashlight and extra batteries.

• First aid kit and manual.

• Sanitation and hygiene items (hand sanitizer, moist towelettes, and toilet paper).

• Matches in waterproof container.

• Whistle.

• Extra clothing and blankets.

• Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils.

• Photocopies of identification and credit cards.

• Cash and coins.

• Special needs items such as prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens solution, and hearing aid batteries.

• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers.

• Tools, pet supplies, a map of the local area, and other items to meet your unique family needs.

Kim

april riot numbers

I can’t believe that we are starting the final month of the Riot.  We have made such changes in the past year.  Most of those changes are now habits.  I don’t have to think nearly as much to keep the numbers down.  I do still need to be aware and diligent, but it doesn’t take nearly as much brain power.

We have joined Sharon’s Food Independence Challenge for the next year.  It is a good next step in our simplifying and reducing.  We always do a lot of gardening, but this year our goal is much larger.   I’ll be taking down the 100 foot challenge banner since the two sort of overlap.  I feel Sharon’s is a better fit for our family.

Here are our numbers for April.  These are the percentages of the American average.   Our food numbers will continue to improve as the garden begins producing again and as we implement the Food Independence Challenge.

• Gasoline –  25%
• Electricity — 10%
• Heating and Cooking –  0%
• Garbage — 7%
• Water — 11%
• Consumer Goods — 10%
• Food — 25% local/homegrown, 50% bulk/organic, and 25%  supermarket.  Supermarket food is fruit, veggie, and some yogurt.

Kim