Long Overdue Updates

Sorry y'all for not updating sooner, I've had a ton going on.  My garden right now consists of 2 broccoli plants, 2 cauliflower plants, rosemary & nagoya red kale.  I'm hoping to get a greenhouse setup for christmas so that I can add some more and start some seeds for spring.


Forecast says its gonna be almost 70 degrees later this week.  It's mid-December y'all, this ain't normal.  Today I have been busy clearing out clutter and added 13 litres of water to my emergency stash.  My gut tells me a storm's a coming, and I'm gonna be prepared.  Got about 10 more litres i need to take out and rotate with fresh.


I've been doing a ton of reading lately and wanted to share some stuff with y'all.

Generation Organic

This is one inspiring story..it moved me to tears y'all.

Town trying to grow all its own veg

Companion planting

Whats your barter list?

I saw this on Facebook and thought it would make for an interesting post.

"What would you consider the top 10 things valuable for 

bartering if there was no system of living like we know of 

now?"

1. fuel sources

2. medical supplies

3. foodstuffs/spices

4. metals

5. tobacco/alcohol/coffee

6. drinkable water/water filter

7. soap

8. rope/building materials

9. duct tape

10. fabric

what would your list look like?

The Fall Garden

Prep for the fall garden is well underway!  We have planted some spinach and lettuce that is sprouting now and will be moved to a coldframe later.  The coldframe is currently being "lasagna composted" and we will use clear plastic or a tarp to cover.  I am also inheriting 2 of each broccoli and cauliflower plants from a friend.  One of the roma bush beans failed to thrive and I have 3 more that are sprouting nicely.  Hopefully the fall garden will lead to a more bountiful harvest than the summer one did.

My yellow plum tomatoes are still producing and little clusters of tomatoes are hanging like grapes. Hopefully they all ripen at the same instead of one at a time.  I have 1 eggplant that is still producing, they other 2 have stopped and 1 pepper plant that is still trying.  The herbs are doing great, still have peppermint, chocolate mint, rosemary, basil and lemon thyme.



Summer Garden Summary:
FAILED MISERABLY

Reasons for conclusion:
Definitely not self sustaining, most of the veggies failed to produce, were eaten by the hen or destroyed by the dogs.  

Notes for next year:
Utilize space in front yard, fence off chicken run, barriers around garden, plant more

Preparedness 101: Food Storage

Long Term food storage tips:

• if storing glass containers (such as canning jars) stoe in the jar box with the partitions in it. this keeps the jars out of the light and keeps them from knocking together as much in the event of an earthquake.  Also can be stored in a box with vaccuum sealed bags of stuff (tea bags, sugar, etc) in between jars
• keep bags of dried beans or rice (or any grains, sugar, etc) in metal popcorn tins. this keeps the critters out
• always rotate your stock!  home bottled water should be drained and refilled every 6 months.  put oldest cans up front with newest in the back that way you use the older stuff first.

September is National Preparedness Month.  Check out Survival Doc for more info on preparedness skills!  Be ready for the Zombie Apocolypse, economic collapse, natural disasters, etc.

Preparedness Challenge - Week 1

When it comes to preparedness, it isn't all or nothing, you can do it one task at a time. Although I would say the more you can do the better.  It doesn't matter what you are preparing for - whether it be a natural disaster or zombie apoolypse - the prep is the same. This week, I challenge you to begin  just one thing or add to what you are currently doing.  Examples include but are not limited to:

• saving water
• canning/saving bulk food
• making a first aid kit
• planting a garden
• living without electricity/off grid
• educating others on being prepared

This week, I started seeds for the garden:  lettuce, spinach & broccoli. Also I added quite a few things to the "disaster closet" (where we keep our bottled water and extra food) and researched herbal remedies for burns.

Join the Challenge

To join the Preparedness Challenge, just write a post on something you did this week to prepare and then link up below or leave a comment. Even one thing a week adds up and it will encourage you to do even more! And by participating in the challenge, it will get you thinking about prepping on a regular basis. 

Please only post on preparedness topics. And be sure to take the Preparedness Challenge picture and add it to your blog so others know you're participating and hopefully they'll join up, too!

challenge taken from: Homestead Revival

National Preparedness Month

In honor of Sept 11, 2001 September was made National Preparedness Month.  While I think we need to be focused on being prepared year round, bringing this into the spotlight is a good thing.  With the recent earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes & floods, we need to come to grips with the fact we may need to fend for ourselves for more than a couple days - maybe a couple weeks.  I know everyone thinks of stocking food and water, but what about your medications?  If you know of a storm coming your way, go refill your prescription, you do not want to run out of heart meds or insulin during an emergency situation.  Do you have bandaids or ace bandages?  Do you have aspirin or ibuprofen?  Betadine, alcohol & peroxide?  Do you need to check your kit?

Here's links to some sites that have a wealth of info:

National Preparedness Month

FEMA

And also a store that sells bulk and emergency preparedness items:

The Ready Store

Homeland Preparedness

What do you have in your preparedness kit?  What items do you recommend that aren't listed?  Are you prepared for a natural or manmade disaster?  What did you/are you doing to prepare?

Updates & a Giveaway!!

Well, updates are few and far between as I think my plants are hibernating from the heat.  I have gotten a couple very small cucumbers, a handful of yellow plum tomatoes and 1 patio tomato.  All quite delicious but not enough for this homesteader!

In the quest to being closer to self sufficient, I am planning a fall garden of spinach, lettuces, beets, beans (all in pots) & herbs (indoors in the dining room). I am also totally open to suggestions as to what to plant and when, year round gardening is new to me!

On a good note, the okra is going crazy!!  The eggplants are all flowering like madness but just not producing; makes for a pretty garden though!

Garden Shots Summer 2011

I have also found a great seed company I will be ordering from for spring, Sustainable Seed Co..  They have a whole section of non-gmo open pollinated organic seeds.  This is exactly what I want (figured I would drop that hint in case anyone felt the need to make a donation).

I have also been canning up a storm and have at least 30 jars under my counter, not to mention what I have given away/bartered.  It is so satisfying to look down there and see homepacked jars of organic veggies seasoned without all the yucky stuff of store bought veggies.  They taste so much better too!!

My favorites so far have been the ginger-peach butter (which all my friends love and are requesting more of), the dill green tomato relish (a new recipe for me) and the sriracha (Mance's favorite!)

Canning Fun!

I am also very excited about the fig preserves (figs foraged off tree next door), pickled watermelon rind (waste not, want not, right?), and the marinated mushrooms!

Now if we could get the hookup on deer & rabbit meat, Mance would be set!  I also need to send him fishing more often. LOL  (Oh, and a note to self:  get rid of dogs and get more chickens)

And now on to the giveaway:

The Permaculture Media Blog (which you should totally subscribe to) is giving away a copy of The Quarter Acre Farm by Spring Warren; so click the book title, check it out and enter!  I did!!