Frugal

Being frugal is not about doing without. It is about doing without money. We are creatures, animals of nature, and she can provide for us if we would only let her. It is now, when the grasshoppers are in turmoil, that us ants truly appreciate and are thankful for our bond with the earth.

This is a brag post. Not wealthy with cash, I am probably the most fortunate woman on the planet. Case in point tonight's dinner. Our cheese, our eggs, our tomato filling and camera shy was our own bacon. Only thing to throw away was the little plastic bag.

Cold Antler Farm

I read the best post ever about lonely country life. Please read it too, it will warm your heart on such a cold day. I have linked it to the title.

Wendell Berry 2009

This is THE guru of sustainable living. Reading everything he writes will put you in good stead to have food security in the future. The link is to a recent tidbit I came across in the Washington Post. Here is the link

Here is a little bit of the article:

Wendell's collection of essays, "The Unsettling of America," was published in the 1977. In it, he highlighted the same problems we face today: the disappearance of small farmers, increased chemical use, etc. Are you optimistic that this time something will change?

Berry: The tragedy of that book is that 32 years after it was published, it's still relevant. If it were obsolete, we'd be a lot happier. I'm not optimistic, but I think there's some reason to hope, because this conversation is broadening. We're building a constituency, an urban agrarian constituency that is devoted to farmers markets and community-supported agriculture.

Is that urban constituency important? In other words, are advocates right that we can "vote with our forks"?

Berry: You've got a farm population that's too small to count. So should we delude ourselves that we represent a politically significant population? No farmer thinks that. We're not going to get anywhere if we don't have urban allies.

Kirschenmann: One of the things that's changing, and it's still at its very early stages, is we're no longer seeing communities of farmers and consumers. We're starting to see them as food citizens. Part of what changed that is the food crisis of the last 24 months.

You mean rising food prices?

Kirschenmann: Yes.

More and more people are aware that our current food system is not as secure as we thought. One week it's [food tainted with] melamine, another week it's peanut butter, and so people, their consciousness around food issues is emerging and they're wondering what to do. They want a more trusting relationship with where their food comes from.

Peace

Reuseable Green Gift Wrapping

I tried to post this here but it is too big. The link is Gift Wrapping

My blog reading list is record long today. Winter has surely set in. Hope you are all warm and safe. Peace for all

Extreme Weather 2009

I have been following a site, prepared by a woman who records extreme weather and natural phenomenon gathered from print, for a few years now. She is a "just the facts" kinda person. Today's post should come as a surprise to no one. Go visit her site and check it out, it is very interesting. Here is the Global Disaster Watch.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
U.S. - Fierce winds ripped away the roof of a police station, thousands of people lost power and drivers stuck by closed highways settled in to wait as storms swept out of the West to the nation's midsection today. Much of the Upper Midwest was covered in deep snow, and strong winds tonight were expected to create blizzard conditions. The storm had already blanketed much of the mountain west and drenched Southern California with rain. Ice was the problem Tuesday morning in Oklahoma, where Interstate 40 was closed for about 25 miles. "It's just a sheet of ice from Amarillo...It's a disaster." With travel likely to get worse, officials were warning residents in parts of the west and Midwest to stay close to home. Blizzard warnings were issued for most of Iowa as well as eastern Nebraska, southern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin. "Anybody traveling tomorrow morning is really taking a huge risk I would say- a risk of being stranded and not having anybody be able to help you for 6 or 12 hours, probably," said a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Iowa. A "classic, big, deepening winter storm" was affecting more than a dozen states. A foot or more of snow was expected in parts of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph could create snow drifts of 8 to 15 feet.
Heavy rain pounded some parts of the South. More than 4 inches were reported in spots in New Orleans, and flooded traffic slowed morning commutes. The storm also produced high winds and a possible tornado near Lake Pontchartrain.
In Buffalo, N.Y., meteorologists expect the storm to dump 3 or more feet of snow between Wednesday and Saturday in the mainly rural snow belts east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The storm had hit much of the West on Monday, bringing subzero wind chills in Washington state and heavy snow that closed schools and government offices in Reno, Nevada. In the Phoenix area, fierce wind brought down power lines, left four hospitals temporarily without power and created wide outages. Freezing temperatures in Oregon were suspected in one death. Big rigs were left jackknifed across highways in several states.
And more snow was coming: The National Weather Service said the upper elevations of the Sierra mountains could get up to 3 feet, with up to 4 feet forecast for the mountains of southern Utah. Two people were killed in traffic accidents blamed on slick conditions in New Mexico. Winds of up to 100 mph were reported on St. Augustin pass between Las Cruces and White Sands Missile Range, and the powerful gusts ripped away the roof of the White Sands Missile Range's police station. The storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow over Flagstaff, MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THE RECORD of 5 inches set in 1956. Cold temperatures also were threatening California crops. The chilly weather hit with only about 10 percent to 15 percent of the navel and mandarin orange crops harvested. "We've got a lot on the line. Both of them combined you're probably looking at over a billion dollars in fruit hanging out there on the trees."

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
This decade has been THE WARMEST ON RECORD and this year is likely to be the fifth warmest, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s assessment of global average temperatures.

Stay warm, peace for all!

P.S. The picture is from last year, we have no snow yet!

Chicken Feed

Ruralrose said:

I pull the amaranth plants by the roots and hang them to dry. I feed them usually in February when they are desperate for real food. They do pick the seeds off the stems, I think it gives them something more interesting to do than watch the snow fall. This works for pigsweed too. They do love weed seeds, in my head i am working on a device that would allow me to collect seeds from grass and weeds all summer. They seem to relish dandelion seed. It is hard to get a good feed mix they will eat year round. I use my mix in the winter when they can't be fussy. For the most protein it is best to grow sunflowers for the winter. I have not tried others grains. I do add apple cider vinegar, molasses and kelp to my winter feed. I also collect rose hips and berries for winter feed. I also put down a layer of mung bean and alfalfa seeds before a good snow. It makes for yummy sprouts in the spring. I am considering covering a corner of the yard with plastic before the snow too, to try and get a head start of food for them in the spring. If you come up with another idea please let me know.

P.S. Just put a search engine on my blog so you can look things up! Peace for all

CBC Radio Broadcasts Death to the Family Farm

Very important information from our national radio broadcasters, please hear our cries!

Part One -
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/current_20091104_22529.mp3

Part Two -
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/current_20091104_22532.mp3

Beading Gem

I got the last post item, Black Friday from Pearl at Beading Gem. She follows trends and her posts are always fascinating. Her site is a treasure trove of interesting reference items. I am always fascinated by her finds. Check it out for yourself. Peace

Black Friday

Organic Farm For Sale

Life through the cracks is living in stewardship with the land. If you are wondering what you can do to gain security in these uncertain times ahead, then please consider buying land. In my book I go into detail about finding a great homestead property. Two people can only really work 2 to 4 acres of land. We can strive for self sufficiency but the we really have to work with others to have a well rounded experience. This is the last week my new book will be listed as a free download, please take advantage and read it for yourself.

I saw this real estate listing in my province, and to Kris and everyone else looking for the ideal place, this sure could be close. It is way out of the price range for most, and living on an island has its own pitfalls, but reflects what can be done and how valuable growing food has become. Hope this link works. This property commands such a high price because of its proximity to a city. There are thousands similar properties dotting the continent, you just have to search out the one which is right for you.

Haskap Plants - Sharing the Little Purple Berry

picture is from http://sharingthelittlepurpleberry.blogspot.com/

Serendity led me to Craig Larson's blog As a scientist and humanitarian, he too is very concerned about food security for all people. Please go visit his blog and see what one person can accomplish in changing the world for the better (and what you can do to help)!

Ruralrose said:

Craig you are such an honourable man! What a treasure you are for the world. I too am very concerned about food security and nutrition only for the rich. I have just finished a 176 page book in this regard. Please come visit my blog, I have posted it on a free download. I am desperate to share the secrets to having food with many people, as times are going to get worse. I want to grow these berries for you, and share them with my neighbors. We grow several varieties of grapes, apples, and plums, bing cherries, gooseberries, both currants and pears, raspberries and strawberries when I am lucky. We don't prune so we can feed the wildlife, we grow 6 trees outside out fenced orchard for the bears. The tree orchard is also my chicken pasture so the fruit that falls to the ground feeds my birds and they fertilize the trees. There is so much, we give away more than we keep. Well I do go on, so happy to share with likeminded people. Peace for all

35% off Sale

Christmas is less than 6 weeks away. In this regard, and to celebrate my brimming happiness, the inventory in my e-store will be 35% off, giving my labor for free. Now would be the perfect time to order a piece of jewellery as a gift for your loved one, since it will still arrive before the big day. I am offering this for my blog friends only, so let me know when you order.

Everything is going to be alright!

Breathe . . . everything is going to turn out alright! How do i know from this far away? Limitations are like bumpers that push the ball into play, your thoughts and will and efforts are the flappers and the magnets, you are picking up signals showing you where you want to go, your intentions for success your dedication for the best results will take you there. Didn't you graduate? Didn't you get married? Didn't you have babies? Forge a career? It happens, you are alive, this is how it works. Give up the struggle, go with the flow, know where you want to end up, relax and enjoy the ride. You can't have everything all the time. I feel for you because I have been where you are. I still worry too much but now i know worrying doesn't change a thing. It is hard to let go of the reins, but oh how good it feels and as time goes by you will delight in the journey. I have a whole chapter dedicated to this in my new book, have you read it? These will be your last few months of this lifestyle, knowing this get the best out of it. Enjoy the perks of city life, it will be like a brand new life when the pages turns. These days will be memories don't spend them feeling bad about things.

Bliss

I do complain, it is my way of expressing the problem so a solution can be found. I am so happy today I think I will never complain again.

We have been living and working this farm for 9 years now. We had to sell off part of it to keep it. We both work everyday to progress our life here and create a secure place for people to live in the future. Most days it is a thankless backbreaking grind. But some days, like today, one looks up to see things in a new light. Slowly and surely we have pulled ourselves to the top of the mountain, where we can see success at last!




When we first moved here we were a little house surrounded by trees, dark and quiet. That very day the neighbor put a road in, cutting down trees and breaking the ground. The absent trees, and internal rotting, created havoc on the old growth forest and a lot of it had to be cut down to save the house. When you log your property, even selectively like we did, you are left with piles of logs and branches unsalvageable by the loggers. We were told to burn these piles, we could not. These piles have been sitting, turning grey and making homes for birds and squirrels for 5 years now. My husband pulled the the hardwoods out and built his 7 foot fence around 4 acres for our animals and birds and almost a thousand square feet of raised bed gardens.



To make a short story longer . . . we could not walk on over 50 percent of our property because of a cliff line. I had only been "up top" 3 times in 9 years. It is so steep I had to come down it on partly on my hind quarters. We get our water from a wood box in the creek up there (so we have gravity fed water) and in the summer my husband was going up there a couple of times a day to keep the filter cleaned.

But today . . . .






We feel like we scratched off paint chips to reveal the Mona Lisa. The ugly piles of wood became a valuable base for our road. Pictures from the top tomorrow, gotta love a cliff hanger!
peace for all
p.s. click the pictures to make them full size

Biointensive Gardening

Biointensive gardening is a sustainable solution to growing food. It is considered to be the highest level of organic gardening. It is a whole-system approach that brings together nourishment, efficiency and sustainability.

With biointensive food production, each adult person requires only a 10th of an acre of growing space to produce his or her yearly food intake! This small space can supply all the calories and the nutrients for a complete diet.

Biointensive gardening extracts the necessary nutrients from the soil and simultaneously puts them right back in. Biointensive gardeners use less water, create cleaner runoff water after garden use and they essentially "grow" the soil they are using. The end result is a garden that produces a complete diet in the smallest sustainable area.

Biointensive gardening methods include:

• Deep Soil Preparation
• Composting
• Close Plant Spacing
• Companion Planting
• Carbon Farming
• Calorie Farming
• Open Pollinated Seed
• Whole-System Approach

Good reading here, easy to understand and implement. Want to make growing food as easy as possible, then this is the method for you. Peace for all!

Sustainable Meat Illegal in Canada

Please forgive my recent obsession of meat regulations, but this was passed to me and I would be remiss not to pass it on to you. (something cheery next, I promise). The following is taken from Farm Food Freedom Fighters and their site is linked to the title.

New B.C. Meat Regulations
Make Buying The Chicken Next Door Illegal

Welcome to the Farm Food Freedom Fighters web site. Our goal is to create a place to join those affected by the meat regulations and those who wish to assist them. We are searching for ways to return British Columbia to a place where farmers can raise healthy, calm animals, and can sell them from their farm gate without fear, as people have done all over the world for centuries.

Pitch In Too - PLEASE get the word out!

• Did you know that it is illegal to buy farm killed meats?

• Did you know that local farmers must get permission from Health Departments even to sell food at farmers markets?

• Did you know BC is affected by international and national laws that increasingly undermine historic production of local foods while problems in the corporate food system grow?

Small rural producers, even if culling the odd animal to feed a neighbour, can no longer do so without bringing the animal to a government approved abattoir. This could be hundreds of miles away, costs money and adds to fossil fuels, takes precious time and causes the animal much stress. This frequently makes the act of
slaughtering a home-raised animal prohibitive, and many farmers are declining to raise meat animals rather than face a $25,000 - $50,000 fine. This recent government action is supposedly in the name of our health, but it obviously drives those who were eating local free range animals back to the supermarkets to buy meat.

What can you do The time is right to put on your Rabble Rousing shoes and help make change in your community. Many are already working hard at this – your help makes a big difference (find out more...)

I received this post from a lovely socially active woman I have had honorable dealings with throughout the years, and published author Robin Wheeler. If you are Canadian please click the link to find out how you can voice your opinion and maybe together we can change this before it ruins things forever.

Everything He Wants to Do is Illegal

Megan Phelps Interview with Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin is a farmer at the forefront of the trend toward local food and grass-fed meat. Many people first became familiar with Salatin’s complex and eco-minded approach to farming when he was featured in Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. But Salatin also is well known within pasture-based farming and libertarian circles. He’s especially vocal about government regulations that make life difficult for the small farmer — his most recent book is titled Everything I Want to Do is Illegal. He’s also the author of You Can Farm and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven (excerpted here in Mother Earth News). Salatin kindly agreed to answer some questions for us about Polyface Farms. Hold onto your hat! Here are Salatin’s candid thoughts on government regulations, high grain prices, vegetarians and making money at farming.

Read the whole interview at Mother Earth News

This guy is a small farmer's guru, if you really want to know the state of farming don't just take my word for it. Peace

My kid to eat vegetables

Today I share a post that shows how hard it is to get kids to eat real food instead of processed. It was Erin's blog Garden Now - Think Later!

She is dedicated to a sustainable lifestyle, please check out her blog to see her wonderful success stories.

Ruralrose said...

This is something I too fight with everyday - mine is 16 now and if he won't eat what I cook he can cook what he wants to eat and it is most often processed foods. There is just no fight in me anymore, tears, anger and worry make no difference. I do have a few tips of things I did that helped. A hand held blender will be your greatest ally.

1. tell them they won't like it, especially when they will
2. mash beans into a dip for chips, add salsa too
3. veg soup with potato blend smooth
4. tomato sauce for pizza and spaghetti use lots of vegs and blend
5. garlic toast is always a hit
6. pesto sauce
7. nachos with pepper rings, salsa and beans
8. homemade hotsauce
9. pickles

10. don't underestimate the nutrition of spices and oils, use lots of them

11. roasted nuts and seed, hemp hearts, nut butters and homemade jam

12. remember what they don't like tonight they could like tomorrow night, lol ;)

My heart goes out to you. I still resent cooking my meal to please him, cutting it into tiny pieces, cutting off all the fat, leaving out the onions only to have him not want to eat it. Then after growing, processing and preparing the food, I have to scrap it off the plate uneaten into the chicken's bucket and wash the plate as well as the pot and plate necessary for him to cook and eat something else. Not to mention I have to go to town and buy the processed food I don't like, then I have to deal with the packaging I'm against, all the while concerned for the health of my son. Well you can see this is a sore spot, thanks for letting me vent - Good luck, peace for all

Food Security in Doubt

Read the whole article here.

Southern California is called the bread basket of the continent. They have been suffering now from many years of drought and only 10 percent normal water resources. We can't ignore the fact that food will have to come from abroad to fill our plates. Start now, buy one save one, buy your seed for next spring. Prepare for the future, what have you got to lose.

Update

Terry is home again. Thank you for all the well wishes you sent. We went to visit her at the hospital last night and I took some pictures. The quality and lighting aren't up to the usual standards posted by you bloggers, but it is a glimpse of the scenery to the closest town. Peace




eace

Winter Gardens

Today Suzy at Chiot's Run posted of the "death blow" in gardening. It was brilliant to show the contrast pictures of summer to late fall.

Living in Canada, putting up all the vegetables eaten through the winter, I never seem to have that moment to put the garden to bed.for the winter I am sure it happens, between the canning and the dishes and sowing seed for next spring. recognizable the instant it is too late. Perhaps I am a lazy gardener fooling myself into thinking a dead garden can be beautiful, but I leave the skeletons on all my plants to stand in the snow in ode to the plants which produced the food which now sustains my family. It also is a good marker in spring for where plants are, also the dead plant material makes the perfect fertilizer for the plant that produced it. The other benefit is being able to watch the little birds frolic in the stems taking so much delight in finding seeds to eat when everywhere is covered with now. Thanks for the post and the chance in share my ideas, peace for all

Packrat

Today I am chasing this packrat out of my house. Apples, roosters, 36 liters of wine and pumpkins to deal with and I am done. Then I will be back to stalking you again, all winter, lol. Peace for all

for Terry

My neighbor and dear friend Terry is in the hospital tonight. I hope you have your laptop sweetie so you can see these pictures of your home. We are all waiting here for your return, you know all my prayers are with you!

H1N1 Vaccination Condemnation

BELL TOLLING for the Swine Flu (CAMPANAS por la gripe A) subtitled from ALISH on Vimeo.

This is very long and I must admit hard to see. I cried so hard I had to stop watching and come back to it. Please take the time to watch this important video.

Fear

Fear of the unknown is always prevalent, preparing for the future, and the children of the future is bravery. At the beginning when all the choices are yours it is easy to make mistakes, it is natural to "try on different dresses" until you get a perfect fit. But once those initial choices are made, you join the secret society of nature and she calls the shots, shows you opportunities and mistakes and the path of least resistance for the most gain. You will feel that relief you are longing for, and your children will bloom in the natural peace and abundance that is their birthright.

Benefits of Homeschooling

Homeschooling is a misnomer and an antiquated word. It is no longer the mother being the teacher. I only have one son, we live in the woods and rarely see people, physical socialization is difficult. When he did go to school he was on the bus 3 hours a day on icy mountain roads. Up at 6:00 am, have to make sure the road down the mountain is cleared of the night's snow fall, cost $5 to send nutritious lunch and all the plastic packaging that comes with it, then me coercing 3 hours of homework out of him before bed, not to mention the "special" clothes and trinkets necessary everyday. He wasn't learning anything, it was all about the "pecking order" the "socialization". He hedged the teachers and dodged learning like he dodged the bullies at lunch. They would spend weeks on some crappy art project and months on a stupid Christmas music thing, totally out of touch with kids today. Now, my son wants to learn more, be more. He goes to school by sitting in front of this screen and the whole world is his classroom. All his lessons are electronic and he completes them like a level on any video game he would play. He talks with people from many different countries about many different things in the course a day over the internet. It has nothing to do with me, nothing. At first I had to show him "how to learn" and "why to learn" and yes there was a little bribing involved, the first time I ever resorted to this but it was effective. Now at 16 there is no stopping him. He has been invited out to parties, to drink and get stoned like kids his age, but he declines, he is too busy with more important pursuits. He is taking German, and Latin, and well too many things for me to keep track, and planning where he wants to go to college. Our conversations at home are deep and powerful for all 3 of us. We eat hot lunches together, share the natural world together, we are available for each other, it is a wonderful way to live.

Homeschooling

Today's rant -

Blogger Ruralrose said...

In Canada schooling is like beef feed lots, herd em together, cram them full of useless crap and let them wallow in all the sh@t they make, i really think you are dodging a bullet here by not tainting your son with this outdated, deprecating mode of child management - if you can stay home save your son!

In the Woods

Pictures of a Canadian farm

Comparing Raised Beds

More pictures of the front garden. The board beds were made in 2000, the pole beds in 2002 and the log beds in 2006. The problem with raised beds is that they need to be refilled each year due to snow pack, decay and plant consumption. If they are deep and not refilled, young plants struggle to get enough light. The log beds need to be filled each year as well, but young plants do better earlier and there is a great place to sit and work on the bed. The board beds are decaying and the nails aren't holding. On the pole beds my husband, yes he does all the work around here, used screws and a battery screwdriver, they are holding better and went up quicker and individual boards can be replaced as necessary. He joined the poles together with metal strapping and screws. Very fast installation, very inexpensive since we used down trees. Don't use cedar trees or birch, cedar isn't good for plants and birch rots toooo fast.

Death of the Family Farm

Hiding from the chemical corporations who have bought the bureaucrats and policy makers that is bring collapse to our food security. Important farmers are leaving the country, exiled for their opposition, leaving their life's work behind. I will post a letter I received today in this regard. I think he was one of the farmers who had to cull 100's of birds because of avian flu fears a few years back. I haven't had the heart to ask him, how could you ever trust your government to protect the proper interests ever again.

Here is the letter I got today.

Hi,

About a year ago I thought I was totally obsolete and that there was no place for me any more. I saw organic start with dedicated and sincere people doing what they believe in, and now that industry stole it, it is just a convenient addition to an agri industry operation for some extra profit. Use the chemical fertilizer in one field and the blood meal in the other. An organic field is now a good place to get rid of conventional manure. Factory farms pay to get rid of their manure, and now organic composted manure has gone up to $40 from $10 per cubic yard two years ago since so many hobby gardeners in the city use it. And the organic feed can be grown with factory farm manure. Organic was supposed to be from nature, not a chemical factory. I copied my posting that was a response to Karl pointing out some flaws in the vegan ideas. The stock free vegan method is the only way that I see of preventing industrial inputs from contaminating organic food. I cannot grow enough feed for my animals, and cannot trust certified organic any more. The posting is after what I wrote now.

Friends who gave up here showed me the land they got in Ecuador. It is beautiful, and they are very happy there. I am now in contact with several people down there. The government is actually supportive of agriculture and leaves you alone. It is possible to have a high quality life there. The town I am planning to move to is Vilcabamba, there is even a wikipedia story about it.

Take care

George



Hi Karl,

The vegan issue is a lot more important than I realized. Organic nutrients were supposed to originate in the environment and there was to be no animal cruelty anywhere along the path. Now that we have industrial organic the nutrients can start with a chemical factory, GMO feed crops fed to medicated animals suffering in the industrial system, and then the uncomposted manure and blood meal used in the "certified organic" field. People are beginning to realize that they are being made fools of and that certified organic is now a farce,( when industry stole it they took out all it represented and just kept the image).

Increasingly people are starting to ask the right questions and look at alternatives. Under the current certification system ethical and dedicated farmers are labeled the same as profit oriented conventional industrial producers who just want to make a few more dollars from the organic image. A nearby factory farm where I saw thousands of chickens in cages has a big COABC logo in front of their devastated eco system because they have "organic" production at the same facility. (but no eco system, the marketing board rules forbid it, I am sure that more than one certified organic farmer was forced to herbicide his driveway this year)

If someone is concerned about their food and its impact on the planet and its inhabitants what should they eat? How can I buy organic animal feed when I know that the ingredients could be fertilized with conventional blood meal? If I buy organic composted manure, it is the same problem. IF I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT WHAT I AM DOING, WHAT SHOULD I USE FOR FERTILIZER? Even fish fertilizer is now most probably from farmed fish.

Since I could not grow real organic food here any more, and would face huge fines if I tried I gave up and am going to a much saner country. The most humane way to kill the animal that I have seen is on the farm, and then I can look in your eyes and say this is my chicken, I helped kill it. I could not say that if it disappears in a building after a long traumatizing drive, anything could be in the box they give me.

If someone wants to eat food that does not contain cruelty, chemical and GMO nutrients and is produced in co-operation with nature then obviously they have to avoid "certified organic" unless they know where it is from personally. The stock free vagan is a good try at having food that originates in the environment and is produced with respect to nature, as organic originally was.

Karl, lets go for a good Keg steak and talk about how important stock free vegan could be in the future here. The vegans may actually support their growers now that the organic local 100 milers mostly vote with their dollars for industrial devastation and brutality while babbling comforting noises. If you don't believe me look at the Earthbound Farm salads in your local store. Why are we importing that while so much local land sits unused? An honest stock free vegan would never buy that, and I have found that not all vegans are hypocrites.

George

H1N1

H1N1 flu strain found in Canadian turkey flock
34 mins ago

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Turkeys in the Canadian province of Ontario have become infected with the H1N1 flu virus, but no birds or eggs from the farm entered the food supply, provincial government officials said on Tuesday.

The infection poses minimal risk to human health, Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said in a news conference in Toronto.

However, she noted the discovery highlights the need for those who work with farm animals to be vaccinated for both seasonal flu and the pandemic H1N1 flu strain.

The risk of the virus passing between people and animals is that the virus could evolve into a form against which humans have little or no immunity, King said. There is no evidence that the virus has changed, she added.

The discovery in a single Ontario barn by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the second known incident of turkeys becoming infected with the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu. The first was in a flock in Chile.

The Ontario case comes just over a week after the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, which traditionally involves a turkey dinner.

Health officials are following up with people who had contact with the infected turkeys. One person with contact had shown flu-like symptoms.

The turkeys' owner has voluntarily agreed to quarantine the infected birds, but they aren't likely to be prematurely slaughtered, said Dr. Deb Stark, Ontario's chief veterinarian.

The outbreak of H1N1 flu among turkeys in Chile was discovered in August. It was also the first case of the virus being found outside humans and pigs [ID:nN20543933].

Earlier this year the strain was found in hog herds in the Western Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel; editing by Rob Wilson)

My Life Is Average

My son ran across this on the net today. Just had to share, hope it is linked properly. Beautiful fall day today, warm happy wishes to you all.


I grew up in a college town, and one Halloween our doorbell rang and we opened the door expecting to see trickortreater—but what was in front of our open door—was another door! Like, a full-on wooden door, that had a sign that said “Please knock.” So we did, and the door swung open to reveal a bunch of college dudes dressed as really old grandmothers, curlers in their hair, etc, who proceeded to coo over our “costumes” and tell us we were “such cute trick or treaters!” One even pinched my cheek. Then THEY gave US candy, closed their door, picked it up and walked to the next house. MLIA

Fire Me Please I Quit

. . . my kitchen overflows . . . with the rendered lard spilled over the counter . . . the pots piled high from grape jelly, split pea soup and tomato sauce (yet again) . . . the last of the concords are rotting in a box, the elderberries are drying in the branches (poisonous i know) . . . this morning our new furnace sprung a leak spewing water everwhere . . . a HUGE packrat got in through the basement when we installed the furnace and is making himself at home in my pantry, he has commandeered my large crock i was going to use today for sauerkraut (more dishes) . . . the cats and dog play cat and mouse all night upturning my drying herbs, peppers and garden seed for next year . . . 36 litres of wine to be bottled (more dishes) . . . i haven't been off the farm in over a month . . . i forgot to gather eggs today and lock up my chickens . . . looking back over this post i see things are about normal . . . so it is off to bed with me to start again tomorrow . . . peace all

Record Cold

as i sitting here my fingers cold hard like the keys, my husband gone on the 4 hour trip to get the "last fitting" (as if?!) to have my furnace finished - was very cold last night, with no heat i lost all the tomatoes, peppers, cukes and eggplant I had nurtured all summer to be able to grow inside all winter - some of my pepper plants were 9 years old, thai and jalapeno and yellow sweet and a yellow plum tomato we have been eating from steady for 4 years - the news says will be record breaking cold -10 (we usually get as low as -12 in January if ever) - so you know am to busy to do much more on here than complain, lol - thanks for the visit i will catch up with you as soon as i am warm! peace for all

p.s a happy shout out to my real life friend Terry who will be visiting my blog soon since she just got her a computer, smooches and hugs

Perparing for Winter

Today I am cutting up the bacons I smoked and pulling in the green tomatoes (most didn't ripen at all) before the frost which will certainly strike on the full moon. Soon I will have a lovely time posting all the pictures from this summer's adventures. Posting some here today for fun, peace for all

last day of summer


freezers are getting full



chickens are good



outdoor furnace going in none too soon



this is a 40 year old grape vine

Meat

I need to eat meat to be healthy, I wish I didn't. I refuse to eat meat from animals held in torturous conditions or one fed hormones, chemicals and unhealthy diet, just for the profit in a person's pocket. So we moved to the country and became farmers.

We raise them from babies, lovingly taking care for their every need, food, water, shelter, companions and play to frolic safe from predators. Then in the fall, when we can no longer afford to keep them, we eat my animals.

You won't see any pictures of them frolicking about, although that is exactly what they do all day. Their happy noises, playful antics, and joy at your attention would truly be the delight of any person's life.

Don't judge me too harshly, the box of chicken you bring home tonight also lived and died for you too.

Food Security

Blogger Ruralrose said...

wow you live in a church yard how quaint can you get? - love the plan, pursue the hoop house you will love how much more food you can get by extending the season on both ends (also doubles for a warm spot for poulets).

We can count on snow here from December to May, there is only one road in, and you have to cross by ferry to get here so sometimes food is a little scarce. This year I have put up tarragon butter, basil pesto, 3 types of hot chutneys, tomalio salsa, tziki dip, beans, pears, peaches, tomato sauce, grape juice, set wine, peaches, rubarb, many types of berries, apricots, parsley, wild mushrooms, 10 pounds of pickled hot peppers, plum sauce, now apples, raisins and concord juice, dry thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano - I am sure to be missing something in words, but I don't miss it if it grows in my yard. It is worth all the work as all winter all the prep work is done for my vegetables, especially come February.

Tonight my table is covered with pork bellies and legs to smoke in the smoker for the next week. pigs will eat chickens, after a week of losses we watched one evening while one pig pushed a pile of grain to the fence edge, the other pig made sweet noises alerting the chickens free in the yard. The chicken went for the ploy like the roadrunner for the coyote, unfortunately he could not run as fast and when he got away from one pig's bite he ran into the other's - it was over very quickly. We were so surprised since they had been together since the pigs were very young. But that's animals for you, so make sure you have a barrier fence between them. Well I do run on, peace for all

4:32 AM

How to Find Happiness

People often ask me how I can live such a simple life away from creature comforts. Really I am usually at a loss for words. Busy now with filling the freezers and preparing beds and animals for winter, the snow will fly soon enough making my bondage this chair and this screen. Until then please enjoy a few moments of my life yesterday. The video is called mother hen with day old chicks meet the pitbull dog.

Peace for All

Today I was in a coffee shop when two gay guys walked in holding hands. As you might expect, a few heads started turning.

Then a young girl at the table next to me asked her mum why two men were holding hands. Her mum replied, "Because they love each other."

How to Find Peace? SHTF Survival 2012

Life could be seen as a raft floating down a river on your way to the great ocean. 

We can fear getting snagged to by the bushes on the edges, be uncertain of those who ride with us and anxious of the turbulence which may lie ahead for us.

Inadvertently, in our ignorance, selfishness and panic lured by attractive little streams that promise what appears to be a shortcut or easier way. 

Naturally, unfortunately and inevitably, we always have to come back to our rightful place on the river. And, why is it somehow the stream back is never quite as alluring? 

We are not the raft, we are the river, the raft the conscience manifestation of life.

Sorry If I Missed Your Comments

I tried a Disqus, I thought it would allow me to see replies to my comments - it does not and it return I have lost all comments on my new posts (if there were any, I do not know). If you have a question and a pressing comment please post them for me, the blog is back to its basic self again. Peace for all

Grow Fruit Trees

Grow Free Fruit Trees

By Lee Reich

Most fruit trees are best grown from grafted trees that cost $25 to $35 each. But with peaches, nectarines and apricots, you can cut your cost to zero by growing trees from seeds.

Because cross-pollination between varieties produces variable results, apples and some other fruit trees are usually not grown from seeds. (Instead, cuttings or buds of the best varieties are grafted onto rootstocks to produce trees that bear fruit just like the parent tree’s.) But the almondlike seeds in pits from peaches, nectarines and apricots do a good job of carrying on the desirable traits of their parents. You can simply sprout and grow a seed from a great-tasting specimen, and you have a good chance of sinking your teeth into sweet, juicy fruit from your own tree in only three to five years.

Summer is the best time to kick off this project, because you can seek out mid- or late-season varieties grown in your region. The best seeds come from fully ripe fruit. Avoid seeds from early maturing varieties because their seeds may not develop enough to sprout. Locally grown varieties are more likely to prosper in your garden compared to varieties grown a thousand miles away, and looking for likely candidates is tasty fun! Eat lots of peaches from farm stands and farmers markets, and save the pits from those that taste like peach heaven. And if you live where you can get local apricots and nectarines, you can try growing them from seeds too.

more follows at

http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=131844

New Poems

you're born
you die
everything else is a make work project


daily doing all you can
seems like spinning wheels
til the day you realize
it was a slow steep climb
to the top

in the cool of dusk
the day slips away
my breathing to
the techno rhythm
of crickets
. . .

would you like to add some lines? thought it would be fun to do it together, bringing your joys to mine - peace for all

How to Clean the Air

"Manure and salt cleans up the air

By Kathy Cogo from Townsville , QLD

Wednesday, 20/05/2009

Cattle are considered one of the worst contributors to greenhouse gases and climate change, but now they've a chance to redeem themselves.

Cow dung is being used in conjunction with salt water to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and remarkably inventors say it works better and more reliably than trees and soil."

I linked the title to the story. Peace for all

Why do we feel we have to be productive all the time?

It is very hard to give up the treadmill. We have been chasing the carrot for so long we refuse to believe we could survive living another way. Even when we are not productive we do things to help with our productivity. It is easy to be obsessed with doing the right thing all the time and constantly pressure ourselves to produce, devoted to securing the future for my family.

I love to create with words, food, gardens, colors - doesn't everyone. They don't pay off. What you love, your inner joy, is not important. The only thing important is production, captivity, my slavery. It is hard to turn from slavery where pleasure is not allowed.

Looking at our lives like a business we cut the overhead of living at every turn. We are not frugal, we are practical.

My responsibility to my family is to save money, my husband's is to make money, and together we work to reducing the need for money at all. We live on a little farm. We both work from home. You make money and save money at the save time. I started making jewelery in my spare time, making my pleasure productive allows me to enjoy my life more.

It is hard to break free, and it is always done in steps. Just acknowledging there is more to life than consumerism is difficult for most.

Gardening Success

At this point, are you feeling like a success or a failure in your garden?

If you attempted to grow your own food at all the only correct answer is "a success"!

Gardens fail. They fail every season, even plants that grow successfully have in their community "failures". This is natural, and not negative or wrong.

Perfection is only an illusion, sponsored and paid for.

Success is aligning your needs with the natural providence which is our free birthright.

Living without much money, I understand how frustrating it is to loss food crops. I could go on and on about all the food lost to bugs and mistakes. But now, after many years gardening, it is plain to me that my role here is to "go with the flow".

An all or nothing mentality is erroneous as compromise is the natural solution. We can't have everything, know this on the outset, all accomplishment must be steps. Don’t put a blind eye to the limitations they only indicate where you will have to work at improving. It is natural, until you are experienced, you will experience some debilitation. At first this can make you uncomfortable or unsure of yourself, but gladly submit, these are the first steps to freedom.

Garden Help

Ruralrose said...

This is gardening. You have worked so hard, just because the little critters have claimed you food doesn't mean you didn't grow it well. This is an extremely tough situation you are in, with the summers weather. Some years will be tougher than others, and each year the yields from each crop will be different. Success comes from unseen places, know you did your best, and let it go. The experience is valuable, and each "loss" can be replaced by a "win" if we allow that win to come the unseen too. For example maybe squash will be really cheap at the farmer's market and you will be helping a poor person by purchasing them from her. You are doing such a great job, this is the nature of the beast, don't let it get you down. Peace for all

baking bread

"Baking bread at home saves hundreds of dollars on groceries every year. With this easy method, each deliciously crusty-on-the-outside, moist-and-chewy-on-the-inside loaf with only cost you about 50 cents and 5 minutes a day. No kidding!

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

Discover this ridiculously easy — and cheap! — technique that revolutionizes home baking.

December 2008/January 2009 Mother Earth News

By Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

The Secret: Keep Dough Refrigerated. It is easy to have fresh bread whenever you want it with only five minutes a day of active effort. Just mix the dough and let it sit for two hours. No kneading needed! Then shape and bake a loaf, and refrigerate the rest to use over the next couple weeks. Yes, weeks! The Master Recipe (below) makes enough dough for many loaves. When you want fresh-baked crusty bread, take some dough, shape it into a loaf, let it rise for about 20 minutes, then bake. Your house will smell like a bakery, and your family and friends will love you for it."

Read much more at the site http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=142688
many recipes are included.

Ruralrose said...

mmmmm i can smell it from here! i haven't had a tomato yet, despite planting over 20 heirlooms - we keep tiny tims and yellow pear tomatoes in the windows over winter and they produce much, much more than you would assume - tomatoes are perennials you know - but we can't wait for the big succulent ones you can only get in summmer - i just love watching your kitchen (go see for yourself)- peace for all

August 19, 2009 1:47 AM

Food Security

Preserving Food

Ruralrose said...

I quit canning after the third year. I never seemed to get ahead with the work needed and the losses that just "naturally" occur. Canning uses a lot of energy to cook and sterilize. It really reduces the nutrient value of what you are trying to save.

I freeze everything. Lord help us if the power goes out, but a generator is the next item on the self-sufficiency list. I pickle cukes and hot peppers because they are a no brainer and well worth the effort. Vegetables like beans I saute in butter before freezing. Tomatoes, bananas and ginger can be frozen whole. To use the tomatoes thaw them in a strainer, just lovely. I make up salsa with cilantro, onions, lime, hot peppers and tomatoes and freeze it in small bags too (i strain it before freezing). The ginger gets grated as needed. I freeze berries whole and use them for desserts or smoothies through the winter. If I do want some jam I make a small batch in the winter, when the house needs to be heated, and we enjoy it until its gone.

Don't give up, it all works as education for next year. You are way ahead of the learning curve even if you don't realize it yet.
Peace for all.

Roast Garlic

Found a new blog that is just awesome! Go see for yourself I have linked the title
http://roastgarlicandotheryummythings.blogspot.com
Peace for all

Bokashi

This post came from Sara it is well worth sharing. Her blog is excellent too, a very insightful woman.

I'm a huge fan of Bokashi. Bokashi is a Japanese word for a well fermented organic product. Pictured above are the results of my first Bokashi bran bucket. It might look yucky but it is actually very friendly & very good for the garden. This mixture is now going to be popped into my compost bin to decompose & is full of effective micro-organisms that will improve the quality of my compost & help to suppress diseases & pests in my soil. To read more about effective micro-organisms & the ways they can be used The Recycle Works own website on the subject is very interesting & informative.

One advantage of using a Bokashi bran bucket is that you can add kitchen waste that you normally wouldn't put onto a compost heap, like meat & fish. Because the waste is fermented & not rotted it retains more of it's energy & nutritional value which means more of the goodness will be added to your garden. It's simple to use. You need a bucket with a tap at the bottom & a perforated plate to pop your waste onto. You then add your kitchen waste, chopped into small pieces, with a handful of Bokashi bran, compact, close the lid & then just keep repeating this process. A liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the bucket & can be tapped off to use diluted as an excellent plant feed, or can be poured undiluted down your sink where the effective micro-organisms will help to clean your pipes. It's brilliant! The bucket can be kept indoors because with the lid on there is no smell at all. When you lift off the lid, instead of a getting an offensive, foul, rotting odour all you get is an inoffensive, slightly sweet pickled smell.

Why not give it a go? Your plants will receive more essential growing energy & will be more resistant to harmful bacteria & funghi. You will enjoy the satisfaction of being kind to the environment.

Free Book Give Away

I think there is going to be a food shortage this winter. The droughts and floods have taken their toll on our food system. I am worried you won't have enough to eat even if you have money. I am worried the poor people in the countries we buy our food from won't have enough to eat. I want you to see how easy it is to let nature fill your plate with food.

To show you the seriousness of my conviction, I am giving away copies of my new e-book for FREE. All you need to do to be entered is to leave a comment and a link to your blog showing this give away. I will get back to you. Peace for all

p.s. I have posted a link to the book for more info -

http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=4037003&keywords=e-book%20organic

Gardening by the Moon - Fall Garden

Right now I am in the middle of planting my fall garden. Lettuces, broccoli, cabbages, chinese vegetables, cauliflower and beans and next week i will plant carrots, turnips and radishes. It is not too late to grow food for the winter. It is not to late to freeze foods for the winter.

Organic Gardening

This post is a link the a wonderful garden blog.

http://subsistencepatternfoodgarden.blogspot.com/
Peace for all

Freezing Vegetables

What do you like to eat? Find the recipe, buy the ingredients and give it a shot at home. My new book has a whole chapter on how to prepare foods to make easy everyday healthy meals. The first step in food security is to know how to make what you like to eat.

Ideally, you want preserve the ingredients for your diet when they are plentiful and least expensive. Most vegetables are fruits are plentiful and least expensive now. Buy extras and a box of freezer bags, you will see how easy it is to put up food for later. Buy what you like to eat, there is no use freezing spinach for the winter if you don't like the way it tastes.

We like pepper steak and greek salad in the winter so I freeze peppers. Wash and dry them. Cut them in rings, discard the top. The seeds are edible. If you cut them into smaller bits the extra moisture makes them stick together when frozen. If you cut them in rings, then when you need them, take out what you need. If you need small pieces it is very east to break them off the frozen rings.

Put the peppers loosely in the bag. Lay it flat at close the bag 95% of the way. Gently press the air out of the bag, then close the bag.

Pepper steak - put cast iron fry pan on high, add steak, wait 3 minutes, turn steak over, turn temperature down to low, put on top of still cooking steak the rings of an onion and a pepper, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar, cover with lid, cook for half an hour

Mediterranean salad - put slices of an onion, two tomatoes, two peppers and one cucumber in a bowl, cover with quarter cup olive oil, two tablespoons balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with oregano (or other herb) and salt, pepper and sugar to taste, stir well

Every fruit and every vegetable has its own characteristics for growing, preserving and cooking, which are the same year after year. I suppose this is the essence of my new book, to show how easy it is to let nature provide.