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Well, last night I put up my first beans in my new pressure canner. It was an exciting and somewhat terrifying experience! Fortunately, I bought a very very good pressure canner from Lehman's so I wasn't worried about it exploding (much). I've made lots of jelly before, but had never tried beans or anything else that you need a pressure canner for, so it was an interesting experiment. I put up 6 pint jars of green beans from the garden, and learned a LOT about my new pressure canner. Now I know what the "jiggle" sounds like when you're at the right pressure, that when you're above 3000 feet you need to cook it longer and at a higher pressure, that it's okay that the overpressure valve steams at low pressures, how long it takes to heat up and cool, and that you can't go off and forget to open the thing once it's cooled off or the lid gets very very stuck. Now I'm much more confident about using my pressure canner! We got the one with the metal-to-metal seal so we didn't have to worry about buying gaskets... but the overpressure rubber valve in the top still has to be replaced every few years. The second bed of potatoes is almost ready to dig (I still have a big box of the Caribe purple-skinned ones in the pantry), the sweet corn is coming, we got our first 2 tomatoes the other day, the onions are starting to fall over and bulb up, the French Rolande bush green beans are at full steam (and in jars! wow!), the strawbs have been faster than the pillbugs this year (mostly) and I have a lot in the freezer to make mixed berry jelly with, we picked wild elderberries the other day and made jam, I can't keep up with the eggplant (just 6 plants), and the pumpkins are almost ready to harvest. Tomorrow I think we'll go down the road and pick wild blackberries near the pond. That and some fresh-baked bread will make a nice Lammas supper. 8-) This is the most food I've ever gotten from my garden, and next year we hope to double or triple the size of it. If there's one thing that'll keep you going in a Depression, it's having food on the table no matter what. And the price of your own food from your own garden will never go up. |
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It's always something! I've been stockpiling canning lids, now I guess I should get a couple spare valves too. |
As much as my husband and I had planned on having several episodes of our show shot by now, advertisers secured, and the series greenlit by the network, things happen sometimes. It turns out that we're working so hard on homesteading that we frankly haven't had time to shoot a show about homesteading. It's still on the radar screen, but maybe a little further out than we would have liked. Today I made sourdough cornbread that came out GREAT (here's the link: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/sourdough/sourdough23.html). It's very light and a bit shortbread-like. We also had leftover soup from the other day, so that made for a very nice supper. We've been most concerned of late with growing food. Today alone I planted sweet corn, watermelons, mung beans, Amish paste tomatoes, Principe Borghese tomatoes (the best for sun drying), pac choi, and lettuce. Last week I put in carrots and more potatoes, the week before that saw me putting in green beans. This is only part of what's growing out there -- there's also pumpkins, strawberries, more tomatoes, green onions, yellow onion sets, eggplant, cilantro, peanuts, and a little bit of winter spinach and cauliflower I haven't picked yet. I'm stocking up on canning jars too -- hopefully our plans to complete a root cellar this summer will work out so we have somewhere to put all this food! LOL The past 2 days have seen us frantically cutting & burning brush before the end of burn season which was yesterday. Just before the chainsaw ran out of gas we broke through the brush to the lower part of the driveway, so now we have a complete circuit for our new fenceline. A new sheep pasture at last! As soon as it's done and we can afford them, I hope to get 3 Shetlands to add to our 2 California Reds for a nice spinner's flock. We sheared the sheep a few weeks ago and I've been working my way through the 10 pounds of fleece with hand cards. A local shop has my yarns on consignment, and I've been having fun using Kool-Aid to dye the wool all kinds of interesting color combinations.
That's all I can think of for now. If anyone needs any inexpensive website work done, please contact us at http://www.acornheads.com! We need the money! LOL |
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HomesteaderÂ’s 52-Week Food Storage Plan This list is based from the Mormon plan with some alterations for the homesteader. I found some problems with the original plan, such as buying garden seeds in April rather than in January when the catalogs arrive, especially considering that some zones can grow plants from seed all year long (such as southern California and Hawaii). Also, as a homesteader, I have my own chickens and dairy animals, so I donÂ’t need to get dried dairy products, and as a vegetarian I donÂ’t get canned meats. The list also does not include fresh produce or anything for the root cellar. The dates are approximate, naturally, as they fall differently within the week depending on the year. I found myself getting lost as to what week I was in so I gave approximate dates for these weeks. So this list is my take on the 52-Week Plan from the POV of a vegetarian homesteader. I hope itÂ’s helpful to other folks. Feel free to adjust it depending on your diet and what crops you grow. For example, if youÂ’re growing dry beans, take a vacation from buying anything during bean week or pick something else to stock up on, like dog food. Also, if you find one of these items on sale, buy it on sale! Then swap out the week with another to keep the program going. Week 1 (Jan. 1): Nuts in the shell, look for after-holiday sales. At least 5 lbs per person (if you eat no meat). Week 2 (Jan. 8): Detergents, cleansers. Laundry soap 20 lbs per person. Week 3 (Jan. 15): Medicine Chest: Feminine products, pain killers, stomach soothers, sunscreens, eyedrops, etc. Toss all out of date medicines. Week 4 (Jan. 22): Garden seeds and supplies such as plant tags, potting soil, tools, etc. Week 5 (Jan. 29): Bagged animal feeds: chicken scratch, cat food, dog food, sweet oats, salt licks. Week 6 (Feb. 5): Water, or check condition of barrels/cistern/storage/well/pump. Week 7 (Feb 12): Candy, look for sales around ValentineÂ’s Day. Week 8 (Feb 19): Vegetable shortening, 10 lbs per person. Week 9 (Feb. 26): Fruit juices, 100% juice only. Week 10 (Mar 5): Toothpaste, floss, shaving cream, etc. Week 11 (Mar 12): Mixes for pancakes, cakes, frosting, muffins, etc. buy or make your own and put into airtight containers. Week 12 (Mar 19): Spices and herbs. Week 13 (Mar 26): Rice, at least 15 lbs per person. Week 14 (Apr 2): First aid supplies: cotton balls, swabs, gauze, tape, etc. Week 15 (Apr 9): Pasta, several kinds. At least 15 lbs per person. Week 16 (Apr 16): Cheese, butter, ghee, dairy products that can be frozen or put up. Week 17 (Apr 23): Sewing supplies, needles, buttons, zippers, fabric as needed. Week 18 (Apr 30): Flour, 50 lbs per person. Nitrogen to keep whole wheat flour. Week 19 (May 7): Dry and canned soups. Week 20 (May 14): Dry packaged mixes: Gravy, pudding, sauces Week 21 (May 21): First Aid supplies: bandages, antibiotic ointments, aloe gel, etc. Week 22 (May 28): More flour, 50 lbs per person. Nitrogen to keep whole wheat flour. Week 23 (June 4): String, rope, flashlights, replacement flashlight bulbs, batteries. Week 24 (June 11): Bedding, sheets, pillowcases, kitchen towels, bath towels, potholders. Week 25 (June 18): Paper towels, aluminum foil, wax paper, plastic bags, trash bags. Week 26 (June 25): Vinegar, both white and apple cider, as needed for canning, cleaning and remedies. Week 27 (July 2): Condiments: Mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, BBQ sauce, steak sauce, etc. Week 28 (July 9): Jam, jelly, preserves, fruit curds, fruit butters that you wonÂ’t make yourself. Week 29 (July 16): Canned goods: Vegetables 150 lbs per person, fruits 80 quarts per person. Only buy what your family will eat and what you wonÂ’t put up yourself. Week 30 (July 23): Winter heating fuel: firewood, propane, etc. Week 31 (July 30): Back to school and office supplies, craft supplies like yarn. Week 32 (Aug 6): Baking powder, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tartar, etc. Be sure to get enough baking soda for cleaning and deodorizing. Week 33 (Aug. 13): Tomatoes: Juice, paste, canned, sauce, etc. Only buy what you wonÂ’t make and put up yourself. Week 34 (Aug 20): Canned fruit, 80 quarts per person. Be sure to include enough applesauce for baking if you donÂ’t make your own. Week 35 (Aug. 27): More winter heating fuel: Wood, propane, etc. Week 36 (Sep 3): Sugar, 100 lbs per person. Be sure to get enough for making jelly, baking, etc. Week 37 (Sep 10): Canned vegetables, 150 lbs per person. Only buy what your family will eat and what you wonÂ’t put up yourself. Week 38 (Sep 17): Dried beans & peas, 150 lbs per person. Week 39 (Sep 24): Honey, molasses, sorghum, corn syrup. Week 40 (Oct 1): Salt: Iodized, sea salt, canning salt, rock salt, epsom salts. Week 41 (Oct. 8): Personal products: Soap, shampoo, deodorant, toilet paper, lotion, etc. Week 42 (Oct. 15): Canned soups. Week 43 (Oct. 22): Baby items if needed, lightbulbs. Week 44 (Oct. 29): Candy, look for sales around Halloween. More animal and pet foods, including bales of hay. Week 45 (Nov 5): Peanut or almond butter, 10 lbs per person. Week 46 (Nov 12): Vitamins Week 47 (Nov 19): Baking supplies, chocolate chips, coconut, muffin cups, baking parchment, etc. Week 48 (Nov 26): Rolled oats, oatmeal, cornmeal, cream of wheat, etc. Week 49 (Dec 3): Brown sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, other baking supplies as needed. Week 50 (Dec 10): Candles, lamp oil, wicks, matches. Week 51 (Dec 17): Vegetable and olive oils. Week 52 (Dec 24): Popcorn |
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I had heard about NAIS last summer but forgotten about it... what they were proposing was crazy, it would never pass, right? They've apparently backed off according to one article I saw, but NAIS (National Animal Identification System) is still on the table and was scheduled to become manditory as of 2009 I believe. In it, every single horse, cow, chicken, goat, sheep, mule, duck, turkey, llama, alpaca, or any other livestock would be injected with a microchip bearing a unique identifying number, and you would have to give them all your personal data as well as an exact GPS coordinate for your homestead so they could use a satellite to track your animals' comings and goings. Want to ride your horse down the road? If it leaves your property, you would be legally required to report that to the government. Want to sell your extra lambs? Gotta report that and get 'em chipped first. Want to get some chicks to add to your free range flock? Gotta register them as a separate flock and they have to be kept separated in another pen. Your animal dies? Gotta report it to the feds within 48 hours or you face stiff fines. I've also heard stories from states where this is already manditory that rabbits and chinchillas are also chipped. Talk about "number of the beast." If you are enrolled in the voluntary scrapie program, your data has already been entered into the NAIS program -- all that's missing is the microchip and the GPS coordinates. And who pays for this program? Why you do, of course! Your tax dollars pay for the whole thing, and then when it's time to get the chips and keep the records, they charge you for the privilige again. Who's exempt from the program? Animals that were born on your land and who will never leave it... oh, and of course Big Ag who are pushing the USDA to make the program manditory. All they have to do is give their location and approximate number of animals, no individual animal chipping required. Costs them almost nothing... costs the small farm a lot. I wonder what they're trying to achieve here...? I suppose I had better close for now as I tend to get rather heated about this topic. If you're interested in opposing NAIS, please visit the following sites: |
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I'm trying to find a complete list of all the living history TV shows that have been on in the US and/or are available on DVD in the US. Please let me know if I've left any out: - 1900 House Should I count Survivor Man (which I call Captain Hyperbole)...? Any others I've missed? |
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My family and I are taking a journey. Not away from our home, but further into it. And you can come too -- we are beginning work on a new show, Homesteading TV. I was thinking earlier today that perhaps viewers, friends and family might like to see what we're doing day-to-day, so I started this blog for fun. And to avoid getting any real work done. Heh. At the moment I have the Tivo set to record part 2 of Quest for the Sea, about two families that recreate how the fishing families of Newfoundland in the 1930s would have lived. I love all those sorts of shows -- the first one we saw was 1900 House and we were hooked on the "living history reality show" concept. We wish they'd do Medieval House next! Both Craig and I are crazy for living history, role playing games, Lord of the Rings, these living history shows, anything about archaology, and so on. We were married at the historic Mariposa County Courthouse, had our luncheon at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, and honeymooned at Colonial Williamsburg and the Smithsonian. My screensaver is a slide show of the rustic architecture of Yosemite Valley, and for a while we both published a living history magazine out of our house. We were also in the SCA but now tend to drift in and out of it, partly due to the lack of authenticity of many members, and partly because we'd prefer to actually tend livestock, grow crops, and live on a homestead rather than just pretending to. To us the SCA is doing the same things we're already doing but in different clothing. No point to that really, and it only fills up our (tiny) closets with extra stuff! Another aspect of our desire to live this way is the future. I've been hearing about peak oil for a few months as of this writing, and Craig joined me in my fervor about 3 months ago. We truly believe that there will be a major worldwide crisis of some kind within the next 10 years, probably caused by the quick rise in gas and oil prices as the sources of these peak (or have already peaked). Without cheap oil, our modern society cannot exist... oil and gas have peaked already and the prices are climbing fast while supply diminishes... I leave it to you to connect the dots. We seek a sustainable life, for our family and our local community. Today I ordered about $250 worth of bare-root fruit and nut trees and will be picking up some berry canes tomorrow. Last week I ordered about $100 worth of open-pollinated vegetable seeds. Next month we'll be hosting a public showing of The End of Suburbia and starting a local networking/barter community here in our town. After seeing The End of Suburbia and reading The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, we feel that we, and our society, are on borrowed time. The housing bubble has just burst and is beginning to deflate. Natural gas is past peak and there are increasing shortages as demand outstrips the supply. The same with oil -- the two largest oil fields in the world have just peaked as well, and demand continues to grow on a global scale. So... back to our family's journey. Through the television show we hope to share what we know, the lessons learned and knowledge gained through a lifetime of study and practice. We hope to learn even more, too, through trying new things, doing research for the show, and meeting new friends travelling the same road. Life is about the journey as well as the destination. Let's walk together for a while. |
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