Live Ready Now!

ECHO – Alternative Gardening Methods

Rose Petal — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:11:29 +0000

With my five daughters at a recent ladies brunch

If you are a woman I hope you had a great Mother’s Day last week, whether you are a biological mother, a mother through love, service, or adoption, or you have children waiting in heaven. I was blessed to grow up with a wonderful godly mother, which is priceless. I’m blessed with a loving mother-in-law and other godly women who have invested in me and in our family. And God has blessed me with six beautiful children here on earth, some through birth and some through adoption, as well as five in heaven. I also enjoy being “mother” to others as opportunities arise; like last week as we cared for two girls for friends of ours. Motherhood is a blessed calling! I hope you don’t mind my proudly showing off the children God has given us, in spite of the many years it seemed like multiple children would never be a reality. I am truly a blessed mother!

Our six blessings: back - Butterfly (10), Evenstar (18), Blossom (13), Honey Bun (11); front - Farmer Boy (7), Little Bird (8)...matching outfits compliments of a sweet "mother" in our lives

Now down to the business of what we learned on our recent trip to ECHO about gardening in less-than-ideal situations. In many places around the world people are dependent largely on food they can grow, but they have an extreme climate, poor soil or terrain, limited space or time, physical limitations, or few resources available. ECHO is all about helping individuals around the world learn to maximize their time, space, and available resources to produce the most possible nutritious food with the greatest possible efficiency. Sounds like something we can use!

Obviously water is a major component for growing food. On display were several different models of water pumps made from upcycled or easily obtained materials. One pump uses small scoops tied to a cable strung on two old bycicle wheels. Cranking the pipe handle lowers the cups all the way into the shallow well and brings them back up with water. The water dumps into a pipe running to a transparent inverted water jug so you can see the water flow. It must be cranked enthusiastically or the water runs out of the little cups before it gets to the jug. From there the water fills two 55 gallon drums raised high enough to allow gravity to take the water out to the garden when needed. It is amazing!

Honey Bun cranks the pump made of upcycled materials

Beside that contraption is another treadle-type pump that runs water directly into the garden. This particular garden has little ditches running down the center and around it with gaps at strategic places for water to run into the grow beds. Sandbags are used as “valves” to direct the water flow. How else would you irrigate if you didn’t have access to hoses and much plumbing?

Farmer Boy takes a turn pumping water into the ditches with the treadle pump

Sandbags control the flow of water

Companion planting is utilized in various ways. Here an avocado tree is growing on a mound so torrential summer rains won’t “drown” it. The mound is covered with perennial peanut vines which is a nitrogen fixing plant (adds nitrogen to the soil) to feed the tree. The vine also discourages soil erosion. Too bad it doesn’t produce edible peanuts.

Perennial peanut is used as a ground cover and nitrogen fix for this avocado tree

A special drip irrigation system is made using a bucket suspended from a tripod. Drip lines run from the bucket and into the garden. Gravity takes water from the bucket to the grow beds. Screen covers the top of the bucket to keep dirt out.

An intern fills the bucket drip system with water

A simple kitchen garden

Terraces on a hillside create flat growing areas and prevent soil erosion

Rooftops may be the only space some people have to garden. Roofs can’t generally handle the extra weight of adding much soil so other options are used. Many plants can grow in little soil if they are fed the nutrients they need in other ways. One idea utilizes an inverted bucket filled with water and organic fertilizer. The lid, now at the bottom, has small holes allowing the mixture to escape slowly into the grow bed to feed the plants. Some beds used a little soil and hay, others used cardboard, but my favorite used old carpet (hopefully out-gassed) to wick the water to the plants and hold the moisture. I would have never thought of such a thing for growing food!

The inverted bucket slowly releases water and nutrients to the planting medium (such as carpet) in the bed through small holes in the lid

Plants growing from bags

Vertical space is utilized by planting in pallets, gradually raising them to an upright position

Elderly or physically impaired people find gardening difficult, but there are ways around that as well. An entire garden is set up on tables, requiring no bending over. It even has a few rabbits in a hutch to provide natural fertilizer.

As mentioned in my previous post, we learned a lot about growing perennials rather than just the annual vegetables many of us are accustomed to in gardening. Perennials are generally planted once and grow for many years, producing for long periods of time. They require less maintanance in the long run, similar to regular landscaping shrubs. Often they are more nutritious than annual vegetables that must be replanted every growing season. Anyone serious about growing their own food should consider investing time and effort into various edible perennials, such as fruit and nut trees, vines and shrubs, and the types of fodder plants mentioned in my last post. Some take more time initially to start bearing, but have longer lasting results.

Cranberry Hibiscus is a pretty perennial bush with delicious tender leaves...good for salads or garden snacking

For annuals or perennials, most grow beds at ECHO are raised but have no wooden frames. Expensive lumber is not an option for many. It is much easier, less time consuming, and more cost effective to build raised beds or rows simply by mounding the soil and composted additives or layers of organic matter, leaving walkways between. And of course, this is a no-till method of gardening that does not destroy the living organisms in the soil. Once the rows are built, they are maintained simply by adding organic matter as necessary between planting seasons.

Raised rows to control moisture and soil content, using no lumber or tilling

Mulching is a vital part of healthy growing beds. A thick layer of mulch such as hay, straw, or wood chips (shredded trees and leaves) is always used in growing applications at ECHO. Mulch protects the soil and beds or rows from erosion, feeds the soil as it breaks down, holds moisture in the soil, protects from extreme temperatures, and keeps weeds from growing.

Soon I’ll share some of the simple technologies demonstrated at ECHO built from local or upcycled materials. We’re having so much fun out in the yard trying to apply some of the things we learned, it’s hard to find time to write posts. I’ll try to be back soon!

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Eco-Kids, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home Blog Hop, Rock n Share, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Wicked Good Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Old Fashioned Friday, Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Fun Friday, From the Farm Blog Fest, Farmgirl Friday, Simply Natural Saturday, Great Blog Chain, and Eat Make Grow.

ECHO – Growing Massive Amounts of Food the Fast Way

Rose Petal — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:04:37 +0000

ECHO - "Fighting World Hunger"

As our country faces economic collapse, we search for more efficient and economical ways to feed our family and livestock. Moving to our off-grid homestead has been a major learning experience as we look to become more sustainable and less dependent on the fragile food transport system. We are also increasingly concerned about the growing levels of toxins in purchased foods as GMO farming monopolizes our food sources.

Some countries, like Cuba, have learned from necessity how to grow their own food abundantly and healthfully. We can learn much from them. But there are opportunities to see it demonstrated first-hand without leaving the country. One way is to visit ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) in southwest Florida, dedicated to honoring God through providing sustainable hunger solutions to the world’s poor. We may not be considered poor (yet), but we can certainly benefit from what they teach about sustainable agricultural practices in other countries.

Last week we took a field trip to Ft. Myers and visited the Global Farm at ECHO. What an enlightening experience! We also took their Appropriate Technology tour which demonstrates simple technologies made from local or recycled materials that we could learn to make ourselves, such as a PVC water pump, simple rocket stove, homemade solar dehydrator, sand water filtration system, and more. But that is for another post! Now I will attempt to share a bit about their global farm.

Our first stop on the tour was the fish and duck pond, fenced in to keep the ducks in and predators out. A duck house was built over the water so the duck droppings fall into the water to feed the vegetation, which feeds the talapia. The ducks go into the house to eat, drink, lay eggs, and roost at night. The droppings are swept out of holes in the floor.

The duck house sits over the pond

The duck droppings fall into the pond

Next were the rice paddies. They are experimenting and training students to grow rice using the SRI method (System of Rice Intensification) which increases productivity of rice over traditional methods. They are using several methods and comparing the results.

The rice paddies

Planting the rice

Of great interest to us were the raised rows of perennial fodder crops (mostly trees and shrubs) to feed their goats, chickens, and rabbits. In return the livestock provide meat, milk, eggs, and manure fertilizer for the garden. The fodder crops used are usually fast growing, nutrient dense, and easy to grow. They are grown on wide raised rows and pruned to a height for easy regular harvesting. Our favorites were moringa, mulberry, chaya, leucaena, and comfrey.

Rows of fodder crops

Young moringa trees in the background

Moringa trees deserve a post all their own, as we have been growing two since last fall and are already reaping benefits. Its leaves are a green super food, containing seven times the vitamin C of oranges, and twice the protein in milk. It is very fast growing, but can be maintained at a manageable height. We recently planted seeds in pots. Now I can’t wait to plant them out.

We have a small mulberry tree in a pot, waiting to be planted near the chicken yard so the chickens can eat the berries that drop. But at ECHO we saw how to plant a hedge of mulberry trees (bushes) and harvest the new growth regularly as fodder for the livestock.

Chaya is another very productive bushy tree also called the spinach tree. Its leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach. Raw they are toxic to humans but not to livestock.

Leucaena is a nitrogen fixing legume that makes excellent livestock fodder. A reader of this blog kindly sent me some seeds (thanks, Kathy!), and I hope to plant them this week!

Leucaena

I knew comfrey as a bone-knitting herb that heals wounds and injuries quickly, but didn’t know it was also beneficial as animal feed. I have seeds for this as well, but am taking my time to plan where it should grow permanently as it is nearly impossible to eradicate from an area once established.

Comfrey

There were other perennials we brought home (or we already had) because they produce salad greens or other edibles year round, year after year, especially in a warm climate like ours. Here is a list of them:

Farmer Boy eats Cranberry Hibiscus

Cranberry Hibiscus – A burgundy-colored bush with fruity-tasting tender shoots and leaves. Our tour guide invited us to try it, and the children had a hard time stopping. Farmer Boy (seven yrs old) especially took a liking to it. It also grows pretty edible flowers.

Katuk – A shrub whose leaves, flowers, and small fruits are tasty in a salad or cooked. The flavor reminds us of peas or almonds.

Edible Hibiscus – This fast growing bush grows tall and produces large leaves used like lettuce, large enough to cover a piece of bread in a sandwich.

Sweet Potato – We brought home two of their varieties, and can’t wait to see how they produce.

Barbados (Acerola) Cherry – Grows little tangy and mildly sweet fruits that contain an adult daily dose of vitamin C in each berry. Imagine growing our own vitamin C “pills!”

Malabar Spinach (red) – A fast growing and productive succulent vine. Not a true spinach, its pretty red and green leaves have a mild flavor.

Okinawa “Purple” Spinach – Also not a real spinach but a pretty purple and green plant tasting much like it (I think it’s better). We’ve had this growing in a protected area of our backyard since last fall, and it is an attractive and meaty addition to salads.

Perennials take less time and work than annual vegetables, and often they contain more nutrients. On our new homestead we’re focusing first on getting these longer lasting and higher producing plants established in our edible landscaping, after which we will turn our attention to the annuals. As time goes on I hope to report on how well these plants produce for our family.

In another post I will share some alternative methods of gardening and irrigating demonstrated at ECHO.

Blessings,

Our Windmill – A Sustainable Pump

Rose Petal — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:03:28 +0000

Our new windmill sings in the breeze

We dug our well last year with the goal of using a windmill pump. Our idea of living sustainably means we aren’t dependent on the availability of fossil fuels or grid power to exist. Since installing solar panels, we normally run our generator only about 30 minutes daily to fill our water tanks. Our inexpensive electric jet pump takes too much “juice” to start with our simple power system. If we aren’t dependent on that pump, we’ll eliminate the need to use our generator.

Since water is the number one survival need, we’re prioritizing securing several good water sources. All other preparations will be pointless within three days with no access to water. So last year we used a tax refund to purchase an eight foot (2.4 meter) O’Brock windmill on a 21 foot (6.4 meter) tower. We just didn’t have the time to get it set up till recently.

Silver Oak got a call from Mr. O’Brock in OH several months ago wondering if he would be interested in putting up another windmill close to our house. Once we got ours installed, Silver Oak would be the “expert” in the area. That appealed to Silver Oak as he is always looking to realize our goal of working from home or very near home rather than commuting to town for landscaping. And this was a motivation to get our own windmill up quickly.

In February Silver Oak started assembling the tower of our windmill, and dug the four big holes by hand to place the legs into. Without the aid of heavy equipment we had to come up with different ideas than the instructions gave at times, so there was quite a bit of trial and error. The base of the tower was lowered by hand into the holes (with lots of grunts!).

We initially helped support the bottom of the tower while Silver Oak assembled it

The four-foot-deep holes were dug by hand

When the base was lowered into the holes the rest of the tower was assembled

The tower and platform are completed

Once the tower was completely constructed, leveled, and squared, the concrete was mixed and poured into the holes to tie it down. There are quite a few O’Brock windmills in central Florida and none were lost to the hurricanes several years ago. Their secret is a strong foundation.

16 bags of concrete were mixed and added to each hole

Next came the assembly of the windmill engine and tail. Silver Oak did this just before turning his attention to the windmill on the neighboring ranch in March.

Assembling the engine, tail, and vane

The ranch’s windmill was the same size as ours, but with a taller tower. The ranch had a back-hoe to dig the holes, hired a truck to bring the concrete, and rented a crane to set the windmill on the tower. That made it easy.

On the nearby ranch Silver Oak assembled the base of the tower, then put the mill together while waiting for the concrete truck to arrive

The next day the crane came to lift the mill up onto the completed 33' tower

With ease the crane swung it up and into place

Silver Oak had to be up there to guide it onto the mast pipe

But it wasn’t easy to set up everything on the top of that 33 foot (10 meter) tower! It was a fairly windy day and we naively had not thought about using a safety harness for such a job. Silver Oak was extremely careful about every move he made up there that day, and resolved to do the next job with the proper harness. I went at noon to take pictures and it made me so nervous to see him crawling around on that thing that I couldn’t leave till he was done. I stayed and prayed, and helped with what I could from the ground.

After the mill was bolted and oil poured into the engine housing, the cover was put in place...see why my heart was seizing up?

Farmer Boy went with me so he got in on the action. This windmill was installed to run an air compressor to aerate the ranch’s pond rather than pump water. It was situated next to a rustic cabin and when it was done it made a handsome sight.

The aerator pump was connected

Silver Oak and Farmer Boy pose proudly beneath Silver Oak's first completed windmill

The ranch's cabin with the windmill in the background...a handsome sight!

Once the neighboring ranch’s windmill was up Silver Oak was itching to finish ours. But we didn’t have the funds to rent a crane to lift the 300 lb (136 kg) mill up to the top of the tower. And you can’t just hang 300 lbs on your back and carry it up there! So Silver Oak had to do what all true homesteaders must learn to do…get creative!

He racked his brain and prayed for ideas, and looked at materials we have to work with. He ended up investing in a $40 chain hoist from Harbor Freight to lift the engine. But what was he going to hang it from, and how was he going to swing the engine around and set it in place once he got it up there? He came up with this:

The pieces used to assemble a lift support for the chain hoist

With the wood he built a little platform for the pole, with a hole to seat it into. Then he dropped the t-pole into the straight pole so the arm could reach out and hold the chain hoist, then swivel around to place the engine and tail right where he wanted it. The finished product is officially called a “gin pole.” It took a lot of tries and adjustments, and was slow going, but he finally got it lifted up and swung into place. That was grounds for lots of cheering! It is so valuable to know how to do it without a crane!

Mounting the t-pole on top of the tower

The chain hoist is hung from the t-pole

The chain hoist lifts in 10 ft increments, so scaffolding and planks across tower trusses held the engine between increments. I kept the engine from beating against the tower. That was as high as I went!

Preparing to lift the engine the final segment of the journey to the top of the tower

Almost there!

At the top, Silver Oak swung the t-post around, and lowered the engine right onto the mast pipe! It was done!

When the engine was mounted he carried the wheel up in six different sections, installing one piece at a time. It made the job much more manageable. And, this tme, he used a safety harness.

Rather than purchase an expensive harness which he didn’t have time to wait for or money to buy, he studied others and made one himself. He combined webbing rated for a 5000 lb load, a chain, bolts, and heavy duty seatbelt type straps, all which he already had on hand. We all felt more at ease when he started using that. We’re thankful for God’s protection.

Silver Oak's safety harness

Testing it by hanging on the side of the deck

Completing the windmill felt like a major accomplishment, which it WAS! We dug a trench for plumbing from our shallow well in the front yard to the windmill near the back. We hope to some day dig another well closer to the windmill, but for now we’ll pump from the original well.

Our view of our handsome addition from the front yard

Unfortunately other priorities (like planting pasture seed and building my new herb garden) have crowded out finishing the plumbing from the windmill to our water tanks, but it’s a relief to know the big job is done and we have the components on hand to complete it.

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Wicked Good Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

Absolute Preparedness

Rose Petal — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:41:16 +0000

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg in 2010

We’ve had a preparedness mindset for a number of years now, working toward becoming sustainable and relearning basic life skills lost to our generation. We educate our children to prepare them for life…a life that will likely be different than the way we grew up. But no matter how long or hard we prepare, the reality is this: one disaster could wipe out our preparations overnight. Then what?

It takes lots of time, energy and money to store enough supplies, learn basic skills, and become sustainable enough to meet the needs of our family in a time of trouble. What happens if we improve our lives or survive a few more years, only to die of sickness or be killed in a disaster? Seriously! Inevitably we WILL face THE END!

Will a stash of food and supplies matter when we die? One split second…and we’re done.

While lack of finances may slow us down in preparing, it doesn’t cost one cent to prepare to die and meet God.

We just put up a windmill so we aren't dependent on fuel for water...more on that soon

We may get overwhelmed trying to learn sustainable living. Preparing for eternity is not about learning skills, but rather about recognizing and responding to God’s voice.

No matter how we plan, our stash and resources can be plundered or destroyed. Our best efforts to protect our family can “go up in smoke” within minutes. What then?

“Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation…” (Jeremiah 3:23)

How do we solve this very real dilemma of being absolutely prepared?

Who but God, our Creator, holds the answer for a secure future? Who is religious or enlightened enough to have knowledge or wisdom exceeding God’s? I don’t trust my own ideas and hopefully you aren’t trusting yours. Our ideas hold too much room for human error and reasoning. It’s imperative that this question be answered by God Himself.

According to Him we can do nothing to earn His favor or heaven as our eternal destiny. Breaking the least of His commandments renders us unworthy to be in His presence! Ever told a white lie, disobeyed your parents, spoken His name irreverently? No matter how good we are, it’s not enough for a perfect and holy God (Titus 3:5; James 2:10; Romans 3:10, 23).

God says the only way to secure our eternal destiny with Him is to accept His FREE GIFT of Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Religion is not the answer, but a Person, Jesus. Jesus confirmed this when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.” What? Jesus was a very good teacher, but how can He claim to be the ONLY WAY? And how can a PERSON be a “way?” What about all the good religions to choose from? (Romans 6:23; John 3:36; John 14:6)

One thing is for sure: if Jesus lied, He is far from being good. If His claim to be the sacrificed and resurrected Son of God is NOT true, then He was a huge hypocrite and liar. Hypocrites and liars are not good, and have nothing to offer us.

If what He said IS true, however, we have answers concerning our future, and it is worth giving up everything else, if necessary, to obtain His free offer of eternal life, received by simply trusting in Him. This is far from being a religion, from just living a good life…it is a relationship, alive and real. (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9, 13)

Learning soap-making at a nearby folk school

It is because of this relationship that I have peace that if I die today my eternal destiny is secure.

I want my children to live with that security.

I want you to live with that security.

Jesus wants you to live with that security. He has paid the price for our sins which alienated us from God, and taken that burden upon Himself so we can experience peace with God and live in His presence forever. (John 3:16)

Before you learn more skills, store more food, or become more sustainable, secure the most important aspect of preparedness. Our stash can be plundered or destroyed, our minds and bodies wounded or killed, but nothing can take our relationship with God and our eternal destiny. (Romans 8:35)

In Him we are SAFE forever! Read God’s Manual (the Bible) and see for yourself. The answers are all there.

I pray you will face the unkown future…PREPARED!

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

Growing Tropical Trees in a Not-So-Tropical Zone

Rose Petal — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:21:05 +0000

Our young papaya tree didn't lose its blooms in the freeze two weeks ago

Our central Florida homestead is far enough inland from the warmer coast that we get lots of cold weather (for Florida). We’ve had plenty of freezing temps and frost this winter, dipping into the mid 20’s F (-7 °C), and local nurseries tell us it is too cold for most tropical plants to survive or yield fruit. It gets cold enough here to supposedly grow several varieties of apples and peaches, for which I’m tickled. We’re going to give them a try.

The early settlers planted mostly what grew well, so why shouldn’t we just settle for that? We have a few daughters born in tropical Liberia, and the rest of us are lovers of some very tropical fruits as well. If we are serious about living sustainably off the land, we should consider raising anything we want to have access to long term, for health reasons or otherwise.

That is why last fall, when growers were selling off their summer inventory at reduced prices, we purchased a few banana, avocado, mango, papaya, and moringa trees. We also bought various citrus trees which are more cold hardy, and a Florida variety of peach (Tropic Snow), which actually needs enough hours of cold to reproduce (no problem here). So far these little trees have seen freezing overnight temps numerous times, including the last week of March, and are doing great. All the trees have new growth and several have blooms and the beginnings of fruit. How have we done it?

Here are the ideas we have used so far when the temps drop too low overnight:

1) Purchase only dwarf varieties or trees that can be pruned to stay short. This way they can more easily be protected.

2) Place permanent or temporary supports over them, like a ladder, trellis, tee-pee or wire frame which can support a cover.

3) Cover with old sheets (from thrift stores) or other covers overnight. Try to keep the cover from touching the foliage if possible, for further protection against frostbite. Use clothes pins to close the covers around the trees, and keep them from flapping if there is a breeze.

4) Place candles in glass underneath each tree and its cover. Christmas lights also work but are not sustainable and less convenient if you must run lots of cords or if you’re off the grid like we are. At first we placed whatever candles we had on hand into jars. Then we found 8″ tall candles at Dollar General for $1.50 each, and placed them in small holes under each tree so they could not fall over. We also found oil lamp chimneys at thrift stores to place over them for added safety. For my protection I must add that you should never leave such candles unattended.

The ladder is ready for the night's predicted freeze. It will support a large sheet covering these trees and plants with a candle underneath.

Candles and chimneys are placed under the trees.

That night the yard is decorated with "ghosts"

5) Light a fire to produce lots of hot coals in a burn barrel so the heat radiates up to 75 feet around it. Obviously this works only away from town and by taking proper precautions. After the flames die down we place wire fencing over the hole with a metal trashcan lid on top. This allows ventilation around the perimeter of the lid while keeping the coals hot longer. We’ve raised the temp in our yard 10 degrees this way. The biggest drawback is more wood must be added every three or four hours till sunrise. And again, follow fire safety rules.

This potted dwarf (Cavendish) banana tree will be planted in the ground on the south side of a wall

6) Water well everything in danger of freeze or frostbite early in the morning before the sun rises.

7) Try to place trees next to buildings, preferably on the south side, or in protected corners. This can make a big difference.

One of our most cold sensitive trees are moringas, native to India, which produce an awesome green super food. Its leaves, pods, and even branches are edible, and super high in protein, vitamin C, and other nutrients. They are a soft tree that will grow 30 feet a year, or you can keep it pruned to nine feet for easy harvesting. They are terribly cold sensitive and will drop their leaves or die back and must start over again if they get too cold. Since our moringas are virtually unprotected in the middle of our front yard, they tend to get “babied” the most. They are still small enough that a six foot ladder can be used to support a cover till we make something more permanent.

One of our moringas with a ladder over it, ready to be covered with the sheet above in the predicted freeze that night

Our papaya trees and dwarf mango tree (Nam DocMai) are still in large pots, waiting to be planted permanently in the ground inside the greenhouse when it is finished. For now they are grouped together against the front of the house and easily covered with one large sheet with a candle under it. Mango and papaya trees may survive temps dipping below freezing, but their fruit won’t.

The reddish leaves on the top of the mango tree are tender new growth from the past month in spite of several frosty nights.

We purchased the most cold hardy avocado variety we could find (Lila), and use a large 8’ tomato cage to support blankets to keep it warm since it is in an unprotected north corner of our yard. It has thrived this winter and is growing tiny avocados, as well as new blooms. When it grows into a large tree with thick foliage it will better tolerate dips below freezing without being covered.

The avocado is ready to be covered with the blanketed cage in the background, and warmed by the candle below.

As the winter wore on we got wiser in protecting our trees. At first we covered the tender young citrus trees with sheets on cold nights but used no supports. One night it got too cold and the top leaves got burned. Since then we made sure to use supports when needed, even if it was just a shovel or pitchfork stuck in the ground beside the tree to keep the sheet off the top of it.

Then we learned the trick of using water to protect the trees. The citrus and some of our garden veggies do fine with a good watering during the coldest hour of the morning, which for us is around 6am (before the time change it was 5am). The other week when it dipped below freezing and covered everything with frost we didn’t even cover our young citrus trees. At 6am Silver Oak found the hose nozzle frozen shut. He removed it and watered everything thoroughly, immediately raising the temperature. We don’t totally understand how this works, but it must be done before sunrise, and is effective when temps aren’t below freezing more than several hours.

The tender new growth on this Valencia orange tree did not get burned by the frost

We dream of growing coconut trees and producing our very own coconut oil. We are preparing an area on the south side of our greenhouse for dwarf coconut trees. When they mature we hope to keep them warm enough through irrigation and a burn barrel or wood stove in the center of the grove. It’s worth a try!

Do you live in a warmer climate with possibilities of growing tropical trees? I’d love to hear how you’ve managed or what your dreams are.

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Rose Petal — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:07:55 +0000

Blossom plays her "new" (first) flute and Honey Bun her violin

On Easter we commemorate the most world-changing event in human history. Because Jesus rose from the dead, death is conquered for all who receive His free gift of forgiveness, cleansing, and eternal life. Without that Hope we have in the work Jesus completed, life would never hold the same meaning. How blessed we are beyond imagination to be able to be called a child of the One who paid for our redemption so we can look forward to eternity with Him!

As a special blessing to you and in honor of our Lord, we have a song to share, played on violin and flute by our six children ages seven through 18. They played “Holy, Holy, Holy” at our Easter service today, the first time all six have ever played together in public. How fitting it happened on the most signifigant day of the year in honor of our resurrected Lord! (Sorry, I’m not the techiest person and the video is distorted for some reason…if you have any advice for me…).

Since moving to this homestead 17 months ago the children have repeatedly asked when they can again practice the violins they had previously started learning on. It finally feels like we can breathe enough to add that to our schedule, so three weeks ago we dusted off the violins and started practicing again. The youngest five have grown into larger sizes so we had to shift things a bit. Evenstar, our 18 year old, has played since she was five, but the others are beginners. Blossom, age 13, had her dream of getting a flute come true about three weeks ago as well, and she has practiced every spare minute.

Left to right: Butterfly (10), Little Bird (8), Farmer Boy (7), Evenstar (18), Blossom (13), Honey Bun (11)

This was a special day for me. I am so blessed to be the mother of these six children, and it has been a long-time dream to have them sing and play beautiful Christ-honoring music together. Singing has come easily and happens all the time, but playing instruments together is quite another thing. As I pray they will grow up keeping Christ the center of their lives, I pray any music they play will honor and glorify Him!

Have a blessed Easter!

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

Sustainable Soap that Grows on Trees

Rose Petal — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:25:29 +0000

Soapnuts or soapberries (credit:Wikipedia)

At first I thought it was a joke. But there really is a soap-growing tree! In fact, other plants also produce natural detergent, but today’s focus is on the soapberry or soapnut tree from India, which produces nuts (actually berries) that contain saponins to make soap.

A few years ago I researched these trees and their berries. The most popular way to use them is as laundry detergent, although they can be used for other cleaners as well. Imagine completely natural detergent that leaves no chemical residues in clothing. Whether or not we are obviously allergic to chemicals producing suds, fragrance or preservatives, our health is impacted by what we wear. Chemical residues enter our bloodstream through the skin. What we wear can literally become a part of us.

For this reason and to save money, many have started formulating their own detergents. Many recipes are available online, but I am happy to say I don’t need to cook or mix up large batches of homemade detergents because I use these awesome little berries! Lehman’s sells small quantities of them, but I found Virgin Green Products has the best price, and they faithfully remove the seeds.

Here is how it works: you place five soapnuts into the provided little cotton bag with a drawstring, enough for five loads of laundry. Hot water releases the detergent, so most people simply throw the bag into the washer with the clothing until it’s finished. It does not need to be removed during the rinse cycle as it actually softens the clothing and eliminates the need for fabric softeners as well.

Pieces of soapberries (equivelant of five whole ones) are placed into the little cotton bag

Soapnuts work well with HE washers because they don’t produce a lot of suds. Of course the warranty may be voided if they’re not approved by the manufacturer, as it is with other homemade detergents. I’m happy to be free of that problem with my old top-loading washer bought through Craig’s List for $65. It beats doing laundry by hand like we did the first six months after moving here.

We're glad to NOT be doing laundry by hand anymore, but glad we have experience doing it so we are ready if the need arises.

For cold water wash use our method, as follows. We bring about a cup of water to a boil, remove from heat and place the little cotton bag of soapnuts into the hot water to steep for about eight minutes. While waiting we collect and sort laundry and fill the washer. We remove the bag from the hot water and place the soapnut “tea” into the washer. After washing and line-drying, our clothing is clean and soft, using no fabric softeners or harsh chemicals.

Our little soapnut "tea" pot

After five or six washes the soap nuts get really limp and should be removed from the little cloth bag and composted. Five fresh berries in the bag make you ready for five or six more washes. Store extra berries in an airtight container or bag so they won’t absorb moisture.

For two years soapnuts have been our laundry detergent and, yes, our clothes get clean. :) As with any laundry detergent we use spot cleaners on soiled clothing before washing. For heavily soiled loads or those needing disinfecting we add natural whiteners, disinfectants, or deodorizers (peroxide, vinegar, peppermint essential oil, and/or baking soda). The biggest problem is the high level of iron in our water. A few drops of Shaklee Basic H helps “soften” and “wet” the water. I want to experiment with baking soda to see if it does the same. The mineralized water makes our whites murky, and I’m looking for a solution. When our rainwater collection system is completed we can use rainwater for whites.

Our line-dried clothes are not stiff...because of soapnuts

Of course I want a soapnut tree in my yard! Imagine picking soap off a tree and never buying cleaners or detergents again. Ha! Well, that poses a few challenges as it is a very tropical tree and takes five to ten years to produce berries. I have seeds and hope to plant some in an area protected from frost (our greenhouse?), but the long wait feels a bit discouraging. Meanwhile we purchased a huge box of soapberries to last many years before needing the tree. They have a long shelf life sealed in plastic.

The economical benefits are great as well. When we bought the large box of soapnuts from Virgin Green Products a few years ago we got 12 bags for much less per bag than buying a single bag. Today I was quoted $15.95/bag for 12 bags, rather than the normal $27.95 each, a 43% savings! Add $13-$30 for shipping, depending on where you live, and it’s up to $18/bag. One bag lasted us a year and a half which is about $12/year. Not bad. The description says a one kilo bag washes 330 loads, which is a low estimate in our experience. HE washers do even better. We have enough laundry detergent to last us 15 years as we’re only on our second bag! Maybe I’ll do a give-away to share my surplus.

If you must have lots of suds or fragrances (made by chemical additives) that modern detergents have, soapnuts are not for you. With soapnuts your clothes get clean and smell fresh, but you won’t see a lot of soapy suds and your clean clothes will not have a fragrance. But if you want to avoid unhealthy chemicals, save money, protect the environment, and live sustainably, you’ll want to give them a try!

A 2.2lb (1 Kilo) bag of soapnuts...also pictured is mineral salt deoderant that we use

Soapnuts can also be used for household cleaners and hand, hair or body washing. We successfully tried all those for six months. But hot weather turns it rancid after a week or two. Here in hot Florida that meant making new batches regulary. With a family of eight, refilling all soap and cleaning spray bottles every week felt big. In the fridge it keeps longer. But who wants cold soap or shampoo? For now we use it only for laundry, knowing there are other options if hard times come.

After writing this post I thought to myself that I should become an affiliate of Virgin Green Products, since I can honestly highly recommend their soapnuts and other green products. Sooooo, I applied just today (Wednesday the 20th) and I am now an official affiliate. Products purchased by going to their site through my links will earn me a commission! If you do so, I thank you in advance, and hope they do as well for you as they’ve done for me.

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

Learning From the Past for the Future

Rose Petal — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:36:49 +0000

We enjoyed spending a weekend with Silver Oak's family at a cabin in OH

February was full of family gatherings, field trips, and travel. We ventured to various historical places in Florida and spent time in Ohio with Silver Oak’s family. We learned many history lessons, topped off by listening to G.A. Henty’s With Lee in Virginia as we drove through that very state.

Meanwhile, back on our little homestead our new fireplace has kept our deck cozy! I’ll be sad to see cold weather go. Starlet, our younger cat, likes the fireplace too. She sleeps on the warm hearth and takes over my lap when I sit nearby writing blogposts (not often these days) or grading schoolwork. Most of my extended family was here for brunch one day and the fire made it quite comfy. I love it! Our deck continues to be a great blessing.

What a life!!

Most of my family had brunch here, including all 18 kiddos...notice my 98-yr-old grandpa on the right

Enjoying the fireplace

A highlight in February was visiting the Heritage Festival in central Florida with my 98-year-old grandpa. The best part was seeing the old two-room schoolhouse in which he attended school when he was 12 and 13. It was moved a few years ago from its original location to the historical Crowley Museum where they are restoring it. What fun taking pictures and chatting with others who were tickled to see a live person who had actually attended school there.

It is so neat to ask questions and learn from my grandpa how things were in the “old days.” We and our children are grateful for the priceless treasure of having him still with us. He tells how his family used to travel from OH to FL every year and back again, on dirt roads that went over the mountains rather than through them. Amazing!

Dipping candles at the Heritage Festival...notice Grandpa on the right

Grandpa poses on the steps of the two-room schoolhouse where he attended school at 12 and 13

Six-yr-old Farmer Boy and Grandpa represent a span of four generations

Our whole gang with Grandpa

This little invention dramatically changed the world

One day my parents took my entire extended family to visit the historic Edison home in Ft. Myers. How interesting to see some of the first light bulbs, and many other inventions that changed our world. We owe a lot to Edison. It made us reflect on lifestyle changes these inventions brought about, including the industrial revolution which encouraged fathers and mothers to work outside the home rather than raise families on their homestead. Any wonder why the current generation is out of touch with reality (where does butter come from?) and the family unit fractured? We’re thankful for lights at the flip of a switch, but our complete dependency on them may be a handicap. Some things to ponder.

On the other hand, if Edison would have grown up in today’s society we probably would have never heard of him. Back then he was kicked out of school and home educated most of his growing up years because his teachers claimed he was impossible. Today he would most likely be placed on Ritalin or some other mind-altering drug to keep him under control, most likely inhibiting his ability to invent (that is, if he escaped the horrors of abortion to begin with, being the seventh child).

For the first time sound could be recorded and played...

...and images could be captured on film, leading to the first motion pictures

Next to Edison’s home is the estate of his friend Henry Ford, which we also toured. As we admired one of his early motor vehicles parked in the garage, we noticed much of it was made of varnished wood. We learned that they used to ship the basic steel frame and motor in wooden crates, then the buyer would use the wood of the crate to finish it like he wanted! Nothing went to waste.

That made us feel a bit of camaraderie with the folks back then, as we are among the wooden pallet gatherers of our day. As I write there is a big pile of large heavy-duty pallets sitting on our property, waiting to be jigsawed apart and the lumber repurposed for many projects around here.

Farmer Boy, Silver Oak and Grandpa admire this early pick-up truck...notice the beautiful wooden cab made from the wood of the shipping crate

A modern day example of repurposing wood...a chicken coop at my brother's place built from pallets

Before the days of air conditioning, both Edison’s and Ford’s homes were constructed to be as cool as possible in the summer. Built on the edge of a very large river, breezes flow much of the time. There are breezeways between bedrooms and living areas and kitchens, and lots of windows and doors on all sides, surrounded by covered porches blocking direct sun.

Modern homes here in Florida will suffer greatly from heat if the grid ever fails because they are dependent on air conditioning to be livable. Even if off the grid we produce enough power for air conditioners, we will be in miserable trouble if one day they cease to work for whatever reason, unless we build our living area with that in mind.

Breezeways...

...and covered porches

Lots of windows and doors for ventilation in the summer, and fireplaces for heat in the winter

Edison's laboratory where he spent most of his waking hours

One very sad note was that Edison’s intense desire to invent kept him preoccupied in the lab so much that his wife and children rarely saw him. One of his sons became an alcoholic, hardly knowing his father. Tragically, God did not seem to be part of his life. It’s a reminder that the only things worth living for are the things worth dying for. If we work our tails off only building our temporary earthly homesteads and preparing only for this life, we may miss out on relationships with our precious children and even our final destination in the presence of Jesus! That would be most tragic, indeed!

Blessings,

Off-Grid Homestead Update

Rose Petal — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 04:14:19 +0000

Silver Oak examines my brother's windmill in preparation for setting up our own

This blog has been rather quiet lately. We’ve been spending time with extended family. It’s refreshing to stop and connect with family we don’t get to see very often. But we’ve also made a little headway here on the homestead, so here’s a brief overview.

We lost one of our kids (goats, that is) to tetanus last month. We’ve never vaccinated for tetanus unless there were problems. This year after dehorning the new kids, three of them contracted tetanus! That still has us a bit puzzled, but we’re blaming the fact that they are sharing the barnyard with the horses. We hope to have that remedied by next year’s kidding season.

We had tetanus anti-toxin and penicillin on hand to treat them right away, but discovered too late for the first kid that our vial of penicillin was no longer effective. A new one yielded better results. First they get a shot of anti-toxin, then penicillin each day for five days. Tetanus causes their muscles to contract and they can’t walk or jump around like normal. Their legs get stiff, then their necks, and then their jaw (lock-jaw). If caught quickly enough (hopefully before their jaw stiffens) it can often be treated successfully.

In our 16 years of raising goats we have had only two kids with tetanus before now. The first died within 48 hours because we didn’t know what to do in time, but the second was successfully treated and recovered. Now to suddenly have three in one year! It may be worth always vaccinating them immediately after dehorning, much as I hate those mercury-laden vaccines! We treated their seared horn buds every day with triodine, but they still got tetanus. Are we missing something?

Poor Alex gets poked with the needle

We fed him milk with a large syringe...

...and made him as comfortable as possible, but sadly he did not make it.

On a positive note, Silver Oak did finish framing the back end of the deck! A temporary tarp blocks the cold wind, and the screen will come later. One day good friends from PA came and he helped frame, and my dad helped another day.

Finishing the wall with plywood

Painstakingly fitting the sill...

...to complete the wall

My mom also came and helped to start painting the big shed. The front with the most tedious work is almost done!

My mom and Blossom trim out the barn doors

This end is nearly finished

We tried to fix a soft sandy spot in our lane that tries to swallow little cars. When it’s wet it’s fine, but several dry months have made the sand really loose, especially in that spot. We added gravel, which improved it, but we’re not sure if that will be enough.

Filling the loose ruts with gravel

When cleaning rabbit manure out from under Evenstar’s rabbit hutches, we found HUGE earthworms! They were carefully transported to a new home in the garden.

These are some grown up worms!

Silver Oak is in the middle of erecting our new windmill to pump water from our well! We’re not using any big equipment to dig the holes or set up the tower, so it is taking more time and man power.

The base is assembled...

...and deep holes are being dug

We built a rocket stove on our deck, not expecting much smoke. It took less than 30 minutes to assemble 16 fire bricks on a block base made of things we already had from our big Craigslist purchase in December.

Our new rocket stove

It took much longer to get a fire going properly and make popcorn on it. It took forever! And it smoked like mad, all over our deck and into the house before we got the windows shut! It was a bit discouraging. I was really hoping to use it to heat pots of food which could then be placed in a basket slow cooker to finish cooking, using absolutely no fuel except for a few of the many sticks found lying on the ground in the woods. This smoking dragon not only smoked up our deck and house but made my pots terribly sooty and black. Ugh!

It took longer to get the first fire hot than it did to build the stove!

Finally it was hot enough to make popcorn with my hand-crank popper.

The next day I examined the instructions again and discovered we didn’t do a few things right, like make the center bottom brick thinner than the others with a thicker brick in front for the burning sticks to rest on, allowing air to flow under them. Hmmm. Perhaps that was the problem. We’re not giving up yet. As soon as we can we plan to move it off the deck and to the side so smoke won’t be drawn up there, and make those minor changes to hopefully stop the smoking problem altogether. According to the instructions a rocket stove is not supposed to smoke! We’ll see.

The brick on which the sticks lay should be lower to make the cavity larger, and a large brick should be placed in front of the stove on which to rest the outer ends of the sticks and allow better air flow.

Next time I’ll share some things we’ve been doing with extended family. It’s been a busy month!

Blessings,

DIY Slow Cooker With No Fuel or Sun

Rose Petal — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:17:25 +0000

Dry beans make nutritious, economical meals and store easily for emergencies, but use lots of fuel, taking up to two or three hours to cook

We have learned a very simple idea that greatly reduces the energy (fuel) needed to cook. Stoves take lots of electricity, gas, or wood, depending on what kind you use. What if you could cut your fuel or electricity usage for cooking by 50-70% using items you already have on hand? An added bonus with this idea is you will never burn anything!

There are several names for this age-old method of conserving energy, including haybox, wonderbox, or heat-retention cooking. It is so simple and only takes a minute or two and a little planning ahead.

First bring the pot of food to a boil or to the temperature it needs to be until all of the contents are thoroughly heated, depending on the size and density of the food particles. Then remove the pot from the heat and place it into a well insulated container to keep the heat inside the pot. This utilizes heat already in the pot to finish cooking without continual energy usage. It may take up to twice as long to cook this way, but it cuts energy consumption way down.

You can purchase a Wonderbox or find a pattern to make one, but when you live in a small house like we do you don’t want extra things using precious space. For our method you need the following:

Laundry basket
Bath towel (optional)
3-4 blankets

Let’s use a pot of brown rice as an example. I place the pot of rice and water on the stove and add spices while bringing it to a boil. I allow it to boil two or three minutes while I assemble a basket “slow cooker,” placing a big blanket in the bottom and partly up the sides of a laundry basket.

I stir the rice, place the lid on, make sure it’s still boiling, then lower it into the basket. If the contents could seep out of the pot I use a bath towel around it to avoid washing blankets. I fit a medium sized blanket snuggly over the pot and tuck the corners inside the big blanket . Then I place one or two other blankets on top, since heat will most likely escape there if it can.

Then I set the basket aside out of traffic for about 1 ½ hrs. When we’re ready for dinner we pull it out and serve with whatever topping we prepared.

Line the basket with one large blanket and place the pot into it

Tuck another blanket or two snuggly around the sides and over the top

Finish with a good thick blanket on top

For our family we cook three or four cups of dry brown rice at a time (in a three or four quart pot). Normally it takes about 12 minutes to bring a big pot of brown rice to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, then 40 more minutes of simmering on the stove top. That is a total of around 52 minutes of stovetop cooking. Using the basket cooker method I cut stovetop cooking down by 77%, completely cutting out that 40 minutes of simmering.

It takes between one to two times longer cooking this way, which should be calculated in advance, but timing is not nearly as critical as when using the stove.

We are not big meat eaters, but I know others have cooked meat successfully (smaller pieces) if heated thoroughly before placing it in the basket cooker. Dry beans, stews, lentils, pasta and potatoes can be successfully cooked in this way. Boil bigger particles a bit longer before removing from the stove to make sure they are hot all the way through. More specific information can be found here.

Every Sunday our house church has a potluck, so our food must stay hot for several hours, waiting to be served after church. We used to keep it warm in an electric crockpot or on a warmer. Now we just pack it in our basket cooker, and it’s ready to serve hot at lunch time. It can finish cooking during the service, or we allow a completely cooked dish to cool to serving temperature and place it in the cooker just to keep it hot. If someone asks about bringing laundry to church, we smile and pull out the pot.

The best dry beans I’ve ever made were cooked using our basket cooker. I used to soak my pinto beans overnight, drain the water in the morning (to “de-gas” them), then add fresh water and cook them for 1 ½ to two hours before adding the final ingredients and simmering for another 20 minutes. I would let them set for at least eight hours for the flavors to mingle well before reheating and serving.

Recently I tried using the basket cooker with great results. I soaked the beans all day, drained them and added fresh water in the evening (along with garlic, olive oil and salt) and brought them to a boil for several minutes right before bedtime. I placed them in the basket overnight and when I got up in the morning they were absolutely perfect!! I added the final ingredients (vinegar, honey, cummin, and onions) and barely brought it to a boil before placing it back in the basket. It “simmered” in there all day, and that evening was ready to serve. It was so easy, and the beans were very tender and flavorful, with no mushiness. I was sorry I hadn’t tried it before.

Our homemade windshield shade cooker

It is wise to be familiar with this cooking method for emergency situations with limited fuel. It allows a little fuel go a long way, making it possible to store whole foods for a crisis which may need longer cooking times. Your back-up cooking plan may include a camp stove of some kind, a solar cooker, or an open fire. Either way, being able to use a “slow cooker” with no fuel will be helpful.

Many variations of this cooker can be made, so use your imagination and make use of what is readily available. Any tub, basket, crate, box or even a hole in the ground will do for a container, and the insulating material could be a sleeping bag, pillows, towels, jackets, hay or other materials that won’t melt or emit toxic fumes. Use common sense with flammable materials. The possibilities are endless, but the key is to make it thick enough with no way for the heat to escape. If you like to sew, here is a pattern for a Wonder Box.

Sometimes we practice the valuable skill of learning to cook over an open fire (I've still got lots to learn about it!)

If you find this idea helpful, you will find more ideas for preparing food to store and cook efficiently for your everyday use or emergency purposes in How to Prepare a Family Emergency Food Storage Plan: Giving the Frugal Family Confidence to Survive in the Face of a Crisis. Silver Oak and I wrote this eBook after years of practicing a rotating emergency food storage system for our family. Our budget has not allowed us to purchase expensive emergency foods, and we believe it’s healthier and more efficient for stored emergency food to consist mostly of what we normally eat. We live in hot, muggy, buggy Florida, and with our methods have rarely needed dessicants, Mylar, or other such supplies.

How to Prepare a Family Emergency Food Storage Plan spells out our entire plan with many alternatives to fit your family’s needs. The price is currently discounted by 33% for a limited time.

God bless you with wisdom to live prepared.

Blessings,

Linked w/Creative HomeAcre Hop, Barn Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, Country Garden Showcase, Country Homemaker Hop, The Wilderness Wife, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Homemaking, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Tasty Traditions, HomeAcre Hop, Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Farmgirl Friday, and Ole’Saturday Homesteading Trading Post.

Our Cozy New Fireplace

Rose Petal — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:04:32 +0000

Our completed fireplace

This morning I sat in front of our new fireplace that Silver Oak finished just a few weeks ago and I felt much satisfaction and pleasure watching the flames lick the oak logs cut from fallen trees on our little homestead. The backdrop of antique brick on our lovely big deck, sitting in my comfy cane rocker that we found by the road in someone’s trash last year and my mom refinished for me, feeling the cool Florida January weather…I feel very loved and blessed by my heavenly Father. I love this life He has given us here with our tiny house on our off-grid homestead…not always easy as you know if you read this blog, but simple and satisfying.

I’ve always wanted a fireplace but never had one, at least not a functional one. Now that we live on our own land for the first time, I have a beautiful brick (and metal) fireplace. My hubby finished building it a few weeks ago, and it has been used quite regulary mornings and evenings ever since, to keep warm as well as to enjoy relaxing and cozy family time.

After we moved to this new off-grid homestead my dad told us he had an old freestanding metal fireplace he’d gotten from a customer who wanted to get rid of it. With all the other projects going around here we didn’t even look at it until last fall. My dad pulled it out of his barn and cleaned it up, giving it a new coat of paint. We put down some stepping stones as a temporary hearth on the edge of our deck to try it out for a few months, and now it is permanently installed in its final resting spot.

Silver Oak spent several days building a brick wall behind the fireplace to protect the camper behind it, and then a hearth around the bottom. He braced up the deck underneath with blocks to support the extra weight, and then put a hole through the deck roof over the camper for the chimney. I repainted all the pipes and metal fireplace and we were able to get it all done and fire lit that evening just in the nick of time for the ladies from our church to meet here. Nothing like living on the edge.

It was quite a mess for a while

Bricking around the chimney

Then the hole was made in the roof

Finally it was ready to burn logs

And we've been enjoying it ever since

This past few weeks we have hosted several families and our little house church on our deck, and the fireplace has been a huge factor in creating a homey atmosphere. Now Silver Oak is framing in the back end of the deck for screen. A tarp temporarily blocks the cold wind, and a fire keeps the deck fairly comfortable. I can’t wait till both ends are framed in and screen added, with Roman blinds we can pull to block wind and rain. It will allow us to stay warmer during the winter and keep mosquitoes and rain out during the summer.

The back wall is framed in and a temporary tarp hung

Now that Silver Oak is learning the skill of blacksmithing I am hoping he can build a pot hanger in the fireplace so we can also learn to use it for cooking when a fire is burning. There is so much to learn.

This afternoon I looked out the kitchen window while washing dishes and enjoyed another pleasant sight. The side yard, once filled with usable “junk” (known before as the “graveyard”), is slowly being transformed into a garden. It is covered with a nice layer of dried horse, goat, cow, chicken, and rabbit manure, ash from our burned piles of palmettos, and other organic matter…an attempt to transform our white sugar sand into something productive.

We are trying the idea of raised rows, as shown at Old World Garden Farms. It keeps expenses much lower and is more sustainable than building raised beds with lumber. We’re doing it a little differently though, making rows of composted manure and adding four or so inches of hay on top as a mulch, similar to what is taught in “Back to Eden.” My dad has stories from when he was younger of growing mammoth sunflowers and lots of nearly bug-less and clean potatoes under thick layers of straw or hay covering composted soil.

Last week the younger children were playing “house” outside and decided they wanted to plant a real garden. They each picked a plant and Silver Oak bought seeds and starts for them. On Friday I helped them plant in the raised rows we already made, so now they have peas, green beans and onions growing out there. In Florida we can probably get by with planting in the winter if we protect the plants from frost.

The three youngest plant their garden

Watering the newly planted peas

Poking those beans into the ground

We also got a new batch of chicks to expand our flock of Black Australorps. Now that we are settled here we hope to continue the line indefinitely. We chose this heritage breed because they are excellent layers with an inclination to be broody (but not overwhelmingly so) so they can raise their own broods, which is more sustainable than incubating mechanically. Australorps are also heavier for eating, and are calm (not high-strung cannibals like Rhode Island Reds).

Little balls of fluff

Some of our older Black Australorps

Thank you for stopping by to see what is happening on our little homestead. Soon I hope to share with you about our new Black Soldier Fly composter and chicken feeder.

Blessings,

Linked w/Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Down Home, Frugally Sustainable, Seasonal Celebration, My Simple Country Living, The Wilderness Wife, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Natural Living, Homemaking, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., Tasty Traditions, Homemaker Hop, Little House in the Suburbs, Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Farmgirl Friday.

The Secret to Good Goat Milk

Rose Petal — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:29:23 +0000

The triplets born last month are doing great.

I’m having technical difficulties with my computer’s wireless connection, and am borrowing another family member’s to get this post up. So I thought I’d dig an old post out of the archives which may be of interest. My comments are closed on older posts to control spam, so please come back to this post for your comments.

Whenever I talk to dairy goat owners or read posts about goat milk I am amazed how few seem to know this very simple tip about how to keep goat milk from getting that “goaty” flavor. Most people I know who think goat milk is bad tasting have had bad experiences because this simple technique was not used.

Here is an old post called “The Joys of Goats on the Homestead” which was originally posted nearly two years ago back in February of 2011, before we lived on our new homestead. That was also before we had experience milking a cow. We’ve learned to enjoy raw goat and cow milk equally well, with their varying uses. There is nothing like drinking milk and kefir or eating cheese and butter from your own dairy animals who you know are free from GM feed and other undesirables.

Jody and her kids

The Joys of Goats on the Homestead

What says, “Naaaa” and eats tin cans? I grew up believing goats eat anything. After 14 years with goats, we know that is false. They chew on things out of curiosity, but are actually very picky eaters. If hay touches the ground and gets stepped on, they won’t touch it. They do love to forage and clean up overgrowth in the woods or on fence rows…(read more).

I hope you enjoyed the post. And I hope my computer issues are soon resolved!

Blessings,

A New Year on the Off-Grid Homestead

Rose Petal — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:41:58 +0000

Planting pigeon peas as companion plants to our young fruit trees...they add nitrogen to the soil

We prayed for direction in 2012 and set many goals; some we reached and others we didn’t. I shared much of what we did in 2012, our first year, in “A Year of Work on the Homestead,” Part One and Part Two. Here is a list summarizing what was completed, some of which we had wonderful help with from family and friends:

-Reroofed the big storage shed

-Finished the first phase of the deck with a tarp roof

-Erected the greenhouse skeleton

-Built perimeter fences on north side

-Got a cow (Buttercup), made butter & cheese

-Drilled a well

-Set up battery bank and 2000 watt inverter

-Built fences to enclose animal runway and our living area

-Prepared our garden area

-Planted fruit trees

-Built large roof over deck and camper

-Completed second phase of deck

-Installed solar panels

-Planted beginning phases of edible landscape

-Put in a few raised beds (rows)

-Cleared fence row for center paddock fence

-Bricked wall for fireplace on deck

Southern Bush beans that were later planted in our new raised rows...then froze when the temps dropped right before Christmas and we forgot to cover them...blah!

: The first of our raised rows…made of composted soil and dried horse manure, then covered with several inches of hay.

: Sugarcane we started…hoping to plant it after it roots and try it for animal fodder

: We started soaking and sprouting various grains for animal feed

As a family we spent time trying to learn more about how things were done in the “old days.” It’s amazing how ignorant of basics we have become. There is so much to learn that our forefathers took for granted as basic knowledge. Did the industrial revolution rob us of a basic education, putting us out of touch with reality?

Candle making

Weaving

Drilling

Some things DIDN’T get done that we’d hoped would:

-Complete greenhouse

-Set up aquaponics system

-Build root cellar

-Plant grass and grains in cleared areas

-Build paddock fences

-Set up greywater and rainwater collection systems

-Finish raised beds (rows)

Our extended family grew in 2012...I'm holding my new nephew

Those things are now on the list to complete in 2013, along with the following:

-Screen the deck

-Install our windmill to pump water

-Increase chicken flock

-Build solar dehydrator

-Build brick oven

-Paint big shed (red & white)

-Move fences behind house to enlarge yard

-Build arbor

-Fix bad spot in lane (with crushed shell)

-Expand orchard (including coconut palms)

-Put down crushed shell in parking area

-Make window awnings

-Take classes to learn blacksmithing (Silver Oak) and other skills

And if all goes well and God provides we’d also love to:

-Start bee-keeping

-Build a carport

-Build a wind generator

Is that enough to make our heads spin, or what? It’s an exciting list which we can’t wait to get done, but we know it will only be accomplished with God’s help. If they are His ideas He will provide the way as long as we are faithful to do our part.

This first week Silver Oak already accomplished one goal...taking a blacksmithing class.

A new year makes us pause to look back from where we’ve come. We revisited a few places this year that we had not seen for four years. My, how our family has grown, in more ways than one!

Five children in 2008...

Six in 2012 (Honey Bun finally joined us in 2009).

A little crazy in 2008...

Crazier still in 2012!

As the new year begins we face some great challenges in our nation that we have never faced before. Will there be civil war or rioting over gun control? What changes will take place? What will they mean for our families? What will they mean for us as Believers?

The most important goal for the coming year is to draw nearer to Jesus, preparing ourselves and our children for what may be coming. We must prepare our children to stand alone for Truth. In this fast changing world Jesus is the only One who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He alone can be a true place of refuge no matter what we face.

A family who settled among the palmettos in central FL many years ago...

...and another one doing the same today.

Meanwhile we cry out that God will have mercy on us. “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.” II Chron. 7:14

I pray this will be a year of God’s blessing on you, and on our land.

Blessings,

Antique Bricks and Nubian Triplets

Rose Petal — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:07:27 +0000

Newborn kids

The last 10 days of 2012 have been a flurry of activity. Four new kids were born and our “new” outdoor fireplace partially installed. It has been COLD several nights. Temps like 28°F (-2°C) may not be cold in the north, but in central Florida it brings challenges for tropical plants. This property is often about 8°F (4°C) colder than forecasted for the nearest small town, and we have been scrambling to protect our new fruit trees.

In older days citrus growers used smudge pots (outdoor heaters) during a frost or in freezing weather to warm the groves and protect the citrus crop. Now they run massive water pumps to irrigate all night during a frost. In the past we’ve used Christmas lights under covers to help warm our plants.

Since we are now off the grid we are trying non-electric alternatives. During the coldest night we not only covered our new fruit trees with sheets and blankets, but placed candles in glass under the covers to create warmth for the most tropical trees that are most cold sensitive. We used small cheap candles in glass and placed them in wide-mouthed canning or gallon pickle jars for double protection from fire. It worked, and so far the worst damage has been where sheets touched leaves and frost burned through a bit. Even the moringa trees, the most cold sensitive trees we have, suffered only mild leaf damage by using the candles. We’ll be visiting Dollar General for more $1 candles. Hopefully next year we will be prepared with frames to support the covers as well as a completed greenhouse.

Our small moringa tree looks more like a ghost

By midnight the temp had dropped to freezing so we placed a candle in glass under the sheet to keep it warm

The Saturday before Christmas Silver Oak and I drove to a nearby city to purchase a few loads of old brick we found through Craigslist. We paid $125 (plus fuel) for what we calculated was around $1,000 worth of antique bricks, pavers, and fire brick. The sellers were happy to get rid of bothersome piles (at their asking prices), and we were delighted at the affordable price for something we really needed. I am especially happy for the character added by antique and previously used brick.

Our poor pick-up was loaded to the gills with all the brick and pavers, plus some nice pallets they gave us for free.

The brick is being used to build a wall and hearth around the freestanding fireplace that’s been sitting on the edge of our deck the past few months. In his younger years Silver Oak worked summers for a block mason, and when we married he was employed by a brick mason, learning the trade. He ended up doing other things but is now putting that experience to good use. The wall is done and hopefully the hearth will be soon.

This was the mess on the deck...

...but you'll find beauty there if you look closer.

The mortar is mixed just so

These old brick tongs hold 10 bricks at a time for easier transporting

The base of the wall which will be behind the fireplace, protecting the camper from high heat

Each brick was carefully placed...

...and leveled.

Slowly the wall took shape. When it got too tall scaffolding had to be hauled up onto the deck. More mess!

But once the wall was finished and the mess cleaned up, it looked lovely. There sits the fireplace waiting for the hearth to be built, and of course the chimney to be completed.

I LOVE brick, as you can see by the pictures. They seem so…historic. I wonder what story is behind these formerly used bricks.

Jody and Rosie, our Nubian goats, were due around Christmas and looking quite large, so we hesitated to be gone from home long. But last Sunday we were in town all day for church and participating in an evening Christmas program, arriving home late. Of all days, Jody decided to kid even though she had not given signs of imminent labor that morning.

The cutest little triplets were waiting for us when we got home, completely dried off and fluffy; two matching tri-colored does and one brown and white buck. Jody was being a good mama and had everything all cleaned up. But two of the kids were looking quite droopy and hunched up…not a good sign. They came a little early, which may be why they were not as frisky as sometimes, and when they didn’t have help getting that all-important colostrum into their little tummies within the first 30 minutes, they were losing strength and the ability to nurse.

That was a late night as we worked with those kids to get them to latch on. We ended up using a large syringe to force feed them some of Jody’s colostrum because they didn’t have the strength or will to suck. The next morning we did the same, then switched to a bottle with a nipple, until they were strong enough to nurse. Christmas day they were two days old and still needed encouragement to latch on, but soon got the hang of it and took it from there. Watching them now you would never know the prancing and playful kids were ever in distress.

Three cute kids!

But not a healthy looking pose.

Evenstar feeds them with a large syringe...

...then with a bottle when they were stronger.

Blossom helps them latch on to Mama

By the third day they are doing great on their own!

The two little girls, Lizzie and Phoebe

And Zack, the handsome buckling

Christmas day was pretty laid back for us. Our time with extended family worked out better other days, so we stayed home and spent a lot of time relaxing. I even started reading a book just for fun, something I have rarely done since moving here.

Enjoying the homestead on Christmas Day

As you can see the weather was quite mild that day.

What a luxury...sitting down with a book! The fireplace was still sitting on the front edge of the deck.

Three days after Christmas Rosie went into labor. She had one big buck…that’s it! He is twice the size as the triplets, since he is the “only child.” He stubbornly kept looking for milk in all the wrong places, resisting any encouragement from Rosie or one of us to try her udder. After 30 minutes, against his wishes, I finally pried his mouth open and helped him latch on. Eventually he got it.

Just born, still wet

Soon on his feet.

Sorry, no milk here!

Finally got him going

I hope you had a blessed Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!

Blessings,

Christmas Made Simple

Rose Petal — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:44:14 +0000

The busy, hectic, holiday season! Every year we hear remarks about trying to remember the real “reason for the season” amidst all the stress and activity. “Don’t forget what it’s really all about….” I’ve often pondered how to eliminate unnecessary busyness so the Person of Jesus Christ can be the focus, instead of immersing myself in distractions, somehow hoping a Jesus focus still happens.

It's fun creating a cozy atmosphere using what we have...the baker's rack was a trash find we repainted and now "lives" on our deck. Notice our Big Berkey water filter to the left of it.

It’s kind of like trying to eat lunch in the middle of the animal runway. We can expect to fight for every bite as intruding goats boldly claim our food and eager horses nibble at every available morsel. It’s possible to do, but likely much of our lunch will go to the persistent thieves. Why not sit peacefully outside the fence to quietly digest our meal? If we really want to focus on eating lunch, which is the best setting to place ourselves into?

How do we expect to effectively focus on Jesus and give as He did in the middle of mainstream American materialism? Would it be easier to accomplish this in less wealthy parts of the world?

On a trip to Romania in 1990, just following the revolution and liberation from a cruel Communist dictator, I well remember Romanian Christians voicing concern for us as Believers in America. “We have been harrassed by persecutors who hate Jesus, but you have a greater enemy: materialism.” I was only 22 at the time, but their voices have continued to echo in my ears the past few decades.

What do I want to pass on to future generations? As helpmeet to my hubby and nurturer of our children, my role can influence many. How can I help divorce our family from the grip and bondage of materialism in America? It is so normal here we don’t even recognize it.

I grew up looking forward to Christmas as “the best time of year!” Why? Because of the gifts I would receive.

It bothers me to hear comments from the children indicating they can’t wait till Christmas to open their presents (if that’s all they’re excited about). It also bothers me to hear about all the shopping that still needs to be done as “the day” approaches, as if we are obliged to give each other gifts, whether or not someone actually needs more things. Is there something wrong with NOT giving gifts to those already overladen with material things?

How many times have we reminded our children that Christmas is about GIVING, not GETTING? But we keep doing the same thing year after year.

Last year, after simplifying our lives by getting rid of a huge amount of things and moving to our little off-grid homestead, we certainly didn’t want to begin accumulating STUFF again. We had a family conference and got excited about making lists of things really needed here on the homestead, like garden tools and gloves, watering cans, fruit trees, seeds, and plants. That really made Christmas feel refreshingly different around here. Actually, the children didn’t receive gifts from us till this summer, when the budget and land preparation allowed us to get their promised fruit trees. They didn’t mind because we are all working together toward common goals in this adventure, and they each enjoy caring for and learning about their personal trees.

Our 2012 Christmas poster

This year we decided as a family to give to others less fortunate, instead of much to each other. We’re spending under $60 on our family of eight, but giving to others the same types of blessings the Lord has given us this past year. They include a pair of rabbits, pair of chickens, goat, box of food, 40 trees, LED solar light system, tin roofing, tools, kerosene lantern, Bible story books, and more. This is possible because of ministries like Gospel for Asia and Christian Aid Ministries who set up ways to give these things in countries like Haiti, Romania, and India for much less than what they might cost us here.

We made a poster with a collage of the gifts and placed it on the fridge. From our experiences this past year we realize in a small way how much each of these items can mean to a family. On Christmas we will talk about this and reflect on blessings the Lord has given us, especially by drastically lowering his standard of living to come down and save us.

Another way to simplify this season is by limiting time, money and energy for decorating and baking. A homey atmosphere can be maintained with a few simple decorations used year after year. If it is stressful to write an annual family letter or send cards to family and friends now, do it for Easter instead. Make homemade gifts well in advance or offer gifts of service rather than material gifts when possible.

The children help make whole food gingerbread men.

Deciding we don’t HAVE to participate in every banquet and special event helps too. But caroling and playing beautiful Christmas music is a priceless tradition we don’t ever want to miss.

Here is a key: just because everyone we know does something (peer pressure) and we’ve done it all our lives (man’s traditions) doesn’t mean it must be done. If it distracts from focusing on the Christ of Christmas, it just isn’t worth it.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! By the way, our kiddos are counting the days till Christmas, knowing they are getting almost no gifts from us. It's going to be a happy day!

I pray you have a blessed Christmas!

Blessings,

Linked w/Winter on the HomeAcre Hop, Natural Living Mama, Chicken Chick, Growing Home, Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Abundance, Frugally Sustainable, My Simple Country Living, Wildcrafting Wednesday, The Wilderness Wife, Natural Living, Homemaking, Live Renewed, Simple Lives Thur., LHITS DYI Linky, Farm Girl Fri. Fest, Farmgirl Fri., and Seasonal Celebration.

Live Ready Now!

ECHO – Alternative Gardening Methods

Other articles you might like:

ECHO – Growing Massive Amounts of Food the Fast Way

Other articles you might like:

Our Windmill – A Sustainable Pump

Other articles you might like:

Absolute Preparedness

Other articles you might like:

Growing Tropical Trees in a Not-So-Tropical Zone

Other articles you might like:

Happy Resurrection Day!

Other articles you might like:

Sustainable Soap that Grows on Trees

Other articles you might like:

Learning From the Past for the Future

Other articles you might like:

Off-Grid Homestead Update

Other articles you might like:

DIY Slow Cooker With No Fuel or Sun

Other articles you might like:

Our Cozy New Fireplace

Other articles you might like:

The Secret to Good Goat Milk

The Joys of Goats on the Homestead

Other articles you might like:

A New Year on the Off-Grid Homestead

Other articles you might like:

Antique Bricks and Nubian Triplets

Other articles you might like:

Christmas Made Simple

Other articles you might like: