I wanted to share a few Father’s Day gift ideas with you.  Picked a few things that Rhett loves.

If Dad likes to read, Atlas Shrugged is a novel that will impact his life.  Though written in 1957, Ayn Rand understood the condition of man and society and gave us a picture of today’s world in an almost prophetic story.  A proponent of capitalism and freedom, Rand leaves one thinking and understanding society; where we are going and what you might want your future to look like.

Another good read is Countryside & Small Stock Journal. I have always enjoyed this publication and was even published in it!  Great for country living people or those who dream to be one of them. Another great publication is Urban Farm (1-year auto-renewal), which is geared to urban homesteaders

Rhett loves binoculars so I am mentioning that idea. We use them for animal/bird watching, star/moon gazing and getting a bigger picture of scenery. Bushnell PowerView 20×50 Super High-Powered Surveillance Binoculars will keep you close to all the action.

A fun but truly practical gift for the homestead is the “everything” emergency radio. The Ambient Weather WR-111B Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger with NOAA Certified Weather Alert & Cables is a Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Alert Radio and a powerful 3 LED flashlight, with smart phone charger, all in one portable package. The best part is it charges from a USB device (computer), DC, AC or wall power (optional), hand crank, or solar panel.

No more running around looking for your tools. The Apollo Precision Tools DT0825 5-Gallon Bucket Garden Tool Organizer, Black/Green isso handy. Turn any 5 gallon bucket into a carrier or stool to sit on. Or if you want a smaller version, the Fiskars 9424 Garden Bucket Caddy comes with a bucket

Favorite Pick is something I got for Mother’s Day and we love it! The JBL Flip Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Black) which is, for music lovers, a dream come true!  The JBL Flip is a bluetooth transmitted portable speaker. It can run off your computer, phone or anything else that has bluetooth connectivity. The sound is about as huge as BOSE and is the size of a one pound ground beef roll. ..about seven inches long.

Plug in to recharge and take wherever you want to listen to music but may not have electricity.  I love how you can leave your playing device in another room and just take the Flip as far as the bluetooth can transmit. Perfect for bathroom, where you don’t really want to have phone exposed to all the humidity, or listening outside. No longer limited to a laptop’s tiny tinny speakers, you can now watch movies, Netflix or whatever on your laptop and actually hear. In fact I am listening to iheart Radio right now on my Flip.

America is sick. In fact we are malnutritioned. According to the CDC in their 2009 report, only 14% of adults and 9.5% of teens are eating the daily recommended fruits and vegetables, 25 million Americans have diabetes and on any given day 46% of people will not eat one fruit, 24% not one dairy product and 18% not one vegetable.

In 1977, Dr Mertz, U.S. Department of Agriculture in a  1977 Statement to Congress said, “ In the future, we will not be able to rely anymore on our premise that the consumption of a varied balanced diet will provide all the essential trace elements, because such a diet will be difficult for millions to obtain.”  The future is here.

Soil mineral depletion has left the efforts of those who try to eat well, lacking. The companies that make the most toxic chemicals are growing our food.  Herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, with a substantial dose of chemical fertilizer have made pretty but dangerously deceiving food. Lacking in vitamins and minerals, the crop yield may be 80% higher in product but equally lower in nutritional value. And don’t even get me started on GMO foods! That’s already been ranted about in my article about this growing form of Frankenfood. The sad truth is….

Farmers get paid by volume, not nutritional value.

So there lies the problem. It all looks normal but totally lacking in nutritional value. Retarded in its ability to feed our body, we eat but are still starved.  If this isn’t an incentive to try to grow some of our own food, I don’t know what is!

While high scale gardening is not possible for most Americans, what can we do?

1. Eat locally grown food from organic farmers. Organic farmers fertilize naturally, using composted matters, manure and living by-products. Next time you catch a whiff of manure in the air, don’t curse the farmer for making the air stink, but thank him for feeding his soil, naturally.
2. Shop at your local Farmer’s Markets. Call your county Extension office to locate one near you.  If you can’t find organic food, locally raised is best.  Small hobby farmers tend to use more natural approaches using manure to fertilize and more benign forms of pest control. This goes for produce, meats and dairy products, as well.  Ask before you buy.
3. Provide your body with minerals and nutrients through supplements.  Only two vitamins, Vitamin D and B12  can even be obtained outside what we eat, and even with that, you need to have the other nutrients in healthy measure to stimulate the ability to assimilate them all. Since most vitamins and minerals cannot be stored, some leaving within hours and some in a day or so, supplementing directly is the only other option. Skip any of the vitamins you can buy retail, off the shelf. Companies that sell through direct selling or network marketing put a lot of money into research and make the very best product they can so that you become brand loyal. One company, who has more patented products than any other company and who’s supplements have been applauded by JAMA stated the over the counter brands  were worthless and most are eliminated whole and challenged any of them to prove them wrong. To this date, not one has. Not one peep, lawsuit or defense.  Email me for information on this wellness company.

Two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling stated that “You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.”

It is this understanding and the pioneer spirit that made me a backyard homesteader. It’s time to be well and it’s not as complicated as you might think.

Happy Homesteading, S

picture courtesy of www.nationalgeorgraphic.com

Dear Neighbor,

One of our favorite visitors on the homestead are hummingbirds. We get our regular guests each year and can tell them apart by either appearance, flight patterns or sound. We can’t help but name each one, which I think they would like.

Last week we finally sighted a male scout, blazing throat and all. Then  heard the chirp that told us they were here to stay.

Within minutes I whipped up some feed and within hours the feeders were covered with ants! Like us, hummingbirds do not like ants at their picnic because they try to crawl onto the bird while feeding.

A simple way to  keep ants off is to rub a glob of Vaseline. Ants cannot climb over the greasy mess without getting entangled. Soft bodied insects will die from the leaching nature of mineral oil. Therefore, Vaseline is a much better insect repellant than skin conditioner. It will take a while for the rain to wash it away, as well.  Apply Vaseline at the base of  your pole or if using a branch to hang your feeder, place  on the branch right in front of the hanger. I bought a tiny jar of it at the Dollar Store.

Happy Homesteading! ~ S

Dear Neighbor,

If you have been reading the news at all, you will know that we better be prepared for a sudden closing of stores and possible availability of utilities. I have designed a simple, step by step method of becoming prepared. These steps are on the upper left of the website. Do one of them each day and you will be closer to being able to handle a disruption in life as we know it.

Water storage is critical for survival. You can live days without food but not too many without water. Water is bulky but easy to store. How much water you will need in your pantry is hard to judge and depends on the availability of water, should you lose electricity.

Assuming electricity loss is temporary for your homestead, as let’s say in a natural disaster, I would plan for storing enough water for two weeks time. The amount of water used, sparingly, with drinking and cooking would be one gallon per day or 14 gallons per person.

This is a pantry item that you will not necessarily rotate and use. This item you will stock and you can leave it be, checking on it every three to six months.

For general water storage, only use plastic containers that contained food or drink. You can use clean 2 liter bottles from soda or gallon jugs for filling with your own water and slowly build your supply. Do not reuse dairy containers or anything that contained pulp. They simply cannot be cleaned well enough to guarantee bacteria free water. To get a jump start, you can buy water.

When storing drinking water, I love storing water in glass. I think water stored in it is safer and frankly tastes better. One neighbor recycles emptied wine bottles for water storage. The narrow bottles make great individual water bottles and you can fit many of them on a shelf for storage. (if you have a natural disaster and your neighbors may see you walking around swigging out of wine bottles, they will simply nod in understanding.) If you chose to use wine bottles, stick with plastic corks or screw on tops. Real cork will carry that wine smell and taste to your water. To reuse wine bottles, simply rinse the bottles and fill with clean, cold water. Plan to refill or replace every 3-6 months, to keep that nice, fresh taste. Water can get stale and can taste bland after a while.

Today’s task is to begin water storage. Remember, you don’t have put it all up, today! Just do some and you will be that much further ahead.

Happy homesteading, S

Dear Neighbor

I ran out of baking paper. I always use paper because if you line your pans, your cookies will never get  brown bottoms, food doesn’t stick and clean up is quick.

Cut off the bottom of the bag and then cut the bag down the middle on a fold.

Lay paper on pan.

Thumb print cookies done!

Happy Homesteading! S

Dear Neighbor,

In case you wondered how the sugar cookies in the store end up with that glassy picture perfect hard glaze on it, they use one ingredient many other recipes leave out: corn syrup. The corn syrup makes the icing dry in just minutes and it will be shiny, hard and beautiful. You use so very little corn syrup, so all health concerns can be waived.

Here is the recipe I have been using for 35 years and will be using on Saturday. For my favorite cookie recipe,  sign up for the Special Delivery emails.

Cookie Icing

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

4 t milk

4 t corn syrup

Food coloring of choice

Combine first three ingredients until blended and creamy. Add corn syrup and blend.  Divide into  separate bowls and color as desired. Cover with a wet paper towel while using so it doesn’t dry out. Can be spread with knives or your favorite decorating tips.

Happy Homesteading!

Dear Neighbor,

Thanksgiving week, I buy several whole turkeys and pop them in the freezer for a future butchering bee. At $ .59 a pound, it is the cheapest meat you will buy. With one turkey you can get about 6 meals out of it, depending on your family size.

Here is what I do. When ready to cut them up, I half thaw them in the fridge. This is important because you do not want your meat getting to room tempurature. This takes about two days to half thaw. Then I cut them up and separate them for future meals.

I know, I know. They (whoever they is, and don’t mention the FDA because it has little credibility with me) say you shouldn’t thaw and refreeze meat. The fact is, we all have done it and we are all  still alive. The meat itself has a higher health risk than the fact you are thawing and possibly refreezing it. I only half  thaw it in the refrigerator because you don’t want your meat to get to room temperature which will cause deterioration.

Gather your turkey, a sharp knife, a garden clipper, freezer bags or your vacuum sealer, 9 x 13 pan and a towel.

I put the turkey in the sink and cut the wrapper off. There will be some leaking of melted ice, etc., so having it in the sink keeps things clean. When your meat is half thawed, it will still be a bit hard but this actually makes it easier to cut.  I do all the cutting with it in the sink. If you prefer, lay it on a bath towel and cut.

Cut off the thingy that keeps the legs together. Pull out anything stuffed into the turkey.

Cut the drum sticks off with a Garden Anvil Clipper. I find they work better than a scissors because they are so tough and sharp. Bend the drum stick to find the exact joint to nip in. Put these and each piece in the 9 x 13 holding pan.

Now cut off the wings. Again, bend to find the joint. Use the clipper again to easily cut the bones. You can cut the wing tip off leaving only the meaty portion.

Now carve off each thigh as close to the bone as possible.     Your fingers probably feel frozen by now and it helps to run under warm water.

Cut off the breast meat as close as possible. If you wish, you can cut the breasts with rib cage attached. Use your knife to cut the meat to the bone and then the clipper to cut the ribs free from the back bone.

Now you have two of each: breasts, thighs, wings, legs and a carcass with still a good amount of meat on it. Take your clipper and cut the carcass in half. The clipper cuts these hollow bones easily. You can either throw the carcass into a soup pot to make soup broth or freeze that, too, and make soup another day. Don’t waste this! It makes divine soup or broth stock.

Now all you have to do is separate your meat into portions as you wish. You can decide whether you want to keep the skin on or not at this point but do not put the skin into your “stock” pan or bag. It just makes your broth greasy. I don’t use any innards for soup but do use the neck. I also cut the tail off. It’s just fatty and gross to me.

Now mark and freeze. Each turkey will take about 30 minutes to process.

Cutting up a turkey in this manner also makes a way to roast a turkey quickly. Once apart, just lay on 9 x 13 pan and bake. What normally takes 3-4 hours now will take about 45 minutes or less.

Happy Homesteading! Scarlett

Here is a quick way to use up all those leftovers. You won’t need an ingredient you don’t already have! It’s my spin of beef Shepherd’s Pie.

Spray the bottom of a 9 x 9 baking dish. Heat gravy thoroughly. In a large bowl mix all left over veggies and as much turkey as you wish.  If you don’t have enough veggies, use thawed frozen vegetables or even canned. Spread on bottom of baking pan about 1 1/2 inch thick. Pour enough gravy on top until it is the consistency of pot pie. Runny but not sopping.  Bake until it begins to bubble. If the gravy is hot, this won’t take too long.

Now, using an ice cream scoop, dollop left over stuffing and potatoes (sweet potatoes that aren’t sweetened will work too!)  on top, alternating for a pretty display. Sprinkle with Rosemary and pepper.  Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes until top is a tad crusty. Serve with more gravy if needed. Dot with cranberries.

Out of potatoes? You can put bread, bisquit or crescent roll dough on top.

Happy homesteading! S

I love fires but find them so messy. I used to sew carriers but was in a pinch to carry logs. I looked at a tote I had hanging and the logs wouldn’t fit in unless I cut it… and the came a thought! You can recycle those free or cheap totes you have by creating a log carrier. This simple carrier can be made in literally seconds and recycles a cheap or free tote into something totally useful.  It will take you longer to find your scissors than make the carrier.

Start with one of those free totes. If you have to buy one, they are 99 cents at WalMart. Find your scissors which are somewhere with your missing socks and pens.

Cut down the side seams.

It’s cut down the side seams. Now walk out to the wood pile.

Fill with wood and carry without getting nasty wood dust all over your clothes.

Visit Scarlett’s General Store for all your homestead needs.

Greetings Neighbors!

This past year has been a time of great change at the homestead. After a busy summer, I am excited to announce some very exciting things coming to the neighborhood.

One is I have been writing a cookbook. This began as an heirloom gift for my children, but because so many people ask me for my recipes, I decided to share the cookbook with my neighbors. The recipes are so simple and will focus on using seasonal food and your pantry.

I am also writing a few other how to books on small scale/backyard homesteading activities. Some will be free ebooks to our subscribing neighbors and others will be for sale. Watch your email box for announcements. Have you signed up for Special Delivery, yet? Find the blue box in the right margin here to get the monthly newsletter, tips and recipes.

Visit the new General Store! Now you can help SHL keep the farm by our affiliation with Amazon. I have been leery of monetizing  the neighborhood due to so little ability to control what was going to pop up on my pages. However, I am pleased with Amazon and found Amazon to be the most trusted online store.  Now you can shop via the General Store or through any link within a posted letter.

Though I recommend my favorite products, linked in letters or through the General Store,  you can help SHL by purchasing anything from Amazon as long as you enter Amazon through one of the links on my site, the widget on the sidebar of any page or the General Store.

For example, if you are reading the letter about crock pots, you click on the crock pot link but think, “Forgot I wanted to order that book about knitting,” as long as you went in the homestead “door” or link to Amazon, even if you purchase the knitting book, I will be rewarded.  You can get really creative and bookmark one of my web pages as Amazon and then when you go to shop you will remember to go through the homestead. You will not pay more! There is no price increase to go through an affiliate. It’s a win/win for sure! The percent is not high but everything helps! At least my web hosting will be covered, right? Thank you  in advance.

Another addition is Scarlett’s Favorites. These are the actual products I use in my daily food preparation, homesteading activities, etc. No need to hunt for what product I am talking about in a letter. Just click the link and it will be shown to you!

I am so excited to announce our partnership with Texas Ready. If you were to ask me two things you should invest in I would say seeds and chickens. Look for a letter about seed banks in the coming days.

I want to say how thankful I am for you, my neighbor. This little blog was started as a simple outlet to share my experiences doing what not too many people I knew did. It is because of your interest that I am spurred on. We are growing! Just this summer, Scareltt’s Homestead Letters Facebook page grew to over 500. That’s  a 200 person increase in months.  We get as many as 230+ hits a day on the website! It is exciting to know that I am not alone and there are plenty of pioneer spirited people out there and, well, that all my failures and experiences have more meaning than just my personal memories and experiences.  They can help and encourage you. If you have questions or subjects you wish me to write about,  please feel free to email me at scarlett@homesteadletters.com

The sky’s the limit for us because we dare to dream. Keep growing, creating and doing it yourself. You can have it all.

Happy Homesteading,