New Homesteader Magazine

Some of my favorite posts from the other blog . . .

2008-02-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my favorite posts from my other blog.
I've blogged about 750 posts on "you and your oil thing"
since March of 2007. Here's a look back over the last
year:

March 07:
Bad dog
Bad dog, bad sheep

April 07
Huh?

May 07
The last time we had grass was before the drought.

June 07
Maine . . .
My favorite pic

September 07
Ahhh Saturday

October 07
Plastic pumpkins!

An unlikely snack . . .

2008-02-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

I used to spend a lot of money
each week on popsicles which
are loaded with sugar. Then
one day, the younger kid asked
me to buy her some frozen
strawberries. She started eating
them that way, frozen, straight
out of the bag. Right now, it's
the only fruit she'll eat.

Then hubby started eating them
that way. Now I go through 4 or
5 bags per week. They don't add
whipped cream or sugar. I tried
them and didn't like them.
But it's worth a try if you have
strange or picky eaters at your
house.

Michelle

Of Seeds and Salsa (and a few book reviews)

2008-01-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

(A cute picture of my younger daughter eating salsa was
supposed to go here, but she was late getting up for
school this morning.)

This is the time of year that seed catalogs fill the
mailbox. Actually mine have been arriving since early
December. Totally Tomatoes TM gave me the idea for a
salsa garden. So I figured, why not a salsa inspired
issue of ye olde blogazine? I decided to review some
seed catalogs, in case other gardeners (or wannabees
like myself) had missed a great company. Feel free
to add your favorites. I didn't review nurseries as
much because I've reviewed a few in the past.

If you have time check out the Salsa Store. I couldn't
get the fancy multi-book widget to work, so please
click on the link if interested. There's even a
story called Chickens and Chips that I may get my
niece for her next birthday.

Happy dreaming/gardening . . .

Michelle

Book Review: The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It

2008-01-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

This is the second book that I ordered
from the LATOC bookstore, just before
Christmas. It's an update of an old
classic by the same name, and written
by John Seymour.

I didn't realize how big the book was.
It's also hard cover, and of very
good quality. It feels like it would
last a few generations. This is
important because you'll want it
too. It covers so much knowledge
on so many different subjects.
Granted, it doesn't go in depth
on many things like horse training,
which is difficult to learn from
a book anyways. But if you wanted
just one book to pass down to
your kids that covered most
skills learned and then
forgotten in the last few
centuries, than this is the
book for you.

Gardening covers everything
from the urban garden to a
five acre farm. It also includes
a section on how to grow
vegetables during all four
seasons. The picture illustrations
are amazing.

The Self Sufficient Life also
touches on clearing land and harvesting
cereals, hunting, storing the harvest,
dairying, brewing beer, and the slaughter
of critters, including sheep. There
are bits that must be cut off first
to keep the meat from getting rancid.

There's a chapter on saving energy,
solar/wind/water power and "dry toilets".
I'm not done yet. There's a section
called crafts and skills that touches
on everything from spinning wool,
making bricks, tanning, scything (I
have one!) and thatching.

With this great book, the possibilities
are endless. I highly recommend it.

~Michelle

Salsa recipes

2008-01-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

Linda's Salsa (Yes the Ozarker chickee):

I made salsa this summer to use up some of my extra veggies.

2 large tomatoes (peeled)
1 jalapeno, halved and seeded (more if you like it hot)
1 green pepper, halved an seeded
1/2 onion or 4 green onions
1 clove garlic
1 med. cucumber - crisp (or 1 small sprig cilantro)
1- 1 1/2 T oil (this is probably optional)
2 T white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything but the tomatoes into your blender and chop to taste,
adding tomatoes last. This makes about 1/2 - 1 C salsa. I used
cucumber because I don't like the taste of raw cilantro. It gives a
very mild, but slightly hot salsa. I make it in big batches - 4-6
tomatoes at a time. Drain the juice off in a colander and save.
Freeze the salsa in 1/2 to 1C batches and save the juice for
breakfast. Makes a nice, slightly hot V8 type juice. You could
probably leave out the oil if you want to save the juice although I
didn't notice it when I drank it.

Linda

Homesteader Squirrel's Chipolte Salsa:

I think I've cracked the code on Chipolte's mild salsa, though. It
seems to simply be fresh vine ripened tomatoes, red onion, and fresh
cilantro. Just mix it up, don't cook it. (If it gets canned, it'll
get cooked anyway.)

Ms. Squirrel's Salsa and fish:

As for a recipe using salsa...
Take some fish (any type, even panfish will do), pour salsa over it
and sprinkle with cheese. Cook in 350 or 375 oven (or dutch oven over
a fire) until the fish flakes easily. Serve with beans and rice and a
dollup of sour cream, and you have a little twist on traditional
Mexican. Even my picky eater liked it.

And for something a little weird, but
actually quite yummy:

Salsa on salad instead of salad dressing.
I saw a chick eat a salad like this once and
it left me salivating. I'm sure it's also
much lower in fat.

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Bountiful Gardens

2008-01-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

This organization is part seed
company and part "ecology action"
group. They teach, and sell booklets
about "bio intensive gardening" and
"sustainable mini-farming". This
is the only catalog that mentions
"Peak Oil, Peak Food, and Peak Water"
and tries to do something about it.
They sell heirloom varieties of
vegetables, herbs and grains.
Two hooves up!

Pictures: A few black and white
photos.

Layout: Very informative.

Products: Worth a try.

Prices: Good.

Special features: Great
book and pamphlet section.
Good karma.

www.bountifulgardens.org

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards

2008-01-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

This is a nice little catalog.
It provides lots of ideas
for planting an edible
landscape. Small shrubs,
trees and bushes may
provide a big supplement
to our diet in the future.
This company's prices are
very reasonable, and they
provide information on
what plants need to be
cross pollinated. There
are also handy charts
that show which plants
are suitable for various
climates. Two hooves up!

Pictures: None.

Layout: Excellent.

Products: Worth a try.

Prices: Good.

Special features:
Charts for plant
suitability by region
and climate.

www.burtridgenursery.com

~Michelle

You get what you pay for . .

2008-01-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

These catalogs represent just
a few companies that sell
very inexpensive plants and
seeds. They don't appear to
be organic, and I would
pass on ordering from them.

Products: Doubtful.

Pictures and layout:
Below average.

Special features:
None.

~Michelle

High Mowing Seeds Catalog

2008-01-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

Two hooves up!

www.highmowingseeds.com

~Michelle

Catalog Review: High Mowing Organic seeds

2008-01-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

This catalog is a must. Save it
when you're done ordering, you'll
be glad you did. I bought seeds
from this company last year and
was extremely pleased.

I bought fingerling potatoes and
scarlet runner beans from them.
Then, we had the drought of the
century, and my heavy clay soil
was like concrete. I barely
watered due to water restrictions
and the seemingly hopelessness
of it all. Most of my plantings
died, several times. Yet,
I harvested a bucket full of
potatoes and picked red beans
throughout the drought. Pamela,
your seeds are coming.

This company is very pro organic,
and encourages growers to save
their own seeds. One of the best
things I like about it is the
in depth information at the start
of each vegetable category. This
includes how to grow, space and
harvest each category of plant,
as well as info on diseases and
pests and suggestions on how to
combat them organically.

Products: Reasonably priced,
very good quality.

Pictures (You want to see what
you're ordering.)and layout:
Excellent.

Special features: In depth coverage
of various vegetables and how
to grow them.

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Totally Tomatoes

2008-01-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

Another great find. The average
person on the street has no idea
how many gorgeous varieties of
veggies can be had out of the
home garden. I like this catalog
a lot, it's easy to read. The pictures
are nice and the prices are reasonable.
They had a great section on salsa
gardening, which I'm going to
try my hand at this year. I've
never planted a theme
garden. This is an
awesome catalog, I give it two
hooves up.

Pictures: Like a coffee table book.

Layout: Same.

Products: Worth a try.

Prices: reasonable.

Special features:
The salsa section.

www.totallytomato.com

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

2008-01-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

LOVE THIS ONE!!! It's a visual
feast for the gardening soul.
This down home company offers
so many varieties of the weird,
the unusual, the rare or forgotten.
Who knew there were so many
types of melons and lettuce?
Squash? Yeah baby! I want to
order their magazine as well.
Two hooves up!! A keeper!

Their pages could list varieties
in alphabetical order, and
sometimes the luscious pictures
are not readily identifiable.

Pictures: Confusing and scrumptious
at the same time.

Layout: Tempting and confusing.

Prices: Wicked good.

Products: Yeah baby!

RARESEEDS.COM

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Pinetree Garden Seeds

2008-01-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

This catalog offers very reasonably
priced seeds, most packets are $1-$2.
Their varieties are about average.
They sell only organic, non genetic
engineered varieties. The pictures
and information listed about
their varieties of flowers, herbs
and veggies is again, avaerage.
They have a nice clearance
section on gardening books.
It's well worth ordering the
free catalog.

Pictures: 1/3rd of varieties
have photos.

Layout: Fine.

Products: Worth a try.

Prices: Excellent!

www.superseeds.com

~Michelle

Catalog Review: Territorial Seed Company

2008-01-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's a nice catalog to curl
up with on a cold wintry day.
It has a little bit of
everything, some modern
and some heirloom varieties.
Their prices on seed packets
seem a little high. Their
photos and information are
about average.

Pictures and layout:
Good.

Products: Not sure.

Prices: Pricey.

www.territorialseed.com
~Michelle

Catalog Review: Sand Hill Preservation Center

2008-01-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a guy devoted to saving
a lot of agricultural diversity.
I've heard that poultry ordered
from this company is the best
around. Other big hatcheries
claim to have rare breeds, this
"genetic-preservationist-hobbyist"
deals directly with many small
breeders and can offer true to
breed poultry.

He does the same for many varieties
of seeds, bulbs, and sweet potatoes.
The catalog itself has no pictures.
I recommend this company as a resource
for gardeners interested in rare
or fallen out of favor seeds and
poultry.

Pictures: None.

Layout: Easy readability.

Products: Probably very good.

Prices: Reasonable.

www.sandhillpreservation.com

~Michelle

The book

2008-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

Book Review: See You In A Hundred Years

2008-01-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

I had a bit of pocket change before
Christmas, and I decided to treat
myself to a few books from the LATOC
bookstore.

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ItemCategorySubPages/StoreMainPage.html

Over the last 2 years, my tastes in
reading have changed. I rarely peruse
the fluffy stuff, like bodice rippers,
anymore. I don't care for mysteries,
I have read some teen based literature
to see what my daughter likes.

I decided to try See You In A
Hundred Years, Four Seasons In Forgotten
America by Logan Ward. Here's
a guy from the country, living and working
in Manhattan. He takes his son to a zoo
and ends up watching another child who
can't recognize a cow. He decides that
his son will not suffer the same fate.
Between struggling with his over-dependence
on technology and "not being able to
see the stars at night", Logan and
his wife decide to embark on an
adventure.

The book tells the story of their return
to the countryside. It explains their
desire to try and live life for a year
in 1900, just as their forefathers had done.
They plan a very detailed reenactment,
from underwear, towels, tools, chipped
enamel plates and pencil sharpeners, to
what brand of beer was available in 1900.

The couple deal with crazy hunters, boy scouts,
illness, drought, persnickety draft horses,
canning, and the pressure that they put on
themselves. Logan is honest about the
emotional costs. Living in the last century,
when you weren't brought up in it proves
very taxing on their marriage.

They end up getting to know their neighbors
via their unusual project, and become the
focal point of their community. I read
this book in a day and a half, okay, I
devoured it. As my hubby has reluctantly
at times joined me in the farmlette lifestyle,
he read the book as well. We have much in
common with the young couple, as we've
tried to build up a place of semi-sustainability.

Darned good read, two hooves up!

~Michelle

Merry Christmas

2007-12-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking some time off
from THIS blogazine until
after the holidays. I need
to plan the next issue, and
I want to read a book that I
bought from Matt and write
a review. I also want to
snap a few modeling pics
of the daughters and try
to capture some critter
moments with my camera.

I'll leave you with a cute
critter story about my
great big Pyrenees named
Moose. I had made a batch
of oatmeal cookies using
a multi grain mix. They turned
out a bit burned and tasted
kind of funny. I decided
to give them to the horses
as a treat. I took a platter
to the back yard and put
them in front of the equine.

After a few minutes I heard a
cacophony of barking. I looked
out the back door and saw Moose
on the horses' side of the Not-So-
Impervious-Fence eating the last
of the cookies with a smile on his
face.

Merry Christmas all.
Michelle

Turnips!

2007-12-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

These are just a few that I
pulled out of the garden today.
I was trying to thin them out
a little, so that the remaining
plants would have more room to
grow.

I fed the green tops to the
horses. I'll probably cook
these in a stew on Monday.

~M

I thought the puppy . .

2007-12-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

. . would like to chew on
some plastic, instead of our
feet. This was just too cute
to miss.

Michelle

I am not a grandmother . . .

2007-12-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

My 14 year old recently adopted
a puppy. She began to wax
maternal for the first time
in her life, and started
calling herself the pup's
mommy.

This presents a unique problem,
because I'm not ready to be a
grandmother. Ewwww. Yuck. Forget
the fact that I made other folks
grandparents in their 40's. IT IS
NOT MY TURN!!! Hubby, sensing
weakness, has explointed this
without mercy.

I will now clarify my standing
on this matter. I am the puppy's
Very Special Friend.

Michelle

Thinking of a theme . . .

2007-12-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

In between trying to train the young
horse (and not doing so well at it),
helping hubby recover from lasik eye
surgery, celebrating an early Christmas
with my nieces, trying to catch up
with friends, and parent/clean/bake/
cook/work, I've been trying to think
of a theme for next month's blogazine.
The end of January will be very busy
for me, so I need to get some ideas
together soon.

Delightful spring catalogs are starting
to show up in my mailbox. My favorite
to date is totally tomatoes. They have
a section on salsa that is tempting me
to try theme gardening. I can envision
a little salsa garden, getting recipes
from a salsa cookbook and using the cute
little non electric salsa maker on page
51.

So here's the website:

www.totallytomato.com

Enjoy.
Michelle

Ode to a tool

2007-12-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,9611.0.html

'Ol Jake

2007-11-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

I was visiting the folks in Atlanta, quite a few
years ago. Me and my then-single sis, were out
running an errand or two and catching up when I
saw them. A lady sitting by the side of the road
in a shopping center. She had a play yard set up
and a little shade. We pulled over. Inside the
play yard were at least 7 or 8 brown wrinkly
puppies. They were hot, it was getting late.
THEY WERE FREE. The pups' ears dragged the ground.
I fell in love with one, he was dark reddish
brown with a black tip on his tail.

His former mom had called him dipstick. We grabbed
some dog food and accessories and raced back to
my parents' house. My folks liked the dog so well
that they went and got one. We named ours Jake, the
folks called theirs Gus. We loved the young Jake,
my hubby made up a song about him. THEN, we moved
to the country. Now Jake's dad was a coon hound, his
mom a rotty-mix. He took to the country like a
duck to water. He was home. He started developing
bad habits.

He would sneak out the front door past our then young
kids and be gone for hours. He ran in the woods and
bayed to his heart's content. He became a scrapper.
We adopted a dog out of the pound. Jake and the pup
broke out of their fence one day and went walkabout.
Jake came back limping liked he'd fought a pack of
coyotes, the pup never returned. This happened twice.
Jake developed a male rivalry with my neighbor's
German shepherd. He snuck past me one day (he was so
good at it) and went and started a fight with the
neighbor's dog. I saw my dog leap up 5 feet in the
air and bash the window on my neighbor's trailer.
I was ashamed. I was proud. Ol Jake was a somebich,
but he was ours. Can you imagine me going over to the
neighbors and explaining about the window?

Time rolled on and we learned the value of an electric
fence. One day I noticed a lump on Jake's back.
The vet diagnosed inoperable cancer in his spine.
We cried. We took him home and promptly spoiled him
rotten. Yes, heaven is sweeter, but we wanted what
time he had left to be filled with happiness.
We gave him pain medicine. We visited a friend who
did reike on his back. We bought him a dog bed
and let him sleep in our room. Then we bought a
fluffier one. We took him for walks and occasionally
let him off the leash, his heart longed for the woods
even when his body was getting tired. We took him
for drives. He adored them. He would get a happy meal
of his own. I'd even take him to Petsmart. He loved
sniffing the place out, as only coon hounds can. He
got a toy or a chewy with every visit.

The pain started getting worse, the bad days began to
outnumber the good. The week before he passed, Ol Jake
even chased a squirrel under a bush, about knocking me
down in the process. But we could tell he was tired, so
we let him go.

Today, I have a new coon hound, who bays, but doesn't run.
Ol Gus still lives with my folks, arthritis has slowed him
down considerably. I call Gus and my folk's 2nd hound my
brothers. They're family. Hug your canine companions,
don't take them for granted.

I went for a walk last summer and could have sworn I saw
Ol Jake rambling along, on his way to the woods. A lovely
thought that.

Michelle

New chicks . .

2007-11-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

. .have arrived on the
farmlette. Six pullets
(fancy word for girl chick)
kept up quite a conversation
on the hour long drive home.
They're 8 weeks old. I got
2 each of buff orpington,
ameraucana (which lay blue
eggs), and lakenvelder.
I left them in the pet
carrier in the coop over
night. The hens will
have a chance to "talk
chicken" without ruffling
feathers in the morning.

I coudln't tell which music
they liked. They chirped to
all of it.

Michelle

Winter hay

2007-11-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

One thing I did right was place
a hay reservation in May for
hay. The drought has made it
almost impossible, or very
expensive to buy. I see a lot
of livestock eating very poor
quality, almost black with
mildew forage. Yuck.
I've been lucky to get
mine in the barn, under
roof, and should have
enough to last the winter.

My reserve supply was never
delivered.

~M

The December issue . . .

2007-11-27T17:22:00.001-08:00

is a mix of ideas for staying warm,
being frugal, and maybe even keeping
your tush out of the mall: Ewww.
Shopping from home: Ahhhhhhhh.
Cozy up with some cocoa and enjoy.
Your feedback is always appreciated.

Cheers,
Michelle

Turnip greens and turnips

2007-11-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from my
winter garden. I read some
where that turnips have a
unique ability to survive
frost by the way moisture
is moved inside the plant.
But of course, I can't find
the article.

Turnips greens are easy to
pick, you just pluck a stem
or two off each plant, the
plant recovers fine. I like
to crockpot mine in with
a main dish. I have yet to
harvest the turnips.

I'm so glad that I went to
the trouble of experimenting
with a late fall garden.
The next step will be trying
to harvest some of the seed.

Michelle

The best applebread in the universe . . .

2007-11-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

This recipe wowed the folks at the recent bakesale/fundraiser.
People had my name and were looking for the recipe which I actually
found on line. I get rave reviews when I use free range eggs
straight from the farmlette. I plan on baking several batches
for food gifts.

Apple Bread

1 cup oil
3 eggs (organic = wicked good)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups apples, peeled and diced
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the dry ingredients, chuck in the other ingredients.
Stir really good.
Pour lumpy bater in 2 loaf pans. (I coat mine with a little butter.)
Sprinkle the tops with about 1 teaspoon sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 325F (preheat) for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Makes 2 loaves.
You'll wish you'd made 4.

Michelle

Staying warm . . . at the barn.

2007-11-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

I can't say much about staying warm in the northern climates. I know
New Hampshire requires horses to have access to a barn during the winter.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Insurance+coverage+denial+leaves+horses+homeless&articleId=df81393e-8f13-4174-8419-eff5900bcbad
It does get cold here in the foothills of the Appalachians, although
we usually get frost instead of snow. A typical winter day can be
30's-40's in the morning, to the upper 50's and 60's in the afternoon.
The air is almost always moist. I swear that the same temperature
feels colder here (with the moist air) than the same temps in NH.

On to my critters, 3 of my 4 dawgs are quite furry and don't mind
the cold. We still bring them in at night. It's hard for us and our
neighbors to sleep when they howl with the coyotes.

The cats, all 3 of them, come in when it's frosty. The Princess Kitty
gets quite annoyed at the invasion and hisses her displeasure. I'll
put them out to get a respite from cat-box-duty, but they sneak back
in at every opportunity.

The sheep grow long wool coats that are about 3-4 inches long, and
thick with lanolin. We've provided the girls with a barnstall, and
the boys have a sheep tent until another stall is emptied of hay.

The horses' coats get very thick in the winter. Some serious riders
use horse blankets to supress the natural shaggy coat. We provide
our equine with cozy barnstalls to get out of the wind and rain,
but they frequently prefer being out in the elements. Such is the
nature of flight/prey/constant grazers. We let them decide.

The chickens can be prone to frostbite. We keep them put up at night,
and the coop's ceiling is insulated. They are protected from wind
and rain on 3 sides (we can always cover up the front of the coop
with a tarp in case of extreme weather). The chickens like to
cuddle for warmth, I'm also getting 6 more in the near future to
add to the body heat free for all. Two of my hens like to perch on
an old metal hayrack. I'm actually worried about their feet getting
too cold. I'm considering my options.

As for me, I stay warm by bundling up. But I really need some thick
gloves, and muck boots, and longjohns.

Michelle

A little preparation for Christmas

2007-11-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I like to shop at
Sportman's Warehouse for a
lot of cool gifts. We love
their 0F rated sleeping bags.
They're warm and seem to be
very durable. Check out their
camping gear, books, and gun
cleaning kits while you're
there.

What do you give the boomer-dude
who has three of everything?
Ammo. Preferably in a recycled
Victoria's Secret shopping
bag. Go ahead, wrap it in the
pink tissue paper that comes
inside. This is what we did
for our dads this past Father's
Day. :)

This gem of a solar lantern
is sold at the LATOC bookstore.
It puts our quite a bit of light.

Several LATOCers have raved about
Wiggy's sleeping bags.

Links:

http://www.wiggys.com/

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ItemCategorySubPages/SurvivalStore.html

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ItemCategorySubPages/StoreMainPage.html

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/

Michelle

Frugal gift giving ideas . . .

2007-11-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

For the frugal of heart and/or frugal
of purse, this is the post for you.
One member of my ladies group offered
the following idea. She suggested
giving handmade, laminated cards
with gifts of time such as dog walking,
babysitting, car washing etc on
them. I like it.

Another person I know likes recycling.
She wanted used items for house warming
gifts. The above ceramic coffee
percolators are a great example, of an
item that will come in very handy in the
future. Oftentimes, the quality
of an older item is better
than what you can buy new/imported.
I got one from a friend who was cleaning
out his garage for free, I bought
the orange one off ebay.

Here are a few of my wicked cheap
gift giving ideas:

1. Pictures of the kids. You can get
a dozen cards at a dollar store, and
put in a picture that you took and made
copies of at the big box. It's an
instant "made myself" gift that
always appeals to grandparents.

2. Food gifts. You can't go wrong with
serving up your specialty baked
goodies wrapped in foil with a bow
on top. Dad is legendary for his
rumcakes. He left one unattended one
time and his dog got hammered. You
haven't lived until you see a geriatric
golden retriever stare at three(one)
water bowl(s).

With my home grown organic eggs I can
make anything taste like manna. I love
to bake and gift chocolate chip cookies,
pumpkin bread, apple bread and chewy
scrumptious brownies.

3. Books. We have an awesome used
book store near us. I can pick up
hardcover, new looking books by
well known authors for a buck or
less.

4. Clearance. I am the clearance
queen. I shop markdowns only and
pay less than half price for things
like towels and dishes.

Happy hunting.

Michelle

Some Cool Ideas from PLow and Hearth

2007-11-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Skip the tea cozy, overpriced jammies, nuts and
Christmas ornaments. There are a few gems towards
the back that warrant a look, especially for the city
homesteader. I liked:

Herb garden for the windowsill:

http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?pcode=8464

Grow your own mushroom kit:
http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?pcode=9756

Porcelain covered cast iron kettles:
http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?pcode=6254

Insulated curtains to keep heat in:
http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?pcode=6161

I might get my chickens one of these solar sippers:
http://www.plowhearth.com/quickshop/quickshop_add.asp?pf_id=3566&discontinue=&all_pfids=3566

They have an awesome collection of wrought iron fireside
cooking implements. Back during the blizzard of '93, we
only had the fireplace to ccok and stay warm. They
would have been great to have.

Michelle

Gemplers catalog

2007-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

I got this catalog in the mail recently. They seem
to have lots of rugged products at reasonable prices.
Their work gloves alone were enough to make me perk up
and say "NICE!"

Now I like being a girly-girl, but I appreciate well
made gloves and hiking shoes. They even had Carharrt
women's clothing. Their range of men's work
clothes are very good.

Here are a few things I picked out:

Work gloves:
http://www.gemplers.com/product/650L/GEMPLERS-Cowhide-Work-Gloves

Grampa's Weeder:
http://www.gemplers.com/product/151206/Grampas-Weeder

Sweet hiking shoes:
http://www.gemplers.com/product/145833/Columbia-Tigertooth-Outdoor-Hikers

Shade cloth:
http://www.gemplers.com/product/145665-12X20/12W-x-20L-Tan-Shade-Cloth-75-Shade-Factor

This cloth can be cut and used to shade south facing windows. I think
it will be a lot cheaper than buying solar shades. Keeping southern
homes cooled in the summer without using a lot of electricity is a
huge challenge.

Michelle

Staying Warm with Solar Panels . .

2007-11-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

An LATOCer writes:

My husband's latest thingy is a passive solar heater for the house.
Or one room actually. He's build a thin wooden panel that connects
to the bottom of one of the living room windows. He painted the
inside black, and topped it with an old double paned insulated window
he got for free from a friend who was remodeling an enclosed porch. I
crack the bottom of the window, on a cold sunny day and the heat
simply rises into the room.

On average it raises the room temp a good 10 degrees without and
forced air circulation. This morning, for example, the outside air
termperature is currently 41 degrees, the temperature inside the
solar heater at 7:30 AM was already 95. By noon it could be well
over 140. By then I'll be closing the window because the room will
be too warm. We're hoping this will drop the electric bill a few
bucks this winter.

Another comments on her design:

I just finished a solar heater for my south window yesterday. Mine is
like a box lid, made of 1" x2"s for the frame and a piece of
fiberboard for the top of the "lid" (calk it to make the inside
airtight along the joints). It has three 1" holes along the bottom of
the face (to pull in cold air from the floor) and a 1" x 4" slot at
the top of the face for the warm air to come out. And a flip down
cover over the air intake so I can close it at night. I may put a
piece of window screening on the backside of the intake holes so it
doesn't just suck dust off the floor and blow it out into the room
(yes, I'm not the worlds best housekeeper). It fits right up against
the lower half of the window frame and covers the glass. The inside
of the lid is painted black and the outside white (to match the window
frame). The paint is drying today, so I'm going put it up tomorrow.
I'm going to velcro it to the frame of the window so I can take it
down and store it during the summer.

If it works well, I want to make two more for my west windows to
capture the afternoon sun on that side of the apt. I want to see how
much it will lower my gas bill in the winter (before TSHTF and nat.
gas prices skyrocket).

Hope it works as well as they say it does. At least I'll stay war on
cold sunny days without running the gas heater all the time.

I'll let everyone know how it works.

And then she adds:

For those who are interested in utizing quick and dirty solar heaters
to augment your other heating:

It was 27 and cloudy when I woke up this morning so I turned on the
gas heat for an hour or so. When the sun came out full tilt, the
outside temp climbed to 35. I turned off the gas, opened the intake
holes on my solar heater and also opened the door to the greenhouse
(my little porch that I enclosed last month) and set a fan in the
hallway. I put a thermometer in my bedroom where the solar heater is
(I can't "hear" it working, so I needed to know if the warmth in the
room was wishful thinking or real). By noon, even though the outside
temp had only climbed to about 38, it was 70 degrees in the bedroom
and about 65 in the rest of the house. With the sun shining most of
the afternoon and the temp still about 38, the apartment has stayed
between 68-70 degrees and is quite comfortable for me with a
sweatshirt and sweat jacket on. So I'm going to go ahead and add the
other two heaters and see how it goes.

If anyone is interested, I'll be glad to post occasionally on this as
the weather gets colder.

Linda

THANKS Linda and others who helped with this post.

Here are a few links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_solar_building_design

Neat design with lots of pics:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda/

Orange yolks . .yeah!

2007-11-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

I gave away all my eggs over the weekend.
I got some more from my chickens on Monday,
and used one to bake some cookies tonight.
The yolk was definitely more orange, and I
swear that the cookies had a richer taste.

Thanks chickens!
Michelle

http://cleanerplateclub.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/the-great-scrambled-egg-taste-test-aka-the-taste-of-gold/

Chicken tractors . .

2007-11-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of research on this and looked
at various products before deciding to go
with a permanent chicken coop. I've only
been letting my birds out for a few weeks
and I've been lucky so far, no predators.

Here are some cool links:

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/4175/housing.html

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/558196536UyPEBk

http://www.eggcartn.com/

Michelle

Letting the birds out for the day . .

2007-11-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

I read some where that hawks and such
tend to hunt early in the morning, and that
putting the flock out to pasture mid day
cuts down on losses to predators.

Michelle

Of Heritage Breeds . .

2007-11-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Industrialized agriculture has left us in a
precarious position. We loose genetic diversity
every year and the animals loose the ability to
be animals. Your Thanksgiving Turkey will
be from artificially inseminated stock unless
you buy a heritage bird. Some links on the
matter:

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/heritage/

http://www.localharvest.org/features/heritage-turkeys.jsp

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark/turkeys.html

I would really like to give turkeys a try. Maybe next
year.

Michelle

This month . .celebrating all things poultry.

2007-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

I recently got into the business of raising eggs for my family. I researched chickens for months, and then my Dad and I spent countless weekends trying to renovate an old barnstall to make Fort Knox for my small flock. Along the way, I read countless articles, came across cool websites and subscribed to a chicken magazine. I fell in love with the concepts of heritage breeds, genetic diversity, and free range poultry. I've decided to launch this compilation of articles to share my findings and in hopes of inspiring others to take the plunge.

Enjoy,

Michelle

The best chicken website ever:

http://www.mypetchicken.com/default.aspx

I live in the city and want some #$%^* chickens. Now what?

2007-11-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

Folks have done it before:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/garden/17chickens.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

In the burbs:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02EFDD143EF932A2575BC0A9639C8B63

And these folks:

http://pathtofreedom.com/pathproject/simpleliving/chickens.shtml

Yeah, yeah, I just wanna watch. . .

2007-11-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some voyeur links for your
viewing pleasure:

http://www.hencam.co.uk/

http://www.hencam.com/inside.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64sLsULq9c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf6GyGRelkg

Midwest Herbalist's DIY Omega 3 fortified eggs

2007-11-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever see the omega3 fortified eggs at the market? Ever wonder how they get the omega3 in the eggs? Since I raise chickens for personal use, I am somewhat vested in learning how this happens, and if it is even safe. So I did some research. It turns out that flax seeds have a very high level of O3s. But the nutritional value, in specific regards to O3s, of raw flax seed is very low. The flax if not ground passes through your system quickly carrying many of the precious benefits with it. Even the ground flax tends to flush through, but by no means as fast. So we get a bit more O3s from ground flax. Here I the kicker and you can see this coming… Chickens, when fed flax seed process the flax very very efficiently. But hens do not process the O3s. They, like good mothers, drop the O3s into their eggs proficiently for their little chicks. It turns out that you can get more DHA Omega-3 from flax seed if you feed the flax seed to a layer and eat their eggs.The down side to it all: In our ever greedy Big Agro world, we have become even more efficient in adding even more O3s to eggs in a much cheaper way. There is now a genetically modified algae that when processed with chicken feed, will allow producers to ‘fortify’ their eggs with a higher profit margin. The brighter side: There are still companies that add O3’s to eggs with flax. You can check out http://www.nestfresh.com/eggs.html I am not recommending that you purchase their products as much as I am recommending that you check the source of the O3s in your eggs if you eat the fortified type. Really I recommend that you raise your own layers and feed ‘em flax.

Are free range eggs healthier?

2007-11-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Whole-Foods-and-Cooking/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

Meet Hu(bbert)

2007-11-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

He's a Delaware Rooster.
He's quite the gentleman.

More cool chicken links
provided by Lady-T:

http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/waterglass.html

~Michelle

Nicole's Chicken Broth Recipe

2007-11-12T11:59:00.001-08:00

We had our first light frost last week and tonight a hard freeze is forecast. The weather has finally turned cold more or less (despite yesterday’s temps in the 70’s!) and I’ve also been a little under the weather. It’s time to break out those pints of chicken broth in the freezer. If you have never made homemade broth, it’s nothing like the store bought stuff. For one thing, it’s not so salty. For a second thing, it’s much better and much better for you.
All you have to do is fill a big pot about 2/3 with water and turn on the heat. Add bits and pieces of chicken bones, skin, leftovers and any parts you won’t eat. (You’ve been saving those in a bag in the freezer, right?) Necks and feet make great brother. If the chicken parts weren’t already seasoned, add about 1 tsp of salt to the water. Simmer, covered, on the back of the stove for about a day or at least through the afternoon, adding water as needed. Strain, let cool, and then skim off the fat. You should have a gelatinous glob after it’s cooled. This is exactly what you want: to extract the nutritious gelatin from the bones and other nutrients from the rest of the carcass. Don’t worry, it liquefies when you heat it up.
I prefer to store the broth unseasoned, so I can use it as a soup starter. Then I season to the appropriate dish. If drinking it straight, I sometimes steep a spring of fresh herbs in it or some garlic or just add some fresh black pepper. If you prefer to season it while cooking, go ahead, that will work, too. Or if you have bits and bones of beef, make beef broth. You can also save the ends of carrots and other vegetable parts for a nice vegetable broth, but the vegetable broth won’t thicken.
Chicken soup really IS good medicine, as any good grandmother or medical scientist will tell you. It’s an anti-inflammatory and thins mucus, improving breathing and often soothing sore throats. (Other common ingredients of chicken soup besides the chicken are also helpful and may work better in conjunction with each other, but the chicken extract alone is beneficial by itself.)
When I feel a little less like the flu coming on, it’ll be time to fire up that first pot of chili for the season. Yum!

Funny Chicken Stories . .

2007-11-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Easter chicks gone bad:
http://www.homestead.org/SheriDixon/EasterChicksGoneBad.htm

Hens are birds too:
http://www.homestead.org/FaithDrummond/HensareBirdsToo.htm

The Chicken Forum:
http://www.poultryconnection.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2

How to Cure an Impotent Rooster (scroll down a bit)
http://www.joecliffordfaust.com/chickens/index.html

Peck and Peck (or lack thereof):
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855520,00.html?promoid=googlep

Lady-T's other recipes

2007-11-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of eating at home. It saves money and
I know what's in the pot.

a couple more recipes,i haven't tried them, but they sound good and use your long term storagepopped wheat treats----boil as many whole wheat kernals as you want to pop until kernels are plump, tender, and begin to split. drain wheat and rinse, remove excess water by rolling wheat onto a cloth or paper towel.in heavy kettle, heat veggie oil to 36 degrees. put a small amount of wheat (appx 3/4cup) in a wire basket or strainer and deep fry in hot oil for 1 1/2 min or until popping deases, drain on aborbent paperrinse and repeat til all cookedvariations-----use saltor seasoned saltor garlicor barbecue saltor onion saltor cinnamon and sugar whatever you think will taste good in other wordsgo good on salads or in trail mix or topping for a dessert or as just a snackrice pudding---------------3 eggs2 tbsp honey6 tbsp sugar1/2 tsp nutmeg1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp vanilla1 cup milk (2/3 cup nonfat dry milk to 2/3 cup water)1 1/2 cups cooked rice1/2 cups raisinsbeat eggs, add sugar and spices. mix well. stir in vanilla milk rice and raisinsput in a two quart casserole dish and bake for 45 min at 350 degrees. stir once hope this helps

Lady-T's Chicken and Dumpling Recipe

2007-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

hi michelle,here is my chicken and dumpling recipe, my family loves it to pieces.chicken and dumplings----take one whole canned chicken (from prep area)de-bone and put juice, meat and skin into a large pot.take a whole lot of chicken broth, and you can use bullion cubes, use as many cubes as you think you need broth. varies on size of family. one cup of water for each bullion cube.put 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning and enough salt and pepper to taste and boil for a whiledumplings-- i use pioneer baking mix dumpling recipe and put two cups of baking mix, 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning and enough milk to make a sticky mess. not runny, not firm. and spoon globs into the broth/chicken mixture, cook for about 10 minutes or until centers of dumplings look like moist breadserves 1-10 people depending on amount of dumplings and broth. great post cliff dinner, easy to stretch for extra mouths.here is a recipe for a bisquick type baking mix---5 pounds all purpose flour3/4 cup baking powder3T salt2 cups powdered milk1T cream of tartar (can be omitted later when you run out)4 cups shortening = 2 pounds1/2 cup sugar (optional)mix really really well all the dry stuff. cut in lard til it's like corn meal can keep up to six months in an airtight container out of the sun and heatyou can make pancakes by using 1 cup of mix to 1/2 cup water for two people.personally i would add one egg and substitute regular milk for better flavor, but it's up to youbisquits for two people, 1 cup mix and 1/ cup milk or water knead roll and cut bake 150 degrees fahreinheit for ten minwhole wheat baking mix----4 cups whole wheat flour4 cups all purpose flour1/4 cup baking powder2 cups dry milk2 cups shorteningmix like above and walaamy fav bisquit recipe---2 cups self rising flour7-9 big tbsp of lard1/2 tsp salt (if you have any)milk to make it a sticky messcut up lard into flour til coarsly mixed (no big chunks) add enough milk to make it a sticky mess, scrape out onto heavily floured surface and sprinkle flour on top, pat gently to about one inch thick and cut out appx 2 inch bisquitshere is the important part---put in HEAVILY oiled dutch oven or cast iron skillet. and make sure they are touching real good so they will rise up and be softer. either bake in oven at 45 til tops are browned or put into dutch oven and cook over coals on campfire til donethey get hard as a rock after a few hours, but really good right out of the oventhe baking mix recipe came from (i think) walton feeds website but i can't remember.