My favorite soap:
Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
http://www.herb.co.za/herb-gardening/compost-tea.htm
How to make your own
Compost Tea
This is not for drinking but your plants will just love them. Basically there are 3 types of compost teas you can make and 3 methods you can use. Compost teas supply valuable soluble nutrients and bio-active compounds to your plants. Best of all they are completely organic and inexpensive.
Manure Tea
Manure-based tea is a soluble nutrient source made from raw animal manure soaked in water. The manure is placed in a burlap sack and suspended in a barrel of water for 7 to 14 days. The primary benefit of the tea will be a supply of soluble nutrients, which can be used as a liquid fertilizer. You can also use compost to make a manure-based tea
Herbal Tea
Plant-based extracts are most commonly made from chamomile flowers, comfrey leaves, and yarrow leaves and flowers. A common method is to stuff a barrel about three-quarters full of fresh green plant material, then top off the barrel with tepid water. The tea is allowed to ferment at ambient temperatures for 3 to 10 days. The finished product is strained, then diluted in portions of 1:10 or 1:5 and used as a foliar spray or soil drench. Herbal teas provide a supply of soluble nutrients as well as bio-active plant compounds.
Liquid Manures
Liquid manures are a blend of marine products (local fish wastes, seaweed extract, kelp meal) and locally harvested herbs, soaked and fermented at ambient temperatures for 3 to 10 days. Liquid manures are prepared similarly to herbal tea - the material is fully immersed in the barrel during the fermenting period, then strained and diluted and used as a foliar spray or soil drench. Liquid manures supply soluble nutrients and bioactive compounds.
Bucket-Fermentation Method
Passive compost tea is prepared by immersing a burlap sack filled with compost into a bucket or tank, stirring occasionally. Usually the brew time is longer, from 7 to 10 days. This is the method that dates back hundreds of years in Europe, and is more akin to a compost watery extract than a brewed and aerated compost tea.
Bucket-Bubbler Method
The equipment setup and scale of production are similar to the bucket method, except that an aquarium-size pump and air bubbler are used in association with microbial food and catalyst sources added to the solution as an amendment. Since aeration is critical, as many as three sump pumps may be used in a bucket simultaneously.
With homemade compost tea brewing, a compost sock is commonly used as a filter-strainer. Ideally, the mesh size will strain compost particulate matter but still allow beneficial microbes including fungal hyphae and nematodes to migrate into solution. Single-strand mesh materials such as nylon stockings and laundry bags are some of the materials being used; fungal hyphae tend to get caught in polywoven fabrics. If burlap is used, it should be aged burlap.
Trough Method
Large-scale production of compost teas employs homemade tanks and pumps. An 8- or 12-inch-diameter PVC pipe is cut in half, drilled full of holes, and lined with burlap. Compost is placed in this makeshift trough. The PVC trough is supported above the tank, several feet in the air.
The tank is filled with water, and microbial food sources are added as an amendment. A sump pump sucks the solution from the bottom of the tank and distributes the solution to a trickle line running horizontally along the top of the PVC trough filled with compost. As the solution runs through the burlap bags containing the compost, a leachate is created which then drops several feet through the air back into the open tank below. A sump pump in the bottom of the tank collects this “tea” and distributes it back through the water line at the top of the trough, and so on.
Through this process, which lasts about seven days, the compost tea is recirculated, bubbled, and aerated. The purpose of the microbial food source is to grow a large population of beneficial microorganisms.
http://www.herb.co.za/herb-gardening/compost.htm
Herbal Compost Activators
The importance of good compost for successful gardening cannot be overstated. Compost acts as a life-giving tonic to the garden and encourages earthworms and living fungi that help suppress pathogenic pests like nematodes and fungal root rot.
Producing one’s own compost can be fun and very satisfying. The main principle to keep in mind is that all plant matter can be used, as well as dust, dirt and paper.
Shredding the compost will speed up the process, as will the use of lime-based preparations which aid fermentation.
A light sprinkling of fertilizer or organic material high in nitrogen, like manure, grass or weed clippings and bone meal, will act as compost activators.
Mineral rich herbs like nettles, dandelion, chicory, and salad burnet will also act as compost activators.
Comfrey is an excellent addition to the compost heap. It has a carbon/nitrogen ratio very close to that of manure. The English Biodynamic Agricultural Society have also classified chamomile, yarrow and valerian as ‘compost plants’.
The traditional way of building a compost heap is in thin layers. A layer green matter would be followed by manure, then a sprinkling of topsoil, lime and/or fertilizer, and so on. Add water to the heap and turn it regularly. This sort of heap ensures even breakdown of material and prevents wastes from matting down together.
http://www.herb.co.za/herb-gardening/beneficial-bugs.htm
Beneficial Garden Bugs
Ants
Quite useful in the garden. Their nests help to ventilate the soil and prevent acidity. They also feed on many insect pests, notably caterpillar larvae and fruit-fly maggots. They are however not always welcome in the garden as they are outstanding ‘aphid farmers’.
Bees
You can encourage these diligent little plant pollinators to your garden by planting the flowering shrubs and herbs they love - lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, hyssop, basil, coriander, thyme, borage and mint.
Beetles
Just as bees should be encourage to call your garden home, it is important not to see every beetle as an enemy. Many are beneficial garden predators and feed on slugs, snails, caterpillars, cutworm, moth larvae and small insect pests, even if they do chew the odd leaf of a prized rose bush as well.
Butterflies
Although their hatched eggs - as caterpillars - will damage crops, butterflies themselves do little harm and help to pollinate many flowers. As with many aspects of companion planting, this is one area where the aspiring organic garden may have to tolerate a less-than-perfect compromise.
Centipedes
Very useful in the garden. They eat caterpillars, slugs and other pests and help break down decaying garden waste.
Earthworm
Most important to the success of a garden planned along organic principles. They virtually create the topsoil by depositing their mineral-rich castings back into the earth.
Earwig
They look like small beetles, the main difference being the pair of pincers they have at the end of their body. On the positive side they eat small insects and their larvae, particularly codling moth. On the negative side, they can also make quite a mess of your plants.
Grasshoppers
As with so many garden pests, grasshoppers will do little damage when present in small numbers, but if allowed to infest an area, they will eat almost anything. They are good bird and chicken food.
Hoverflies
Don’t see these odd, wasp-shaped little insects as enemies. They are to be cherished as natural predators, and significantly contribute towards the maintenance of a healthy garden. They prey on scale insects, mealy bugs and mites. Their larvae eat aphids, codling moth larvae, caterpillars and slugs.
Lacewings
Nature is often quite deceptive. The aptly named lacewing, with its beautiful, gauzy, iridescent wings and huge golden eyes is actually one of the garden’s most efficient assassins. In a single season, the larvae of just one female lacewing - called ‘aphid lions’ or ‘ant lions’ because of their voracious appetite - can eat over 13 million aphids in a most savage fashion.
Ladybirds
A most useful insect to have in the garden having a prodigious appetite for aphids, thrips and the larvae of many leaf-eating insects. A single adult ladybird can devour up to 400 aphids a day.
Millipedes
When we come across millipedes in the garden, the common reaction is to regard them as pests. However, unless the millipedes are particularly troublesome don’t disturb them. A few in the garden will be help, not a hindrance, as they eat decaying matter and help aerate the soil.
Praying Mantises
A ferocious killer. Both the mantises and their larvae will kill and eat most beetles, bugs, wasps, spiders, flies and caterpillars, helping to keep these pests at tolerable levels. Unfortunately, they will also eat beneficial insects, like bees and other predatory wasps.
Spiders
Spiders come in an enormous variety of shapes and sizes and, to the uninitiated gardener, they can all be seen as pests. However, spider are extremely useful creatures. Natural predators, they feed upon many insects which are a nuisance to the gardener.
Wasps
Wasps need protein-rich food for their young and so often help the gardener by eating small insect pests like slugs, codling moth larvae, thrips, stink bugs, weevils, grubs, caterpillars and scale insects.
Bibliography
The A-Z of companion planting by Pamela Allardice. 1993. Angus and Robertson.
I am in awe of this thread!!
Thank you.
Welcome, come on in and join the group, post as you can and read away.
It is my wish that I am posting something someone wants to know....
Yum!
Mom’s version is with homemade apricot jam filling and she makes another filling with a mixture of ground walnuts, sugar and honey.
No calories of course. FOFL
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2132670/posts?page=2
101 ways to save money (surviving socialism)
Press Democrat (Santa Rosa) ^ | 10-21-08 | Not attributed
Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 10:26:50 AM by RKBA Democrat
Food is expensive, gas remains stubbornly high and winter’s big heating bills are coming.
Excellent money saving ideas.
Miscellaneous tips including feeding a family of four on $40 a week
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
Swap books, CDs or DVDs
http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php
http://www.swapacd.com/index.php?f=books
http://www.swapadvd.com/index.php?f=cds
Free Classic Books online
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Free Audiobooks in podcast format
http://podiobooks.com/
Saving Site
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/
Home of FreeCyclers (give away, ask for or pick up free stuff)
http://www.freecycle.org/
Online Coupons
http://www.couponmom.com/
Find the Perfect Cell Phone
http://www.letstalk.com/
Cheap calling cards, online voip and fax, etc.
http://www.onesuite.com/
Operation Thrift
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128937/posts
Live on Less and Love It
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2129863/posts
Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1990507/posts
You can find out about stockpiling and buying in bulk here
http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/
Secret Amazon Discount Finder
http://deallocker.com/tool/secret-amazon-discount/
Make mixes for yourself for both savings and convenience: cookie mix, biscuit mix, cake mix, seasoning mixes, salad dressing mixes, etc.:
http://members.tripod.com/~Tweezle/makemix.html
Free recipes. This site lets you scale # of servings, search for ingredients, save recipes to a cookbook, and rate recipes and leave comments
http://www.recipezaar.com/
I’ve read about making your own cosmetics (face moisturizers, exfoliants) too. If anyone is interested, ping or FReepmail me and I’ll go looking.
I used cloth diapers for my daughter. It saved a lot of money and made her easier to potty train, too.
Use an evaporative water cooler instead of air conditioning, if you can.
Dave Ramsey says to shop with cash. He has what he calls the “envelope system.” You budget what you care to spend on groceries (or other budgeted items) and then set aside the cash in an envelope. The money in the envelope is what you get to spend. If you buy with a debit or credit card, it’s not like real money.
Solar panels may help you save money on high-priced electricity in places like Hawaii or California.
Ping me
Bookmark
My favorite soap:
“the link for Preservation farm”
Can you give us the link for this seed source, Granny? I looked on Google but the results are ambiguous.
I loved what you said about being a Christian Cherokee with respect for the earth. What you said was just so beautiful it made me a bit sad for how we’ve trashed some places that should be a treasure.
Near my mountain home east of Fresno, there’s a place where the Kings River crosses State Route 180. It should be a gorgeous area with the river, the bridge and scenic trees and hills in the background, but instead there’s a horrendous trailer park nearby. The place has not one trailer worth keeping. There’s also a private camping area across the road where people are allowed to live in camping trailers and tents. Just a disgusting place. I hope the freeway goes through there with a big offramp and wipes out the trailer park. LOL.
I know people need places to live, but such squalor is just a terrible shame. We need more respect for Mother Earth.
I looked up the “three sisters” and we might try that. Thanks for the link.
You can make your own Earth Boxes with the instructions shown here:
http://www.josho.com/gardening.htm
MELAMINE - USA: ALERT
*********************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.isid.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
******
[1]
Date: 14 Nov 2008
Source: BBC News [edited]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7728605.stm
US ‘import alert’ on China food
The latest alert goes beyond dairy products to such items as drinks,
sweets, and baby and pet food. It also allows US inspectors to seize
any Chinese products suspected of being contaminated.
Safety issues
The FDA has now added more than a dozen other goods imported from
China, including biscuits, instant coffee and tea products.
In addition, US officials will be travelling to China next week for
consultations with the Chinese about safety issues. The FDA is also
planning to open three new offices in China to check products
intended for the US market.
[Byline: Jonathan Beale]
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
******
[2]
Date: 13 Nov 2008
Source: AFP [edited]
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jzXVu07mIxCqzovVn6aZxACdGDOw
US issues melamine alert on Chinese-made food products
The FDA said it would test “a range of protein-containing products
beyond just dairy and dairy-containing products” for contamination
and would “take appropriate regulatory action” if needed. The import
alert covers a range of products including beverages, candy, baby
food and pet foods. It allows inspectors to seize any products
suspected of being contaminated.
At the same time, the FDA warned against consuming an infant formula
manufactured in China as well as more than a dozen products including
biscuit, instant coffee and tea products.
At least 4 children have died of kidney failure and 53 000 have
fallen ill in China this year after drinking milk or consuming dairy
products laced with melamine, which is usually used in making
plastics and fertilizers. The dairy scandal has expanded worldwide
with several governments recalling or banning Chinese products with
milk content.
In a related matter, the US government said FDA Commissioner Andrew
von Eschenbach and Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt
will travel to China next week “for consultations with their Chinese
counterparts” on safety issues and to open 3 new FDA offices in China.
The visit is “part of an ongoing strategy to address the food safety
issues in both countries and to share ideas to address global food
safety,” a statement from Leavitt’s office said.
“This will include a discussion of the recent outbreak of foodborne
illness in the United States related to fresh produce as well as the
melamine contamination of dairy products in China,” the statement said.
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[see also:
Melamine contamination, animal feed (04): China 20081114.3598
Melamine contaminated food products (07): worldwide ex China 20081114.3587
Melamine contaminated food products (06): worldwide ex China 20081105.3480
Melamine contamination, animal feed (03): China 20081031.3433
Melamine contaminated food products (05): worldwide ex China 20081030.3425
Melamine contaminated food products (04): Worldwide ex China 20081027.3391
Melamine contamination, animal feed (02): China 20081020.3326
Melamine contaminated food products (03): Worldwide ex China 20081020.3324
Melamine contaminated food products (02): Worldwide ex China 20081004.3129
Melamine contaminated food products - Worldwide ex China 20081002.3107
Melamine contamination, animal feed: RFI 20081001.3097
Infant kidney stones - China (03): melamine 20080917.2915
Infant kidney stones - China (02): Gansu, milk, melamine 20080912.2856
2007
—
Fish mortality - South Africa: melamine?, RFI 20070612.1919
Contaminated pet food - China: melamine 20070430.1403
Pet food fatalities, pets - USA, Canada, Mexico (03): melamine 20070330.1099]
....................tg/ejp/mpp
I am glad that it make you hungry...LOL
I wandered into a whole world of bakers that includes every country the other night.
LOL, some I did not understand, but could pick up their love of baking.
Maybe I considered myself a baker once, and understood them....we will bake around the clock and feed the family a peanut butter sandwich, for dinner if given the chance.
Maybe I inherited it, once, when the kids were about 12, I was sick, in the bed sick.
My mother decided to come and help out, as I was not able to cook.
She considered her self to be a pie maker, [I am not], so she came and made me all kinds of pies, LOL and fed the family hot dogs for dinner.......with pie for desert of course.
When we were kids, she made some kind of fried pie, with a cocoa/sugar mixture in it, not a cream pie, and not with nuts and coconut, a cheap, make the kids happy desert.
Guess they were good, as I have never found the recipe and I am still looking for it.
She also made the dried fruit pies, but that would be natural, as we did not have electric or refrigerators until I was 10 or so.
I do hope you are getting your mothers recipes, while you still can, as I promise you, the older you get, the more you will wish that you had done so.
Thank you that is an impressive list of useful links.
Some of them I know and others, I will check out.
Do you know the TLC soap making group?
It is the place to learn about soap making, from a group that does it daily and are wonderful loving people.
No, I am not a soap maker, but was intending to do so and set out to learn what it was all about, still have membership in a couple groups, so I won’t loose their files and info, I will have to get the link, it has been posted before, but did not come to the address I use now, so LOL, have to go to another location for the info.
When I retired, and managed to pay off my credit card, I cut it up, it has helped remove most of the temptation for shopping on the internet, as it isn’t worth the hassle to send a money order, and I don’t buy that much ‘stuff’ anyway.
We have left it almost too late for posting a few Christmas frugal ideas, very needed this year I think.
Thanks for joining in, I needed the help.
Welcome to the thread, please join in.
Thanks for coming and reading.
Smile.
Welcome to the thread and thanks for stopping by.
Do join in, post or read, all thoughts are welcome.
This appears to be the main link:
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/
When I was ordering from them, they were a paper catalog, and not on the internet.
LOL, my mobile is 50 years old and all I am asking of it, is to shelter me until I am dead.
Once, I kept it up and had a pretty yard, now I don’t go outside and it falls into the ugly class.
But I know what you mean, about some of them, as there is a mobile home park full of not desirable folks down the street from us.
It is not our old homes that rate us, but what is in the heart and souls of those who live in them.
There are far too many people, who are homeless and living in whatever they can find to shelter their families.
We came to California in the 1930’s and lived in tents, so have been there and done that.
When I got sick and had to quit work, I almost lost my place and feared being homeless, so have an idea of how easy it is to become homeless and how quick it can happen.
I did loose a couple investment properties and sold my mountain property for half of what I had refused, 5 years before.
I listen to police scanners and it still scares me to hear the Police discuss the homeless people that they deal with, not all are drunks, etc.......I sure was not and am not.
I smile, for at times the world looks bleak and then there are the times that it is beautiful.
>>>US authorities have issued a nationwide “import alert” for Chinese-made food products in the wake of the melamine contamination scandal.
I had a hard time food shopping yesterday. Most of the fresh produce didn’t have country of origin labels. I wonder if that was coincidence???
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