Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/johnson44.html
For extra production,
try mound gardening
By Edward Love Johnson
I began experimenting with mound gardening several years ago, due to limited garden space. Then as time went by, I found other reasons (or should I say excuses) for elevating the earth into cone-shaped mounds and dotting them with plants of one sort or another.
For example, I have a low place in my garden where water stands during the wet season and drowns out the plants. Without a mound, it is not useable during even a moderately wet season. Yet in 1986 I harvested 44 pounds of beets from a mound in that low spot.
With many plants, I find the mound easier to tend than normal rows. Take beets, for example. I plant my beet seed in a short row in another part of the garden. Then, when the plants are large enough to transplant, I space them evenly in three circular rows around the mound. That way I can have the planting surface free of weeds, and the already-started beets will “get the jump” on weeds that sprout later.
Most root crops do well in the mound, yet there can be problems during dry weather. Sticking up in the air as it is, the earth dries out faster than does the surrounding soil. To overcome this, I make a saucer-shaped depression on top of the mound. Then when the plants begin to need a drink, I pour a bucket of water into the depression. The water soaks down through the center of the mound. This causes the plants to send their roots deep into the earth, rather than come to the top of the ground as they do in normal watering.
Beets can withstand lots of dry weather, so they are excellent for the mound. Potatoes like well-drained soil. Carrots are good, since they root deep, and sweet potatoes simply go wild if the mound is properly fertilized.
To feed the mound, I turn to my compost heap, which is normally well-rotted horse manure. When I prepare the site, I scatter a generous layer of compost on the area surrounding the proposed mound. Then as I drag in earth to get my elevation, the soil and compost are well mixed. I continue to drag in dirt until I build a thin layer of plain earth over the compost-mixed center. This is the layer that I place my plants in. Then as they begin to push their roots down into the soil, they find the plant food.
Some of the vine plants, such as squash and cucumbers, do fairly well in the mound. However, most of them, particularly the cucumbers, require watering, since they cannot withstand drought.
I don’t use the mound for such plants as tomatoes and bunch beans. But pole beans, with long poles set in around the mound and pulled together and tied at the top like an Indian tepee, makes an interesting sight, and you can harvest an unusual crop from that small area.
A truly handsome addition to your garden can be created by covering the mound with pepper plants, either sweet or hot, and then leaving some of the peppers on until they turn red or yellow. In other words, the mound can be both useful and ornamental.
Maybe I am a bit oversold on my pet garden project, but I get lots of good vegetables and much pleasure from my garden mounds.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/hudman53.html
Cut your grocery bill in half
By C. M. Hudman
There was a time when I despised grocery shopping. Every time I walked into a grocery store it seemed the dollars were simply sucked out of my wallet. If it felt like I was getting ripped off, I probably was. Fed up with spending over a hundred dollars and walking out with only a week’s worth of food, I found a number of easy ways to cut my family’s food bill in half.
Shop around
Loyalty to your favorite spacious and contemporary supermarket is a guaranteed way to throw money down the drain. I have yet to find a store that carries the cheapest of every possible item. Open your mind to a variety of different possibilities. Look for bulk food stores, canned goods outlets, restaurant supply stores, or food coops. They all may offer some great prices. The local butcher may also have some highly competitive prices on meat. Butchers are a great way to get in touch with farmers who are willing to sell a cow or hog for a good price. Roadside stands often have the best deals on quality produce. They are also more open to negotiation and even bartering.
Cut out the middleman
Every time you buy a product in the grocery store you pay the farmer, processor, packager, distributor, and the grocery store, who in turn pay the stocker and checker, not to mention the mortgages on all those buildings. Try buying direct from the farmer.
There is bound to be some locally grown produce in your area. Check fruit orchards for seasonal deals, or herb farms (dehydrate your own spices). Stopping buy the local farmer’s market on the weekend while running errands can be a great way to buy direct and meet local farmers. If you are anywhere near the ocean try taking a trip to the harbor docks and buy direct from fishing boats or crabbing vessels.
Plan your route
I know most hard working people are already short of time, and probably the thought of shopping at four or five different stores makes you shake your head. But I used to stop at the supermarket a couple of times a week anyway, and that was outside of the “big” bi-weekly trip. Some store’s have monthly sales. Plan on stopping at these once a month towards the beginning of the sale. Twice a month plan your bulk grocery shopping. Bring out the advertisements and plan your route. It may seem overwhelming at first but I spend far less time (and money) now that I’ve stocked my pantry full of loss leader sale items.
Get gutsy and try generic
If you have shunned away from generic or store brands because of childhood memories of flat white and black boxes, it’s time to try them again. They taste fine and the price is even better. In today’s competitive market the stores have taken it upon themselves to produce higher quality foods than ever. I have even heard that they are often packaged in the same processing plants. As for frozen vegetables, frozen broccoli spears is frozen broccoli spears, no matter what brand the package reads.
Avoid convenience foods
When was the last time that a frozen pizza filled your family up. Try new recipes for pizza dough, and pile on the toppings. With far less money you can truly have pizzeria quality at home. If you still waste money on serving-size juice boxes for the kids, invest in some reusable plastic juice glasses, fill them with bulk-bought juice, and keep them in the refrigerator for the kids to grab. It pays.
Be an educated consumer
Knowing your prices will help you save money in many ways. Do you ever get mad at your spouse because he’ll spend twice the going price for ice cream? Over time you have probably become educated and memorized prices for frequently bought items. I once had a friend that gasped in horror when the price of macaroni and cheese was raised a nickel a box. Sure her hubby still laughs about it, but she was truly shocked over the price increase.
Make up a list with the best unit prices you’ve ever found on regularly bought items. Try beating these prices every time you go to the store. You’ll soon learn the difference between true sales and “sale priced” items.
Figure unit prices
Bigger is not always better. Take a calculator along to figure out unit prices quickly. Some supermarkets have it conveniently posted on shelf tags already. Use what is available. Taking the time to figure unit prices will save money. Are you buying the “family value” packaged goods because they indicate value? It may shock you to find that in comparison to the average size there may be little savings, and sometimes they cost more. Don’t believe packaging; the truth is revealed in the numbers. Figure out the price per unit of measurement—per pound, per ounce, per gallon. The other day I compared the prices of a 5-pound bag of russet potatoes for 69-cents and a 10-pound “sale” bag for $1.79. Buying two 5-pound bags would save 41-cents over one 10-pound bag.
Buy big
When you find an excellent deal it’s time to stock up your pantry. If you find an unbelievably low price, spend an extra $5 or $10 and buy enough to last until the next sale. My husband laughed at me when I came home with 33 bottles of name brand BBQ sauce. It may have been crazy if the price had not been 29 cents a bottle, I have yet to see it cheaper, and because we love BBQ sauce not one bottle went to waste.
I’ve also been mocked by a teenage checkout boy because I was “buying out the meat department.” Maybe if he had to pay his own rent he would have taken note. The cut up fryers were on sale for a third the normal price. I had bought $90 worth of good meat for only $30 cost. I didn’t have to buy another chicken for months. I could have bought one or two extra, then paid full price a week later. Fill your freezer and your pantry with the highest quality foods available at the lowest possible price.
Get a rain check
Are they out of the cans of soup that were a loss leader sale. Ask a stock person to check the back; many times the shelves are cleared so fast that stock people can barely keep up. If there are no more to be found, get a rain check and have one made up in your child’s name also.
Most stores are happy to fill out a rain check. It’s a little slip of paper that allows you the sale price when the new stock arrives, even if the sale is over.
Bypass customer limits
If your store lures you in with loss leaders and then slaps a limit on the number you can purchase, it’s time for a creative solution. Every one of your children are a potential customer (the store never complains when they buy a candy bar). Split up the family and build more purchasing power.
Every time you walk into a store you are a potential customer. I will make repeated trips to the store for a great loss leader sale. You should too. The grocery store is trying to lure you into spending more so it’s time to beat them at their own game.
Get the inside scoop
Ask your friendly grocer when they roll out the day old bread rack. This is a great way to fill up the freezer for half price. Do they fill up the discounted or damaged foods cart on a specific day each week? If they bring out the sale items Friday morning, plan accordingly.
Make them work for you
If you are filling lunch boxes with expensive bologna and packaged ham, here is an easy solution that can save you a lot of money. Does your grocery store have a butcher or a deli? Instead of paying $3.99 a pound for sliced sandwich ham, pick a whole or half ham from the meat cooler, and have them slice it. Many markets are happy to slice it as thin as you’d like, for free. This can result in big savings because whole hams are sold for far less ($1.75 per pound).
Your butcher may also be willing to slice big chunks of cheese for you.
Double up savings
I rarely use coupons because they are often for overpriced foods. However, double coupon day can sure bring down the prices. My daughter and I now look through the local coupon exchange bin at the library for possible great deals. The combination of free coupons and double coupon day gets us cans of chili for a quarter, and other items for next to nothing.
Double up the deals by combining coupons, sale items, and rebates. It does take some time, but for some people the deals add up. Call the 1-800 phone numbers on the packaging of your favorite products; many will send coupons directly to you if you ask.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/hooker110.html
Make adobe bricks
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Last winter I got a phone call from an old friend in Arizona. One of his sons had fallen in love, gotten the girl in trouble, and run afoul of her Mexican/Indian family. A hasty marriage and real wedding ceremony was the only thing capable of defusing the situation, and the kid really wanted “Uncle Joe” to perform the wedding ceremony.
Of course the fact that Arizona’s temperatures were in the 60s and 70s, while I was shoveling a three-foot snowdrift off of my roof in sub-zero winds didn’t influence my decision to make the trip even a little bit. Yeah, right!
After the wedding I stuck around longer than I’d planned to, because everyone had already decided to erect a house for the new couple, on property his father had given them as a wedding gift. Some of the “guests” had already been at work on the project for several weeks.
Brick mold
Brick mold
Several older men, armed with ancient looking adzes and mattocks, shaved away at the sides of a depression carved into a bank of clay. Others shoveled these shavings into the middle of the “brick pit” they were working in. Younger men and older boys carted wheelbarrow loads of horse and burro manure, and buckets filled with creek water, to mix with the clay shavings.
Stacking bricks to dry in the sun
Stacking bricks to dry in the sun
The mixture varies according to the quality of the clay, but is usually about 10-15% manure, just enough water to achieve a plaster-like consistency, and sometimes small amounts of coarse sand.
To make clay roofing tiles: 1) Split 2’ length of de-barked log in half. 2) Oil or grease well. 3) Coat with approximately 3/4 inch of clay mixture. 4) Remove from log mold when well dried.
To make clay roofing tiles: 1) Split 2’ length of de-barked log in half. 2) Oil or grease well. 3) Coat with approximately ¾” of clay mixture. 4) Remove from log mold when well dried.
Young men and women stomped around in the sloppy mess, churning the mixture together. All the while, wheelbarrow loads of this mixture were hauled out and made into bricks using wooden molds. Then the molds were removed, regreased (by rubbing with rancid fat, or painting on a 50-50 mix of kerosene and used motor oil), and the “bricks” were left laying flat to dry in the sun. Bricks that had already dried enough to handle without falling apart were stacked on edge for further drying.
Stack into kiln and allow to dry thoroughly before firing.
Stack into kiln and allow to dry thoroughly before firing.
With everyone working together, we were producing 1,500 to 2,000 unfired bricks each day. Once enough of these bricks (about 7,500) had been very thoroughly dried by the sun and wind, they were stacked to form a large, open-topped kiln which was then filled to overflowing with wood hauled from the mountains, corn cobs carted from fields and cribs, well-dried goat, sheep, pig, and cattle manure, and just about any other sort of fuel they could collect.
Stacking dried bricks to form kiln, top view.
Stacking dried bricks to form kiln, top view.
Bricks stacked into kiln, side view. Bricks should be stacked at least 8’ high.
Bricks stacked into kiln, side view. Bricks should be stacked at least 8’ high.
Once lighted, this fire burned through two full days and nights, and then took another three days to cool enough to shovel away the ashes and coals. The bricks were just as hard as any you could have purchased.
After the firing, it was plain to see how the added manure does more than just hold the bricks together as they dry. During the firing, the manure in the bricks burns along with the other fuel. This not only burns the bricks harder, but leaves them porous enough to soak up some of the mortar as they’re laid, giving a stronger bond.
Essentially, the same process was used to fashion the roofing tiles. Some six and seven-inch diameter logs were sawn into two-foot lengths, split in half, and debarked. The rounded sides were greased and coated with about a ¾-inch-thickness of this same clay mixture. Once well dried in the sun, the hardened clay was very carefully removed from the wood. The tiles that didn’t break were stacked into the same type of open kiln stack, and left to complete the drying process. Those that didn’t survive removal from the “molds” were broken up and tossed back into the brick pit.
Once these tiles were totally dried out, the stack was again filled with whatever sorts of flammables could be collected together. This was then set afire, and allowed to burn itself out. Probably nearly a fourth of these tiles cracked or broke apart during the firing, but that didn’t faze anyone. They simply gave several of the smaller kids some fist-sized rocks, and set them to busting the damaged tiles into tiny bits. Later, the broken bits were used like gravel to fashion walkways around the new home.
Other logs, hauled down from the same mountains, were used to shape door and window frames, rafters and roof braces, pole-type roof sheathing, and other necessary items. There were still a few things that needed to be purchased however; nails, window glass, masonry cement, and so forth (which my friend’s in-laws happily sprang for). But for less than $1,000, the new couple had a spanking new 2,500 square-foot sturdy brick home, without owing anyone anything, except gratitude.
Read More by J.D. Hooker
Read More Building & Tools Articles
[Has drawings and plans for this project at url...granny]
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/hooker57.html
For summertime baking needs,
build yourself an outdoor horno
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
My family has always been big on birthdays and holidays—including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, New Years, and so on. Every holiday is a major event at our house and always includes plenty of good eating. Whether you’re talking about birthday cakes, Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas goose, or pies and cakes for July Fourth, there’s more than the normal amount of baking going on around here.
For the winter time holidays that extra baking is a welcome aid for keeping the chill out of the house. But when the warm weather holidays show up, all that extra heat from the oven doesn’t seem nearly as pleasant anymore. Click to Enlarge
A few years back I walked into our kitchen to see how my wife and daughters were coming along with their preparations for the Fourth of July holiday. Though the outdoor temperature was up over 90°, stepping inside the kitchen was like walking into a solid wall of heat. I didn’t think it could have been much hotter inside of the oven itself. I decided right then to do something about that.
Years earlier, I’d built a large outdoor fieldstone barbecue, so there already wasn’t too much stovetop type cooking during the summer months. A space beside this barbeque seemed like the most logical location for an outdoor oven, and that’s where I decided to build it.
Remembering the large outdoor adobe ovens I’d seen in use in northern Mexico and our southwestern states, I decided to build something similar for our use. But even though I know quite a bit about making adobe mud bricks, I really hadn’t too much of an idea of how to go about building one of those clay ovens. Today, I’m still not sure I did everything (or even anything) correctly. But the adobe type oven I built does work, and it works very well.
I know that even in wet climates adobe buildings can last for centuries, if their base is kept dry, the roof is kept in repair, and they’re kept painted to repel moisture. So the first thing I did was to shovel away the sod from the three-foot by three-foot area where I intended to build. Then I formed up the edges with 2x6s and mixed up my own concrete to pour sort of a floating slab base.
Next, I used some 1x4 lumber to fashion molds, as shown, for shaping the adobe bricks. Though I sized the molds to fashion bricks measuring 6-inches wide, 12-inches long, and 4-inches thick, any size you deem appropriate for your own uses would work equally well. Click to Enlarge
Beneath the layer of topsoil, the underlying subsoil in our area is made up of heavy limestone clay which is ideal for fashioning adobe. In areas with other soil types, I’d recommend incorporating about 15 or 20% Portland cement into the mixture. I ran two bales of old straw through the shredder I’d fashioned from a power lawn mower (covered in Issue No. 44, Mar/Apr 1997) to mix in with the clay for making adobe.
In front of our house, my wife had already picked a spot where she intended to add a new flower bed. An awful lot of compost and such would need to be added here if she really wanted to grow much of anything, and the soil I removed I could use to make the adobe. So I shoveled away the sod and the thin (maybe 3 inches) layer of top soil from the 3-foot by 12-foot section she’d indicated, after which I ran our rototiller back and forth over the spot several times until the underlying clay was very finely broken up. I then spread chopped straw over the area and used the tiller again to mix it in well.
Now I used the garden hose to add water, while continuing to mix things together with the tiller, until the mixture reached a consistency that resembled “Play Dough.” This damp adobe mixture was then shoveled into the molds, and the tops struck off evenly with a scrap of board. Afterwards the still soft bricks were very carefully removed from the molds and set in a sunny spot to dry out.
A week later, I covered the concrete pad with a triple layer of these dried adobe bricks. As shown in the illustration, a circle with an 18-inch radius was then scratched out on the top layer, with a 12-inch wide door opening also marked out. Following the scribed line, the first layer of adobe brick was laid in place. In the illustrations you can see how these bricks were trimmed to fit together (I used a worn out keyhole saw for this), Two more layers of adobe brick were set in place (as shown) in the same manner. I then used my hands to smear a layer of wet adobe over the entire inside of this lower portion to smooth the oven’s interior nicely.
Now three more layers of adobe brick were added, one layer at a time with the inside portion of each brick carefully trimmed to shape, and with each layer tapering in towards the middle as shown. A smooth finish layer of wet adobe was smeared over the interior side of these layers as well. I then smeared a 1-inch thick layer of wet adobe as smoothly as I could over the outside of the oven as well.
For weatherproofing purposes, I then mixed up a sort of stucco at a ratio of one shovelful each of Portland cement and masonry cement to nine shovelsful of sand. Using a regular concrete finishing trowel, I spread about a 3/8-inch thick coating of this cement mixture over the exterior of the whole thing, including the base. The next afternoon I brushed on a couple of coats of white house paint.
Cut bricks 2” from each edge toward opposite edge to bevel bricks for mounting in a circle for the 4th, 5th, and 6th layers. Increase the bevel progressively for the 7th, 8th, and 9th layers to dome the top of the stove.
A couple of months later, I erected sort of a small roofed open air pavilion like structure over the entire oven-barbecue area. This was only partially for further weather protection. Mostly it was at my wife’s insistence. She wanted to be certain that she could use her oven comfortably, even during inclement weather. I guess I must have done something right.
Though slightly different from using the gas or electric indoor ovens most of us have grown used to, baking in one of these adobe hornos couldn’t get much simpler. Usually my wife and daughters will prepare everything they want to bake first thing in the morning then they fill the entire oven with dried corn cobs or chunks of wood, and light them.
Once the fire has burned itself all the way out, the ashes are carefully (it’s hot inside the oven) swept out. A pair of adobe bricks are then used to cover the top opening, the food is placed inside, and the door is then blocked shut with a couple more adobe bricks.
It’s mostly only the timing that takes a little getting used to. Each one of these clay ovens really is an individual creation and takes familiarity to use. This style of oven does hold in the heat for a long time, but each time you open it up to check on things, it cools a trifle quicker; and the quicker it cools the longer the baking time. Once you’ve grown accustomed to your individual horno, however, you’ll find that it actually doesn’t seem much—if any—different from using a standard mass-produced appliance.
You know, aside from just your normal BHM reader’s bent towards self sufficiency, constructing such a simple, yet enduring and reliable baking oven doesn’t sound like such a bad idea for any of the folks worrying over this Y2K thing and other concerns either. Similar adobe ovens were used for at least a couple thousand years before gas or electric ovens were ever dreamed of, so you couldn’t care less if the supplies of fuel or power are interrupted.
Be that as it may, should you decide on fashioning your own outdoor adobe horno, you might want to try the recipes I’ve included to help you become familiar with it. Both are pretty forgiving about temperature and timing variations, so are especially easy for beginners.
The first recipe is one variety of the type of bread traditionally baked in the adobe ovens of our southwest. It’s also one of our family’s favorite wintertime breads and goes really well with stews, chowders, chilies, and similar one dish winter meals.
The second apparently originated in Portugal and was something that my mother learned to bake while my father was stationed in the Azores Islands for a short time during the Korean War. In the Azores this sweet bread is traditionally served during the Easter holidays, though in our family it’s become something of a staple at every holiday gathering.
Azore Island Easter Bread
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1¼ cups white sugar
1 cup melted butter
¼ cup warm water 6¾ cups sifted white flour
9 large eggs
1/3 cup warm milk
½ tsp. salt
Mix together yeast, water, milk, sugar, and 1 cup flour and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes or so. Add the salt, 3 more cups of the flour, butter, and eggs, and mix well. Keeping your hands well covered with flour, knead the remaining flour into the mix. This is a very sticky dough, so knead carefully. Place the dough inside of a well greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size (about 1½ hours).
Punch the dough down and divide in half. Place each half in a greased 1½ quart baking dish or loaf pan, and cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in size again (usually less than an hour). Place the loaves inside of the oven and cover the door. These loaves are also done when nicely browned and hollow sounding when tapped with your fingers. Check them after 1 hour, and if not finished check every 15 minutes until done.
My wife and I like this one with a little butter melted on top, while our daughters prefer it topped with honey, and our grandkids actually like it best once it’s become just a little dried out and they break it up into little pieces in a bowl, add milk, and eat it like breakfast cereal.
Traditional Adobe Oven Style Bread
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
5¾ cups sifted white flour 1¾ cups warm water
3 Tbsp. white sugar
4 Tbsp. melted butter or fat
Mix together the yeast, warm water, salt, sugar, and 1 cup of the flour; set aside in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. Stir in 2 more cups of flour and the melted shortening. Now stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible and then knead in the remainder. Continue kneading for an additional 5 minutes. Place the dough inside of a large well greased bowl and set aside in a warm place to rise, until doubled in size (about 1½ hours). Punch the dough down, divide in half, and place each half in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and again set aside to rise until doubled in size (about ¾ hour). Carefully turn each loaf out onto a well greased baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with warm water. Close up the loaves inside the oven and check after 45 minutes. Loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped with your fingers when done. If baking isn’t finished, recheck every 15 minutes until the loaves are done.
[Has plans/drawings at site]
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/hooker54.html
Has drawings and plans for the projects....on site.
Simplify life in your
backwoods home by
using these easy
mountain methods
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Backwoods folk, or in my case, mountain folk, are typically very resourceful, utilizing whatever is on hand to make their lives easier and more pleasant. And hill-women are just as particular about neatness and cleanliness as their citybred sisters. In fact they can frequently become almighty vocally abusive towards anyone foolhardy enough to track mud across their clean floors.
So here are a few simple mountain methods I and some of my neighbors have used to make our life easier. The first couple can save you and the missus from a tremendous amount of hollering.
1. Boot scraper:
Even in mail-order catalogs you won’t come across items like this everyday, and when you do they’re generally fashioned of thin, stamped metal useful mainly for looking at. Yet, by merely driving a couple of strong hardwood stakes into the ground just outside your door and using a few nails to attach a beveled piece of hardwood 1-inch x 6-inches or 1-inch x 8-inches, it’s easy to scrape the mud and gunk off the bottoms of your shoes before heading inside.
2. Boot jack:
While I’ve seen these offered in equestrian shops and catalogs, they usually cost upwards of 20 bucks. As you can very readily see from the illustration, this same thing, serving exactly the same purpose, is simply put together from nothing more than a couple of stout sticks and a nail or two. So why not keep your cash in your own pocket while staying safely out of trouble by easily removing your muddy footwear before tracking indoors?
3. Planting sticks:
English gardeners have their “dib-bles,” with which they poke nice neat holes in their soil for ease in planting seeds, small bulbs, and so forth. In the Appalachian hill country, most folks would never even dream of shelling out hard-to-come-by cash for such a simple gadget. Especially when the same thing is so readily user-produced from nothing more than a properly forked limb. While such simple “dibbles” are pretty ideal for planting small kitchen gardens and beds, when planting larger areas it’s more normal to see one parent striding along with one sharply pointed walking stick in each hand, poking planting holes in two parallel rows at a time, while the other parent, or maybe one of the older children, follows behind dropping seeds into the holes. In the meantime, the smaller kids will be bringing up the rear, kicking dirt over each hole and firming up the soil over the seeds.
The missus amid her shotshell
cupboard door and drawer pulls
4. Coat and hat “racks:”
Though many mountain families have a variety of wooden pegs driven into the walls, mantel, and other handy places inside of the house, many consider the simple single deer antler multi-purpose rack, as shown in the photo, to be the best option of all. Depending upon the number of tines, such a ready-made rack can be used to hang a person’s coat, hat, gloves, or mittens, and maybe even a thick woolen scarf or two. Simply drill or burn a couple of holes through the heavy part of the antler’s main beam and nail in place.
5. Shotshell door and drawer pulls, and buttons:
“Use it over, use it up, make it do, or do without” seems to be one of the major credos which the hill people live by. Hunters in this area, which usually include everyone old enough to tote a firearm, aren’t any exception. Maybe mountain folk are better known for their superb rifle marksmanship, but in very many cases a shotgun has been found to be a much more versatile working firearm, and smoothbores are at least as common as rifled guns in much of the eastern mountains.
When I was a youngster, reloading “tools” usually consisted of a hammer and large nail, a few large washers, about a 3-inch length of ¾-inch iron pipe, and a couple of short dowel-like sticks. In any case, shotgun shells are normally repeatedly reloaded until they are absolutely used up, worn out, and completely unsafe to reload any longer. Even after they’ve reached this point these hulls still aren’t usually discarded, but go into a box, bucket, or can of “calamities” until they are needed to fashion drawer pulls or buttons, as required.
Carefully following the illustrations will allow you to use up your own worn-out shotgun hulls in a worthwhile manner. They really do add a nice, and rather unique, look when employed in this manner.
6. Corn shuck mop:
I’ve already mentioned that Appalachian mountain women are just as fastidious about housekeeping as any city women might be, while they’re also usually exactingly frugal and mighty inventive, using up any- thing and everything available to keep their domicile in tip-top condition. And this is how this simple, hardscrubbing mop very probably was born. I can picture some long ago mountain wife devising such a handy contraption from practically nothing at all, with women in the surrounding mountains and valleys readily dupli- cating her newly devised invention.
Using nothing more than a piece of board, a small quantity of leftover corn shucks, and a stout stick handle for materials, and a drill with ¾-inch bit, a sharp knife, and a pair of sharp scissors as tools, it’s relatively easy to follow the illustrations in fashioning your own corn shuck mop, entirely capable of scrubbing floors and such just as well as anything that’s available at the mall.
7. Corn shuck mats:
Whether the interest might be in producing corn meal, grits, hominy, or ‘shine, corn is the staple crop of these Appalachian ranges. It’s from one of this crop’s byproducts—the shucks or husks removed from around the ears—that door mats, table setting place mats, and many similar items are traditionally home-manufactured. As shown in the illustrations, very simple braiding and sewing techniques are the only skills you need to produce an array of good, usable, and unique items.
8. Water wheel water pump:
Though this particular mountain-style craft is a bit more complex to put together than the rest of these projects, it’s still a worthwhile endeavor. Actually, it’s only been during the last couple of decades that electricallypowered well pumps have become affordably available throughout most of these mountain regions. In fact, until quite recently even shallow wells have been considered as exceptionally valuable commodities. Of course clear, cold mountain streams are pretty common in the area, but streams still don’t just flow right in to your standard stock tank or out of your kitchen tap.
I don’t know right when these hardy and inventive mountain dwelling folks figured out that it was possible to harness the power flowing through these mountain streams to operate the pumps drawing water from their wells and cisterns, but it must have been a mighty long time ago because my grandmother (long since deceased) remembered the method shown in the illustration to have already been a very old idea when she was in her early childhood. While similar set-ups are still seeing daily use today in many areas, there isn’t any reason this won’t work just as well in any off-grid location.
So whether your own rural homestead is located somewhere along Florida’s eastern seaboard, northern California’s coast, or any place in between, many of these methods and contrivances, developed or used by the rugged hill-folk of the Appalachian mountain regions, are readily put to good use in any remote area. It just takes a mite of a backwoods attitude.
Granny, you are sure dredging up my past......
Remember I was telling you about the Tilapia raising...<<<
I polished my crystal ball tonight and asked it to tell me about your past.....LOL
Now you will have to build a tank for them in your solar greenhouse, then they will be warm and store warmth for the greenhouse too.
In Wellton they have the Tilipia in the canals too.
If you are ever in Arizona at Thanksgiving time, plan on fishing in the Wellton canals, if they have not changed, it used to be that they drop the water level so they can do repairs that week.
Looks like a resort, so many people there fishing.
But at the pump station, at the base of the mountains, going from Wellton to Yuma, there are 6 foot Catfish, Bill saw them.
I took Mary a couple times, but we didn’t do it right or something, for we did not catch anything.
LOL, with just the two of us, we couldn’t have gotten a 6 footer out of the canal any way.
Have a nice day and dream up something to build, spring is going to be here real soon.....
ROFL
>>>> Survival tip in the south.. If your ever in a compromising situation and need assistance yell “ Earnhardt !” <<<<
Absolutely!!!!!
Gathers the ones most likely to be prepared to help - isolates the transplants/outsiders... Excellent tool!!!
>>>>Boot jack: While I’ve seen these offered in equestrian shops and catalogs, they usually cost upwards of 20 bucks.<<<<
Hmmm, If wife and daughter see this, they will want to start charging me for the service.......
>>>> “Use it over, use it up, make it do, or do without” <<<<
Absolutely great advice for living!!!
I fear for the people living in “host states” surrounding Cali and NY. If those droves of unprepared people are evacuated the first things they will expect, being the good marxists they are, is for people to share EVERYTHING with them. They will expect handouts, and take additional measures to survive. Even if it means killing people who don’t share.
No amount of law enforcement will be available to stop the anarchy. So it is of utmost importance to have the means to protect your family and defend your property. It will be necessary to use lethal force without hesitation or you will have nothing you planned to have. And you may be killed also.
Err, ummm... it was the joke, honest!
“The new series of reader research projects starts with an
exciting plan to turn grass clippings into organic fish.”
That is awesome!
http://tim-gamble.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-to-do-now-five-months-later.html
Saturday, February 21, 2009
What To Do Now - five months later
Five months ago, the current financial crisis & recession “hit the fan.” In truth, it had been brewing for some time but had gone largely unnoticed by politicians, government officials, business leaders and the general public. It was caused by a combination of too easy credit, poor public policy and corruption on Wall Street and in corporate board rooms across America and elsewhere. High energy prices, with oil peaking close to $150/barrel over the summer, also contributed to the mess to some extent.
Shortly after the financial crisis hit, I wrote an essay entitled What To Do Now. It was one of my most widely read essays of 2008, and the essay for which I received the most positive feedback by far of anything I have ever written. Many folks took the time to write me notes on my Yahoo groups and to my private email.
This essay, What To Do Now - five months later, is a follow-up to that original essay. Five months, in the larger scheme of things, is not really much time. But a lot has happened in the last five months. Much of what is being done (printing huge amounts of money, spending almost unimaginable sums, taking on massive amounts of new debt and obligations) is failing to correct the situation, is destabilizing currencies, and is setting up the entire world for an extended period of high inflation and higher taxes.
Taking into account the developments of the last five months and my increased concerns over inflation, I’ve rewritten my original essay.
What To Do Now - five months later
Don’t panic. There is no doubt that we are in difficult economic times. And there is good reason to be quite concerned about the future. There is also no doubt that the economic news is being sensationalized and fear is being used to sell newspapers, increase TV ratings and to push political agendas. Don’t get overwhelmed by the hype. Instead, start working towards solutions. Acting to make positive changes, even small ones, will increase your confidence and encourage yourself, your family and your friends.
Get healthy and fit. Health care costs will sky-rocket, even more than in recent years. Health care will be even more problematic should the system be nationalized. Make sure you have adequate health insurance - as much as you can afford. But the real insurance is to be healthy so that you don’t have to be a customer of the health care system. Stop smoking. Invest in a cookbook or two of healthy recipes. Learn to eat right. Develop healthy habits. Lose weight and get into shape. It is extremely important to spend some time and effort to improve your health.
Basic Steps to Improve Health & Vitality:
1- Avoid smoking and/or abusing drugs or alcohol.
2- Get between 7 & 9 hours of sleep per night.
3- Consume less meat, especially red meat.
4- Eat 5+ servings of fruit & vegetables a day.
5- Eat whole grains instead of refined grains.
6- Consume less sodium & refined sugar.
7- Be physically active everyday.
8- Visit your doctor & dentist for regular check ups.
Get back to basics. Make sure you are spending less than you earn. Avoid taking own any new debt - don’t use credit cards, payday loans or installment payment plans of any type. Pay cash or make do without. Get on a budget or spending plan and stick to it. Avoid impulse purchases. Scale back your lifestyle sharply. Use shopping lists, clip coupons and do comparison shopping.
Eliminate debt and build savings. We are facing difficult economic times. It will be especially difficult for the folks who are living paycheck to paycheck, in debt up to their eyeballs and with little or no savings. Debt – whether personal, business or government – is bad. It creates stress and makes one much more vulnerable to economic downturns.
In your personal life, work quickly towards eliminating consumer debt – credit cards, car loans, payday loans, personal loans and installment plans. This will mean you have to put yourself on a budget and stick with it. It will mean putting off major purchases, avoiding impulse purchases and denying yourself luxury items. It may mean taking bag lunches to work. It may mean selling your car to get out of the loan. It may mean having a major yard sale to raise some money. It may even mean taking on a second job. It will take sacrifice to eliminate debt in your life, but the benefits will be more than worth it.
Building some emergency savings will have to be done at the same time. Yard sales are a great way to bring in extra cash to do this. So is a second job in the evenings or on the weekends. Put the money somewhere safe, such as an insured CD or money market account in a stable bank or credit union (do your own homework or check with one of several companies that offer ratings on the soundness and safety of various financial institutions). Don’t worry about getting top interest. Safety and liquidity is your goal for your emergency savings, not growth.
If you are fortunate enough to have a considerable amount of cash savings, you might want to put a major portion of it in currencies more sound than the US dollar or the British sterling. Jim Rogers, co-founder with George Soros of the Quantum Fund, is exiting both the dollar and the sterling in favor of Swiss Franks and Japanese Yen. He has also recently mentioned the Canadian dollar as a relatively sound currency. The Australian dollar and Norwegian krone are two more to consider. Consult a financial professional you trust about money market funds in these currencies.
Once your debt is paid off and you have accumulated some emergency savings, you can then turn your attention to savings for long-range goals such as the purchase of a car, a new home, your children’s education, or your retirement. Use common sense, avoid overly-risky investments and seek professional advice of someone you can trust.
No investment is perfectly safe. Cash savings are subject to losing value to inflation. Stocks and mutual funds are subject to the ups and downs of the market. Land is subject to property taxes and eminent domain. Converting all your money to gold & silver and burying it in the backyard is subject to thieves. There are no guarantees in life. The best you can do is use reason & common sense, to remain vigilant and to take responsibility for ensuring your own future.
Why pay off debt if we are headed towards high inflation? It may be true that by waiting to pay off debt, you will be paying it off with cheaper dollars. However, there are other considerations. For one, debt puts you, your family and your assets at risk. Pay off your debts now while you are employed and you run less risk of losing your home or other assets if you become unemployed later. Also, debt can be very stressful, especially in difficult times, which can be a real detriment to both your health and your ability to make calm decisions. Another reason is that debt can shackle you to your current job and circumstances, when what is really needed at a time like this is freedom and flexibility. Finally, people tend not to realize how fast interest, late fees and other penalties can add up. You may be paying off your debt later with cheaper dollars, but still be paying more in real terms because of all the added interest and penalties.
Rethink your telecommunications expenses. When I was young (the 1970s) the only telecommunications expense my family, most families, had was the telephone and that was a land line, of course. Today, many (most?) families pay for a land line, multiple cell phones, special ring tones, texting privileges, cable or satellite TV, extra movie channels, Internet connections, even satellite radio subscriptions. For most families, huge savings can be found in this budget category.
Mostly, these things are used as distractions, and often are a major contributing factor to obesity and a lack of physical fitness. Replace much of these distractions with learning, reading, exercise (gardening, walking, jogging, hiking, tennis, golf, swimming, etc.), and shared activities such as a family game night.
When I mention cutting back this category, I occasionally hear people whine that they really need a cell phone. Fine. You must decide for yourself what you really need and don’t need. But even if you do need a cell phone for emergencies and such, you don’t need a camera phone, special ring tones, texting privileges or the largest minutes package available. I have a cell phone myself, but it is the basic model that I got for free when I signed up. I don’t have texting and I’ve never paid for a special ring tone. A cell phone may be a necessity for many today, but all the bells and whistles are a luxury you can do without.
Reduce your entertainment expenses. We may hate denying ourselves, but entertainment is a purely optional budget expense. Eliminate it. Learn (or re-learn) how to have a good time for free or nearly free. Start a family game night. Read a book (checked out from the library for free) instead of going to a movie. Libraries are a wonderful source of free entertainment. In addition to books and magazines, many libraries today also offer DVDs, CDs and even board games that you can check out. Many have story times for young children and lecture series for adults. Invite friends over for a weekend cook-out or a movie night (DVD checked out for free from the library of course). Next week they can invite you over.
Give up the vacation away from home. Instead of heading for the beach or Disneyland or wherever, stay home. Spend a week visiting local museums, zoos, botanical gardens, historical sites, parks or wildlife refuges. Go on a picnic or nature hike. Go fishing at a local lake. Play frisbee with your kids in the backyard. Or just relax at home, thinking of all the money you are saving.
Reduce you home energy use. Turn off lights, TVs and electronics whenever you leave a room. Set your thermostat to conserve energy. Switch from incandescent lighting to CFLs or LED lighting. Replace old appliances with new, energy-efficient models. Super-insulate your house. Consider installing energy efficient windows and heating with a modern wood stove. Consider a passive solar system for your home. Read my series, The Resource Miser, for lots of tips on reducing your energy usage and saving money.
I do believe we are headed into a period of very high inflation, especially energy inflation, within the next few years. Spending money now to greatly reduce your energy use may be the best investment most people can make.
Reduce the amount of fuel you use. Make sure your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated and the engine is well-maintained (tune-ups, oil changes, a clean air filter) to maximize mileage. Drive less by walking, car pooling and using public transportation, as well as planning & combining trips. Consider replacing your old vehicle with a newer one that gets much better mileage. Check out the essay Three Changes to Save Big on Gas.
Oil and gasoline will remain cheap, and may even go lower, during the current economic crisis. However, as we start to come out of current problems - and we will at some point - oil and gasoline will experience super-inflation. I can see a situation where oil is still under $50/barrel at the end of 2009 and near $250/barrel by the end of 2010. It is possible that gasoline may hit $8 a gallon in the US by the end of next year, after staying below $2/gallon for the rest of this year.
In addition to experiencing super-inflation, energy is one area very likely to be heavily taxed to pay for all the bail-out plans and excess spending currently going on. The idea of taxing car owners per each mile they drive has already been floated by Obama’s Transportation Secretary (and thankfully shot down for now). An increase in the federal gasoline tax is already being talked about by both congress and the Obama administration. Dramatically increased energy taxes in some form are virtually guaranteed within the next couple of years.
Consider a new career. Start a business of your own or switch to a career that has a better future than the one you are in right now. Consider a career in sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, renewable energy or water treatment, as well as industries dealing with energy and resource efficiency. These industries not only need scientists, engineers and technicians, but also salespeople, accountants, trainers, office staff and other support positions. People such as construction workers, plumbers, electricians and mechanics are needed to build new infrastructure and buildings, as well as retro-fit existing buildings and automobiles.
Next Strategies is my website that acts a a portal to the new energy economy, also known as the green economy. Check it out on a regular basis.
Stock up. Super-inflation isn’t going to hit during the middle of the current economic crisis. The time to watch out for is as we start to emerge from current problems. Energy prices, led by oil and gasoline, will catch fire. Following quickly on the heels of high energy inflation will be food and other commodities (the basic building blocks - such as metals, timber, wool, cotton - of all the things we buy). Consumer goods and services will follow soon thereafter. Use this year as an opportunity to stock up on many supplies.
Canned and dry foods can last 2 -5 years. Wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove can be stacked up in your backyard. Composted cow manure, bone meal, hummus and other soil amendments can be used to improve your soil for future use. Most seeds have a shelf-life of 3 to 5 years. Extra shoes, clothes, toothbrushes, razors, soap, paper towels, tires and many other useful items can be stored almost indefinitely. Consider purchasing a tank or two to store some water.
Needed and useful items that you stock up on (for future use or bartering) are very much a form of savings. With the debasing of the US dollar, and many other currencies worldwide, such stockpiles may be a good place to put some of your savings.
Take personal security seriously. We should expect crime to rise dramatically during the difficult times ahead. Identity theft, fraud, con games, check kiting schemes, buglery, car theft, armed robbery and even kidnapping for ransom are very likely to increase. People who stand out as being “rich” will be very tempting targets, but even the poor can be victims. Don’t flaunt your wealth. Be aware of your surroundings. Be vigilant about your protecting your financial information and identity. Always read the fine print. If you are wealthy, a gated community with private security may become a necessity. If you live in a regular neighborhood, start a community watch program. Teach your kids to be very wary of strangers and aware of their surroundings at all times. Avoid the seedier parts of town whenever possible. Try not to shop or run errands alone, especially at night.
Twelve Ways to Spend Less Money
1- Avoid impulse purchases by shopping with checklists, and sticking to the lists.
2- See something you want that isn’t on your list? Don’t buy it, write it down and add it to your list next time. Chances are good that after you have had a day or two to think about it, the impulse to buy it will go away.
3- Avoid impulse purchases by paying with cash, not credit cards. This way you will immediately will see & feel the pain of the purchase.
4- Avoid shopping for fun or entertainment. Don’t go to the mall or shopping center just to have something to do.
5- Avoid social shopping with friends. People tend to talk each other into things, not out of them.
6- Do not watch infomercials or home shopping channels.
7- Do not catalog shop unless you are looking for something specific.
8- Shop for quality not quantity. Something that costs more because it is of better quality and will last longer will be cheaper in the long run than something that initially costs less, but will wear out or break quicker.
9- Stick with classic styles and colors, rather than styles that are “in” at the moment. Avoid fads.
10- Consider renting something instead of buying it if you will only use it once or very occasionally.
11- Cancel newspapers and magazines that you don’t read thoroughly or need professionally. Most will even refund the unused portion of your subscription.
12- Make use of your local library for newspapers, magazines, books, DVDs and CDs. Only buy those that you cannot get for free at the library or that you will use repeatedly.
Posted by Tim Gamble
“The new series of reader research projects starts with an
exciting plan to turn grass clippings into organic fish.”<<<
Your husband is going to kill me.
Tell him to make the greenhouse large enough for the fish tank, it will collect the solar heat, which the fish like and also be good for the greenhouse and serve as passive heat storage.
No amount of law enforcement will be available to stop the anarchy.<<<
No, even martial law will not help.
They have been donning their black ski masks and smashing windows to make a statement, imagine them hungry.
I have lived most of my life aware of that this could come in the future, as I spent the cold war living in San Diego.
The only way out of San Diego is north or east and that isn’t going to work, too much military there that would be under attack.
When I got the notice from school, that my daughter would be put on a bus and evacuated, I went to the school and said “NO, I will come and get her. “
And I was told “You, will be shot, if you attempt to take her off the bus.”
So none of this is new to me.
>>>> No amount of law enforcement will be available to stop the anarchy. <<<<
Well, seems to me that Law Enforcement - like Charity begins at home...
Backed up by Mr. Colt, Msrs. Smith & Wesson, Mr. Winchester, Mr. Remington and a wide variety of others who make it possible to reach out and touch someone if really necessary, brought to bear by a community of like minded individuals.
Hungry? I’ll gladly feed you a meal - then it is time to use your labor to help provide the next one... If you are really interested and willing to help, there could be a place to sleep too. Have a special talent? We can probably help you do your thing as long as it adds to the well-being of the group.
The additional eyes and ears, the work performed, the talents you bring make us all more secure! Abuse it - lose it!
p.s.
Life Scout BSA
Lone Explorer Scout
4-H
Marksman
Firearms Instructor
US Army Trained
Farmer
Gardener
Canner
Dryer
Food preservationist
Husband and Father.
Improving readiness daily!
>>>> “Use it over, use it up, make it do, or do without” <<<<
LOL, that should have been a good google search.
Your poor wife and kid, work all day in the field, while you ride around in an arm chair and then have to pull your boots off............Laughing with you .
http://www.hr.duke.edu/sos/simplife.html
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE!
Here are 10 easy steps to organized living.
1. Organization is a skill.
It is not an inborn trait (No matter what my mother says!) Like any skill, it takes practice and work to master. But you can learn it and make it part of your daily life.
2. Clutter is enemy number one. Most of us have problems getting
organized because we simply have too much stuff. It is shoved into closets, piled under the bed, stacked on the dryer, lying the great big heaps on the bedroom floor and looming on our desktops. Our clutter is the heart of the problem. Imagine if you lived on a desert island with only three possessions. It would be pretty hard to be disorganized, wouldn’t it?
3. You have to know what you want. It’s not about organizing your physical space, it’s about organizing your mental, psychological, and spiritual space, too. If you don’t know what your goals are, getting organized isn’t going to help you achieve them but it’s an excellent first step to making enough space in your life to figure out where you want to go.
4. Organization is part housework. Sadly, getting organized is not a project
that you can do once and forget about forever, just like you can’t do the laundry once. Life goes on, and those little organizational tasks will keep creeping up on you. The good news is that you can create a simple system so that being organized becomes a habit.
5. and part decision-making. Should I toss that purple t-shirt? Where
should I store the scissors? What do I do about the unwanted gift I got from my great aunt Doris? Decision-making is what makes organizing different that housework, and this is why you can’t hire a housekeeper. You can, however, hire someone to help you get started, and once you get good at making a decision, getting organized and staying organized becomes simple.
6. Perfectionism is an obstacle to organized living. We just don’t have
enough time in the day to make sure that everything in our lives is perfect. Perfectionism gets in the way of our priorities by causing us to focus on insignificant details instead of the big picture. Repeat after me! Some things worth doing are not worth doing well!! Organization is about focusing on the big picture and making room for the important parts of our lives.
7. It’s important to have the right tools and the right skills. It’s just too
darn hard to do a job right when you’re not properly equipped. Ditch those squeaky file drawers, rusty scissors and dried out ball-point pens. Think about the job you need to do and make sure you’ve got the basic tools to do the job right. This means that you’ll have sharp knives in the kitchen, a working stapler in the office, and that you’ll have finally learned how to use the electric drill in the garage.
8. Simplicity is part of the solution. Organization and simplicity share a
piece of the same spectrum. Simplifying our lives is the notion that it makes sense for us to pare down the activities and stuff that we cram into our lives, and focus instead on just those parts of life that truly matter to us, whether that means our kids, our partners, and wonderful career, volunteer work in Kenya or a hobby making model airplanes. Another part of the spectrum is the idea that
9. Frugality is a worthy goal. Organization is economical. When you are
organized, you don’t have to buy duplicates, you don’t loose, break, or ruin quite so many belongings, you have the time and the inclination to repair things when they do break, ravel, and come unglued, and you don’t feel the need to drown your disorganized sorrows with an evening at the mall. You can buy in bulk and on sale, and you don’t need to eat out as often (because you end up with a little time to cook). Frugality doesn’t have much to do with how much money you have, only with your attitude toward that cash.
10. Organization is good for the environment. For many of the same
reasons organization is frugal, it’s environmentally friendly, too. The organized person is a bit more likely to practice reducing, reusing, and recycling, that is, “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.”
If you need to “bug out” we have a good place in Missouri where you can bunker down if need be.
Liberals won’t appreciate your life skills. They just covet your possessions.
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