Replies

Well I do see a meat hook.

The wheel has a name, it shows up in the old torture chambers in dungeons.

Have not met one in real life.

>>>The wheel has a name, it shows up in the old torture chambers in dungeons.<<<

No Granny, not a rack.... Please not that!! I promise to be good... Hmmm are we seeing another side of you??? LOL

I guess with a bit of modification it could be converted into a “Sword of Damocles” torture device.

But there should be a name for it - for it’s use in the abettor shop.

Granny, in case you were curious how many view your thread...

I posted a picture from one of my sites and checked the usage on that picture...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2181392/posts 1,432

So, that file was loaded 1,432 times...

Keep up the great work!!!

Sunday, 1 March 2009 Chavez sends army to rice plants

President Hugo Chavez has ordered the army to take control of all rice processing plants in the country. Mr Chavez accused some firms of overcharging by refusing to produce rice at prices set by the government.

--------------

Will Øbama do that here next?????

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/2345/

Planting Transplants

Flats or pots always need to have a good soaking before they are taken outdoors. We like to soak the plants in a bucket of water with seaweed until saturated before planting time. Using Garrett Juice in the water is also a good technique. Plant roots should be sopping wet and planted into a moist bed.

Pinching the lower leaves off of lettuce, cabbage family, and tomato transplants is normally a good idea. Do not pinch the leaves off eggplant, peppers, or any vine crops. To protect young plants from cutworms, slugs, and snails, sprinkle a healthy amount of diatomaceous earth around the plants after planting. Crushed hot pepper also works. Cedar flakes are also helpful. Garden-Ville Fire Ant Control formula will also kill the pests.

Mulch to Protect Plants

After planting vegetables, cover all bare soil with at least three inches of mulch. Mulch is not a soil amendment to be mixed into the soil - it’s a covering placed on top of the soil after the plants have been installed. It helps conserve moisture, buffers the soil from temperature extremes, shades out weeds, looks good, increases the tilth of the soil, and supplies food for the microorganisms and nutrients for the soil. There’s only one exception. Wait to mulch spring seeded plants until after the soil has warmed.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/132/#

Planting Trees Errors

One thing that’s really fun about my job is learning new stuff all the time. Sometimes it’s not good stuff. I have been stunned to discover what a huge number of trees have been planted too low. There seems to be several reasons why this problem exists.

Many trees have simply been set too low in the planting operation. Holes were too deeply dug. Other trees were planted at about the right level, but settled due to the wrong backfill or weak rootballs.

One of the most common causes of deep tree planting problems starts at the growing operations and sometimes in the nurseries. As trees grow, they are stepped up from seedlings to 1 gallon pots and then to increasingly larger containers. Often during this process more and more soil is added to the top of the root ball. Why, I don’t know. By the time the tree is ready to plant, it may be several inches deep in the container.

That fact combined with the planting mistakes often puts the true top of the root ball several inches underground. This covering of the tree ball with soil can also happen on field grown trees by the cultivating plows. Trees that are planted too low have several problems. Soil above the root ball shuts off oxygen to the feeder roots and carbon dioxide can’t escape from the soil. Roots that do grow often circle and grow primarily in the soft, loose textured, added soil. The coiling roots can girdle trees several years after planting. Then also there is a girdling action from the soil moisture on the bark of the tree.

A frustrating part of the problem is that the damage doesn’t start to show up until sometimes 10-15 years after planting when the tree is trying to mature and offer its beauty and shade. These symptoms can also show up the first few years. Watch for poor top growth, light colored foliage and a thinning canopy.

It’s easy to tell if a tree has been planted too low. The trunk will go straight into the ground like telephone pole instead of having a distinctive root flair at the soil surface. The solution is relatively easy too. Remove the excess soil down to the true top of the original root ball.

This work can be done by homeowners with a hard rake or by professional arborists with a special tool called an air spade. It is basically a sand blaster with a customized nozzle that blows the soil away from roots without injuring them.

Girdling roots can be pruned away if needed at this time. If the excavation down to the top of the ball is not too deep, the area can be left concaved and lightly mulched with shredded tree trimmings. If the soil removal leaves a deep hole, a grate may have to be added that can serve as a structure for ground cover.

The long-term solution to this problem is to plant your trees properly, leaving the actual root ball 2 inches higher than grade and backfill with native soil only. With this technique not even settling will leave the tree too deep in the ground.

See also:
Root Flares
Root Flare Management

Question: In January, we hired landscape professionals to plant two live oaks. The workers did not cut the wire or burlap from around the root ball. They told us not to water for three weeks. When we did water to add root stimulator, the trees immediately began to die. Last week, the workers came back and planted two replacement trees. These live oaks are about 12 feet tall, and again the workers did not cut the wire or turn back the burlap.

This time, they told us to water immediately until water stood in the watering ring around the tree, and then to cover the area with mulch to retain moisture. They said to keep the mulch about 3 inches from the tree trunks and to water on Sundays and Wednesdays. One of the trees has turned nearly all brown and lost 75 percent of its leaves. The other tree has a few brown areas in the leaves. Should the wire and burlap on the ball of the tree be removed? D.C., Dallas

Answer: The burlap should be removed. There will usually be some excess soil under the burlap on top of the root ball. That soil also should be removed. The only root stimulator I recommend is my recipe for Garrett Juice (see Resources to request handouts).

I don’t recommend water rings. If trees are planted using natural techniques, if the planting hole is backfilled with soil that was dug out to create the hole, and if the tree is watered thoroughly at planting time, additional water other than that used on surrounding plants is rarely needed. Deep watering twice a week is almost always too much. Many more trees die from too much rather than too little water.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/2061/

Potting Soil

Potting soil – as opposed to native soil, loam, dirt or landscaper’s soil – is what should be used in pots - no matter what the crop. Potting soil should be light weight.

I do not recommend peat moss potting soils. Peat moss is anti-microbial. Microbes don’t grow well in it. That’s just the opposite of what we want. Peat moss is excellent for storing bulbs or shipping food or other perishable material that would otherwise decay. Potting soil should not be sterile as some recommend, but alive and dynamic. It should be light, loose, well aerated, fertile, full of microorganisms and have the ability to stimulate quick and sustained growth.

Interior plants and outdoor potted plants should be planted in a well-drained, organic potting soil like I recommend. My favorite basic ingredients are compost, coconut fiber and expanded shale.

My latest recommended formula is as follows:

30% Compost

30% Coconut Fiber

15% Decomposed granite

15% Expanded Shale

5% Alfalfa meal

4% Lava sand

1% Greensand

Beneficial microbes (bacteria and fungi)

Soil Mender makes my specific formula, but there are other “non-peat moss” potting soils on the market. Two others that we know of are Ladybug and Nature’s Guide Bagman’s Blend.

Some of the best fertilizers for interior plants include earthworm castings, kelp meal and coffee grounds. They are mild and odor free. Garrett Juice is also an excellent fertilizer for plants in containers.

Page of many articles, all related to Bees.

http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/

Introduction - Why Make Yours A Bee Garden?

What types of bees do you see in your garden? At first glance you may observe some honeybees ducking in and out of flowers, perhaps a bumblebee or two. Did you know that there are actually 81 known species of bees in urban Berkeley alone? Take a better look; you may see bright green bees, small black bees, striped and fuzzy bees. These busy little creatures are responsible for pollinating a large variety of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. They are an important and vital part of our ecosystem.

Our lab at UC Berkeley observes native bees and their favorite flowers. Native bees are different from the honeybee you are familiar with. They do not live in hives and do not produce honey but they have equally important roles in gardens and natural ecosystems. We created this website to familiarize you with the diversity of native bees in urban areas, their habits, and to instruct you on how to create bee-friendly gardens.

Want a quick jump-start into bee gardening? Have a look at our new comprehensive Seasonal Recommended Bee Plants lists. Everything you need to start gardening - all in one place!

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/gardens/butterfly/designs.html

[Page has links to all kinds of hobbies and past times...]

Gardens and native plants

* Main page
* Butterfly gardens
* Landscaping with native plants

graphic of grass blades

Butterfly, bee & moth garden designs

[Shows how and what to plant]

http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/list.html

This is a page of plants that could be planted, when and which beneficial insects that they will attract.

Excellent page.

Home Gardens

* How to Build a Pollinator Garden
* Your Urban Garden is Better with Bees
* Home Made Sweet Homes: how to make your own home for bees
* Hummingbirds
* Pollinator Friendly Practices
* Reducing Risk to Pollinators from Pesticides
* What You Can Do For Pollinators
* Native Butterfly Plants for New York State
* Native Plant Nursery Directory: find a native plant nursery near you
* Wildlife & Pollinators Factsheets: Invasive Species
* Wildlife & Pollinators Factsheets: Song birds
* Pollinator Syndromes
* Link to U.S. Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers website
* Link to Montana Pollinator Friendly Plantings
* Link to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Pollinators
* Link to USDA-ARS site: Plants Attractive to Native Bees
* Link to USDA-ARS article: Gardening for Native Bees in North America
* Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
* Ideas for Replacing Your Lawn: Petaluma Argus Courier
* Pollinators in Natural Areas: A Primer on Habitat Management
By Scott Hoffman Black, Nathan Hodges, Mace Vaughan and Matthew Shepherd
* Monarch Larval Food: Swamp Milkweed

Hunting & Fishing

* Wildlife Fact Sheet

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN)

* RFP Announcement
* Participation Form

Just for Fun

* Beebo Computer Game
* Cranberry-Chocolate Pollinated Tart

Mining and Utilities

* Reducing Risk to Pollinators from Pesticides
* Pollinator Friendly Practices
* Trees, Pollinators, and Responsible Pesticide Use for Minnesota’s Woodlands

Medicinal Plants

* Hydrastis canadensis: Goldenseal
* Cimicifuga racemosa: Black Cohosh
* Ligusticum porteri : Osha- DRAFT
* Opuntia: Prickly Pear Cactus- DRAFT
* Cypripedium: Lady’s Slipper Orchids- DRAFT

http://www.pollinator.org/resources.htm

[Above is all live links at the site and they are about 1/9th of the links related to bees and beneficial insects on this page.
granny]

http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?cat=146

Two articles on rain barrels at the top of the page and a simple planter box on legs, could be on rollers for catching the sun.

http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=2348

Interview :: Path To Freedom
1 Comment
By Aaron Newton in Interviews | October 10, 2006

Jules Dervaes and his family are fueling a revolution. More and more Americans are waking up to reality and beginning to recognize that we have real problems at hand concerning energy and the environment. An increasing numbers of these concerned citizens are seeking ways to live more conscious, self-sufficient lives. However trying to transition from the consumer culture towards a more sustainable way of life takes both inspiration and information. That’s were Jules Dervaes comes in. He calls his project Path to Freedom. It’s an attempt to live more sustainably and rely less on factory farming and genetically modified foods. But instead of moving to the country and starting a farm, Jules Dervaes and his family stayed in their own neighborhood to make their change. They live in Pasadena, California on a small urban lot. Their path towards sustainability, the Path to Freedom as Jules likes to say, means making real change right at home.

http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

The family grows much of its own food on 1/10 of an acre of cultivated land- over 6,000lbs of produce! They sell what they don’t use and preserve much of the harvest for the off season. They raise urban chickens, ducks and goats. They brew their own bio-diesel, use solar energy to heat water and produce electricity and cook food in an outdoor oven made of straw and clay. All of this happens not in a remote location as an experiment but in town as a way of life! The Dervaes family also operates a website through which they share the story of how they have been and are continuing to transition from a lifestyle of consumption to one in which they are consciously living and learning about how to do for themselves. Examples of people making real change can help others who are ready to do the same. In fact hundreds of thousands of people visit their website on a regular basis looking for knowledge about how to make this kind of change.

Recently I had the great pleasure of talking to Jules Dervaes about his Path to Freedom project. Feel free to download our conversation to learn more about a man and his family living and sharing a way to live a more conscious life. Prepare to be inspired and informed!

ShareThis
GreenandMore.com - Eco-Friendly Products
1 Comment

1.
California Heartland Features The Dervaes Family » GroovyGreen.com - Start Today :: Save Tomorrow said,
August 28, 2008 at 6:21 am

[...] We’ve featured them quite a bit here at Groovy Green. You can search for Path to Freedom in our search box to see all the stories. I’ve linked here to an interview we did with them. [...]

http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

Let’s face it. Our world is in deep, deep trouble and we are the “troublemakers.” We have to make real, difficult changes yesterday.

Despite the obvious benefits, we are not going to recycle, compost, or talk our way out of this.

Our leaders, being politicians, are not leaders at all but are bound to be followers, who just won’t be there for us in a crisis. So, it’s up to me and you to make the choice of becoming responsible stewards of the earth.

Let’s turn the world right side up as demonstrated through this website. Join us on our journey towards a sustainable present and future. Let’s walk the path to freedom!

http://pathtofreedom.com/resources/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=210&Itemid=51

Things to do with acorns: Pancakes & Whistles

Contributed by Jennifer Murphy
Saturday, 31 December 2005
by Jennifer Murphy

Acorns, gathered from the Oak canyons of Southern California, were used for centuries by the native Tongva people as a staple food. The acorns were abundant, nutritious, and easy to harvest. A little patience is all that’s needed to cook with acorns yourself.

First gather the acorns, choosing the darker ones without signs of worms. Avoid the soft ones and those with white spots. All varieties of oaks have edible acorns, although some have more tannin than others. Gather at least two cups full.

Pop the caps off and save them for whistles. Dry them by leaving the acorns in a sunny location for a couple of days, turning them occasionally. You can also bake them on a cookie sheet — 200-250 degrees for 1-2 hours. Once dried, they can be stored in a paper bag indefinitely.

When you’re ready to eat them, shell the acorns by placing them on a hard surface like a rock or a cutting board, and whacking them with a hammer or another rock. The hard outer covering will split. Peel it off and discard.

Now grind them. You could do this the old fashioned way by crushing them with a rock until they are a crumbly mash but it’s much quicker to use a blender. Put the shelled acorns in the blender, fill it up with water, and run on high speed for a minute. You will get a light colored thick broth that tastes very bitter because of the tannins.

Washing the tannins out is called leaching. Place the acorn meal in a fine mesh strainer or cloth bag and soak in a pot of simmering water. When the water turns orange, pour it off and add new water, bringing it to a boil again. Repeat as needed. You’ll know it’s time to taste test when the water stays clear. Keep leaching until it’s no longer bitter.

The Tongva leached their acorns by leaving the ground mash in a basket inside a running stream. After a day or so nature had done the washing for them.

When the meal tastes mild and slightly sweet, squeeze all the water out using the cloth or your hands. Viola, your acorn meal is ready to cook with. Use it as soon as possible because it will mold if left out. Refrigerate for up to four days, or freeze it for longer storage.

Acorns are a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. When compared to wheat, acorns are slightly lower in carbohydrates and protein content but higher in fat and fiber. The meal can be used interchangeably with walnut, almond or hazelnut meal in recipes.

ACORN PANCAKES

1 egg

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon of honey

1/2 cup of ground, leached acorns

1/2 cup of corn meal

1/2 cup of wheat or rice flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of water or milk

Mix well, thin with more water or milk if needed. Cook in a hot, greased pan until brown on both sides. Serve with all the usual pancake fixings.

Whistles

If you saved your acorn caps from the previous acorn pancake experiment, or just happened to have one lying around, try making a whistle with it. This is a lot of fun to do with children. A bottle cap will work in a similar way if you don’t have an acorn cap.

Hold the cap between your two thumbs with the hollow side toward you. Your thumb knuckles will make a Y shape and your hands will make a diamond shape behind them. A little triangle of acorn should be visible just above the Y. Now blow over and through your knuckles into the acorn cup. You should hear a loud high whistle. If it’s not working try rotating your wrists back and forth slightly to change the angle. You can vary how much of the triangle of acorn shows, as well as the strength of your blowing. Larger caps are easier to learn on. Keep trying, it takes a little practice to get the right position.

Some of the air that you blow curls around in the hollow of the cap and up, while the rest rushes right over the top. The two air flows bump into each other, and that creates the sound.

These whistles can be piercing so you might want to practice outside.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 01 January 2006 )

http://www.pfaf.org/index.php

About Plants

Just twenty plants provide the majority of food eaten, yet there are thousands of other useful plants which have not reached mainstream attention. You can find details of many of them here.

* Edible Plants Alternative Fruits, Roots, Leaves and flowers.
* Medicinal Plants
* Other Plant Uses Soap, Dyes, Lighting ...
* Top 20 Plants Some of our favourite plants

A daylily

The Edible Daylily
About Gardening

We advocate a style of gardening mimicking a natural woodland system using perennial plants and following vegan organic and ecological principals

* Woodland Gardening
* Vegan Organics and conservation gardening.
* Perennial Plants
* Diverse Habitats useful plants in ponds, lawns and hedges

A woodland garden

A woodland garden
Plant Database

You can search our database of 7300 edible medicinal and useful plants. If you want to use the database at home without using the internet then you can download a copy or get it on CD-ROM for a small donation to the project.

Search for name:

http://www.webpal.org/webpal/index.htm

The New Three Rs
- every one will have to learn after a Nuclear War -
or other world-wide catastrophe
(but that most people aren’t yet ready to even think about)

1. Reconstruction - of society
2. Recovery - of production
3. Renewal - of religion

And a fourth R for the present -
4. Resources - for nuclear war survival

by Bruce M. Beach

Radiological Scientific Officer

http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Household_Cyclopedia_of_General_Information/

[Also all book subjects available for reading on line]

Household Information - Past and Present

Household information is what this site is about and there are over 300 articles here. The genesis of this site was a book published in 1881 called the Household Cyclopedia of General Information. Many of the articles are from that book and are fascinating from a historical perspective and for research purposes. At LoveToKnow, we liked the idea of a site for general household information a lot, so we decided to add articles that are up to date and germane to today’s living and challenges.

Select a category below for articles from the Late 19th Century:

Agricultural Articles - Includes soil information, oats, barley, hay making, grafting a tree, etc.

Old Fashioned Recipes - Includes Old Fashioned gingerbread, cake, pudding, home made wine and many more.

Household Advice and Information - Includes articles like: Old Fashioned Cologne; How to live, Avoiding Nightmares, etc.

Paints and Dyes - Includes articles on how to make dyes, paints, pastes, etc.

Printing and Engraving - Includes articles on copying, printing, engraving and etching.

Metallurgy - Includes articles on assaying, casting, methods of steel making and more.

Home Crafts and Necessities - How to make Chinaware, tobacco pipes, stoneware pottery, etc.

Weights and Measures - Information on weight values, gravity of liquids, reading barometers, etc

Miscellaneous - Fishing history, dog age calculation, breeding canary’s, etc.

http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/20survivalstrategies.htm

Better Times Survival strategies for low and moderate income people.

It’s not news to anybody with low or moderate income that economic hard times are here. In constant dollars, over the last 30 years the average American worker has LOST 22% of his or her purchasing power, and the less money you have, the bigger the impact this has been on you. For people with low to moderate incomes trying to live a regular American lifestyle, things are going from bad to worse, and then they will get even worse. Your dollars will not buy as much in the future as they do now. We are headed for an economic crisis so terrible it will make the Great Depression of the 1930s look like good times. If you want to protect yourself and your family from these economic hard times, make changes in the way you live.

If people are not worried about this, then they simply aren’t paying attention to what is happening. Our entire economy is a stack of cards that can be knocked over at any time. Instead of looking out for the common good, powerful politicians make decisions that hurt ordinary people but benefit special interests that make big contributions to election campaigns.

The good news is you don’t have to play their game. Even in the midst of these hard times, you can find financial security and develop a high quality of life for you and your family. Here are some basic survival strategies for coping with what is coming at us, and triumphing over it.

People who don’t consider themselves low to moderate income can also benefit by following these strategies, because their ultimate effect is to increase the quality of life, security, and happiness of families. It just isn’t possible to spend your way to prosperity. The advertisements and political talk that encourage this are the economic equivalent of methamphetamine addiction. Sure, you feel better for a while, but then you have to spend more money to get “high”, and then even more money, and pretty soon you are spending your money but not getting any high at all, so you spend more money, and more money, and then comes the crash as the bills come due and you can no longer escape the consequences of your foolish and extravagant lifestyle.

1. Start by closing your ears to the lies of politicians and corporations. Turn off your televisions and ignore all advertising. Your life will not be better if you buy advertised products. Your kids will not be smarter if they wear expensive designer clothes. In fact, if you buy advertised products, your quality of life will deteriorate. You will have less money, more stress, and your family will be at risk of the many evils that derive from financial stress.

2. The borrower is the slave of the lender. Avoid debt like the plague it is. Never finance frivolous consumption on credit cards. Never take out a pay day loan. Stay out of pawn shops unless you want to buy something cheaply..The only real valid reasons for debt are to buy a house or for education that enables you to earn a better living. Pay off such debts as quickly as you can. As long as you have a mortgage, you are not the owner of your house, the bank is the real owner, and a sudden drop in your income could put you out on the street, homeless. By making extra principle payments with every monthly payment, you pay less interest over the life of the loan. Never take out a home equity loan for vacations, remodeling, or any kind of consumer spending. Don’t consolidate credit card debt as a home equity loan - this puts your house at risk for your frivolous consumption spending decisions! Low income people must in particular beware of predatory loan schemes. Never take out a loan that has a prepayment penalty. If your property is paid for, do not, under any circumstances, get another mortgage. Debt-free housing is one of the most important survival strategies for the upcoming hard times.

3. Choose co-housing. This is a fancy name for “more than one family living together in one large household.” The day is coming when individuals of low and moderate incomes will not be able to live alone as single person households, unless they own their own housing free of debt or are in some kind of government subsidized housing. This is also true for single mothers with kids. Two or three smaller families living together can do so for less money than each would spend operating a separate household. Co-housing works for house purchases too. Three families could go together and buy a triplex.

4. If possible, go car free. This is perhaps the one choice that can save the most money. Operating a car, including the capital cost of the automobile, insurance, taxes, repairs, interest, etc. can easily top $3,600/year. It is much cheaper to take the bus or the occasional taxi, or even to rent a car a few times a year than to own a car. This may require moving to an area with adequate public transportation and access to shopping, but that effort is well worth it.

5. Stop buying new stuff. Reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, make it over, made do, do without. Shop at flea markets, garage sales, and thrift shops. Never buy new furniture, new appliances, new clothes, new home decoration items. Always look in the “after market” first, only then, if you simply can’t find what you need, should you consider buying something new. If you shop because of emotional needs, get into counseling, never spend money to cheer yourself up or because you are emotionally upset about something.

6. Use energy with extreme frugality. The cost of energy is going up and over time this will get much worse. Follow the many suggestions given in the section on Energy Conservation in this almanac.

7. Develop a part-time business on the side that can perhaps grow in time to become a full-time job that you own. This could be something simple like baking bread or pies from your home, or mowing lawns, or doing laundry and ironing for other people. Buy stuff cheap and then re-sell for a little more at flea markets or swap meets. Clean houses. Grow vegetables to sell to your neighbors. Don’t be taken in by schemes that want you to pay money for people to teach you how to make money, or by multi-level pyramid sales scams. Develop an honest business, providing a service or product that people regularly need. Teach your kids to do the same.

8. Grow as much food as you can. Plant things that you like to eat, and which are easy to grow and have a lot of value. If you own your property, landscape it with fruit and nut trees and berry bushes, and learn to make your own jams, jellies, and pie fillings. Growing food is like growing money in your back yard. Follow other suggestions elsewhere in this almanac and cook your meals from basic ingredients, shop frugally but wisely.

9. Save some money each month. Even if it is only $5 from each paycheck, stash it away. Life is full of surprises, and unexpected expenses that send you to the pawn shop or pay day loan service or run up your credit cards can be real financial problems for you and your family. Work to build your household savings. Keep some of your savings as food, always have at least 2 or 3 months of basic food staples on hand in your house to insulate yourself from the mood swings of supermarket pricing and the risks of sudden emergencies and crises.

10. Beware of the two income trap. Many families feel they need two incomes to survive, and in some cases this may be true. However, with both parents working outside the home, the family acquires significant additional expenses, including transportation and child care/babysitting. Do the math on your two incomes. Make sure that both parents working outside the home is a net economic benefit and not a net loss over the long run. Understand that a parent working at home is a net economic asset to the family. The additional time a parent can devote to in-home activities makes it possible to save money in many areas of life. A “work at home parent” can also participate in part-time businesses the family may start. Home schooling becomes a possibility, at least through the elementary grades, and this is a great blessing for families.

11. Don’t give in to despair and don’t feel sorry for yourself. Sow blessings and kindness and you will reap blessings and kindness. By living more frugally and sustainably, you aren’t going second class, you will have a first class, worry-free lifestyle. The people to feel sorry for are those, of whatever income category, who are locked into the super-consumer lifestyle. Their self-image is bound up in how much stuff they have. They are never satisfied, they always must have more stuff, new stuff, better stuff. If they aren’t spending money, they feel depressed. They may have flashy clothes and lots of new possessions, but they are in reality slaves to banks, corporations, and credit card companies. Such people will have real problems adjusting to the realities of life in coming years. The more you follow our “Better Times” ideas, the more control you will have over your life, and the less vulnerable you will be to crises and emergencies. By organizing your life in favor of Better Times, you will reduce the amount of stress, risk, and emotional trouble in your life. Robert Waldrop

http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/1livebetter.htm

HOW TO LIVE BETTER WITH LESS

People taking personal responsibility for sustainable, simple, & frugal lifestyles are the wave of the future. Catch the leading edge of this epic transformation that will change the face of this nation forever. As it turns out, you are not your stuff.

Wisdom, daydreaming, and risk-taking can introduce you to options that you never felt possible.

Here’s what advertisers are saying to us: “You are your stuff. Your stuff is you. Our stuff is better than their stuff. Buy more of our stuff.” The possibilities are allegedly endless, and somehow, the bill will never be presented for payment.

This is a dangerous illusion. They offer mindless consumerism rooted in greed, lust, and envy, as recommended by advertisers everywhere. And in spite of what people seem to think, the bills will always be paid, one way or another. Americans are famous for accumulating more & more dubious stuff of ever increasing varieties & categories, resulting in big piles of trash & horrendous debts that squeeze household budgets.

You can live better with less - less money, less stuff, less stress, less aggravation, less complication, less velocity. In a world where fast food is the norm, we praise the virtues of slow food - food like your grandmother served, cooked from fresh basic ingredients at least some of which originated in that area, perhaps in her own garden.

What the world needs is more people who are willing to take personal responsibility for creating a better future than the one that is coming at us because of our bad choices. The world is changed one person, one household at a time, as people decide to BE the change they want to SEE.

This transition seems complicated, but here’s the secret clue: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, one thing at a time.

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. - Will Rogers

The place to start is with the kitchen and the food you eat. We understand that most of us are very conservative in our food habits. And the sad truth of modern life is that many of us have formed bad habits with our food. Our over-processed, chemicalized, mechanized, just in time convenience food system isn’t a free lunch. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, all these are just the beginnings of sorrows. The way that supermarket food is grown and processed ravages the earth, destroys the fertility of the soil, and poisons the land with chemicals.

This agribidness system is also destroying the quality, variety, nutritional value, and TASTES of our foods. So we’re paying more, doing more, and somehow getting less. A better idea is to do MORE with LESS. More joy, more beauty, more wisdom - less pollution, less chemicals, less noxious fumes, less destruction of the natural environment. We got into this situation one bad decision at a time and we will get out of it by one good decision at a time.

This is not just about money. It’s about quality of life. Control over your life. Fun, convenience, healthy and tasty meals. We’re not talking about feeling sorry for yourself, or going second class. We’d like to introduce you to many new tastes and food treasures, better ways to do food - ways that really are fun & once you get used to them they are convenient & easy..

This is NOT about a person being poor. Simple, sustainable, and frugal living is for everybody - rich and poor and everyone in between. The poor can show the rest of us the way to go.

Since you are in control of your kitchen, you can do what you want with your food..That’s why we say, FOOD FIRST! People who let the food industry’s tricks tell them what to do pay more money than is necessary and get a lot less than they should for their money. We say: spend your money differently, have more quality. Imagine that.

Better cooking isn’t everything, but it is something that we all can understand. It is one step in the direction of family economic security. It provides instant rewards either — good food and better health!

Where to start? Prepare your meals from basic ingredients, & where possible & practical, buy ingredients directly from local farmers & ranchers.

Doesn’t this kind of cooking take a lot of time? It’s not like putting a frozen dinner in the oven, but it doesn’t taste like food industry moosh either. Many of these recipes only take a few minutes of the cook’s time. As you practice this better cooking, the learning curve kicks in. You develop time saving convenience skills. Recipes that once seem complicated are now easy. The first time you bake a cake “from scratch” takes longer than the fifth time you do it. By the time you have made ten, you will be cranking them out like they were popcorn. “Slow food” can be amazingly easy & quick to prepare. It helps if you plan your meals carefully.

Your kids can help. Kids need to learn how to cook. There is no better way to do this than helping in the kitchen. As they get older, give them more to do. Kids need to learn that food doesn’t just fall from the sky onto the table. Later in life, they (and their wives, husbands, and roommates) will thank you.

It’s OK to make mistakes. That’s how you learn. You will get better with practice. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. God is on your side. If you get stuck in the middle of a recipe, and aren’t sure what to do next, start your problem solving process with a little prayer, as in, “God, I need help!”

Food is an adventure. You can do amazing things in your own kitchen. Better Times gives you a lot of information to help you find your way. Wisdom, day-dreaming, and risk taking can introduce you to options that you never thought possible. Life is complex. It’s OK if you can’t solve all of your problems at once. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/19mixes.htm

MAKE YOUR OWN MIXES!

Why pay high prices for expensive store mixes when you can make your own and thus control the quality, protect the nutrition, and serve tasty foods that don’t cost much money? Not to mention, they are time-savers. This page has recipes for various common mixes that you can do for yourself.

Basic Biscuit Mix

8 cups whole wheat flour (or 4 cups whole wheat flour and 4 cups white flour, or 8 cups white flour)
1/3 cup baking powder
1 cup oil
4 teaspoons salt

Mix dry ingredients, add oil, mix thoroughly until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Biscuits from Basic Biscuit Mix

2-1/2 basic biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk

Add milk to biscuit mix, stir thoroughly, roll out, cut into biscuits (a mason jar makes a nice biscuit cutter, press the mouth of the mason jar into the dough). Bake in a 450 degree oven about 12 minutes until done. Variation: brush with milk before baking. For cheese biscuits, add ½ cup grated cheese. For cheese-garlic biscuits, besides the cheese add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Easy Very Tasty Biscuit Mix Coffee Cake Recipe

2 cups of biscuit mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup water (or milk.)

Biscuit Mix Coffee Cake Topping
1/3 cup of biscuit mix
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. . Grease a 9 inch round pan. Mix the cake ingredients together, pour evenly into pan. Sprinkle the topping onto the batter carefully. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let cake cool before removing from pan.

Hearty Soup Mix

Mix together 3 cups green split peas, 3 cups alphabet macaroni, 1-1/2 cup rice, 2-1/2 cups pearl barley, 2-1/2 cups lentils, 4 cup dry minced onion. Combine all ingredients so they are evenly distributed, store in an air-tight container. For 6 to 8 servings of soup, add 1-1/3 cups mix to 6 cups water and 1-1/2 tbsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Add 2 sliced carrots, 1 or 2 stalks celery (chopped), 1-1/2 cups cabbage (shredded), two 15 oz cans of tomato sauce, 1 24 ounce can of vegetable juice cocktail, or equivalent amounts of tomato sauce, and cooked meat (if desired). Simmer 20 more minutes, until vegetables are cooked.

Chicken Flavored Rice mix

Mix 4 cups long-grain rice, 4 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp dried tarragon 2 tsp dried parsley flakes, 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until evenly distributed, store in an air-tight container. To make 4 - 6 servings, mix 1-1/3 cups chicken- flavored rice mix, 2 cups cold water, 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Or cook rice with seasonings in chicken stock.

Dry Onion Soup

Mix together until evenly distributed: 4 tsp instant beef bouillon, 8 tsp dried minced onion, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp Bon Apetit seasoning. Makes the equivalent of 1 package of dry onion soup mix. Use to flavor dishes or reconstitute for soup.

Basic Muffin Mix

Mix together: 8-1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1-1/2 cups dry milk, 1 tbsp salt. Cut in 2-1/4 cup oil until evenly mixed. Mixture should look like cornmeal. Put in a large airtight container. Makes 13 cups of mix; should be used within 10 - 12 weeks. You can substitute whole wheat flour for all or part of the flour. Increase baking powder to 5 tablespoons for whole wheat. Raisin muffins from mix: 2-1/2 cups mix, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. butter, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup water, 1 egg. Preheat over to 400 degrees. Combine mix and sugar, cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add raisins. Beat egg and water together, stir into dry ingredients just until mixture is moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon batter into greased medium-size muffin pan cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Makes 8.

Hot Chocolate Mix

Mix together: 4 cups dry milk, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa, 2 cups sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp instant coffee (optional). Use 1/4 cup mix per cup of hot boiling water. Makes 20 cups total: Store in an air tight container. Variation, add 1 tsp instant coffee to mix.

Taco Seasoning

Mix together: 2 tsp instant minced onion, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cornstarch, ½ tsp crushed dried red pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 12 tsp ground cumin .Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Burger “Helper”

Mix together: 2 cups nonfat dry milk, 1 cup cornstarch, 2 tbsp onion flakes, 1/4 cup chicken or beef bouillon powder, 1 tsp each dried basil, thyme, black pepper, parsley, garlic powder . Store in an air-tight container. (Developed by Colorado State

University Cooperative Extension )

Recipes using Burger Helper (each serves 4 to 6)

Chili Tomato Mac: Brown some ground beef or turkey and drain fat. Add one cup water, 1-1/2 cups uncooked macaroni, 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp chili powder, ½ cup of Burger Helper mix. Cover & simmer 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Hamburger Stroganoff: Brown some ground beef or turkey and drain fat. Add 2 cups water, ½ cup Burger Helper mix, 2 cups uncooked egg noodles, stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Top with ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt. Serve immediately.

Hearty Potato Casserole: Brown some ground beef and drain off the fat. Add 3/4 cup water, 6 peeled potatoes (sliced very thin), one cup of cooked peas and carrots and ½ cup plus 1 tbsp. Burger Helper. Cover and simmer 20 -30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Uncover, stir, and cook until excess water is evaporated.

Skillet Lasagna: In a large skillet, brown ground beef, drain off the fat. Add ½ cup Burger Helper, 1 chopped onion, 2 cups water, 16 ounce can of tomato sauce, 3 cups dry noodles and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring until thickened. Top with 2 cups mozzarella cheese five minutes before serving; turn off heat, stop stirring, and allow cheese to melt. Courtesy of Colorado Cooperative Extension http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/

http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/2funfoods.htm

Fun Foods and Comfort Foods from Grandma’s Kitchen

There is no money waster in the grocery store like the junk food section. You can make your own fun foods for a fraction of the supermarket cost. But wait, there’s more! Not only are these thrifty snacks, they also taste better than any two month old cellophane sack of sugared popcorn could possibly taste. Don’t get cheated by the junk food rip-off! Make your own fun foods for convenience, nutrition, taste, and affordability.

Donuts

Best Biscuit recipe | Cinnamon sugar or Quick White Icing | Oil or shortening

Make biscuit dough and roll into biscuits. Pinch a hole in the middle. Drop into hot oil, fry until brown on both sides. Drain, dust with cinnamon sugar or ice with Quick White Icing. For yeast raised biscuits, substitute sweet roll dough for biscuits.

Hot Cocoa

For each cup of cocoa, mix ½ to 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup milk. Heat, but do not boil. For an added touch, add a drop of vanilla and beat just before serving.

Onion Ring Batter

Combine ingredients and mix well. Slice onion into rings, dip into batter, deep fry in hot oil. Variation: (1) dip thinly sliced potatoes in batter and deep fry. (2) Use milk instead of water for a creamier batter. (3) Dip other vegetables (sliced zucchini, carrots, whatever) and deep fry. (4) Use beer instead of water. (5) Add seasonings to the batter, such as black pepper, garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, dried herbs.

Sean’s Should Be Famous Onion Ring Method

Cut the onions into rings. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs with the beer and the habanero salsa but don’t mix with the dry ingredients. Dip the rings into the beer/egg mixture, then into the dry mixture so they are thoroughly covered with flour. Dip again in beer/egg and again in dry mixture. If you don’t have habanero salsa, use cayenne pepper in the dry ingredients.

Hot Peanuts

2 tbsp. red pepper | 4 garlic cloves | 1 tsp chili powder | 3 tbsp. oil | Dry unsalted shelled peanuts.

Heat crushed red pepper in oil for one minute. Crush garlic and add to oil, add peanuts. Cover over medium heat for five minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and chili powder. Drain on paper towels.

Caramel Popcorn

2 quarts popped corn | 2 sticks butter | 1/2 cup karo syrup |1-1/3 cup sugar | 1 tsp vanilla nuts (optional)

Mix syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Cook until it is a light caramel color. Pour over popcorn and nut mixture. Press into large pan. Cool and break into pieces.

Oklahoma Peanuts

1-1/2 cup nuts | 1/2 cup sugar | 1/2 tsp vanilla | 2 tbsp. butter

Line a baking sheet with greased foil. In a heavy skillet, combine nuts, sugar, butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for eight minutes or until sugar melts and turns a rich brown color. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Spread onto prepared baking sheet. Cool, break into small clusters, store tightly covered.

Beer Nuts

1 cup sugar | 1/4 tsp maple flavoring | 1/2 cup water | shelled raw peanuts (about a pound)

Combine all ingredient in saucepan. Cook until liquid is gone (10 to 15 minutes). Spread on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bread Pudding

Beat eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla together. Crumble bread and add to the milk mixture, add raisins/dried fruit/nuts. Mix together. Bake in dish set in a larger pan of water for one hour at 300 degrees.

Yummy Fritter Batter

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, stir to blend, add unbeaten egg and melted butter, stir until well blended. Add milk, mix well. Let stand 30 minutes. Ham fritters: add 1 cup minced ham, drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and deep fry. Banana Fritters: peel and quarter six bananas, use fruit juice instead of milk (optional), dip bananas in batter and saute in butter until golden on all sides. Apple Fritters: use fruit juice as liquid, peel, core, and dice two cups of apples, add the apples to the batter, drop by spoonfuls into hot oil, deep fry. For peach or apricot fritters, use the canned fruit syrup for the liquid, chop peaches or apricots and mix with batter, fry as with the apple fritters. For beer batter, use beer instead of milk, use 2 eggs.

Corn Dogs

Mix dry ingredients, add egg and milk, mix well. Let b batter stand for 30 minutes. Dip wieners into batter, deep fry in hot oil. When done on one side, they should turn over by themselves. Variation: add 1/4 cup melted butter to batter, and instead of frying, bake coated wieners in 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until batter is done. Favorite spices can be added to the batter, if you like spicy foods, had some hot salsa or cayenne pepper to the batter.

Beer Batter for Corn Dogs, Shrimp, or Fried Dill Pickles

Mix all ingredients together well. For fried dill pickles, use dill pickle slices. Blot them dry with a cloth or paper towel. Dip in flour, then dip in batter, deep fry, flipping them after about 30 seconds, until golden brown.

Pigs in a Blanket

Roll unbaked biscuits into flat rectangles and wrap around wieners. Bake in 375 degree oven until biscuits are done, about 10 minutes. Melt a little cheese into some hot dog chili sauce or chili.. Pour over wieners and biscuits. Vegetarian variation: roll biscuit dough around whole baked/cooked carrots or parsnips, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with brown sugar.

Beef Jerky

Trim all fat from roast and slice very thin. Combine all ingredients except meat, mix well. Add meat and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator (cover tightly). Arrange strips of marinated meat over oven rack, directly on the rack (line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch drips). Bake at 200 degrees with the oven door slightly open for six to eight hours. Store in tightly covered container.

Refried Beans

Put some bacon fat in a skillet, add cooked beans, and mash them. If they are too dry, add some of the bean liquid. You can add spices (cumin, garlic, crushed red pepper). To make a bean dip, add some salsa.

Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Cooked Pinto Beans & liquid | Barbecue sauce | Beef Bouillon | Spices

Mash the cooked pinto beans like you were making refried beans, and add liquid until it is the typical consistency of canned hot dog chili sauce. Add chili/garlic/onion powder, beef bouillon (about 1 tsp/cup), and some of your favorite barbecue sauce. Make a bunch and freeze in portions for use later.

Pizza Dough

Mix sugar & warm water, sprinkle yeast on the water, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until yeast bubbles up. Add salt, oil, flour (in that order). Knead until smooth and let rise 1 hour. Roll to desired size of pizza (makes 1 thick, or 2 thin crusts). Top with tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce), add cheese, fried hamburger or sausage, or whatever else you like on a pizza. Bake at 350 degrees until done (about 20 minutes).