http://www.your-vegetable-gardening-helper.com/organic-fertilizer.html
Organic Fertilizer Tea
Organic fertilizer tea can be made with compost, animal manure or green matter such as comfrey or stinging nettles. These teas have concentrated nutrients that are beneficial to your garden soil and vegetable plant growth.
Benefits:
* Makes your compost or animal manure go further especially if you only have a limited amount.
* Gives your soil nutrients that the vegetable plants can then use to boost their growth.
* Can reduce transplant shock when given to young transplants when they are first planted.
* Can control pests, insects and disease on your vegetable plants.
* Using plants that can be a garden intrusion such as comfrey or borage to make an organic fertilizer tea.
RECIPES
“Compost or Manure” Tea:
Fill a bucket or garbage can 1/3 full of fresh compost or animal manure (do not use cat, dog, pig or human waste) and then fill it full of water. Mix well, cover and let is sit overnight. This makes a rich brown liquid that can be diluted in the watering can or put directly on to your young seedlings, fruiting vegetables or in your containers and hanging baskets. Once you use all the liquid refill the bucket or garbage can with more water. It can be refilled until the liquid is no longer a rich brown color. Put the left over sludge from the bottom of the bucket on to your compost pile and start over again with fresh manure or compost.
“Green” Tea
Take a large bucket with a lid and throw in comfrey, borage, stinging nettles, Lucerne hay,grass clippings or a combination of all of these. For 1 part of green matter add 10 parts water. Cover with a lid. When the water is a rich brown or yellowish color it is ready to use, usually within a few weeks. As you use up the liquid keep adding more water until it no longer turns the brown or yellowish color. The sludge at the bottom is great to add to your compost pile or to put directly on your garden beds.
Get more information on individual vegetable fertilizing requirements.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ThaiRecipes/Stir-fried_Beef_with_Basil.php
Beef with Basil
Serves : 4
Preparation time : 30 minutes
cooking time : 15 minutes
Ingredients :
4 tablespoons oil
5 bunches holy basil, stems removed to yield 2 cups
3 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons minced shallot
2 to 3 tablespoons minced red chilies
500g beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
200g green beans, cut into lengths to yield 2 cups
5cm young ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon fish sauce
11/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
95g roasted unsalted cashew nuts (optional)
Method :
1. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot and stir-fry 1/2 of the basil leaves for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy. Remove and rain on paper towels. Set aside.
2. In the same wok, heat the leftover oil over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic, shallots and chilies for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the beef and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until just cooked. Add the green beans and ginger, and season with the fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until the green beans are tender and cooked. Stir in the remaining basil leaves and remove from the heat.
3. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with cashew nuts (if using) and the reserved crispy fried basil leaves, and serve hot with steamed rice.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ChineseRecipes/Chinese_Cabbage_in_Cream_Sauce.php
Chinese Cabbage in Cream Sauce
Serves : 6
Ingredients :
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 small Chinese cabbages, coarsely shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
125ml single (light) cream
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Method :
1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying-pan. Add the spring onions (scallions) and cabbages and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and vinegar and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked but still crisp.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes, or until the sauce comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a warmed serving dish. Serve at once.
Shanghai Dumplings
Ingredients :
300g plain flour
40g shortening
some cold water
Filling
300g minced meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock granule
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn flour
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
dash of sesame oil
Method :
1. Mix all ingredients for filling in a mixing bowl, follow with same direction during mixing. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Mix plain flour with shortening and water in mixing bowl, knead into smooth dough. Let dough rest for 5 minutes and apportion into 20 small pieces, then flatten into round shape.
3. Wrap 1 teaspoon of filling with 1 dumpling wrapper into bun shape.
4. Steam the dumplings in high heat for 10 minutes.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ThaiRecipes/Fragrant_Beef_Panaeng_Curry.php
Fragrant Beef Panaeng Curry
Serves : 6-8
Preparation time : 40 minutes
cooking time : 50 minutes
Ingredients :
500ml thin coconut milk and 125ml thick coconut milk
700g beef, cubed
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 bell pepper, deseeded and cut into sticks
3 tablespoons ground roasted unsalted peanuts
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced into strips
Sprigs of Thai basil
Panaeng Curry Paste
4 dried chilies, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes until soft, stems discarded, deseeded
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
1cm galangal root, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon crushed coriander roots and stems.
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons water
Method :
1. To make the Panaeng Curry Paste, dry-fry the dried red chilies, coriander, cumin and black peppercorns in a wok or skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Combine the toasted ingredients and all the other ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a blender.
2. Heat 60ml of the thin coconut milk in a wok over medium heat until hot. Stir in the Panaeng Curry Paste and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant.
3. Add the beef cubes and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting with the curry. Add the remaining thin coconut milk, fish sauce and palm sugar, mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes until the curry has reduced to half and the beef is tender.
4. Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, bell pepper and think coconut milk and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked. Stir in the peanuts and remove from the heat.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and basil leaves before serving.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Asian_Vegetables_Recipes/Fried_Cabbage.php
Fried Cabbage
Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 6
Ingredients :
1 litre coconut milk, from 1/2 grated coconut squeezed first for coconut cream and add sufficient water to extract coconut milk
5 red chilies, cut into strips
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
300g cabbage, cut into 1.25cm pieces
300g small prawns (shrimps), shelled and cleaned
125ml coconut cream, from 1/2 grated coconut and sufficient water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 spring onion (scallion), chopped
Method :
1. Put coconut milk, red chilies, shallots and garlic in a wok and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then add cabbage.
2. When cabbage is soft, add prawns, coconut cream and salt. Sprinkle in spring onion last. Remove from heat as soon as mixture comes to a boil. Serve hot.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Food_Articles/Essential_Oils-Oil_Types.php
Essential Oils - Oil Types
Listed below are various types of oil that most commonly used :
Oil Type
Description
Content
Smoke Point
Cooking Suggestion
Corn oil
Relatively ordourless and mild in flavour.
High in
poly-unsaturates
High, therefore good for frying
Baking, and salad dressings.
Sesame oil
Has a nutty nuance and strong aromatic flavour.
Contains both poly-unsaturates and mono-unsaturates.
Low
Add to cook stir-fry dishes, soups and salad dressings. Use sparingly.
Peanut oil
Mild in flavour. Browns food pretty quickly.
Contains mostly mono-unsaturates and some poly-unsaturates.
High. Excellent for frying
Roasting and all types of cooking.
Sunflower seed oil
Relatively light and mild in flavour.
Very high in poly-unsaturates, low in saturates.
Low, suitable for low-heat frying
Salad dressings and other low-heat cooking.
Soybean oil
Relatively light and mild in flavour.
High in poly-unsaturates and mono-unsaturates, low in saturates.
High, suitable for frying
Generally suitable for all types of cooking.
Olive oil
Fruity in flavour.
Highest concentration of mono-unsaturates, low in poly-unsaturates and saturates.
Very low
Regular - low to medium-heat cooking. Extra-virgin-dizzle in cooked dishes and salads.
Palm oil
Relatively heavy and thick.
Contains as much saturates as unsaturates.
High, excellent for frying
All types of cooking.
Red palm oil
Moderately heavy.
Contains natural carotenes and Vitamin E.
High, excellent for frying
All types of cooking purpose.
Coconut oil
Relatively heavy.
High in saturates.
Low
All types
Oil tips :
* If food pops up when added to oil for deep-frying, then it is hot enough for frying.
* When shallow frying, stick a pair of chopstick into oil to test whether oil is hot enough for frying. It bubbles appear around the chopsticks, then it is hot enough.
* Each time you use oil for frying, its smoke point decreases. Do not re-use oil for frying more than two or three times as it will blacken food.
* Exposing oil to air will lower its smoke point, making it less suitable for frying.
* Buy oils from supermarkets or shops with a high turnover to ensure freshness.
* Oils derived from plant sources are cholesterol-free, but may still contain saturated fats.
* The term lite or light on oil labels simply mean that these oils are lighter in flavour, not in fat content.
* When cooking or baking with olive oil, choose the light variety as it has a higher smoke point.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Food_Articles/Celery_Stalks-Stalking_Health.php
Celery Stalks – Stalking Health
Crisp, crunchy, celery stalks (sometimes, the leaves as well) are common additions to salad greens and fruits. Raw celery chopped into bite-size pieces perk up your leafy vegetable salads and gives a delectable twist to your fruit salads. Although some people take to the strong metallic taste of celery at first bite, for most, the celery’s ‘weird’ and distinctive flavor could take some getting used to.
Besides being a great addition to salads, celery also add a very distinctive flavor and texture to soups, sauces, stocks and stews. The pungent taste of celery is slightly mellowed when cut into sticks and boiled, braised or stewed until tender.
Cut or chopped celery makes great addition to meat-flavored soups and vegetable or beef stews. The head of celery can also be left whole to be boiled or braised in stock, while sticks or pieces of celery make delightfully crunchy additions to vegetable and meat stir-fries.
High in potassium, the celery is believed to be good for gout and rheumatism patients as it raises alkaline levels in the blood. It is also health because not only is it low in calories, but is a good source of Vitamin C. on top of that, celery also contain dietary fibre, calcium, iron and Vitamin A.
Celery sticks are also believe to be sexually stimulating., especially when eaten raw. The tiny black seeds of the celery, however, are believed to be more potent as an aphrodisiac. Sold in many Indian grocery stores, crushed celery seeds are used as a condiment to flavor curries, oil-vinegar salad dressings and bread.
There are three types of celery- one that has thin green stems with bush green leaves at the head, the green or yellow-green variety, and the British white celery (also known as the trench celery as it was originally grown in trenches).
Whichever the variety, the same rules apply when choosing good-quality celery. The stalks of good-quality celery should be crisp, firm and pure in color. Always choose celery with even-colored, unblemished and smooth-skinned stalks. The celery should be in firm bunches that are tightly formed. Soft, bent stalks that spread out is a telltale sign that the product is not fresh.
Celery leaves too is another factor we should pay attention to when buying celery. They should be green and crisp with no signs of wilting. Limp, drying or shriveled leaves are an indication that the celery is not fresh.
Young celery stalks taste best when eaten raw. So, when buying celery, avoid over-aged ones as they are tough. Thick veins on the celery stalks and rough inside surfaces are indication that the celery is over-aged. Celery can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Popularly regarded as health food and eaten raw by many weight-watchers, they border on being bland and boring when eaten that way. Hence, it may be a good idea to cook your celery once in a while for variety. Simple celery dishes that are deliciously healthy can be far from bland and boring as delightfully tasty dishes can be prepared with minimum fuss while keeping a close calorie count.
http://destinysurvival.com/2009/03/05/how-will-we-survive-a-soviet-style-collapse/
March 5, 2009
How Will We Survive a Soviet Style Collapse?
Earlier this week I heard a couple hours of The Power Hour radio program with Joyce Riley and Dave Von Kleist. I haven’t heard their program for a while, but was apparently meant to catch this particular program. They interviewed Dmitry Orlov, author of a book called Reinventing Collapse. I thought it would be a good idea to share a few comments derived from notes I jotted down during the interview. Your comments are welcome, especially if you heard the program and have a different perspective on what was aired.
First, a little background on Orlov as it appears on Amazon.com and repeated on the radio show. “Dmitry Orlov was born in Leningrad and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12. He was an eyewitness to the Soviet collapse over several extended visits to his Russian homeland between the late eighties and mid-nineties. He is an engineer with a BS in Computer Engineering and an MA in Applied Linguistics.”
Orlov sees many parallels to the current status of the U.S. and the old USSR before its collapse. We’re on the same path, though he declines to make predictions about the rate of the collapse. If someone in the old USSR would have been approached about the idea of a coming collapse in 1989, Orlov says they would have been shocked and may have laughed scornfully. After all, the USSR was OK, so people thought. The U.S. was perceived as the place where there were problems, not the USSR. However, within a year, things were beginning to look much different, and collapse became a possibility.
Orlov observed that systems in place couldn’t be undone, such as the overextended military and collectivist agriculture. Rather than reform or recreate them, they were left to take their own course. He scoffs at the idea of elites tearing down our present system and creating a New World Order, and essentially says stupidity and incompetence does more than conspiracies. Orlov says it’s irrational to burn down the barn and put up a new one when changes can be made incrementally. There’s too much invested in the present system to do otherwise. Dave Von Kleist took him to task for this, but neither gave in.
Orlov says owning gold and silver were unimportant in the economy of the USSR. He says gold and silver can easily be stolen or lost and can actually be a liability. When a gold seller and sponsor of the show disagreed, Orlov was given the chance to respond afterward. He said having gold coins sewed in the hems of children’s clothing was one way to protect it when a family left the country. Gold coins could be used to bribe a sea captain upon escape as well. He said in a collapse many are going to lose their savings, as many have here now, and true wealth should be reevaluated. He recommended seeing wealth in terms of one’s connections, skills and knowledge. This makes a lot of sense to me. Click here to explore further the idea of not owning gold in a down economy.
As for barter items, having basics is essential. When it became difficult to import products in the USSR, Orlov says many who could do so went in and out of the country with suitcases, seeking to trade watches and other items for razor blades, soap, toilet paper, etc. He emphasized the importance of gardening to have some of one’s own food and noted that a lot of land or space isn’t necessary for growing food. I’m reminded of the existence of rooftop gardens in the USSR before and after the collapse. Orlov stressed that it’s a good idea to be equipped with the necessary physical tools for gardening as well.
Surprisingly, Orlov mentioned that cities are the best place for structured community policing and organizing neighborhoods to work together for growing food, etc. He didn’t say not to go to the country, but noted not everyone could do it. I believe he thinks going to the country is merely hiding. He applauded any efforts to encourage local farming and provision for those who would need help in time of collapse.
Orlov noted that collapse happens in phases, such as financial, commercial, and political. He says we’ve experienced much of the financial collapse already and are headed into the commercial phase, which affects businesses. The political phase may be coming to fruition with the growing state sovereignty movement in this country. Remember, Soviet republics and satellite countries began breaking away before the USSR fell. Orlov discusses other aspects of collapse in his book.
When asked what he was doing himself to prepare, his answer was surprising. Not only has he written articles that have appeared on select web sites, he sold his house in Boston and acquired a custom made sailboat for navigating up and down the East coast. It’s a means of transportation that’s viable and doesn’t require paying a mortgage or rent.
The interview with Orlov was a pleasure to listen to for me, since he was so well spoken and had a reasonable answer for every point of contention. I don’t know whether he’s right about everything and do disagree on a couple issues, but he’s seen a country and an empire collapse which let people literally die in the streets. His book deserves a look.
Click on the picture of the book below to order Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects, By Dmitry Orlov from Amazon.com. Decide for yourself whether what he has to say serves as a warning or gives insights on what to do to prepare for survival in a coming collapse.
June 30, 2008
Survival Gardening–It’s Not Too Late to Plant Beans in Containers
Believe it or not, it’s time to start planning for crops you can harvest this fall from your survival garden. While many gardeners are harvesting green beans, you can be planting some for harvest later. If you plant in July, you may be able to avoid pests that bother beans earlier in the season. Also, there should be no problem with germination, since the soil will be warm.
Growing beans in containers is a good idea. There are plenty of varieties of bush beans out there to choose from. Unlike pole or runner beans, bush beans don’t need support because they don’t run or climb all over the place. You can control soil temperature and moisture more easily in buckets, nursery pots, or even grow bags. They’ll blossom and set beans sooner, too. Imagine impressing your city neighbors by growing beans on your balcony.
This may seem elementary, but beans are simply seeds. If you let green beans, or any other beans, grow to full maturity on the plant, you’ll have seeds you can use next season. Naturally, if you’ve planted a variety of dry beans, you’ll want them to grow to maturity. It’s fun to pop them out of their shells when they’re ready. Of course, if you’re saving bean seeds, you’ll want to save seeds from open pollinated varieties, since hybrids won’t produce true next season. Hybrids may revert to one of the characteristics of the plants used for breeding them.
I’ve heard the flowers are edible, though I’ve never tried eating them. If you start your beans late or have a really short season, that might be something you’ll want to keep in mind. After all, we’re talking about survival gardening, and every angle is worth considering.
I’ve had good success with Provider bush beans for green beans. They produce a lot at first, then slow down in the heat of the summer. You can get Provider beans from Park’s Seed. Just click on their logo, type Beans in their search box, and you’ll see Provider beans on the first page. Beans are so easy to grow and so good, how can you resist?
LOL, I use dead tree branches for my beans to climb on, one evening, I got carried away, planning my garden and planted a forest of dead branches, from the Male Mulberry tree here.
A few days later, a friend stopped by and gave me the bad news that I, “ could not grow new trees from dead branches”.
Laughing, I told her that “those will grow bean trees for me”.
I even use the smaller ones in my pots indoors.
If you want to keep things like cukes and cantaloupe off the ground, lay down a fuller branch and they will go up it.
Sure “you” might build a trellis, or other support, but I had a stack of dead branches that were not needed for kindling wood and I like the look of branches, more than modern looks of finished or plastic, etc.
granny
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/08/19/survival-gardening-my-bean-factory/
This photo, taken Monday, August 18th, shows Missouri Wonder pole beans, planted in 3-gallon buckets of soil, growing up strings on a bean tower.
Time for true confessions. I had good intensions of showing this last month when the beans looked like a lush, green tropical jungle. They’re past their prime now, but are still producing, in spite of having been through storms, including hail once. Insect damage hasn’t been too serious. Weather is a little cool for August at my location, so maybe plants are getting ready for fall. There are probably 30 plants growing up the tower. At least one couldn’t be dissuaded from latching onto the electric pole guy wire.
From my reading of the experiences of other gardeners, Missouri Wonder beans may not be as flavorful as the more popular Kentucky Wonder beans or similar varieties, but the vines are said to handle stress well. When it comes to survival gardening, having a productive bean is more important than having the most flavorful bean in my opinion.
These beans had excellent germination when I planted them in late April. They started producing abundantly in late June and early July, but slowed a little as the summer has progressed. At first I got handfuls of large beans daily, but now I harvest about every other day. So far we’ve put at least a dozen bags in the freezer, in addition to several bags kept in the fridge now and then for fresh eating. I’ve never grown pole beans before, so have been quite impressed with the results. I plan to save some of the seeds as well.
I share all of this with you to show you what is possible for your survival gardening efforts, even if you have limited space, poor soil, or other adverse conditions. Choose pole beans you like, try them on a tower, then watch the bean factory go to work. If you have experiences you’d like to share regarding beans you’ve grown, please feel free to leave a comment.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/04/07/potatoes-for-survival-gardening-its-in-the-bag/
Potatoes for Survival Gardening–It’s in the Bag!
Most of my gardening is done in containers. It amazes some people that I’ve grown potatoes in three or five gallon buckets of soil. They just can’t imagine doing anything other than growing directly in the ground the conventional way. This year I’m trying a couple of other experimental methods of growing potatoes, and shortly I’ll tell you about one of those methods.
Some may argue that It’s not worth growing potatoes at all, since they can be had inexpensively at the grocery store. Survival Sam would say such people don’t have the survival attitude. When you grow your own potatoes, you can grow any variety you care to, and you don’t have to worry about whether your potatoes are grown safely and naturally.
Thankfully, potatoes are easy to grow and don’t have to be confined to being grown in the ground. That means they can be grown anywhere. Furthermore, since they’ll produce new tubers along their stems, soil or compost can be piled up as high as you can put it. That’s what makes them so great for a survival gardening situation. I’ve heard of stacking up old tires and filling them in with soil or compost as the potato plants grow higher. At the end of the season, the tires are unstacked to get at the potatoes. I’ve also heard of growing potatoes in a compost container made of chicken wire and heaping up the compost as the plants grow. But what about growing them in grow bags? That’s one small experiment I’m trying this season.
I’ve got three five-gallon black grow bags partly filled with soil made mostly of coir. Coir is simply ground coconut husks. I like it because it has the consistency of brown sugar, and fertilizer mixes in well. I’ve put one potato in each bag, made sure the potatoes are well covered, and rolled down the sides of each bag. I’ll add more soil and unroll the bags as the plants grow.
Incidentally, these bags are sitting in a black tray originally meant for mixing concrete. This allows for bottom watering. The soil in the bags will soak up the shallow level of water I poured into the tray. All I have to do is keep an eye on things so the potatoes don’t get too wet or dry.
Growing potatoes in bags is quite simple, saves space, and will allow for easy harvest later. If you’d like to try something similar for your survival garden, Gardener’s Supply has what they call potato bins specifically for potatoes. They’re 15-gallons each and can hold as many as four potatoes. Gardener’s Supply reports harvesting 13 pounds of spuds. The growing bins can be used more than one year and can be folded for storage.
There are a few more advantages of growing in bags or bins. There’s no Digging or Hilling Required. The porous fabric of the Gardener’s Supply Potato Bin aerates roots, prevents heat build-up and allows excess water to drain away. The 18” diameter size lets you grow your own potatoes in just about any sunny spot. No conventional garden required.
It’s easy to get potato bins from Gardener’s Supply. Just click on the Gardener’s Supply logo and type Potato Bin in their home page search box. You’ll see they have potatoes as well as the bins to grow them in. Click on the picture of the potato bin to go to a description and ordering information. Don’t miss your chance to grow potatoes the easy way. Hurry before the season slips away!
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/06/10/survival-gardening-growing-potatoes-in-bags/
June 10, 2008
Survival Gardening–Growing Potatoes in Bags
Potatoes in Large Gro Bags
This photo, taken June 8th, shows blossoming Kennebec potatoes in three 5-gallon grow bags of coir and rock powder fertilizer, sitting in a black tray. As described in an earlier post, I planted the potatoes with bags rolled down to about one third their full height. As the plants grew, I unrolled the bags and added more coir. A couple of the bags still need topped off. Bottom watering to a depth of less than two inches is done as needed. This is the first year I’ve tried growing potatoes using this passive hydroponics method. I look forward to harvesting bags full of potatoes this season.
If your survival gardening situation requires you to do things differently, or if you want to explore new possibilities, click here for Mittleider Gardening, and order an e–book or two, such as Gardening by the Foot or Grow-Bed Gardening. There’s even a course on Mittleider gardening methods so you can really, uh, dig deep into the subject. No matter which e-book you choose, you’ll discover how to garden organically, no matter what your soil is like or how much space you have.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/06/09/survival-gardening-sweet-potatoes-in-bags/
June 9, 2008
Survival Gardening–Sweet Potatoes in Bags
Young Sweet Potatoes in Grow Bags
This photo was taken on June 8th. It may not looklike it now, but the vines of these young sweet potatoes will form a jungle of vines later this summer, and tubers will be bulging in the bags when they’re ready to harvest.. The plants were purchased from a local greenhouse and are now growing in 2 gallon grow bags of coir with rock powder mixed in for fertilizer. The bags are sitting in black trays. Bottom watering to a depth of less than two inches is done as needed. This is an example of passive hydroponics.
If you need to garden a little differently because of lack of space, poor soil, or some other reason, click here for Mittleider Gardening. There you’ll find several e-books, such as Grow-Bed Gardening or Gardening by the Foot, which will guide you into the survival gardening methods that will work for you.
http://destinysurvival.com/2009/02/17/survival-gardening-with-an-early-start-for-potatoes/
February 17, 2009
Survival Gardening With an Early Start for Potatoes
Here’s a survival gardening experiment. Try planting a few potatoes earlier than usual this year by putting one potato in three or five gallon buckets of soil in a garage or basement where temps are well above freezing. Provide light from a shop lamp or nearby sunny window.
Perhaps you could start potatoes in grow bags. Roll the sides of the bags down until the potato plants grow and need more soil. Then you can gradually unroll the bag.. .
Potatoes grow best in cooler weather. If you can start them early in containers or bags indoors, you can move them outside when conditions are more favorable.
If you think growing potatoes in the garden in winter is impossible, then consider the experience of one North Carolina grower in this excerpt from a “Backwoods Home Magazine” article.
Plant your Irish potatoes this fall or winter
By Robert L. Williams
Admittedly, this type of gardening is a little harder, takes a little longer, and seems to be a total flop. But wait till spring and see the difference.
During the depths of winter the snows and rains will cause the mulch materials to decay and, as the mulch decays, warmth is generated, just as green hay or green sawdust will generate heat as it decays. The heat is generated for several weeks or even months, depending upon the amount of mulch used, and causes the potato sets to begin their growth cycle so that the roots begin to grow. The second layer of mulch and the dirt on top of it prevents the heat from escaping rapidly, while the soil on top is too cold for the plants to emerge from the soil. Small potatoes start to form very early, and they will grow all winter.
Read the whole article here: www.backwoodshome.com/articles/williams48.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine. www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418
To understand the author’s growing method, you’ll need to read the entire article. Granted, if you follow his procedure, it’s best to start winter potatoes in the fall. Make a note now to yourself to start a few next fall. Meanwhile, consider starting a few right now and get an early start on your survival gardening.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/06/18/consider-coir-for-your-survival-gardening/
June 18, 2008
Consider Coir for Your Survival Gardening
If you’ve seen my blog posts from last week about potatoes and sweet potatoes, you know I mentioned using coir. A friend put me onto it a few years ago, and I love it.
If you’re not familiar with it, coir is simply crushed coconut husks compressed into bricks. When you immerse the bricks in water, they expand to several times their original size and can be broken down so that it has the feel of brown sugar. A half pound brick makes 8 quarts of medium. Since coir is made from coconut husks, it’s renewable. That should be good news to anyone who might be concerned about depleting sources of peat.
One of the many reasons I like coir is that it stores conveniently in brick form, unlike trying to keep bags of potting soil. You can buy it ahead of time and make it up as you need it during the season. Coir is great for container gardening or for using in grow bags. It’s inert, which means you’ll have to add fertilizer to it. Also, by adding coir to potting soil, you’ll make your soil mix go farther and add some fluffiness to its texture.
Here’s another good use for coir. If you’re keeping worms for composting, like I mentioned in a post several days ago on the book Worms Eat My Garbage, you’ll find coir safe and easy to use for keeping those worms.
Gardener’s Supply has coir. When you go to their site, type the word Coir in the search box, and a page will come up showing Gardener’s Supply’s products with coir. I recommend the bricks of coir they’re offering for worm bedding. Buying at least 12 or 15 bricks would be a great way to add to your stock of survival gardening supplies.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/02/07/survival-gardening-hydroponics-potential/
February 7, 2008
Survival Gardening–Hydroponics Potential
Hydroponic Potatoes
The above photo is taken from The Complete Guide to Soilless Gardening, by pioneer hydroponics researcher W. E. Gericke, copyright 1940, Prentice-Hall, Inc.: New York, p. 151.
In case you’re having trouble reading the caption, it says: “Fig. 26. Choice Potatoes produced by hydroponics. From 60 to 70 percent of the seedbed was covered with tubers. The yield for 1/100 acre was 1482 pounds.” (Emphasis added.)
Gericke planted potatoes at the rate of one plant per 100 square inches in 6 ft. by 10 ft. beds containing about 4 inches of litter made from wood shavings, wheat straw, and sawdust, which was kept moist with fertilizer solution.
An amazing variety of crops can be grown using hydroponics, and the results can be impressive, as you can see. With simple hydroponics practices plants get all the nutrition they need and use less water. Hydroponics could be a life saver during drought conditions.
The wonderful news for you is that hydroponics doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. You can grow garden vegetables at home with hydroponics. Begin with some lettuce or your other favorite salad greens.
To discover your survival gardening hydroponics potential, go to the Survival Gardening category on the right sidebar of this page and click on Hydroponic Home Gardening. The link will take you to a site where you can buy your copy of The Hydroponic Garden Guide in time for this year’s gardening season.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/06/05/survival-gardening-with-worms-a-resource-to-get-you-started/
June 5, 2008
Survival Gardening with Worms–A Resource to Get You Started
If you’ve seen very many Three Stooges episodes, you know they have some recurring gags that are good for a laugh, no matter what the context. One of my favorites is where one of the guys says he ate a rotten egg and burnt toast for breakfast. Another asks, “Why’d you do that?” The reply: “Because I have a tapeworm, and it’s good enough for it.”
The next time you burn the toast, you can feed it to worms, too. That is, you can if you have a worm bin. Of course, you’ll be feeding earthworms or red worms, not tapeworms! The definitive guide to get that worm bin going is Worms Eat my Garbage, by Mary Appelhof.
Using worms to process organic waste is called vermicomposting. It provides excellent soil for your garden while getting rid of your kitchen waste. Appelhof has been doing this for more than 25 years. This inexpensive, easy to read book will show you how to make and maintain your very own worm bin. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Click on the logo below to order your copy of Worms Eat My Garbage.
By the way, when you’ve got your worm bin going, you’ll be able to impress the socks off your family and friends by telling them you have a genuine “vermicomposting system”. OK, maybe they won’t be impressed, but your plants will be when you grow them with that fabulous organic, black gold compost. And after all, anything that improves your survival garden is what you really want.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/04/08/strawberries-for-the-survival-garden-its-in-the-bag/
April 8, 2008
Strawberries for the Survival Garden–It’s in the Bag!
“I liked your blog post about potato bags.” To my utter surprise, it was Survival Sally on the phone for me. What a treat!
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
“Did you know Park Seed has bags for growing strawberries?”
“No, tell me about them,” I said.
“Now, you should know you have to hang these up somewhere for them to really work,” Sally said. “These bags from Park Seed have holes for five strawberry plants. Or you could put ten plants in them if you slit holes in the back. Or you could get longer bags with ten holes in them already.”
“How do they work?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s easy,” Sally cooed. “All you do is fill each pouch with potting soil and set a seedling into each of the criss-cross openings. Then you water the seedlings really well and let the strawberry plant roots develop for about 2 weeks. Now we come to the hanging part. You have to hang the pouch where your strawberries will grow best. You know, someplace like a sunny wall or on a patio. I think it might be fun to hang several from a coat rack and make people think you’ve got a strawberry tree.” She giggled.
“So, what’s the advantage of growing strawberries in bags?” I asked.
“Well, strawberry plants that are grown off the ground have cleaner fruits and leaves. Besides, you can put in the potting soil mix you want, and it’s nice and loose to work with. Also, you have fewer pests and diseases. And something I really like is you don’t have to do any bending or stooping to harvest those sweet, red beauties when they’re ready. Now, the problem is, they’re so tempting, you want to pick them off and eat them all right then and there!”
“That makes my mouth water already,” I said. “I love strawberries.”
“So do I,” said Sally. “And these growing bags make growing them so easy. They’re durable and can be reused. Just imagine those green plants popping out of these green pouches. Did I mention you get four in a package? Well, they’re really a good buy because they can save a lot of space and are certainly less effort. Anyone can grow strawberries about anywhere now.”
“You say Park Seed has them?” I asked.
“Yes. Just click on Park’s logo and type Strawberry Growing Bags in the Park’s home page search box. When I did that, all I had to do was click on the picture of the growing bag on the next page that came up. That took me to a page with a description and info on ordering.”
“That’s simple enough,” I said.
“And, by the way, if you write this up in a blog post, be sure to tell your readers to have fun growing those juicy strawberries!”
http://destinysurvival.com/2009/01/23/survival-health-keep-pepto-in-your-med-kit/
January 23, 2009
Survival Health–Keep Pepto in Your Med Kit
Bill Sardi, who writes the “Knowledge of Health” newsletter, says we’re facing a much bigger problem with food borne illness than the media is telling us. Peanut butter isn’t the sole culprit. Sardi reminds us that in recent times lettuce and other vegetables have been determined to have been contaminated with Salmonella or E. coli. He observes that these bacterium generally come from animal waste and water runoff from cattle herds which contaminates nearby farms. Then the vegetable growers get blamed. Sardi alleges that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is likely protecting business interests and letting some food producers off the hook.
Sardi states that the most likely source of Salmonella contamination is chicken meat. He says about one-quarter of chickens sold in U.S. grocery stores are believed to be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. The recommendation for consumers is to cook chicken very well before eating it.
Salmonella is a bacterium that causes abdominal cramping, fever, nausea, and diarrhea. Sardi urges purchasing Pepto-Bismol (bismuth), and at the first onset of symptoms, begin coating the lining of your stomach repeatedly, every hour. Sardi says this is especially important for younger children and older adults. He claims the cure is rapid and effective. Because symptoms can occur wherever you may be—work, away from home, etc.—it’s wise to have plenty of Pepto-Bismol on hand and be prepared.
Bill Sardi is a proponent of alternative medicine, so I view his recommendation to take Pepto-Bismol as a pragmatic approach to a serious health issue. I suggest having Pepto-Bismol in your survival med kit. Pepto-Bismol is a tried and true remedy for stomach ailments over many decades. It does not have to be refrigerated. However, it should not be allowed to freeze. You may wish to have it on hand in tablet form. If you don’t like the taste of the original Pepto-Bismol, it’s available in cherry flavor. You should also be aware that labeling has been changed to recommend users consult a doctor about dosage for children under 12.
If you’re interested in knowing more of what Bill Sardi has to say on health matters, you can sign up for his newsletter at http://www.naturalhealthlibrarian.com/.
[Pepto Bismo should be apart of your medicine chest, for it not only works on people, it is what we used for our calves at the first sign of Scours, [diarrhea], learned from friend Mary, who had an original bottle of Bismuth from a 1920’s drugstore.
When I asked our local druggist to refill it for me, he told me to just buy the pink Pepto Bismo. Dilute it in water and bottle feed them.
I bought 10 day old calves at a time and raised them on goats milk, always sold them, for the word was out that they were healthy and would grow fast.
granny]
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/11/03/will-your-survival-food-supply-get-you-through-a-collapse/
Will Your Survival Food Supply Get You Through a Collapse?
My survey question for October asked what items you’d buy if money were no object. Forty-three percent of those of you responding said you’d buy long term storage food. Twenty-five percent of you said you’d buy a water purification system. Items for self defense ranked third, and the other choices got only a couple of votes. So it seemed like a good idea to revisit the subject of food storage.
There are lots of ways to approach the topic, but I want to refer to Survival Sam’s post the other day about the account of an Argentine survivalist who lived through the economic collapse earlier this decade in Argentina. As you might guess, the Argentine’s recommendations included buying plenty of storage food, including a little extra each time you go grocery shopping. I’ll summarize the main points he gave in order of importance and add a comment or two in parentheses.
1) Have foods that don’t need refrigeration. (Electricity was not dependable.)
2) Have foods with high nutrition density.
3) Have foods with a long shelf life, 1-5 years or more. (You can buy long term storage food with shelf life up to 25 years.)
4) Have foods that don’t require water for preparation. (He had access to water, but didn’t have adequate water purification, which is a mistake you and I don’t want to make. Have a good water purification unit.)
5) Have foods that don’t need cooking. (Again, utilities weren’t dependable. This makes a Good case for having a camp stove or solar oven.)
I strongly encourage you to have long term storage food on hand. If you’ve looked seriously at the offerings included in food storage packages designed to provide up to a year’s supply, but you don’t like some of the items, I would say two things. First, in a survival situation, you’ll make do with what you have at hand and will likely eat things not previously appreciated. Buy a cookbook on preparing food from your storage pantry. Nitro-Pak has such a book available. Second, supplement your storage food supply with items you do like from the supermarket or big box place. One advantage of planning ahead is the ability to get foods you’re familiar with and used to eating. Just remember shelf life on such items won’t be as long, so these items will need to be rotated out every few months, consumed and replaced.
The Argentine survivalist suggests buying canned meats, canned tuna, canned vegetables, dried pasta, dehydrated soups, chocolate, milk powder, marmalades, soups, rice and dried beans. Also, have a garden or healthful fruit trees for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Having a variety of foods can be good for morale in difficult situations. Click on the logo below and take a look at the selections Nitro-Pak has to offer. You’ll see several on their home page. Depending on the long term storage food package you purchase, you may get items like Seafood Chowder, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Teriyaki, Chili Mac, Beef Stroganoff and children’s favorites like Spaghetti and super cheesy Macaroni & Cheese.
There’s sure to be a food package to meet your needs in a price range you can afford. You may want to get a supply of freeze dried food that will last one person a year or three months for a family of four, such as Nitro-Pak’s Ultimate Pak. Or you might want to start out with individual #10 cans of something as simple as banana slices. Nitro-Pak offers Mountain House freeze dried food, which is very easy to prepare. Just add water and eat. It repeatedly ranks high in taste tests, too, even among those hard to please, like children.
Nitro-Pak says it’s wise to buy now before prices go up. As you know, anything can happen in the economy these days, but, at the risk of stating the obvious, any financial counselor worth his salt will tell you keeping food on the table is one of your top priorities. Make sure you budget wisely for it.
If you haven’t started putting your storage food pantry together, now is the time. Don’t wait to live through disruptive times like those faced by those in Argentina. The Department of Homeland Security has recommended every family in America have a backup food reserve in case of natural disaster or terrorism. As Survival Sam often reminds me, regardless of what you or I may think of the government these days, if they’re telling us to be prepared, we’d better take their advice.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/12/29/survival-kitchen-who-says-rice-and-beans-is-boring/
Survival Kitchen–Who Says Rice and Beans is Boring?
I don’t know why more people don’t make more out of rice and beans. Now, I know they sound pretty boring when you first think about it, but they’re cheap and can really be good eating. Rice and beans are really very nutritious, too.
When it comes to survival though, my husband Survival Sam says, “who cares about boring. Do you want to live or not?” He doesn’t care if others think it’s boring. I could give him rice topped with a can of kidney beans, and he could eat it for several meals in a row! I know a lot of people aren’t like that though, but I don’t think survival food doesn’t have to make you turn your nose up whenever it’s served. With just a little effort, you can make something plain into something your family will want more of.
There’s an article in the January/February 2009 “Backwoods Home Magazine” I hope you’ll take a look at. It’s got wonderful background information on both rice and beans and includes several recipes, too. If you’re looking for a Hoppin’ John recipe for New Year’s, it’s there.
Gourmet Nutrition with Rice and Beans
by Richard Blunt
Rice and beans represent two of the most important food families in the human diet.
Rice itself is the principal food for more than half of the world’s population. In places like Cambodia and Bangladesh it provides nearly three quarters of the daily nutritional intake.
Read the whole article here:www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/blunt115.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine. www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418
How many times have you gone to a restaurant and had a dish based on rice and beans? More times than you realize, I’ll bet. Somebody there was creative enough to make it enticing for you, and you paid a premium price for it. Well, get a little creative in your own kitchen yourself. Get your family used to the idea of eating rice and beans now. Who says survival food has to be boring?
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/08/29/cooking-for-survival-with-stored-corn/
[video is still on page]
Cooking for Survival with Stored Corn
I’m excited today because I get to introduce the first video posted on John’s blog–with his help, of course! I thought it would be good to start with something about cooking with storage food. In this case, it’s on making sweet corn fritters from ground corn.
Now, I don’t know the man who made this casual video, but if you can spare about ten and a half minutes, you’ll see how to use corn you can grind yourself, along with other ingredients from a supply of stored food. I like the way he encourages you and me to experiment and get familiar with using storage food.
After you’ve watched the video, you might want more ideas on cooking with your storage food. It so happens that a while back, my friend diane and I had a conversation about a book that tells you how to cook with the storage food you’ve set aside. It’s available from Nitro-Pak. Click here to read about it.
http://destinysurvival.com/2008/01/03/cooking-with-storage-food/
Cooking With Storage Food
Survival Sally and Diane were on the phone when Diane raised a question.
“Sally, after our little survival party the other night, Duane’s getting all excited about buying some storage food,” said diane.
“That’s goodd because it’s something you should have,” Sally said.
“Well, I don’t know what to do with it or how to use it if we get some.”
“There’s a really good cookbook you should get called Cooking With Home Storage, by Peggy Layton. It’s a top seller at Nitro-Pak. All you have to do is click on Nitro-Pak’s banner on John’s blog page and search for it by title on their site. This cookbook shows you how to use dehydrated storage food, Meals Ready to Eat, or just regular food in cans. It has over 500 recipes, including some you can make from scratch. It’s sure to give you plenty of ideas.”
Nitro-Pak Emergency Preparedness Center
http://www.nitro-pak.com/
http://destinysurvival.com/2009/01/10/survival-insights-from-the-first-great-depression/
Survival Insights from the First Great Depression
In spite of the fact that many people live longer these days, I don’t know too many who can say they actually lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s and remember enough to tell about it. It’s instructive when someone can tell about it and draw parallels to today’s situation.
The January/February 2009 issue of “Backwoods Home Magazine” has an article from an elderly couple that shares their experience of living through that first Great Depression. Here’s an excerpt.
The Great Depression
A Reminiscence
By Alice B. Yeager and James O. Yeager
Frugal folks often bragged about how many jars of beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, pickles, fruit, etc. they had put away. In addition, they often scoured the local countryside for blackberries, wild plums, muscadines, native pecans, hickory nuts, and anything else considered edible.
Times have changed and, in some ways, our lives have improved since the Great Depression, but there is still a close similarity to our present economic time and the years of “forced frugality.” Loss of jobs and cuts in working hours and pay are very reminiscent of the 1930s. Even my father’s hours were cut back along with those of many other government employees to help employ some of the jobless. Everyone blamed the Republicans and President Herbert C. Hoover for the whole mess just as the past administration caught flak.
Read the whole article here: www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yeager115.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine. www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418
Personally, I believe we’re in a depression. Survival Sam agrees with me. However, I’ll say this. If we’re not in a depression now, we’re rapidly sliding down the slope toward one. Even “The Economist” paper reportedly said recently that we’re closer to depression than recession. Think how long it took officials to acknowledge the recession they say we’ve been in since December ’07. What does it take before the government and the media acknowledge a depression, or will they?