Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

http://gardeningtosurvive.blogspot.com/

Advantages of Raised Bed Gardens

I would have to say the most important advantage is greatly reduced soil compacting. Plant roots need air. In an ordinary garden, you can’t avoid stepping in the garden bed occasionally when doing your everyday gardening. A properly designed raised bed garden allows you to do all you’re gardening from the garden path.
Plants can be spaced a little closer together in a raised bed because you don’t need places to step. This increases productivity per square foot of bed and reduces weeding when the plants begin to mature.
Note: Avoid the temptation to crowd your plants. You will still want to use generous plant spacing because your plants will grow much larger in raised beds.

Raised beds tend to drain away excess moisture better than ordinary garden beds. This is another advantage that helps the plant roots to breath. In areas that have saturated soil like Florida and many areas of the South, raised beds may be the only way you can grow many types of plants.
Soil conditions and types can be controlled more efficiently in a raised bed and they can be varied easily from bed to bed. Raised beds are the answer when topsoil is thin.
Water, fertilizer, compost, mulch, etc. can be applied more carefully because they only need to be applied to the garden beds.
Various studies have shown that raised garden beds produce 1.4 to 2 times as much vegetables and flowers per square foot as ordinary beds, due mainly to the above advantages. You can have a smaller and more manageable garden that produces more vegetables for your table.
Posted by Ron

Container Gardening Tips

I’m a firm believer in container gardening. This type of gardening has many advantages, first you can control the amount of water the plant needs, and if the environment get bad like a storm you can move the plants to a safe place until the storm or whatever passes by. But the best part is you can be right there to watch them grow and develop. Now you want to make sure that your container is deep enough to contain the roots so you want to have enough room for the plant to grow. A good rule of thumb is the roots will grow down about half as far as the plant grows above ground. Another thing is please make sure your containers are clean and free of cleaning products. This will have a profound effect on how your plants do over the season because of the residual effect of cleaners.
I find it useful to use 5 gallon containers to grow most of my plants. This way you know the roots have plenty of room to grow. Be sure to put a layer of gravel on the bottom about one inch high and put about 8 to 10 holes in the bottom of the bucket to assure good drainage for the plant. And use the best soil you can get. I have found that a rich dark brown soil with some moisture makes the best medium for most plants. Before you put the gravel in the bucket make sure you rinse and clean the gravel to make sure it is free of contaminants.
Posted by Ron

http://gardeningtosurvive.blogspot.com/

Survival Gardening

Gardening today is the same as it was 100 years ago. You till the soil then you plant. What do you plant? In some cases you must save seed from the past season. This is Survival Gardening.

Hello, my name is Ron, welcome. This article is about gardening to survive. I hope to teach you on some of the ways to get food and prepare for emergencies that could last for years.

Gardening yourself is the best way to acquire fresh vegetables, because you know how they were grown and you determine if they are grown organically or if you use pesticides to control insects.

Now in a survival situation you may not have the luxury of the normal ways of gardening. So you must make do with what you have. The first thing you need is seed. Remember if you garden be sure to let some of your plants go to seed, or fully mature to a dried up state. And store them in a cool dry place.

Half of surviving is being prepared; if you don’t have the tools to help you survive you will perish. So do what you need to do for your own comfort level.

Now if you actually want to have a survival garden in the woods it must blend in with the landscape, no matter where you are at it must blend in so it will not be stolen. Some things to do are cover the soil with leaves or some type of cover to make them blend in. Now you have to remember exactly where they are at or you may walk right over them yourself. Also don’t leave any trails to your garden and come in from a different direction every time you go there so you don’t leave a trail.

You still want to plant this garden in a remote place where no one will find it. But you also want your garden to be close to where you are. So you can keep an eye on it, and keep it properly watered and also watch the health of your plants. Now make sure your garden gets plenty of sun, this is important for the growth and development of your garden. Make sure you plant this garden in a place where it drains well like on the side of a hill. If you plant it in a low lying area it may trap water and drown your plants. Or be washed away by running water that flows down hill. Just be careful where you plant.

These are just a few things to consider if you ever have to plant in the wild, But be sure to have seed handy even if you have to buy it from a seed company at least you will have seed to survive.
Posted by Ron

[I have had thoughts all night, about where we are headed in the coming depression and how to deal with it.

Ron has written many of my thoughts out already, so I will share his with all of you, note that he posted them at 5:58 am and I read them at 5:53 am 3 months later.

Stay safe my friends and think survival, for we are all going to be tested as never before.

My prayers for each of you and your loved ones,
granny]

Friday, December 25, 2009
The Great Gathering

We are in a unique time on the planet; humanity is now facing a crossroad. The choices we make today will affect our children for generations to come.

By coming together in our hearts, we can and will create the change we want to see in the world. Every day more people are awakening to understand that we must act responsibly and act now to create this change.

How do we begin to make this change with our world facing crisis on so many fronts: financial woes, famine, homelessness, perpetual wars, food shortages, exploitation and disease (to name only a few)? We do have a choice.

We are in the time of choice and human beings around the world are feeling a call to unite and make our voices heard and our actions count. People from the indigenous world to the political are beginning to step forward and speak of this change through action and choice.

There are many indigenous groups, as well as different faiths and beliefs, now sharing prophecies regarding information about this special time on the planet. Within all beliefs there is a similar thread that gives us the same message: we must unite in our hearts in order to overcome the challenges we are now facing on the earth.

What is The Great Gathering? It is the same message of many beliefs from around the world. The message is simple: now is the time for humanity to unite to create the one voice for the people of Earth.

This Great Gathering will be in every country around the world; we will stand together and join our hands, our hearts and our voices. This will create the spark that brings light to the rest of the world and to humanity.

All groups from all directions will join in this celebration of life, of nature, of humanity and all that is.

Neighborhood groups, churches, friends, coworkers, families, corporations that are trying to be responsible, politicians trying to create change, religious leaders, eco-villages, farm associations, truckers, health care workers, humanitarian organizations, educators, laborers, dishwashers, peacekeepers, all races, religions and economic backgrounds (the list is endless) will come together as one in our hearts. Together we will be one voice and change will happen.

In order to begin The Great Gathering we must lay the foundation for this event through our networks of friends and associates. Change starts with the individual taking responsibility. Please send this message to your friends and networks around the world so that once The Great Gathering becomes known around the globe we can then act and call on humanity to join us.

Change and true unity comes from the heart and being humble in our service to the earth and others. We are all connected; this gathering is to remind us that our lives on this earth are a gift to be honored.

We are all equal and we deserve to be heard. The Great Gathering gives us all a voice to say we want change and support change for our children. Through our hearts and unity we can make a difference. Let’s work on making this a reality in 2010—the year of change—by sharing this one idea. Together we will decide when The Great Gathering takes place.

This is how it begins.... with you.......
Posted by Ron at 4:58 AM

http://gardeningtosurvive.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-02-11T15%3A31%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10

Try Pole Beans

Beans are sensitive to cold temperatures and frost. They should be planted after all danger of frost is past in the spring. If the soil has warmed before the average last-frost date, an early planting may be made a week to 10 days before this date. You can assure yourself a continuous supply of snap beans by planting every 2 to 4 weeks until early August.
Plant seeds of all varieties one inch deep. Plant seeds of pole beans 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart along trellis, netting, fence, or poles; or in hills (four to six seeds per hill) 30 inches apart, with 30 inches between rows.
Seeds of most varieties tend to crack and germinate poorly if the soil’s moisture content is too high. For this reason, never soak bean seed before planting. Instead water just after planting or plant right before a heavy rain.
Beans have shallow roots and frequent shallow cultivation and hoeing are necessary to control small weeds and grasses. Because bean plants have fairly weak root systems, deep, close cultivation injures the plant roots, delays harvest and reduces yields.
Harvest when the pods are firm, crisp and fully elongated, but before the seed within the pod has developed significantly. Pick beans after the dew is off the plants, and they are thoroughly dry. Picking beans from wet plants can spread bean bacterial blight, a disease that seriously damages the plants. Be careful not to break the stems or branches, which are brittle on most bean varieties. The bean plant continues to form new flowers and produces more beans if pods are continually removed before the seeds mature.
Posted by Ron

I discovered that the Yard Long Bean or some call it the Asparagus Bean will flower again from the same stem, over and over.

It is simple, cut the bean pod off and leave the stem on the plant, it works.

Most folks jerk the stem off or grab the entire cluster and when you do that, you lost that source forever.

They also grow well in large pots and greenhouses.

granny

http://gardeningtosurvive.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-07T15%3A45%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10

Growing Cucumbers

Cucumber is a tender, warm-season vegetable that produces well when given proper care and protection. The vines of standard varieties grow rapidly and require substantial space. Vertical training methods and new dwarf varieties now allow cucumbers to be grown for slicing, salads and pickling, even in small garden plots.

When to Plant
Cucumbers are usually started by planting seeds directly in the garden. Plant after the danger of frost has passed, and the soil has warmed in the spring. Warm soil is necessary for germination of seeds and proper growth of plants. With ample soil moisture, cucumbers thrive in warm summer weather. A second planting for fall harvest may be made in mid- to late summer.

Cucumbers may be transplanted for extra-early yields. Sow two or three seeds in peat pots, peat pellets or other containers 3 to 4 weeks before the frost-free date. Thin to one plant per container. Plant transplants 1 to 2 feet apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart when they have two to four true leaves. Do not allow transplants to get too large in containers or they will not transplant well. Like other vine crops, cucumbers do not transplant successfully when pulled as bare-root plants.

Spacing & Depth
Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep and thin the seedlings to one plant every 12 inches in the row or to three plants every 36 inches in the hill system. If you use transplants, plant them carefully in warm soil 12 inches apart in the row.

Care
Cucumber plants have shallow roots and require ample soil moisture at all stages of growth. When fruit begins setting and maturing, adequate moisture becomes especially critical. For best yields, incorporate compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Cucumbers respond to mulching with soil-warming plastic in early spring or organic materials in summer. Use of black plastic mulch warms the soil in the early season and can give significantly earlier yields, especially if combined with floating row covers.

Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the plants begin to vine. Cucumber beetles should be controlled from the time that the young seedlings emerge from the soil.

In small gardens, the vines may be trained on a trellis or fence. When the long, burpless varieties are supported, the cucumbers hang free and develop straight fruits. Winds whipping the plants can make vertical training impractical. Wire cages also can be used for supporting the plants. Do not handle, harvest or work with the plants when they are wet.

Harvesting
Pick cucumbers at any stage of development before the seeds become hard. Cucumbers usually are eaten when immature. The best size depends upon the use and variety. They may be picked when they are no more than 2 inches long for pickles, 4 to 6 inches long for dills and 6 to 8 inches long for slicing varieties. A cucumber is of highest quality when it is uniformly green, firm and crisp. The large, burpless cucumbers should be 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and up to 10 inches long. Some varieties can grow considerably larger. Do not allow cucumbers to turn yellow. Remove from the vine any missed fruits nearing ripeness so that the young fruits continue to develop. The cucumber fruit grows rapidly to harvest size and should be picked at least every other day.
Posted by Ron

http://gardeningtosurvive.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-07T15%3A45%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10

Boiling Water for Safe Consumption

I frequently come upon bad advice about boiling water to make it safe to drink. Having enough safe drinking water is of utmost importance to any survivor. Proper information is very important and for that reason I am writing this is to set the record straight.

Boiling Water is the Best Method
As some of us know, boiling water is surest and most effective method of destroying microorganisms including disease causing bacteria, viruses, protozoan’s, and parasites.

Modern filtering devices and the chemical treatment of water come in a poor distant second to the ancient and almost foolproof method of boiling water to make it safe to drink. And importantly to the survivor, the boiling of water requires no special apparatus, training, or difficult to find chemicals. The means to boil water for safe drinking are usually close at hand:
•A source of heat
•A vessel to hold the water.

How Long Should Water be Boiled

I am always hearing different amounts of time that water needs to be boiled to kill disease organisms. Recently I perused various publications put out by the government and trusted health organizations. What is glaringly obvious is they disagree on the length of time water should be boiled to make it safe to drink.
Common water boiling times that are stated include:

•“Boil water for 10 minutes” is a common statement
•“5-minutes of boiling” is also frequently heard
•“Boil the water for 20 minutes”. Would there be any left?
•“A rolling boil for 1 minute”. Is it enough?
•“When at high altitudes you need to boil water for twice as long”

Which of the above statements are true?
None. That’s right. Following any of the above advice for the boiling times of water is a big waste of fuel (and a waste of water if you are short on water and cannot afford to lose any to evaporation).

Throughout the world whole forests have been cut down for firewood in order to boil drinking water. Hikers and mountaineers have used up precious fuel boiling water for inordinate amounts of time. In a survival situation you cannot afford to waste valuable resources and energy. With all the bad advice around, many thousands of trees and other fuels and a huge amount of effort have been wasted.

Correct Water Boiling Time
The correct amount of time to boil water is 0 minutes. Thats right, zero minutes.

“According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes. So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C) from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude.”

What is not well known is that contaminated water can be pasteurized at temperatures well below boiling. The fact is, with a water temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F (74 C) it takes just half an hour for all disease causing organisms to be inactivated. At 185 degrees this is cut to just a few minutes. By the time water hits its boiling point of 212 F (100 C) - plus or minus depending upon pressure or altitude - the water is safe. Even at high altitudes the time it takes for the water to reach a rolling boil and then cool means you can safely drink it.

Lacking a thermometer to measure water temperature, you only need to get your water to a rolling boil. By that point you know the water is hot enough and that the disease organisms in your water were destroyed quite some time earlier. End of story, turn off the heat. Stop wasting fuel. Let the water cool down. Your water is safe to drink!
Posted by Ron

It’s time to get into Survival Mode

In today’s environment it’s hard to know what Emergency may occur and disrupt our daily lives. With the different kinds of challenges we may have to face, wouldn’t it be better to be ready just in case.

We hear on the news daily about some disaster happening in the world. From earthquakes, wild fires, flooding, tornados, hurricanes, terrorism. This is a slogan I heard a while back that goes, “It’s better to be years early than to be a minute too late”. Because once something happens, you most likely will not be able to get prepared. It Will be Too Late. Are you willing to risk the safety of your family?

At American Survivalist we believe that it is part of our heritage to be ready and watchful for any kind of emergency in our Communities, our State, and our Country. This country has a lot of history that of which it was founded on and now the next chapter is about to be written. So what I say to you is how ready do you want to be. There is no getting ready when you are quarantined in your home.
Posted by Ron

http://americansurvivalist.org/default.aspx

Sells survival supplies, store is not known to me.....granny

Rose Hip Jelly
All roses produce fruit. Rose flowers, like cherry flowers, mature into a sweet fleshy seed filled fruit after pollination. Even the modern carpet roses have fruit bred down to a scant pea size, but they are indeed still there. The reason that so few people recognize rose fruit is that we cut the flowers off before they have a chance to pollinate and form seed.

Rose fruits are called hips. Each kind of rose produces hips of a slightly different size and shape. Some, like rugosa roses, create hips shaped like pumpkins but the size of a shooter marble. Those of old-fashioned eglantine are more football shaped. Modern hybrid tea roses produce great big hips like rugosas but round like a basketball.

Rosa rugosa cultivars produce the fleshiest hips of all Hips start out green as the seed develops inside. With the short days and cold nights of autumn they ripen to bright red, orange or purple. The color tells you when it’s ripe. A ripe hip will feel soft to the touch because it’s composed of sugar-rich flesh that surrounds the seeds. Rose seeds are packed inside the flesh with a mass of hair like-fibers at the center. Nature’s strategy is to lure wild animals to eat rose hips, then carry them far from the mother plant in their stomach. Eventually they are deposited elsewhere. Thus the species is distributed.

The flesh of the rose hip is one of the most vitamin rich foods in the world. Ounce for ounce, rose hip pulp contains more Vitamin C than citrus. Added to that is a medicine chest of beta carotene, bioflavinoids, calcium, citrates, citric acid, iron malates, malic acid, niacin, phosphorus and vitamins A, B1, B2, E, K. It’s no wonder they’ve been adding rose hips to Vitamin C for years, and that virtually every culture in the northern hemisphere has used the fruit for medicine. Rose hip tea is a super cold-fighting drink.

Green rose hips are filled with developing seeds To lay in a store of rose hips at the end of your garden season, stop pruning the roses in late summer. This allows the last flush of bloom to pollinate and fruit with enough time to mature before the cold weather. It may not make your autumn roses look that great, but you’ll get a much better harvest.

You can preserve your rose hips by freezing or by cooking up a good batch of rose hip jam. Rose hips contain a naturally high level of fruit pectin so you might not need store-bought pectin to make the rose hip jam. Rose hips can also be mixed into other fruit jams to enhance flavor and vitamin content.

It’s important to wait until after the first good frost to harvest your rose hips. To make rose hip jam, first gather four cups of ripe hips in a basket and remove residual stems and the calix cleanly. Wash them thoroughly to remove any dust or bugs. Then boil them in four cups water with three tablespoons lemon juice for a half hour or until very soft. This breaks down the rose hip so you can separate out the seeds and fibers from the flesh.

Rose hips still on the dormant rose twig. Use a coarse sieve to press the boiled rose hips through to remove the seeds. Then use a finer sieve to separate the fibers. The result is pure rose hip flesh.

Return the juice and pulp to the boiling pan and stir in two cups of sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer until it reaches 220 degrees. Turn off heat and ladle into sterilized canning jars.

Soon you can begin spot bright red wild rose hips in abandoned fields and hedgerows. Beware of gathering along roads where herbicides may have been used. If you are a gardener, why not taste that fruit you’ve so rigorously pruned away and discover the healthy rewards of letting your roses go to seed.

Fresh rose hips make an easy but delicious jelly. You should be able to find pectin wherever canning supplies are sold, usually available in most major grocery stores.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 quarts ripe rose hips
2 quarts water
1 package pectin crystals
5 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
Preparation:
Simmer rose hips in water until soft. Crush to mash, and strain through a jelly bag. Should make about 4 cups of rose hip juice.

Add to juice, lemon juice and pectin crystals and stir until mixture comes to a hard boil. Stir sugar in at once. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove jelly from heat and skim off foam with metal spoon.

http://www.pioneerliving.net/chuckwagonchow.htm

http://www.pioneerliving.net/useandreuse.htm

Use and Re-Use - Mason Jars

I think most of us have heard of mason jars. They are mainly used for canning to preserve food.

Here are a few uses for empty jars sitting on the shelf waiting to be used for next years harvest:

* My favorite, Store emergency water, you can never have too much emergency water.

* Use them for leftovers.

* Use as drinking glasses. We have been doing this for years. I think most of my friends think that we can’t afford drinking glasses.

* Useful when making homemade sour cream. (Recipe on our Chuckwagon Chow Page )

* Useful when making homemade butter.

* ½ pint wide jars can be used to start your vegetable seeds indoors then transplant your plants into the garden after the last frost.

* They make a great country vase for fresh cut flowers out of the garden.

* We store dried goods in them as well, dried herbs, dried onions, dried leaks, and dried tomatoes to name a few.

* In regards to the mason jar lids, don’t throw them away after only one use. You can use them more 2 or 3 times while canning and they will seal just fine. The seals and rings should last for years to come when storing water or dry goods in.

Use and Re-Use - Plastic Milk, Water, Juice Bottles

How many plastic jugs and bottles do you throw away every year? I didn’t know the answer to this question either. Until I started re-using them. Now I can answer, almost none.

Here are some re-use ideas for all this plastic:

* My favorite again, Storing Emergency Water. After you have consumed what was in your plastic jug or bottle simply wash, rinse with hot water and fill with water. You never know when the extra water will be needed.

* Re-use your personal size plastic water bottles. Don’t keep buying more. How long do you think a plastic bottle will last? I have read that they last a pretty long time in the landfills.

* Carefully cut plastic milk jugs, plastic water bottles, juice bottles in half to start your seeds indoors for transplanting the seedlings in the garden after the first frost.

* Use the tops you cut off of gallon milk jugs as a portable greenhouse for your delicate seedlings after transplanting into the garden. Just to keep them warm at night until they have established themselves.

* Freeze water in smaller plastic bottles to use in your ice chest. Do not drink the water that has been frozen in the bottles as there have been studies suggesting it is not safe to drink the water once frozen in the plastic.

* Use the larger clean jugs/bottles for storing chicken, rabbit, goat, and duck feed to prevent rodents from eating the feed out of the open sacks in the feed barn. Storing the feed this way also makes it easy when it comes feeding time for the animals.

* Use the bottom half of plastic gallon milk/water jugs as feeders for your small farm animals. (These work well for chickens and ducks, however, in our experience rabbits and goats tend to start eating the plastic once they have finished their meal.

http://www.pioneerliving.net/number1investment2009.htm

Pioneer Living’s No. 1 Investment Pick For 2009

And Still Our No. 1 Investment Pick for 2010

Number 1 investment for 2009? Your answer should be…..”Food”. Hundreds of thousands of Americans and people around the world lost their job’s these past few years. Are you prepared if you suddenly lost your job?

Are you prepared for hard economical times? Are you prepared for a possible natural disaster? Are you prepared should you get sick or hurt and unable to work? Could you feed your family if any of these things were to happen to you? These are questions everyone should be asking themselves.

The majority of Americans are not prepared. They might be able to last a couple of weeks or maybe a month if some type of hardship were to strike them.

Unfortunately, many people feel caught up in a rat race that will not allow a garden or stocking up on food and necessary everyday living supplies. “I don’t have the time”, “I don’t have the room”, “I don’t know how”, I don’t have enough money to do this”, are common excuses for not digging in the dirt, and not planning for the future unknown.

Our grandparents, great-grandparents and those before them would fill their pantries and cellars from harvest to harvest only going to town or the city to purchase small amounts of supplies once a month, or even only a few times a year.

Our ancestors grew most of their own food. Cattle, hogs, chickens, rabbits were butchered. In the Fall brine cured and stored in the cellar. Garden vegetables were canned, root vegetables were buried in the root cellar and garlic, leeks and onions were hung in the cellar to dry. Fruits were preserved as well as berries preserved into jams, jellies and syrups. Our ancestors were prepared for the future unknown.

With all the modern day conveniences available to us today it is easy to get what we want, when we want it but at what cost? How old are the foods you are buying? Where does the food you buy come from? How was it grown, with pesticides? Is the food you buy safe for your family to eat? Will the local grocery store even have the shelves stocked tomorrow? Many studies have been done regarding the benefits of growing and preserving your own food. We would all do well to continue the preparedness practice just as our ancestors did before us.

There are 31 million Americans now on food stamps and probably standing in line at the local food banks so they can feed their families. Have that many people actually forgotten how to care for their families? What happens if the government stops giving out food stamps? What happens when there is no more food donations to your local food bank? It seems the answer for most of these people would be “they would starve.”

It really doesn’t matter whether you live in the city, the suburbs or the country. You can grow part or all of your own fresh nutritional food. It really doesn’t matter if you are a millionaire or a minimum wage worker, you can stock up on necessary food and supplies should you fall on hard times or a disaster hits your area.

Don’t you think it is about time you start gaining the knowledge and put in to practice what our ancestors knew and practiced every day before it is too late? Going back to basics and reclaim your freedom.

There are many resources available for each and every human being to be able to gain the knowledge of basic human survival: Water, Food and Shelter.

In researching several sources it was astounding to me the amount of food it would take for one person to survive for one year. How much does one person eat in a year? “Food for thought” so to speak.

Below is a basic preparedness list of what it would take to feed one person for one year. This list has been compiled from several different sources and can be varied. Just make sure if you substitute an item that you substitute it with comparable nutritional value.

[Note: there is a good chart on the lifetime of foods and amounts of dehydrated foods to store...

This is a site that needs further digging in....

granny]

http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz/node/1105

GARDENING TO SURVIVE THE ECONOMICAL DOWN TURN by Wally Richards
Daryl’s picture
Submitted by Daryl on 4 November 2008 - 9:53pm

* food growing
* Local news
* news

GARDENING TO SURVIVE THE ECONOMICAL DOWN TURN
The world economic situation is in a upheaval and by the looks of things it is only going to get worse.
At this time in New Zealand things are not too bad as yet, so as we used to say, ‘Make hay while the sun shines’
There are two aspects to growing your own food to be more self-sufficient, these are the short term and the long term. For instance on the short term you can plant out a few lettuces and some silverbeet and be eating the maturing plants in a matter of weeks. On the other hand when we plant a young citrus or fruit tree we are looking at a few years before we can gather good harvests.
When I was a lad, I grew up with my grandparents and mother on a section that had an abundance of fruiting plants and vegetables along with chickens. With the eggs, vegetables and fruit we could have survived fairly well if the need arose. Money was tight also in those times, for our little family, but our outgoings for other food stuffs was minimal. Only a few items needed to be purchased such as flour, sugar, milk and butter etc. We did a lot of baking and preserving to utilize the abundance of produce available from the garden, all of which was nourished by chicken manure.
Back then there was no fridges or deep freezers, only a porous concrete container for keeping some perishable items cooler. (It was a concrete box with a concrete door measuring about 30 cm wide and 50cm tall, you placed water in the cavity at the top which would seep through the concrete and evaporate causing the interior to be cool.)
Nothing was wasted on the principal of ‘waste not, want not,’ left overs, vegetable trimmings and weeds would go to the chickens and we would gain fresh eggs every day.
A real treat would be to kill and roast a pullet for Xmas dinner or a special occasion.
Because of limited room not everyone can have a small chook house and run, for half a dozen chickens but for anyone that does, they are a great investment to ensure you have food in times of need or to reduce your cost of food purchases.
The alternative for those that cant have chickens would be to install a worm farm to take care of your kitchen scraps and supply free worm casts and worm pee for fertilising your vegetable crops.
I have a combination of both, two worm farms and a dozen chickens that can free range part of the section. Both sources supply free, high quality organic material for the fruit trees and vegetable crops.
On the long term you can purchase fruit trees and fruiting plants and get them started for future harvests.
If and when times get really tough, then potential home buyers will be looking for established food gardens in preference to ornamental gardens, so you can be adding a lot of value to your section and home.
Raised gardens are far better than the old method of digging up garden plots for vegetable production.
A raised garden can be made from concrete blocks, timber or roofing iron. A raised garden never gets walked on, instead you just tend it from the sides which removes the need for tilling the soil.
Weeds are not such a problem either as the higher the raised garden, the less chance of weed seeds blowing in. What weeds that do come up, are simply cut off just below ground level while small, then left laying on the soil to decompose.
My recent book, ‘Wallys Green Tips for Gardeners’ gives the information about building raised gardens, also on our web site there are past articles on the subject. see www.gardenews.co.nz
On the short term aspect anyone can grow a few vegetables that are quick to mature and great for your health and wallet. Any container that is between 18 to 30cm deep is sufficient to grow most crops, the length and width will determine how many can be grown.
For instance; polystryne boxes that are often given away free from supermarket fish departments are ideal for a whole range of vegetables. Drill some holes in the base for drainage and fill them with a purchased compost that is friable and weed free. Here is what I do; I fill to about half full the box, with compost and then place a layer of animal manure such as chook manure or alternatively blood & bone with sheep manure pellets. For additional minerals I then sprinkle a little Rok Solid mineral dust and Ocean Solids. This is then covered with more compost to within about 20mm to the top rim of the box.
If you have any worms place a few into the mix as these will also supply extra food and keep the mix open.
Now it is ready to sow seeds or plant seedlings. You can get 6 lettuces in a tray at nice spacing or 8 silverbeet plants, 10-12 spinach, about the same number of dwarf bean seeds, about 20 or more beetroot seeds, numerous carrot or parsley seeds, a good crop of onion seed, a lot of spring onion seeds, a number of yams, 6 medium or mini size cabbages, or other brassicas and half a dozen strawberry plants.
Then in tubs of about 20 litres, one dwarf type tomato plant, one zuchinni, two staked cucumbers, half a dozen staked climbing beans, a couple of pumpkins, 4 sweet corn seeds. ( Every type as suggested in separate 20 litre containers.) Plant most in a double row halfway between the sides and the middle.
Buckets can be used to grow potatoes at one seed per bucket.
Larger containers such as 40 to 100 litres can be used to grow tall type tomato plants such as Beefsteak.
Also plastic rubbish tins of 75 to 100 litres are ideal for a range of fruit trees including all citrus, Fejioa Unique, a tamarillo and most other fruiting trees or bushes.
200 litre plastic or steel drums can be cut in half to provide two 100 litre containers or cut down the middle, long ways, to give a good size planting bed.
Plastic children’s paddling pools are also ideal and often don’t cost much from plastic shops.
Once you get your plants up and away, a two weekly spray of Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) will make for healthier plants and bigger crops.
Having your own vegetables fresh straight out of the garden will not only save you money but it will greatly improve your diet.
Commercially grown vegetables lack goodness and carry chemical residues from all the chemicals used in their growth. The commercial produce is also becoming much more expensive to buy because the cost of fertilisers, chemical sprays and transport have all increased markedly.
They are not fresh as we are lead to believe, in most cases they are at least a couple of days old from harvest to supermarket shelves.
Vegetables and fruit grown naturally in your own back yard and picked for the table as required will make a healthy difference to your body.
You can be self sufficient to a degree and if one day the supermarket does not open its doors, you can fall back on what you have stored and grown. Better to be safe than sorry.
Problems ring me at 0800 466464 (Palmerston North 3570606)
Email wallyjr@gardenews.co.nz
Web site www.gardenews.co.nz

http://www.albertahomegardening.com/can-a-pvc-pipe-greenhouse-survive-a-canadian-winter/

The Winner of the 2009 Tomato Awards Is… Sweet Cluster!
My Hoop-Frame Greenhouse In the Snow

Can A PVC Pipe Greenhouse Survive A Canadian Winter?

December 12th, 2009 in Projects | 5 Comments »

It’s December 12 in Central Alberta. Last week brought a lovely little blizzard with high winds and a whole pile of snow and this weekend we are looking forward to -35°C. Yup, must be winter. So, I figured it would be a great time to check on my little greenhouse. You know the one – the hoopframe greenhouse I made out of PVC pipes and covered with woven poly. Some people weren’t sure it would stand up the the wind and the snow and the cold temperatures, but I was confident. Mostly. So I ventured out in the -29.9°C weather this morning to see how well things were standing up. Here’s what it looked like:

Greenhouse in December Not bad so far. How about the inside? One of the biggest concerns is that the pvc pipes would snap or would bend under the weight of the snow. One nice thing is that Alberta snow tends to be pretty dry, so it’s not usually as heavy as the snow in other parts of the country. Regardless, it can still be pretty heavy when piled up. Well, here’s the inside.

Greenhouse in December Things are holding up well. Nothing has snapped, there is no major bending going on – all is bright and well. And, for an added bonus (for what it’s worth), it was -18.7°C inside while -29.9°C outside. Still really cold – but certainly a wide spread (and this only at 10am – by 2pm it should be significantly warmer from the sun).

So I must say I am pleased. I think this greenhouse is my best to date and I am excited to get some plants started out there earlier than I ever have before! I’ll keep you updated!
Update at 1:00pm later that day:

Ok, now it’s just -27°C outside, but a scorching -10°C inside! That’s 17 degrees people! Does that not impress you? I does me. I’ll have tomatoes in February!… Well, that might be a little wishful thinking…
Other Articles You May Be Interested In

* A Texas-Style Hoop Frame PVC Pipe GreenHouse
* My Hoop-Frame Greenhouse In the Snow
* An Inexpensive, Hail Proof, PVC Pipe Greenhouse
* How To Keep Your Grapevines Alive Through The Winter
* Seven Essentials to Growing Tomatoes

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5 Responses to “ Can A PVC Pipe Greenhouse Survive A Canadian Winter? ”

1. # 1 Adam Says:
December 12th, 2009 at 7:05 pm

winter was a major concern when i was considering building this earlier in the year. this post definitely inspires me to try it next season.
2. # 2 Mads Says:
December 15th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

Now it’s for sure I’m building one next spring!
3. # 3 claire Says:
December 16th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

have you seen this book? the author uses double layers of this kind of structure (so another greenhouse/row cover inside the greenhouse, basically..) to create huge differences in temp and extend the season. amazing. I can’t wait to try this next year.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=QMHdDgkRjDkC&lpg=PP1&dq=four%20season%20harvest&client=firefox-a&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

http://www.albertahomegardening.com/17-hardy-fruits-that-you-can-grow-on-the-prairies/

17 Hardy Fruits That You Can Grow On The Prairies

March 2nd, 2008 in Commentary | 31 Comments »

When I was a kid growing up in central Alberta, I was pretty sure that all good fruit came out of B.C. True, I we had raspberries and strawberries on the farm, but apples, plums, cherries, grapes and the like where all “exotic” fruit that simply didn’t grow in Alberta. How mistaken I was! Or at least, how things have changed! I never would have thought that I could be growing plums, grapes and kiwis just outside of Red Deer, Alberta. But it’s true. There is a whole world of hardy fruit plants that can survive and even thrive on the northern prairies.

Grape Vines

So if you’re looking to grow some “exotic” fruit of your own, here’s my list of 17 hardy fruits that you can grow on the prairies.
1. Cherries

The University of Saskatchewan has really done great work in making cherries a viable prairie fruit. I now know of at least 10 varieties that are available. (I personally have 7 varieties.)
2. Haskap/Honeyberries

This fantastic fruit is amazing! Consider this… Can withstand -47 degree weather, ready for picking by the end of June, can produce 7 kgs of fruit per bush, and tastes great! Take a look at this article I wrote about haskap earlier.
3. Grapes

Yup, that’s right. Grapes in Alberta. Valient is the most common variety, but there are others as well. I’ve had mine for two years now, so I’ll be looking forward to my first harvest soon.
4. Plums

Pembina is the most common, but I’ve found about ten other varieties around.
5. Kiwis

This one blew me away when I heard about it. Kiwis in Canada. Go figure.
6. Blueberries

Perhaps the world’s favorite berry. You too can grow them.
7. Strawberries

Mmmmmm. Strawberries… Perhaps another one of the world’s favorite berries.
8. Raspberries

Despite all the “exotic” fruit I’ve mentioned, I’m afraid the plain ol’ raspberry is my favorite. Red, yellow, or black – wild or tame… They are delicious!
9. Hazelnuts

Nor really sure it’s a fruit, but close enough.
10. Apricots

I haven’t yet planted any yet, but the nursery just north of me is growing them.
11. Chums

Cherry plum, that is.
12. Pears

There are a few good varieties out there with more being developed!
13. Saskatoons

One of the few fruits native to Alberta. Also called service berries.
14. Gooseberry

Much better than the wild kind you ate green as a kid.
15. Cranberries

Why not my your own cranberry sauce this year?
16. Currants

Great for jams and jellies.
17. Apples

Not just crab, but there are all kinds of apples that are hardy enough for the prairies.

So there you have it. Proof that you don’t have to live in California to grow your own fruit. Did I miss some? Let me know!

You can find all of these fruits at either DNA Gardens or T & T Seeds.

http://hubpages.com/hub/33foodstoditchfromyourtrolley

34 Foods To Swap For Healthier Alternatives
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1- ICEBURG LETTUCE. Contains less fibre and fewer vitamins and minerals than you’d expect..Swap for watercress which has more iron, calcium and vitamin c.

2- CREAM CHEESE. With 440 calories and 48 gram fat in 100g its more fattening than most other cheeses.... Swap for Edam which has around 335 calories and 25 calorie’s per 100 grams.

3- WHITE BREAD. Its high glycemic index means you’ll crave more carbs as your blood sugar plummets....Swap for Granary bread, With three times more fibre and a lower GI, its better for your waist line and digestion.

4-SMOKED SALMON. A 50g serving provides 2.4g salt, that’s more than a third of the daily recommended salt for an adult... Swap for canned pink as it has 0.7g of salt in a 50g serving.

5-SAUSAGE ROLLS. packed with calorie’s, fat and trans fats.. If the pastry includes hydrogenated vegetable fat or oil as an ingredient, which are thought to be as harmful to heart health as saturates... Swap for chicken drumsticks which are lower in fat and calories and provides more protein.

6. BOMBAY MIX . Contains fewer calories and less fat than regular crisps-just...Swap for pretzels which are lower in calories and fat.

7. CELERY. Low in naturally occurring plant chemicals called flavanoids that act as antioxidants. Swap for red onions which add flavour to dishes plus flavornoids that act as antioxidants

8. SALAMI. Just three slices provide 14g fat and 1.6 g salt- a very unhealthy choice of cheese topping..Swap for lean ham which has just 1g fat and 1g salt in three slices.

9.SOUR CREAM DIPS. Contains around 400 calories and 40g fat in 100g...Swap for salsa which contains only 40g calories and 0.5g of fat in 100g

10. GREEN PEPPERS..unlike orange and red peppers there much lower in antioxidant beta-carotene...Swap for red peppers as they contain 14 times more beta-carotene and just half a red pepper provides most woman with 88 percent-of there daily vitamin needs.

11..DANISH PASTRIES.. A large one contains a massive 620 calories, 25g fat 15g saturates and 51g sugar..Swap for wholemeal scones as they contain a quarter of the calories and fat and a seventh of the saturates.

12.. STREAKY BACON..Its difficult to remove the visible fat from streaky bacon as its spread throughout the meat-one grilled rasher provides 5.4g fat. Swap for lean back bacon(with the fatty rind snipped off).One rasher contains 3.1g fat.

13.. ANCHOVES..Just four tiny fillets from ajar provides 1.8g salt, almost a third of 6g maximum adults should have in a day.

14.GARLIC BREAD.. A quarter of a garlic baguette contains around 160 calories. Swap for fresh granary baguettes as they contain less fat and fewer calories for an equal sized serving, plus more fibre.

15. DRIED APRICOTS.The drying process concentrates the natural sugars- an 80g serving provides 29g sugars.Swap for fresh apricots-two provides just 7g sugars and no additives.

16. KORMA COOKING SAUCE. provides far more fat than other Indian cooking sauces thanks to high fat coconut content..Swap for rogan josh sauce which is based on tomatos and lower in fat.

17. PUFF PASTRY.. Contains around 375 caleroies, 25g fat and 12g saturates in 100g

18. CRISPS. The high fat and salt content is combined with very few nutritents.Swap for unsalted nuts as they contain heart healthy monounsaturates and nutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamin E and B vitamins.

19 SUNFLOWER OIL..Packed with polyunsaturated fats but its not very rich in monounsaturates, the true heart healthy heroes. Swap for olive oil which is loaded with monounsaturates, the type of fat that helps matian a good cholesterol.

20 TARAMSALATA.. As dips go, this one has the highest caleroies and fat contents with 100g providing 445 calories and 47g fat..Swap for Tzatziki which has 65 calories and only 5g fat.

21.HASH BROWNS ..Around 200 calories and 9g fat in 100g..Swap for reduced fat oven chips which have 125 caleroies and 3.5g fat in 100 g.

22 COD.. Supplies of cod in the seas around the British isles are running low due to climate changes and over fishing.Swap for haddock which is just as tasty and has more sustainable stocks.

23 CLOTTED CREAM.. Loaded with saturates. 11.9g in two level tea spoons. Swap for single cream. it has 3.5 g saturates in two table spoons.

24 WHITE RICE.. There’s little fibre and fewer vitamins and minerals than brown rice.. Swap for brown rice as this contains five times more fibre and more vitamin E and B vitamins.

25. HONEYDEW MELON..Poorer source of nutrients than you may think..Swap for canteloupe melon which contains 21 times more beta carotene and three times more vitamin C..

26 CREME FRAICHE. A Heaped tablespoon has 170 calories, 18g fat and 12g saturates..Swap for fat free fromage frais as this has only 22 caleroies and no fat in a heaped table spoon

27.RICE CAKES. They have a high glycemic index and little fibre so wont fill you up..Swap for-oatcakes which are more filling plus contains soluble fibre, which may lower raised cholesterol levels.

28. QUICHE..High in fat, saturates and salt.Swap for pizza, the dough base is usually low in fat and mozzarella is used in place of fattening cheddar.

29. COLESLAW..The mayonnaise content means just one table contain 115 calories and 12g fat.Swap for bean salad which has almost half the calories and a third of the fat..

30. CORNFLAKES.They are low in fibre providing around 1g fibre in a 30g serving ..Swap for bran-flakes as they have only 4.5g fibre in a 30g serving.

31..PORK PIES..One pork pie provides more than 500 calories and 36g fat..Swap for mini scotch eggs-three contains 180 calories and 14g fat.

32.PINEAPPLE JUICE.. Doesn’t provide as many antioxidants as other fruit juices..Swap for pomegranates juice which is packed with flavonoids that may keep the heart healthy

33 NAAN BREAD..A large supermarket naan can contain up to 400 calories and 7g fat..Swap for tortilla wraps which have 150 calories and only 2g fat..

34...Umm, errrr, I forgot!!:D.

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