Posted on 09/28/2005 2:57:16 PM PDT by cyborg
Any freepers have some really good ideas/links/sources for sustainable living? Self sufficient living, mountain living,etc.etc. My interests are in living off an organic garden and perhaps a dairy goat to fulfill the occasional craving for raw cheeses. I'm also interested in solar heating and hydroponic growing for the winter time.
Thanks.
you lookin' to go "off the grid" for power?
For inexpensive, intensive (small amounts of land) gardening, Mel Bartholemew's "Square Foot Gardening" is simply the best, IMO.
Consider eating lower on the food chain (16 pounds of vegetable protein, or more, to make 1 pound of animal protein, and vast amounts of water go into animal protein), which is healthier anyway. Although Petronski might not like that suggestion, LOL!
Get the entire "Tightwad Gazette" collection or book on how to save money on just about everything. Not everything will be a good fit for your plans, but there are a lot of good ideas there.
Not completely but I've had an interest in alternative sources of energy. First to save money and second to conserve the environment.
Thanks. I've started a notebook on this and have written all you recommended.
LOL!!!
Yeah he may not like that :-) However, the future FIL hunts deer hehe.
thanks! I really appreciate the info. My notebook is going to be huge.
I work all day, five days a week. I then have lots of money to buy food, clothing, and a large house in the suburbs. I am now 43 years old and I am still alive and sustaining very well.
Certainly a way to do it ;-)
just don't get all liberal on us. ;')
A hearty second to alwaysconservative -- "Square Foot Gardening", which is about the French intensive method, really is a must-read. Another author has a recent book called "Cubic Foot Gardening". Also a must-have IMHO is Louise Riotte's "Carrots Love Tomatoes", an encyclopedia for companion planting.
Storey Publishing
http://www.storey.com/
"Storey's books are exciting and engaging for anyone seeking practical advice and inspiration on do-it-yourself topics from gardening and crafts, to nature, backyard building, cooking, animals, and home enjoyment. Our authors are eager to share their hands-on expertise and down-home wisdom with readers of all ages and interests."
Organic Gardening
http://www.organicgardening.com/
If you two like beans, there are some catalogs which specialize in bean varieties. One kinda hard to find one that's prolific and tasty is the Hutterite bean, named after the ethnic-German religious sect, the Hutterites (followers of Jacob Hutter). Beans germinate in cool moist soil, and so tend to get to producing food quicker than most crops. Also there a lot of different ones, and quite a number of them can be eaten at different times, depending on how long you want to wait and whatnot. The Hutterite looks like a Navy bean (which *isn't* the same as Great Northern) or a Great Northern, but has a slight yellow (or sometimes gray) cast to it.
Have fun.
Whoops... forgot...
The "Three Sisters" method of planting:
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/pathproject/gardening/threesisters.shtml
okay, just one more, then I'm gonna crash.
Dreaming with the Winter Gardening Catalogues-With Pics!
The Kaitlyn Mae Book Blog | 12/28/2004 | Pat Fish
Posted on 12/28/2004 4:23:27 AM PST by Fishtalk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1309474/posts
Thanks. I like to say that I'm a conservative hippie, maybe the only one and the disease is getting progressively worse. Now that I'm working at Whole Foods, it's probably going to go terminal ;-)
Hah. Well a lot of the back to the earth hippie stuff was stolen from good old-fashioned hard-working farming families whose sense of rugged independence, self reliance, faith, patriotism and morals is a bit of a mismatch for the lefties that want to get "back" there. We're just stealing it back. ;)
bump for future read
Self-reliant living, waaaaaaay out in the country somewhere, has been a dream of ours for a long, long time. Right now we're socking away knowledge and savings while moving wherever Uncle Sam sends us. Wish we could have had an enormous farm while the kids were young. That would have been a great life. Still, traveling around the world, seeing places where history was made, making friends from coast to coast (with whom they still keep in touch), and being around our great military heroes every day make for a great childhood, as well. I guess the *grandkids* will have to come spend summers with us "on the farm." ;o)
This is a fascinating topic, I think. If anybody starts a self-reliant ping list, please add me to it!
Hydroponics Online
Simply Hydroponics and Organics Online
Maximum Yield
The Basics from Growing Edge Magazine
Also, a google search will yield backyard tales from all kinds of people who have their own little hydroponic systems set up...quite fun to read!
Amen!
Cyborg, you've already got all my good info tips...but above all is Carla Emery. She is my absolute hero. Don't check her book out from the library...buy it. I go back to it and back to it.
Also, do you plan on canning? If so, download the USDA's "Complete Guide to Home Canning".
Bump for future reference
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