Starting Seeds Indoors

A huge number of you (166) voted in last weeks poll which asked if you would be planting a vegetable garden this year. Overwhelmingly, 71 will be increasing the size, while an additional 45 will at least be keeping it the same. I was thrilled to see so many that were going to give it a try for the first time!

If you're just starting out, keep your expectations reasonable and jump in there and try some easy to grow items such as radishes, sugar snap peas, zucchini, and of course, the beloved tomato. It will give you confidence while getting your feet wet (or shall we say, your fingernails a bit dirty?). And hopefully, you can get some great tips from other bloggers, either here or on their own blogs.

Because of our ground squirrel problem (and moles, etc.), in the past I've stuck to gardening in raised beds with chicken wire on the bottom. I'll still be using these, but this year, I am going to increase the size, planting right in the ground. With the economy and our house for sale, I don't want to spend more money on raised beds right now, but I feel the need to increase the amount of food we grow. I'm hoping that the cats have now gotten the pests under control somewhat. They killed a lot of the little critters last year!


My growing season on the mountain is a little shorter than most areas, so starting seeds early indoors is really helpful. Recently, I spent a bit of cash to purchase some grow lights to start seedlings indoor because last year I went crazy running them around from window to window. Since the shelving and lights are portable, if we move I will still have my investment for the next homestead. 

My husband opted for these metal shelves because they could be reused for many things during the year out in the garage (hope I get them back next season!). A simple dowel will allow us to raise the lights as needed when the plants get taller. These could certainly be constructed out of scrap wood, too! 


Here's what I'll be doing today as I homeschool... making paper pots for planting.

You don't need a little wood pot maker. You can use a can or any other cylinder shaped item in your home and Thy Hand Hath Provided has an excellent tutorial on how to make these. I just love the fact that you can recycle paper to make them and that they compost right in your garden. I've tried the peat pots, but it seems they are almost too thick and the pots hinder my roots a bit. Perhaps they work better for others, but the newspaper pots are my favorite so far.


If you've never heard of soil blockers, you might want to watch this short video over at You Tube to see how to make blocks out of soil without any container. You must make an initial investment in the soil block maker, but it's a really practical option for those growing a lot of seeds, like for a small farm.


Jill M. Nicolaus has posted a series of 5 articles on Seed Starting 101 over at the Dave's Garden website. If you're new to seed starting,  you've had trouble in the past, or if you just need a refresher, I recommend reading through these before you begin. Her information is really good!


So, I better get to making pots. Don't forget this week's poll. And I'd love to hear your favorite seed starting tip!

It's Sunday...

 ^"He only is my rock and my salvation,
         My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
         The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
         Pour out your heart before Him;
         God is a refuge for us." Selah.
                   - Psalm 62:6-8

May God be your refuge today.

Blogging Bee #3

I want to give a warm welcome to all the new followers this week! What a blessing to have each and every one of you as part of the Homestead Revival and for your wonderful comments! It has encouraged me greatly to know that so many women are reclaiming the home and land! In the past I've tried to send a personal welcome message to each person, but it hasn't been possible this week. I want you to know that I see you there! And many of you have been great to leave comments! Thank you because it helps everyone get more out of the discussion when you do.

So let's move on to the Blogging Bee this week! There are three steps to this fun event:


1) Write a post telling something(s) you learned this week from another blog that is worth passing on. 


2) Grab the graphic above and link back to Homestead Revival. 


3) Come back and add your name to Mr. Linky below.  


Then idea is that others can find all that good information and great blogs will get recognized! So pick your favorites and join in the Bee!


Amy's Picks


This week didn't leave me as much time as I like for reading other blogs, but I did come across a few gems...


Kendra wrote a very heart felt post on her Second Biggest Homestead Mistake over at New Life On A Homestead. You must read this! It's right along the path of what I've been talking about in prepping basics. And she deserves a bit of encouragement for going out on a limb writing such an honest, but helpful piece.


Sarah over at 8 Muddy Boots posted on making her own pre-made mixes for things like brownies. This would come in handy if you need desserts quickly. Just substitute whole wheat flour and sucanat and stick it in your freezer till you need it. These could be made for any number of things you like to bake and it wouldn't take very long. Just don't be tempted to make them too often! 


Tammy posted an incredible clip from The Natural History of the Chicken on her Flat Creek Farm blog. When she says have tissues ready, she isn't kidding! My two little girls watched it with me and let me just say... they are now taking their chicken duty a bit more seriously!


Tomorrow I have the house mostly to myself (daughter #1 will be helping me around here), so I hope to take a few breaks and read blogs. I'd love to see what you found this week!

Prepping 101

Did I mention that I write these prepping blogs as much for me as anyone out in cyber space? I mean, no one in my family was ever a prepper and only until a few years ago did I seriously consider this. Hmmm... does Y2K ring a bell for anyone? 


While we didn't have a world-wide collapse on January 1, 2000, many have thrown in the towel and said "Never again" because they felt like fools preparing for something that didn't actually happen. But honestly, we should be thanking the Lord that He spared us from our own foolishness - an overall attitude and mindset that we will always have what we want when we want it! 

Photo Credit: mellowynk

There will always be those who fail to prepare and have an arrogant attitude that food will always be there when they need or want it. On the flip side, there will always be those who will prepare, but as if they are going to "cheat death" or avoid ever being in need. The last time I posted on prepping, I spent quite a bit of time looking at the folly of both (See The Spiritual Aspects of Prepping Biblically).


Today, I want to talk about how to actually begin preparing. This is just an overview and I'll continue to work from the broad big picture to the small details as time allows on future posts. It's a big topic out there - entire blogs are devoted to it. I'm just giving you an overview here with the intent to eventually give my take on each area in light of what I believe is biblical. (I cannot do justice to these things in one post so I plan to cover each item listed in a blog post of its own in the following weeks.)


12 Areas of Preparation to Consider


1)  Get your house in order financially. If an EMP ever hit, this might not make a whole lot of difference, however, many other scenarios that are more likely to happen will be effected by this single area. If we move from a recession to a depression, being debt free might mean the difference of whether or not  you keep your homestead. And you can imagine the trickle down effect if you loose that! A job loss or natural disaster will still mean your bills are due, and while they may grant you a period of grace to get back on your feet, having your finances in order will determine how well you're sleeping at night! (Proverbs 6:1-11)

2) Consider where you can store bulk food supplies in your home. Whether you choose to store food rations and supplies for 3, 6, or 12 months, your kitchen cabinets aren't going to be enough. Begin thinking about this, but think outside the box if your house is small. When my husband and I first married, our apartment was 385 square feet. Yes, indeed. You could almost walk in it! Seriously, it was very tiny and my mother was amazed at how much I could get in there (I have a gift for visual space). It can be done. But more on that another day. Just start thinking for now.


3) Begin keeping a record of what you cook regularly and start buying extra. Know what your family likes and doesn't like. Kathy Harrison, who wrote Just in Case, makes a terrific point about stocking foods that your family is accustomed to and enjoys, because in a time of crisis, food can offer great comfort. When everything else around us is spinning out of control, a familiar meal can remind us that God is still there providing for us.


4) Start looking for non-electric tools for cooking and other uses. When the power is out, know that you have things you will need like a non-electric can opener. Some type of light source. That kind of thing. But in this category, I'm also thinking of guns and ammo. You might need to hunt. Riots happen when people panic and you may not have police protection. (Oh, this will open up a lot of debate, but can we save it for when I do the actual post on this subject? It does need to be discussed, especially for the Christian, but let's do it at the point it is most appropriate.)


5) Consider your options for cooking and heating in winter. Will you eat the canned beans cold? Do you have the ability to use a non-electric grill? And if it's 20 degrees outside, how will your family keep warm. Blankets might work for a while, but the longer you are without electricity, the colder your house will become.


6) Know your local food and water sources. If a crisis lasts for more than a few days, what options do you have if FEMA or the Red Cross doesn't arrive? After Katrina, we all learned not to depend on the Cavalry to show up. Does your local water district have a back up non-electric pump? Does your community allow for water tanks on individual properties? Start brainstorming.


7) Communicate with neighbors NOW. This one can be the hardest because we fear being rejected and thought of as "crazy people". I was surprised to find my own neighbors were ahead of me in prepping in some areas, although lacking in others. Be that as it may, I have begun to learn where each person can contribute their expertise in a long term event. I now know who might need food. That kind of thing.


8) Have a family meeting place. And maybe a back up meeting place. Since we live out in the country, but two family members are in town each day, we would be separated if a crisis happened between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Talk about this and make sure everyone understands where they are to go in various situations.

Photo Credit: SlipStreamJC

9) Begin collecting supplies for Bug-Out Bags. A Bug-Out Bag (hereafter known as BOB) is a bag for each family member containing at least a few days worth of food and rations, some basic necessities for survival, and extra medications. And other stuff, too. But you get the idea. A backpack works great because you might actually have to walk out!


10) Start a small library of how-to resource books. If the electricity is off, you can't pull up information on google or a blog. You need a book. My first purchase was The Encyclopedia of Country Living because it covered so much stuff that I would use in a crisis or not. You can't believe how much is in this thing! Keep your eye out at garage sales and used bookstores. And don't discount those old Y2K books. The ideas people had about preparing were right despite the outcome of the event.


11) Begin acquiring skills. Don't wait for a crisis to start a garden. Begin now and get it going. Learn while you have time to make a few mistakes and learn from them. If a disaster happened and you waited until then to begin your garden, would the vegetables have time to grow before your stored supplies ran out? And there are other skills, too. Hunting, fishing, chopping wood, repairing things, recycling and reusing things, canning food, cooking over a flame, gardening year round... I could go on, but I'll stop there for now.


12) Put on a mindset that prepping is a life skill you keep all the time. Prepping shouldn't be a fad, but a way of life. If you were to prepare for 10 years and then give up because nothing happened that required your efforts, where would you be if the crisis happened in the eleventh year? No man knows the hour or day that these things take place. Only God knows. Our job is just to be faithful stewards of the resources He gives us. 


Okay, let me know what category I forgot. I know there has to be something! And I could use your input.


Let me close with an encouragement to read Proverbs 3. It just seems to be a good passage to balance this all out. May you be at peace as you prepare!

Homestead Revival Book Club: Real Food

Does anyone else out in Blogland have a stack of books you have been intending to read but haven't gotten to, besides just me? I read a lot, but I still have so many that I want to get to, and soon! This list is growing faster than my ability to read! So many good books; so little time... 

 

Anyway, if you'd like to join me, I'm starting Nina Planck's book Real Food. This should be a great read with some interesting information to glean along the way. 

Nina grew up on a farm and ate real food until she went away to college. She admits she lost her way, but gradually came back to the realization that all the fad diets and medical warnings about avoiding taboo foods was not the answer to healthy living, but rather the answer was found in her parents simple philosophy about eating real food.

And Nina knows food. She grew it along side them, helped sell it at roadside stands and farmers markets, and eventually helped establish the first true farmer's markets in London. She also ran New York City's Greenmarkets, wrote a couple of books: Farmer's Market Cookbook and Real Food for Mother and Baby.

Now when I'm selecting a book to read, I often look at the table of contents to see what it's really going to offer me. Here's what's being served up at Real Food:

1. Grow up on Real Food, Lose My Way, and Come Home Again

2. Real Milk, Butter, and Cheese

3. Real Meat

4. Real Fish

5. Real Fruit and Vegetables

6. Real Fats

7. Industrial Fats

8. Other Real Foods

9. Beyond Cholesterol

10. The Omnivore's Dilemma

Did I mention that I'm a slow reader? I know some of you have young children and reading is unheard of unless it's a children's book at bedtime. I promise this won't go fast! (But I don't want to drag it out forever either). Hide out in the bathroom and read a page at a time if you have to! Read it aloud to your infants. They just need to hear your voice and words (vocabulary). Take it to ball games. Whatever. But let's read, shall we?

Here's how I'll do it. Once a week I'll post a few thoughts and questions that will hopefully spur some conversation. You get to tell me your thoughts back. There won't be any tests, papers to sign, or proof of reading. Just a few friends talking once in a while (maybe once a week) on things they gleaned from the book. And if you're shy, you can just read the comments. Sound interesting? 

If you need a book, may I humbly suggest that you consider purchasing through my Amazon bookstore? ( I love their $25 deal that will get you free shipping - I read a lot and can never buy just ONE book!). 

Before I close, don't forget the Happy Tiffin give-away ends tonight at 10:00 p.m. PST. This is a very nice item for a very nice someone... it could be you!

 

Raw Milk: An Introduction and Brief History

Seriously, where does one begin to discuss the benefits of raw milk? With it's history? It's benefits? The myths? Or how about the political war on raw milk? 

I know... too many questions. And too many answers. There are more books written on this subject than I realized! So, I selected two from Amazon and I'm about to dive into the subject. Not that I need convincing, but I need facts. Hard facts that I can lean on in a friendly debate, because whenever you mention you're a raw milk drinker, you typically get only one of two looks in return... gleams of admiration or stares of absolute stupidity. 


My recent poll leads me to think that most of you are fellow "drinkers" or wannabes. But alas, the laws restrain you or make it difficult for you to obtain this precious treasure. A few might even confess to having some contraband in their refrigerator at this very moment! That being the case, much of the "raw milk" info may be old news. However, please don't run off just yet. Your fellow sisters are in need of encouragement that this is worth hunting for! Your input is needed to help convince the rest that it's actually OKAY to drink raw milk.


Let me state what raw milk is and isn't. It isn't pasteurized (heated to kill all bacteria, destroying enzymes and diminishing vitamins) and it isn't homogenized (where the milk fats are broken down never to come together again.) Nothing has been added back in to make it "enriched" or "healthy". It's milk that comes straight from the cow or goat and consumed as God made it.  


That said, I think knowing some of the history is the logical place to begin. For example, people have had raw milk for centuries upon centuries and pasteurized milk didn't come on the scene until the late 1800's. So pasteurization is actually a fairly recent phenomenon. Knowing why pasteurization became necessary will help relieve a lot of fear, confusion, and ignorance on our part.

Due to a series of events (mainly the industrial revolution), people who originally lived in rural areas and had their own dairy cow or goat, were now living in the city and working in various industries. No longer did they have access to milk straight from their own livestock. Of course, someone with entrepreneurial ideas decided that they would keep cattle next to the newly popular distilleries and feed them the bi-product or waste from the spirits that were being made. And as you can imagine, they had to do some slight of hand type tricks to get the cows to consume the stuff; cut off water, food, etc.


Unfortunately, cows were not designed to consume this kind of thing (have we heard that before?) and the milk they started producing was poor in quality to say the least. Add to that the fact that the cattle were now confined and standing in their own feces, developing diseases (Hmmm... have we heard that, too?). This milk was sold and taken home where no refrigeration existed (not that it would have mattered at this point as the milk was toxic already) and it was treated much like it had been when people lived on farms. It seemed reasonable to do what they had always done, right? (Before anyone emails me, I understand that some distillers grains can be nutritious, but this was different. I'm assuming they didn't know any different, but it was one of those "too much of a good thing" moments along with the lack of sanitary conditions that created the disaster). 


You can imagine what happened from here. Children particularly started dying. And like good Americans, more than one person worked to solve it. But each had his own idea of how that should look. One individual, Dr. Henry Coit, worked to get dairy standards in place (apparently by farmers voluntarily agreeing to the standards, not forced). Another individual, Nathan Straus, felt that the new method of pasteurization recently developed by Louis Pasteur was the better route. Because of Straus' wealth, he was able to promote this scientific solution to a fearful American audience. 


I need to insert here that Louis Pasteur isn't the bad guy. He developed this process with good intent and for a different purpose all together - to prevent beer and wine from souring. And really, I don't think Straus had wrong motives either. I think he truly believed pasteurization was not only a viable alternative, but the best solution to an alarming crisis. Both Straus and Hoit had lost children to the deadly milk and I'm sure they wanted to make a difference. 

Photo Credit: sweetbeatandgreenbean

Today, we are better able to step back and look at the evidence that has continued to build since the late 1800's and make a more informed choice. However, I feel three big factors prevent Americans from waking up to the truth:


1) Ignorance. This stuff happened generations ago. I had no idea about the information I just wrote until a few years ago. We have been raised to believe that pasteurized milk is good, raw milk is bad. Honestly, I didn't even know their was such a thing as raw milk until I was in FFA in high school and I started judging dairy cattle. Seriously!! I didn't grow up on a farm. I lived on the edge of a small town and my mom bought our milk at the store. I just never stopped to think about it. And guess what? Our kids won't either unless we talk to them about it first!


2) Fear. What we don't know, we fear. And we don't know raw milk. We haven't produced it, seen it, smelled it, or tasted it. Certainly raw milk can be contaminated. So can anything coming from a farm - like spinach! (I'm assuming you read the news.) Yes, organisms live on farms. And they can live in our homes. But maintaining good, but sensible sanitary measures makes a world of difference. We've become the generation of NO bacteria to the exclusion of GOOD bacteria. Folks, we're throwing the baby out with the bath water! We need a good education on the subject of bacteria in general.


3) Money. Do you know what it would cost for farmers to make some changes to go raw? I don't. But I can assure you, it isn't just a matter of stopping the heating process. Daily inspections, new sanitation methods, retraining employees, on and on... And our government. How much money would it cost if they made these changes? Hiring and retraining more inspectors, rewriting standards, educating farmers, on and on... I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. All I'm pointing out is that when money is involved, people don't won't to upset the apple cart. Now corporations have made an investment and they don't want to loose their dollars.


Whew! That's a lot of info. Is anyone still reading at this point? I'm just skimming the surface here, but I hope to do more posts on this subject because I feel it is so important. And I'm assuming some of you have more questions that are running around in your head. I'm no expert. I'm just a wife and a mom. But I'll try to do this subject justice. Just be patient with me.


For anyone in the Madison, Wisconsin area, I want to mention the Second Annual Raw Milk Symposium on April 10th. Speakers will include Sally Fallon Morell (Nourishing Traditions author) and Mark McAfee (CEO of Organic Pastures Dairy - where I get my own raw cow milk) among others who are pioneers in the raw milk movement. The agenda looks fabulous. Wish I could be there! But perhaps you can! For more information, be sure to visit the Farm-To-Consumer Foundation. 


Cheers!

Happy Tiffin Give-Away!

This Give-Away is now closed. Thanks to all who participated and congratulations to Diane@PeacefulAcres.


I'm so thrilled to be able to offer a give-away from Happy Tiffin this week! After all of the conversation that was generated from the previous posts about moving away from unsafe plastics, I think you'll be excited about Happy Tiffin products, too!


The word Tiffin is an old-fashion English word for "light lunch" and was used to refer to a lunch carried to and from one's place of business (mainly in India) by food vendors. They would bring lunch to people in a tiffin and later pick it up to reuse it. And while this was before the days of plastic, it worked really well to transport meals and still does!


Made from 18/10 stainless steel, tiffins are food safe and BPA free. So like glass, it won't absorb your food flavors and neither does it leech stuff into your meal. But unlike glass, it's lighter and much more practical for transporting.


If you have someone in your family that works outside the home or attends school away from home on a daily basis, a Happy Tiffin is a great solution for taking healthy and safe meals. And while you will be making an investment in a Tiffin, it will last for years and allow you to save a ton of cash by not eating out. Just skipping a few restaurant lunches would pay for a nice set of Tiffins. 




So, how can you win a set of these? Andrea Thein, Founder and President of Happy Tiffins, has generously offered a Homestead Revival follower a beautiful insulated set of Tiffins. All you have to do to get in the drawing is follow the steps below:


1) Visit Happy Tiffin and look around. See what items you like and come back here and leave a comment on your favorite Happy Tiffin product and why you like it. I would love to hear how you would use a Tiffin if you had one! Please note, you must be a Homestead Revival Follower.


2) Want to be entered a second time? Post about this give-away on your blog and link back to Homestead Revival. And be sure to leave a comment so I can visit your blog!


The give-away lasts through Thursday night at 10:00 PM PST, so don't miss out!