Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Beef Barley Soup Mix

1 pint container

3/4 C medium pearl barley, divided
1/2 C dried lentils
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 C dried minced onions
1/4 C instant beef bouillon powder
2 tsp. dried celery flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried minced garlic

Layer soup kit ingredients in the pint container in order listed, using half of the barley first and then the remaining barley at the top. Close container securely.

Attach cooking instructions:

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

1 jar Beef Barley Soup Mix
2 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into ½ to 3/4-inch pieces OR 2 lb. lean ground beef
1 T vegetable oil
10 cups water

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the meat. Pour off drippings. Add the contents of the soup mix and water to the Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until beef is fork tender. Discard bay leaves.

YIELD: 8 servings.

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This recipe may be freely distributed with the following information:

Leslie Sausage lives with her husband in rural Texas. She is the mom of four grown children, a freelance writer, and has a degree in business administration. You are invited to visit her online for more creative, practical and fun ideas — http://heart4home.net.

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3. Southwest Texas Snack Mix

Southwest Texas Snack Mix

1 cup small pretzel twists
1 cup corn chips
1 cup oyster crackers
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts2 T butter or margarine, melted
2 T brown sugar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Chili Powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside while you make the coating mixture.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well.

Pour mixture over snack mix and toss to coat.

Place on ungreased 10x15-inch shallow baking pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until peanuts are golden brown, stirring halfway through cook time.

Cool completely. Mixture becomes crisp as it cools.

Makes 5 cups

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This recipe may be freely distributed with the following information: Leslie Sausage lives with her husband in rural Texas. She is the mom of four grown children, a freelance writer, and has a degree in business administration. You are invited to visit her online for more creative, practical and fun ideas — http://heart4home.net.More Texas Food:

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4. Easy Chicken Crockpot Recipe

Incredibly Easy Chicken

This low calorie chicken recipe is the easiest slow cooker cooking recipe you will ever find. Just throw the
ingredients into the slow cooker and in no time, you will have an incredibly delicious slow cooker chicken
recipe.
Serves: 4

„h 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
„h 28 ounces can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes
„h 1 envelope Herb and Garlic Recipe Soup Mix
„h Hot cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta
„h reduced fat Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Mix chicken, tomatoes and soup mix together, and pour into slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for six to eight hours.
4. Serve over rice or bow tie pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you have an oven, you can do this in an oven-browning bag. Just bake for about 45 minutes at 350
degree F.
Zucchini and mushrooms are nice additions to the recipe.

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cookingandbakingmixes/

=== Google Blogs Alert for: Urban Chicken farmers ===

Feed Denver: Urban Farms & Markets: 76 Trombones Led the Big Parade!
By Feed Denver: Urban Farms & Markets
Feed Denver: Urban Farms & Markets is dedicated to strengthening and
securing Denver’s urban agricultural food systems and helping transform
Denver into a green, sustainable, and productive city with thriving, fresh,
delicious, local food sources and ... Kate Johnson, the chicken queen here
at Feed Denver, says they are healthy and most of them will make it out to
the chicken coop. She is especially excited for the Cuckoo Marans, a French
breed, who lay dark brown eggs. ...
http://feeddenver.blogspot.com/2010/03/76-trombones-led-big-parade.html
Feed Denver: Urban Farms & Markets
http://feeddenver.blogspot.com/

BioLargo, Inc.: John’s Hopkins - The American Farm- Creating ...
By BioLargo
Silbergeld knew you could pick up Salmonella from, say, tainted chicken
salad. But how would that Salmonella have become resistant to antibiotics?
She turned to a colleague and asked. Because, he said, factory chicken
farms ..... Photo by Dale Keiger, Liz Wagstrom, assistant vice president of
science and technology for the National Pork Board, disputes the premise
— she calls it “a kind of urban legend” — that subtherapeutic dosages
of antibiotics drive resistance. ...
http://biolargo.blogspot.com/2010/03/johns-hopkins-american-farm-creating.html
BioLargo, Inc.
http://biolargo.blogspot.com/

The Urban Homesteader: Comings and Goings, and Conventional Wisdom
By UdderMost Farm Girl ~
Chickens started out as something for me to do while caring for my elderly
father at home 24/7. Then, one chilly morning when we discovered our first
egg, warm from the nest on Christmas Eve 2008, a desire to be more
self-sustaining took root. ... make our own soap, lotion, ice cream and
yogurt; can salsa and tomatoes, green pepper jelly and strawberry jam,
applesauce and apple butter. Our urban farm is a work in progress ...
emphasis on work, but very satisfying! ...
http://uddermostfarm.blogspot.com/2010/03/comings-and-goings-and-conventional.html
The Urban Homesteader
http://uddermostfarm.blogspot.com/

HeartFelt: Options for food deliveries
By Urban Girl
AUBIN FARMS - Spencerville (south of Kemptville on 416) $35 week for home
delivery - biweekly option (17 week delivery season for vegetables)
Deliveries can include: eggs, beef, lamb, chicken, roses, homemade
chutneys, relishes, jams, ...
http://greeneststuff.blogspot.com/2010/03/options-for-food-deliveries.html
HeartFelt
http://greeneststuff.blogspot.com/

Allen Ginsberg Library - Post details: Denver Urban Homesteading
Fourth, for fun. Growing vegetables is fun. Raising food-producing animals
is fun. Fifth, because a chicken living in your backyard and playing with a
child is probably living a happier life than a chicken living on a factory
farm.” ...
http://www.naropa.edu/blogs/index.php?blog=4&title=denver_urban_homesteading&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Allen Ginsberg Library
http://www.naropa.edu/blogs/index.php?blog=4

=== Google Web Alert for: Urban Chicken farmers ===

Ban Urban Chickens
Bc, the practice of raising urban chickens for eggs ruffles more than a few
to the widespread ban on chickens in the city, urban farmers across north
...
http://epicurmagazine.com/ztnf/hdsp.php?ban-urban-chickens

Chicken Farms In Iowa
Owner of fremont farms in iowa does not locate a chicken mega farm in the
area. had ... The urban chicken movement is gaining traction, but iowa city
mayor ...
http://carolinade.com/zatlg/ggd.php?chicken-farms-in-iowa

Chicken Incubator Farm Supply Rosenberg Tx
The top feed and supply store for ranchers & farmers in san antonio, ...
There are many advantages of keeping backyard chickens, but most urban
chicken ...
http://emit-markets.com/efgo/lo.php?chicken-incubator-farm-supply-rosenberg-tx

Littleton may regulate urban chickens - Article Comments - View ...
Article Discussion on Urban chickens may not be the next big thing, ...
that these chickens are infinitely happier than the ones in mass production
farms! ...
http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?p=1327336

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/a-message-from-the-hopi-elders-for-2010/

A message from the Hopi Elders for 2010

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.
Here are the things that must be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know our garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel like they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of
the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

See who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all
ourselves ! For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lonely wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for

The Elders
Oraibi, Arizona
Hopi Nation

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/emergency-shelter/

Emergency Shelter

When you just want to get out of the elements for a little while, one of these may be the answer, they provide minimal protection and could never be described as comfortable, but they may make the difference between life and death if you are too tired or injured to construct anything more elaborate. (For pictures/diagrams see: http://forums.cosmoaccess.net/forum/survival/prep/shelter.htm)BoughShelter Look for branches that sweep to the ground or fallen boughs that offer protection from the wind-ensure they are secure enough not to fall on you though! You may want to secure them by lashing (see diagram). Weave in other branches to add supplemental protection, conifers are more suited to this technique than broad leaves.
Root Shelter

The spreading roots and compacted earth at the base of a fallen tree form a useful storm barrier, if they are facing the right way. Filling in the sides around the roots will increase it’s potential and provide a solid base for construction of something more elaborate.
Natural Hollow

A shallowdepression in the earth will provide some protection from wind immediately, and provides a natural basis for construction of a shelter. However care must be taken in damp areas or on hills or you’ll end up under water! Lay a few light logs across the hollow and then a larger bow across them, this will give pitch to short branches laid across the top to keep out rain. Finish with turf or twigs and leaves.
Fallen Trunk

A fallen trunk alone provides a good windbreak. Scoop out a small hollow on the leeward side and construct a lean-to roof of boughs.
Stone Barriers

A shelter is more comfortable if you have enough headroom to sit up in it. So build up a low wall of stones around a hollow or shallow excavation. Caulk the walls with mud, leaves, twigs and turf, finish with a roof of branches and turf.
Sapling Shelter

If you should happen upon a growth of saplings, clear the ground between them and lash their tops together, weave branches between them and consolidate with ferns and turf. A similar effect can be gained by driving pliable branches firmly in the ground. If you have your “bug-out” or emergency kit you should have access to some form of waterproof sheeting, throw this over the saplings and weight with stones or logs.
Bashas

With a waterproof poncho, groundsheet, piece of tarpaulin or plastic sheeting you can construct what is often referred to in the forces as a “basha”. There are a few designs below. Remember, always use natural shelter where possible, always insulate yourself from the ground and always secure the sheeting carefully.
Tepees

Best known as the homes of North American Indians, start by tying three or more uprights together to form a cone, you can tie them on the ground before erecting. Cover with hides, sheeting or panels of birchbark. Ensure you leave a hole at the top for ventilation.
Advanced Shelters
Snow Cave

Under conditions of heavy snow it may be impossible to find building materials, at least not quickly enough to get you out of the elements. Fortunately snow itself provides a good building material. Dig into a drift of firm snow to make a “cave”. Make use of the fact that warm air rises and cold air sinks. Make your shelter on 3 levels. Build a SMALL fire on the highest, sleep in the middle and allow the low area to trap cold air. Use a stick or ice axe to force two holes in the roof, one to allow smoke to escape another to provide ventilation, fit a packed block of snow to the door.
Stick Walls
Screens

It is possible to build simple walls by piling sticks between uprights driven into the ground and (if possible) tied at the top. Fill them well with dirt to close gaps and keep out the elements.
Coverings

Make wattle and woven coverings for roofs or walls from springy saplings, small branches, plant stems, grasses or long leaves. First make a frame from less pliable material, tie off the struts and then weave in your materials. If you have little cordage drive the uprights into the ground and weave in enough of your material to make a basic framework, remove from the ground and finish.
Caves

Caves provide ready made shelter, even small caves can be made habitable and the larger ones make ideal permanent homes. Caves in rock set above valleys are normally dry inside, even if you get a little seepage through the roof. Caves can be cold and sometimes the local fauna may have beaten you to it so approach with care, if there are signs of other “inhabitants” light a fire near the entrance, but be sure to allow them an escape route, a good insulating layer of dry plant matter should help deal with the other problem. Beware of rockfall!!! Getting permanently trapped in your new home is not conducive to personal survival. Fires should be kept towards the rear of a cave, the smoke will rise and follow the roof to an exit, smoke from a fire lit near the entrance on the other hand will blow inside.
Sod House

Turf Houses are useful in areas where timber is scarce or you do not have the necessary tools to work in wood. Cut sections of turf 18×6in and build them like bricks, overlapping “Old English” fashion. Slope the walls towards the rear to give pitch to your roof, which will have to be supported by wooden spars or some other equally strong material. Make a cover as described above and attach to the spars, cover this with leaves and then a layer of turf. Build low, big enough to situp or maybe scuttle around in but not high enough to stand up straight. You can leave the leeward side open, or for a stronger build fit a doorway to the lee wall, for this however you will need timber for the frame. You can build in an internal hearth and chimney, but remember that turf is flammable, coat the hearth area thickly with clay before use, or light a fire outside the door with a fire reflector behind.
Log Cabins

The size of your log cabin will depend on two factors, the size of your timber and the number of people it is to house. A square or rectangle shape will be easiest to build and roof, 8ft square is a sensible size for a small cabin. Choose a level site to build your cabin, flatten a larger area if necessary, the walls must be level. Cutting down logs should ideally be accomplished with an axe or 2-handed saw although in a pinch the flexible saw from a survival kit will suffice. Unless you’re sure you’re up to the job don’t attempt windows, you should get enough ventilation from the doorway, don’t worry about making a door immediately, hang a blanket or other cloth over the door, it’ll keep out the wind. Caulk between the logs with a mixture of mud and the wood chips from your logging, use a sharpened stick to force it into the gaps. Cover the roof with saplings before laying a layer of mud and turf. You can add a fireplace if you leave a space in the roof for smoke to escape, but never leave it unattended, put it out rather than risk a fire, if you do make a fireplace it may be worth using stone if you have a ready supply, make a fireplace and chimney from flat-sided rocks caulked with clay.

From: ccrafft@dnai.com

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/jelly-honey-for-pests/

Jelly, Honey For Pests
Tagged with: garden gate magazine

In the April issue of Garden Gate mag. someone wrote in and recommended making your own sticky traps. They used index cards, and honey or petroleum jelly.

Apparently some bugs are attracted to certain colors, like yellow or white. They recommended spreading honey on yellow index cards to trap aphids, thrips, and whitefies. And spread petroleum jelly on white index cards to trap plant bugs and rose chafers (so what’s a plant bug, anyway)?

Attach the cards to stakes and place them in your garden. You will have to reapply the honey every couple of days.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/organic-fungicide-and-pesticide/

Organic fungicide and pesticide
Tagged with: Organic fungicide organic pesticide

5 teaspoons of baking soda to 1 gallon of water is an effective fungicidethat works especially well on Black Spot and Powdery Mildew and Kelp and Seaweed sprays work well as pesticides against spider mites ,aphids , white flies , and thrips. Also they quoted a study done in the 60’sthat the above also increases resistance to stress and frost.

Ron The One Who Walks Two Paths

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/living-mulches/

Living Mulches
Tagged with: living mulches

Living mulches Cover crops are usually killed or incorporated before establishing the vegetable crop. Recently, however, there has been interest in living mulch systems where the cover crop and vegetable grow together in the field for all or part of the growing season in order to extend weed control and other cover crop benefits such as decreased traffic compaction into the growing period of the crop.

Living mulches can compete for moisture and nutrients, so they are not recommended for low-growing, shallow-rooted, or drought-susceptible vegetable crops. Because they provide habitat for beneficial insects, living mulches sometimes decrease insect-pest populations. Population of other pests may increase however. In a New York study,use of a living mulch reduced population levels of cabbage looper, imported cabbage worm, aphid, and flea beetles, but slug populations increased.

Living mulches are not appropriate for all situations. It is very importatnt for characteristics of a living mulch to complement those of the vegetable crop. A cover crop should germinate and grow in the shade and be low growing relative to the main crop. For example, a vining cover crop should be used only with tall vegetable crops (such as sweet corn). Bush type cover crops such as red clover should be used on shorter vegetables such as cabbage, peppers and determinate tomatoes.

Cover crops should not be susceptible to the same diseases as the main crop , and should not interfere with harvest. To establish a living mulch: Make sure the field is free of weeds before planting the main crop. Let the main crop grow alone for 4 to 5 weeks so it can compete successfully with the living mulch crop. Typically this point will be reached after the last cultivation.

Establish the mulch by drilling rather than broadcasting since drilling the seed gives a better stand.

Rotate living mulch types.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/pest-control/

Pest Control

Plant a garlic clove beside the plant you want to protect. Pests of all kinds will stay away. Do not plant garlic near peas.

Basil near tomatoes will repel worms and flies.

Plant onions near carrots and beets. Onions and garlic will protect your lettuce and beans from Japanese beetles, carrot flies and aphids.

Pour boiling water on ant hills to kill ants quickly.

To protect cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts from the cabbage moth, use mint, sage, dill, and thyme. Do not plant cabbage near strawberries.

To deter ants, use equal parts of vinegar and water to wash your countertops, floors, cabinets, etc.

Try leaving an open bottle of pennyroyal or citronella oil in your room if mosquitoes are a problem indoors. You can also rub a little apple-cider vinegar on your skin to serve as a repellant.

Aphids and spiders will stay away from plants that have been sprayed with dishwashing liquid mixed with water. Aphids will also stay away from anise and coriander.

Use a bit of cinnamon in your cupboards and drawers to get rid of silverfish.

To kill cockroaches, mix half a cup of flour, a quarter cup of sugar, and one cup of borax together. Sprinkle along the cracks and crevices where they hide.

To catch flys make your own flypaper with honey and yellow paper.

In general leave spiders alone – they are good bugs.

To make a flea powder for dogs and cats that is organic, use Pennyroyal herb or oil and mix with cornstarch and douse the critters with some… or plant it where they can roll in it.

To get rid of lice try using petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Try it, it works great. You saturate head with it, put a plastic cap on overnight and the next day they all wash right out, no need for fine tooth comb. May require several washings though…

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/biointensive-mini-agriculture/

Biointensive Mini-Agriculture

For home gardening it means: less work, less irrigation, improved soil, higher yields and no poisons. There are unlimited opportunities in market gardening, mini-farming and mini-ranching. People can have a comfortable income, a high quality lifestyle, provide a great service and a great way to raise children. A lady took a BIMA course, went home to Alaska, prepared her land and grossed $20,000 the first year. Then had a six months winter vacation! Houston with over one million people has almost no vegetable production in the five surrounding countries.

BIMA allows people to feed themselves on a local basis that provides total community food security and is a proven food production system that is ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible.

It creates a healthy soil for growing healthy plants to provide healthy food to feed healthy people [KH]. For the human population to be healthy, we need to consume healthy foods [organic] which come from healthy animals eating healthy plants grown in healthy soil [C Scheaffer, VMD/holistic].

Food Production: Agriculture is in a crisis worldwide. The Green Revolution is not ecologically sound, economically viable nor socially responsible. It makes farmers depend on, even an economic slave to, agribusiness and multinational corporations, CargillMonsanto, ConAgra, NovartisADM and others. Their goal is to control the world’s food supply from research to production to consumer by controlling seed, fertilizers and chemicals. These seed must have chemicals sprayed on them to produce and seed can not be saved for the next crop. Other corporations are beginning to market irradiated food which may be dangerous to our health. [Request: ÒWho Will Feed The WorldÓ by email, 12 pages of articles; www.nfu.org; www.moffa.org; www.inmotionmagazine.com; AGRIBUSINESS EXAMINER -Monitoring Corporate Agribusiness. Free from: Avkrebs@earthlink.net] The Congress, President, USDA [^partner in a GEg patent?; 30,000 grants; onjy 34 for organic, family farming], most land-grant colleges and most ag extension services are part of the problem rather than part of the solution and uses our tax dollars. The world’s farmers can produce all the food the world’s population requires, regardless of how high it goes, using BIMA.

^000200000B1100000AEE^B0B, ÒUrban Ag has the potential to provide many benefits to cities – in nutritional improvement, hunger reduction, income generation, enterprise development and environmental enhancement. The poor and unemployed can grow their own food. Farming converts degraded and unkept vacant lots into healthy, green areas. Waste [grass, leaves, trees, sawdust, manure, food waste] can be composted and used on the farms as well as recycled water. City governments must recognize the potential of urban agriculture and accord it the status given to other industries and economic activities in the city.Ó Urban Ag Network, urbanag@compuserve.com. Books: Urban Agriculture – Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities; A Patch of Eden, H P Hynes; www.cityfarmer.org. Urban gardening is very important socially, economically, esthetically and recreationally. Cultivating Havana: Urban Agriculture; 1999,Food First

Urban Micro-entrepreneurship: Most urban agriculture is directed by NGO’s but there are unlimited opportunities for private BIMA all over every city. Employment is limited and most are low pay. Urban homesteading and BIMA are a realistic option: socially and financially. Book: Entrepreneurial Community Gardens, G Feenstra, 1999.

Economic development is a major concern for most towns and cities. BIMA is very effective economic development. It benefits local people. Thirty experienced families can sell $40,000 each in the local farmer’s market. That is Òcreated wealthÓ. That is $1,200,000 added to the local economy each year. This wealth stays in the city rather than being sent to a corporate office somewhere; even abroad.

Rural: There is a grassroots movement back to family farming. BIMA is the answer and is being used by the many Ônew’ people entering agriculture as well as innovative farmers. Web: //sunsite.unc.edu/farm-connection; www.cfra.org.

Micro-entrepreneurship: Employment opportunities are limited and most are low pay. BIMA is a realistic option: socially and financially.

Organic: Gardeners and farmers have been organic since the beginning of agriculture until the discovery of certain chemicals in WW II [to kill people then, insects now]. No one has the right, moral or legal, to poison the air, soil or water. ÒOrganic gardening and farming is more than avoiding chemicals. The organic method requires a change of attitude and a different thought process.Ó [H Garrett, DMN; www.whitehawk.com/dirtdoctor]. Organic does not require the purchase of any outside inputs except seed and maybe organic fertilizer. The present generation knows nothing about raised beds or organics because their fathers and grandfathers have used chemicals since the 1950s. Therefore, they must be taught. [Read: From The Good Earth, M Ableman; Web: www,purefood.org; www.foodsecurity.org]

Note: A salesman sales chemical fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc to a farmer and gets paid by the chemical company from the sale. Promoters of organic gardening and farming have nothing to sale.

Raised beds: They have been used in Asia [Indonesia, China, Vietnam, PNG], Latin America [Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru], Europe [France] and USA [NE Indians] for centuries. I saw a few while living in Guatemala. Because of chemicals they were abandon but there is a worldwide movement back to using them. 80,000 km2 are being restored in Peru/Bolivia. They work.

Everyone should use and I teach:

A. Organic, biointensive, double dug, permanent raised beds with green manure/cover crops/mulch/-compost. This can double or even triple the yields while reducing the labor by half compared to traditional gardening. This works [USA: Chadwick Garden & market garden, Ecology Action, MOA, NFRDC; Mexico, ECOPOL; Philippines, IIRR; Kenya: Manor House Ag Center; Chile: Centro de Educac^on y Tecnolog^a; Vietnam: VACVINA] and the proof is there for all to see.

B. Organic, biointensive, permanent raised beds using no-till, green manure/cover crops/mulch/-compost. This works and the proof [Honduras: COSECHA, CIDICCO; Japan: M Fukuoka,; IIRR: Philippines; Chile, CET; USA: M Cain, AR] is there for all to see.

BIMA boasts two advantages no other production system can claim. First, it is easier on the soil than mechanized methods. Second, it is the least expensive method in terms of capital outlay. For very small farms [mini-farms] this method is not only economically viable but superior to the alternatives. Jeff Rast, Center for Small Acreage Farming, Countryside Magazine, Nov/Dec 98.

Only hand labor with hand tools are used but with sufficient land use power hand tools, scythes, wheel hoes with implements, push planters and spreaders, etc. A plow [moldboard, rototiller, etc] is never used. [Read: Plowman’s Folly, E H Faulker; Weeds-Control Without Chemicals, Walters. Video: Necessity of Organic Resides, R Parnes]. Transportation can be a bicycle, tricycle, quadracycle [pickup and/or passengers] with trailers. [Info: address above].

C. Organic, permanent raised beds [80Ó-100Ó wide] with green manure/cover crops using no-till machinery. Axles are extended to fit over the beds so the wheels run in permanent tracks. This works and the proof [Morrison, USDA/ARS, TX; Deep Bed Farming Society, CO; S Groff. PA; EPAGRI, Brazil] is there for all to see. [Video: No-Till Vegetables, S Groff]

D. Agroforestry: Trees [food, oils, chemicals, medicinals, spices, beverages, crafts, lumber, forages, firewood, windbreaks, industrials, etc] should be a planned crop. www.winrock.org; www.treesftf.org; www.unl.edu/nac.

1. Forestry: Forest must not be cleared but manage-harvested for natural crop production using raised beds for specific crops. This works and the proof [Brazil: Instituto de Permacultura da Bahia, Costa Rica, IANI] is there for all to see.

2. Alley Cropping: Raised beds between rows of trees. This works and the proof [USA; Nigeria, IITA; Philippines, IIRR, BMRLC; Costa Rica, IANI] is there for all to see.

Without a water system, bucket drip irrigation should be used. A kit [US$25 ppd] irrigates 200 feet of vegetables by filling a five gallon bucket each morning and each evening. Two kits will irrigate enough vegetables for a family of seven on a vegetarian diet during the dry season. [Kenya]. Can be adapted to irrigate trees, etc. [Video: Third World Irrigation Update, free with first kit or $5 ppd.]

Financing: Requirements for beginners: handtools, seed, fertilizer, water, misc for $400 or less. Micro-loan programs [no collateral required. failures-2%], cooperatives, ag incubators, foundations may be needed. Contact: The Intervale Foundation, 802-660-3508 fax 3501

Cooperative: tools for loan, purchase in bulk and sell, rent land, farmer’s markets, library, training classes, micro-loans, savings bank, rent value-added processing plant, etc for members only.

Land: Use land, free, owned by individuals, companies, churches, governments, schools, non-profits and the tax office [Repossessed land in Lubbock TX may be farmed free]. People will donate land to non-profit groups. The food bank in Lubbock TX has been given: various vacant lots, 25 A orchard; 5 A. farm and Jan 99, 48 A urban farm.

BIMA can produce flowers, dyes, vegetables, nuts, fruits, trees, grains, fibers, herbs, spices, medicinals, oils, teas, sweeteners, fragrances, seeds, ornamentals, industrials [lubricants, brooms, gums, waxes, oils, rubber, emulsifiers, chemicals, paper], forages, feed grains, farm animals. Market gardening has a average gross sales of $8,000 per acre with a few as high as $30,000 with value-added. A family with 2-15 acres can earn a very nice income.

Schools/Youth: Most young people do not know enough about agriculture to know whether they are interested in it or not. They should have some exposure to all of it. Should feel close to nature. 1. Gardens: Every school [primary, junior high, high school] should have a gardening project in every classroom. Foodworks, VT; Mountain School, VT; www.connriver.org/mountainschool. Home Schoolers should have a cooperative garden. [Yellowrose School, TX; request: BIMA-Youth; Our Wonderful Youth; www.ahs.org; www.national.org.

2. Market Garden/Mini-Farm: Every high school should have a BIMA training program as a career choice. [not part of Vo-Ag/FFA]; www.cityfarmer.org; AR – anp@iocc.com; Chicago HS for Ag Sciences; Read: Entrepreneurial Community Gardens,: Growing food, skills, jobs and communities. Freenstra, McGrew, Campbell, 1999.

3. Mini-Ranch/Dairy: Many students will not garden but prefer livestock. It is a rich educational experience to witness mating, birth, maturing, dying and having to nurture animals. Read: Explorations in Urban Animal Ag, HPI

Training: BIMA should be offered in all youth detention centers, prisons and jails [C Marcum, SF County Jail, CA]. Others: homeless [Homeless Project, Fresh Start Farms, HGP, CA], gang members [video: City Farmers, Survival in the Urban Landscape, 412-528-4839], welfare-to-work, etc. Most people want to work; not take handouts. They should be trained as should those seeking new careers, second jobs or part-time work. They have a choice of micro-entrepreneurship or employment.

1. Market Garden: One food bank offers training for up to three years.

2. Mini-Farm: Training in additional crops and value-added.

3. Mini-Ranch/Mini-Dairy: Some people prefer livestock. [St Anthony’s Dairy, vallcorn@rp.net.net]

URBAN:

1. Home Garden/mini-ranch: Every home should have a garden to produce food for the family and forage for small animals for meat. This assures that the family, especially the children, do not consume chemicals. With experience, a family can grow all their vegetables on 1000 ft2. Additional beds can be used for forage for small farm animals.

2. Market Garden: High value, labor intensive crops are grown.

3. Mini-Farm: Additional crops requiring more land but less intensive labor. Some of these crops are particularly adapted to value-added.

4. Mini-Ranch: Use raised beds for forage/grain. Small animals are in pens which are over the beds and moved down the beds daily for grazing or cut and carry. HPI has a bee project in Chicago. Houston has hundreds of livestock. [DMN, Nov 98]. If neighbors do not complain, the city authorities probably won’t. Raise quiet animals [no roosters], keep clean [no odors] and give each neighbor eggs or meat or vegetables every month. Mini-ranching requires a little more investment and land but less labor.

5. Mini-Dairy Farm: Raised beds for forage/grain. HPI has a dairy goat project in Chicago. There is a goat dairy in downtown Houston. Use milk goats, dairy sheep and miniatures.

RURAL:

1. Market Garden: Has more acreage and uses larger hand tools or power hand tools. The farmer who is willing to change can find a very profitable niche.

2. Mini-Farm: Larger scale. Grow volume and/or industrial crops which require more acres.

3. Mini-Ranch: Raised beds for forage/grain. Small animals are in pens which are over the beds and moved down the bed daily for grazing or cut and carry. Small livestock includes miniature swine [40#] and beef [15 meat and dual purpose breeds]. There is a demand for organic, farm raised meat, eggs, raw milk, etc.

4. Mini-Dairy: Use raised beds for forage & grain. Space for large dairy animals. [cattle, water buffalo, goats, sheep] Grow all feed. 50 cow dairy supports two families [CISA, PA].

Marketing: There is a nationwide, grassroots movement to buy local, buy fresh, buy organic. There are many ways to market but the following are the best.

1. Farm stand or curbside stand: Customers coming to you is low cost marketing. People will drive to a farm to buy fresh food.

2. Farmer’s Markets: The US government issues funds to families which must be used only for fresh fruits and vegetables and used only at a certified farmer’s market. The USDA grants permission for farmer’s markets to operate on government property. Put them in housing projects. Web: www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing

3. CSA-Community Supported Agriculture: Customers pre-purchase shares of produce.

4. Value-added: Use family labor to process in some way what is grown to increase the selling price. Examples: solar dried fruit/vegetables, jams/jellies, crafts, milk/cheese, dried flowers, etc. [equipment manufacturers: Cecoco, Japan; milk processing, rafy-s@pladot.co.il].

5. Cooperatives: Enalbles the mini-agriculturists to work together to do what they can’t do individually in marketing and/or value-added processing. [example-cheese making, jelly, etc]

BIMA Workshops:

Gardens/Mini-Farms workshops of 1 -4 days are available anywhere at anytime. They are practical and how-to. I take two reference books [English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Hindi, Arabic] to donate, drip irrigation samples and order free magazines [Spanish, English, Portuguese] if there is a library. Demonstrate raised bed construction, mulching and drip irrigation. Show videos/slides and networking. Display: books, periodicals, newsletters, tools.

The only opportunity to learn practical, how-to BIMA is in my workshops or in TN [gardening or mini-farming] on-farm workshops [five days each] in June. Contact for info. Ken Hargesheimer

I ask one favor of every person who gets this; pass it on to as many others as possible to encourage them to use organic gardening and farming. Encourage the schools to teach it.

Request: BIMA-A Sustainable Farming System; BIMA-Info & Ideas [five pp], BIMA-Third World, BIMA-Youth, Bucket drip kits by Email or SASE.

Can you imagine the beauty of your community with all vacant lots/land in mini-agriculture, wildflowers, wildlife, forest, prairie, stream riparians
Tropical Small Farms

We must remember that one factor of the “Green Revolution” around the world was mass migration of small property-owners to the cities to swell the slums ( Sao Paulo Brazil now has 15 million people, at least half of which are rural refugees). So when the Industrial Agriculture mega-business people talk about “feeding the starving millions” they omit to mention that these millions are starving because they were forced off their lands by an agricultural model which was too expensive and too destructive for small farms to hold up under. Our experience in Brazil mirrors what is said here about the small farm. We have seen examples of successful small farms of 3-4 hectares of agroforests ( which is the appropriate model in the tropics) earn US$300-400 per month, with practically zero costs other than family labor. This means a comfortable margin of profit which permits a very good life indeed. Marsha Hanzi. Instituto de Permacultura da bahia Brazil. hanzibra@svn.com.br

* Gaviotas – A Village to Reinvent the World, Alan Wiesman
* Entrepreneurial Community Gardens Freenstra
* Natural Pest Control Andy Lopez Andy@invisiblegardener
* Garden-Ville Method Malcolm Becyk
* Organic Manual Howard Garrett
* Organic Gardener’s Composting Steve Solomon Out of print, Reprint in Fall 99
* Farmer’s Earthworm Handbook David Ernst
* How To Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Though Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine, John Jeavons bountiful@zapcom.net Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Kiswahilli
* Plowman’s Folly E H Faulkner
* Weeds: Control Without Poisons Charles Walters, Jr
* Growing Produce Family Style R Yoder 330-852-4687 [market gardening]
* Rebirth of The Small Family Farm Gregson, Box 2542, Vashon Island WA 98070, $10 ppd
* Solar Gardening Poisson 800-762-7325
* Cold Weather Gardening Frank Ours Box 371, Parson, WV $7 pp.
* From the Good Earth M Ableman
* Four Seasons Harvest, Eliot Coleman
* Winter Harvest Manual, Eliot Coleman
* New Organic Grower, Eliot Coleman
* You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide, Joe Salatin
* Salad Bar Beef, Joe Salatin
* Pastured Poultry Profits: Joe Salatin
* One Straw Revolution, M Fukuoka, Japanese
* Natural Way of Farming, M Fukuoka, Japanese
* Road Back To Nature, M Fukuoka, Japanese

GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK

TTU: BS-Agriculture; Ecology Action: BIMA Workshop 97

TX: Lubbock, Dallas, Hereford, Nazareth, Happy, Amarillo

MS: Oxford; FL: N Ft Myers

Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, C^t^ d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Honduras Box 1901, Lubbock TX 79408-1901

Tel 806-744-8517; Fax 806-747-0500; minifarms@aol.com

Workshops in organic, biointensive, raised-bed gardening, market gardening, mini-farming, mini-ranching worldwide in English & Spanish

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/natural-pest-control/

Natural Pest Control

Here are some of the kitchen-cabinet remedies we’ve tested over the years and found just as good as many chemicals and sold in garden centers.

FRUIT COCKTAIL.You can buy Japanese-beetle traps of all sorts, but most are no more effective in trapping these pests than a can of fruit cocktail. Open the can and let it sit in the sun
for about a week to ferment. Then stand it on bricks or wood blocks in a
light-colored pail. Fill the pail with water to just below the top of the can and
put it about 25 feet from the plants you want to protect. The beetles,attracted
to the sweet and potent bail, will fall into the water and drown. (If rain
dilutes the fruit cocktail, you’ll have to start anew.)

BUTTERMILK -The scrourge of many outdoor ornamental plants, and indoor ones, too, is the mite, so tiny it would take 50 of them to cover the head of a pin. The most common one, the red
spider mite, causes yellowing and stippling of foliage and twisting of leaf tips.

There is a simple home cure that works on the ornamental plants and fruit trees. Mix 1/2 cup o buttermilk, 4 cups of wheat flour and 5 gallons of water and strain through cheesecloth. Sprayed a plant, the mixture destroys a high-percentage of mites as well as their eggs.

EPSOM SALTS AND BORAX -If you raise muskmelons that taste flat, the trouble could be a lack of magnesium in sandy soil. University of Maryland tests show that muskmellons can be sweetened
by spraying the vines with a solution of borax, Epsom salts and water. Use 3-1/3 tablespoons of household borax, plus 6-1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, in 5 gallons of water. Spray foliage when the vines begin to “run” and again when fruits are about two inches in diameter.

SOAP, DETERGENT, TOBACCO. -Soap effectively controls fungus gnats, tiny black flies that may thrive in the soil of your house plants. Make suds of laundry soap, and pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup
around the top of the pots. Any bar laundry soap will work, but naphtha soap works best. (my note, good old Fels Naphtha again to the rescue!) Soapsuds also make a fine killer of soft-bodies pests such as aphids. And nothing beats liquid dishwashing detergent for getting rid of whiteflies, one of the worst pests gardeners have to contend with. Also called “flying dandruff,” these snow-white insects, each about 1/16 inch long, congregate on the underside of leaves and suck
sap. They also secrete a sticky substance that attracts a black mold and kills foliage.

Mix 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water and spray the undersides of leaves every five days for 15 days. Repeat once a week thereafter, until the insects are eradicated. If you’re a smoker or use tobacco in any form, be sure to wash your hands with laundry soap before handling plants.

TOMATOES, PEPPERS,EGGPLANTS, petunias and other members of the Solanaceae family. The soap deactivates tobacco-mosaic virus which may be present on your hands and helps prevent it from spreading to plants. A plant that already has this virus must be removed and destroyed immediately.

On the other hand, for garden plants and house plants (except those ofthe Solanaceeae family), you can’t find a better aphid killer than nicotine. Soak two or three cigarette butts in a cup of water to get a brown “tea”.

Mix in a little soapsuds and dip infected parts of house plants in the solution or use it as a spray. Tobacco juice also is highly effective in killing such pests in the soil of house plants as symphilids, fungus gnats and springtails. Pour a cupful around the base of the plant. (Caution: nicotine is toxic: keep the mixture our of the reach of children and pets.)

BLEACH
-To protect ripening tomatoes from fungal diseases, wash them with a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach to a quart of water, and dry with a paper towel. Wrap each tomato in newspaper, and store in a basket or tray in a cool place (any area with a temperature around 55 degrees).

To sterilize your garden tools and old clay or plastic flowerpots, scrub them with a brush. Then soak them for a few minutes in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.

TALCUM POWDER -It you’re plagued by rabbits, try dusting your plants with ordinary talcum powder. It also works like a charm in repelling flea beetles on tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and other plants.

GARLIC -If you’re looking for ammunition to keep cats and dogs away, chop up abulb of garlic or a large onion, add a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, and steep in a quart of water for an hour. Add 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent to help the mixture stick to the plant. Strain what you need into a sprayer or watering can and sprinkle it on plant leaves. The rest will remain potent for several weeks if refrigerated in a tightly covered jar. (Do not spray outdoors on
windy days as solution may burn you reyes. Indoors, be careful not to breathe the
fumes.)

VINEGAR -Azaleas and gardenias need an acid soil. If you live in a
hard-water area, your plants may suffer from too much lime, causing leaves to
turn yellow.

Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a quart of water and pour a cupful or
so around the base of a plant every two or three weeks until the yellow
disappears.

Vinegar is also useful in making a preservative for cut flowers.

Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of cane sugar in a quart of water.
Use in vase instead of plain water.

BEER -Placed in shallow pans flush with the ground, beer is a safe, inexpensive killer of snails and slugs. The pests crawl into the pans and drown. In a report to the Entomological Society of America a few years ago, Floyd F. Smith of the U.S. Dept. ofAgriculture said that in a series
of four-day greenhouse tests, beer attracted more than 300 slugs, while metaldhyde, a standard bait,attracted only 28!!!!!!Very likely at this date in time, there may be other stuff on the market that “updates”all this, but I for one, am surely going to get a LARGE can of talcum powder for my tomatoes!!!!!

Everyone stay safe,

Dar in Tucson

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/great-garden-tips/

Great Garden Tips
Tagged with: gnatswater

Bees or Wasps in the House Spray the insect with hair spray. The spray will stiffen their wings and they will plummet to their death.

Black Flies or GnatsWater soil with a mix of 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 1 quart of water. Do this every 3 days for 3 weeks.

Alcohol SpraysUse for aphids, mealybugs, scale, thrips and whitefly control. Mix ? cup Isopropyl alcohol (70%) with 1 cup water and spray on leaves and pests. Alcohol can burn the leaves of certain plants. African Violets and Apple trees are sensitive to alcohol sprays. Test a few leaves on your plant before you spray the whole plant.

Caterpillar Deterrent Citrus SprayCaterpillars don’t like the taste of citrus, it’s bitter chemicals run the caterpillars off.To make a citrus spray, grind up the rinds and seeds of any citrus fruit. Soak over night in 2 cups of water. Strain out the pulp, add 2 t liquid soap to mix. Spray on plants.

Garlic Oil SprayUse for control over aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and whiteflies. * Mince 1 bulb garlic * soak in 2 t mineral oil for 24 hours * mix 1 pint of water with 1 T liquid soap * add garlic mix to water and soap * Mix throughly * Strain out garlic and place into a jar for storage Use 1 to 2 T garlic oil mix to 2 cups water. Spray plants covering all leaf surfaces.

Fire Place AshesUse wood ashes from your fire place to control any soft bodied bug such as pear slugs and regular slugs. Sprinkle the powder where ever these creatures travel. The powder dehydrates the slugs and they die.

Low-fat For AphidsTo control aphids apply nonfat dried milk, mixed according to the box, onto the leaves of your plants. The aphids get stuck in the milky residue and perish.

Slug TerminatorSpray slugs with a mix of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water to terminate your slugs. Mix vinegar and water into a trigger sprayer and spray directly onto the slug. They will die almost immediately. Also spray the ground around your plants and any hidden slugs will come out of the sprayed soil and die.

Drunken SlugSet a shallow pan of beer (the darker the better) out into the garden where the slugs hang out. They can not resist the taste of beer and crawl in and drown.

Slug trapUse a plastic pop bottle to catch slugs. Remove the lid, cut the pop bottle just below the curve of the neck all the way around. Invert the neck piece and staple it inside of the main piece. Throw in some slug bait or some beer and set in the garden where the slugs are doing the damage. The slugs can crawl in but don’t crawl out.

Slug StopperSprinkle a ring of moth crystals around the base of your plants to keep the slugs from eating your plants. The slugs as well as cats, dogs and raccoons will stay away from these plants.

Weather Forecasting CricketsYou can tell the outside temperature in Fahrenheit by counting the number of chirps made by a cricket in 14 seconds then add 40 to it.

Earwig CatcherEarwigs like dark, tight places to hide in during the day. Lay some corrugated cardboard out in the garden where you have had earwig damage. The earwigs will climb into the cardboard to hide during the day. Collect the cardboard and burn it.

Codling Moth BrothTo catch codling moths, use a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and one part molasses. Place this mixture in a tin can and hang it in the apple tree. Clean out the moths and place more mix in the can when needed.

Fly CatcherTo catch flies, place a piece of meat in a jar. Using a quart jar, place a small piece of meat and ? inch of water into the jar. Punch a few holes big enough for the flies to crawl in, into the lid of the jar. Screw on the lid and set in a good fly location. When the fly crawls in, it can’t get out. Clean out the jar when the smell gets to strong or it gets full of flies.

Yellow Sticky TrapsTo catch white flies, gnats and aphids use STP motor oil treatment or honey. Smear motor oil treatment or honey onto bright yellow plastic and place it amongst your plants with bugs. When the plastic gets full of bugs, wipe them off and reapply STP motor oil treatment or honey and set the trap out again.

How to Get the Skunk Smell off of Your Pets * 1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide * 1/4 cup baking soda * 2 teaspoons baby shampooMix up solution. Thoroughly wet dog and shampoo in. Let sit for 5 minutes then rinse. Be sure not to get the solution in the dogs eyes. The percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide is not strong enough to bleach the dogs hair.

Protect Your Grapes from the BirdsJust before your grapes ripen when the birds start to get into them protect your crop with plastic grocery bags. Punch each bag full of air holes. Slip a bag around each bundle of grapes and staple to hold bag in place.

Spank Your Fruit TreesFor more fruit production, take a rolled up newspaper and spank the day lights out of the trunk of your fruit trees. This action loosens the cambium layer and more sap will flow up to the tree producing more fruit. This is for more fruit the following year.

Mini GreenhousesWhen you first place your seedlings out you will want to protect them from to much wind, sun or frost. A gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and the lid off is the perfect mini green house for setting out your plants. If it is going to frost, just put the lid on for the night. If the jug keep blowing off, cut off the top of the handle. Next run a stick through the handle, this will secure the jug to the stick. Push the stick down into the ground to anchor it. The wind will not pick it up now.

Mini Shade HouseWhen first setting out seedling the can be wind burned or sunburned. To help the acclimate your plants to the great outdoors you can protect them with a mini shade house. Cut out a 18 inch by 24 inch piece of woven fence material, being sure to leave the extra wire that sticks out when you cut it. Bend it into the shape of an arch. Cut a piece of burlap 20 inches by 26 inches. Hook the burlap over the ends of the fence material. Set the whole unit over your transplanted seedlings. Leave this over them for a week to harden off your plants. This is great for working people because you never build up heat under this covering so you don’t have to take it off during the day if the sun shines to hot.

Dress up Your GardenUse old panty hose for tying up your plants. The panty hose are strong and will not cut into the tender stems.Another use for old panty hose is to place them over the heads of your cabbage. As your cabbage grows the panty hose will stretch.

Canned CornTo keep birds and squirrels from eating your corn, place aluminum pop or beer cans on your corn ear. Prepare the cans by cutting off the tab end. Next punch air holes all the way around the can. When you see birds or squirrels getting into your corn, slip a can over each ear until it is ripe.

Eggshell PlantersEggshells make great plant starters. When you crack your egg, just take off the tip of one end. Rinse out the shell and poke a small drain hole into the bottom of the shell while it is still wet. Fill shell 3/4 full of potting soil and plant seeds. When it is time to plant out just crush the egg shell and plant into the ground. The egg shell adds lime to help feed the soil and plant.

Mildew on Your PeoniesSprinkle your peonies with cinnamon to stop molds and fungi. Tokyo researchers have found that fungi will not grow in the presence of cinnamon.

Clothespin for RosesTo avoid being stuck when working with roses, use a spring type clothes pin to hold the stem instead of your fingers.

Baking Soda SprayUse baking soda to control fungal diseases, especially black spot on roses.Dissolve 1 t baking soda in 1 quart of water, add 1 t liquid soapSpray entire leaf surfaces of plants every 3 days for 21 days. Reapply after every rain.

No Room for a Garden?If you want to grow a tomato plant or a cucumber plant and you have no room. Get a bale of straw, poke some holes in it and pour compost into the holes. Plant your vegetables right into the bale. Water when needed. The decomposing bale will feed your vegetables all season.

Soak Your Feet or Feed Your TomatoesEpsom salt is great for getting your tomato plants to produce large crops of tomatoes. It also helps to prevent blossom end rot. Use 1/4 cup around the base of each tomato plant every year.

Easy Sowing of Small SeedsSeason salt or spice shakers are great to use to sow small seeds. Place your tiny seeds in the shakers with some fine sand and shake away. The sand helps to evenly distribute your seeds so they don’t end up in one pile.

Quick Sprout CarrotsSoak your carrot seeds in a glass of warm water for 24 hours. Drain off water and place carrot seeds evenly on several wet paper towels. About ? inches apart. Layer the paper towels in a glass baking dish. Place a sheet of plastic wrap between the layers. Cover the whole dish with plastic wrap. Place in a warm location for about a week. When you start to see little white sprout coming out of the end of the carrot seed it is time to plant them. Place the paper towel in the garden row. Cover lightly with soil and water lightly. Your carrots should be up in a few days.

Rid Your Sidewalks of Weeds and GrassTo kill weeds and grass in unwanted places such as the cracks in your side walks, pour boiling salt water directly onto the weeds or grass for an instant kill.

Hammer Those Tough WeedsFor those hard to pull weeds, hook them with the claw end of a hammer and pull.

Pickle Those WeedsTo kill weeds in areas that you don’t plan to plant anything you can use a solution of vinegar and salt. * 1/4 cup vinegar * 2 t salt * 1 quart water Spray weed until soaked. Heat of the day is best.

Fizzy BubblesTo clean the dirt and stains out of the crevices and cracks of your hands. Drop two denture tables into 2 cups of warm water. Soak your hands for 15 to 20 minutes. It will also remove the dirt from under your nails and will also soften your hands.

I invite you to use this guide as a first step in developing you own garden survival list. Mentally walk through the garden season and list all of the items you use. If any of them are “modern appliances” you will need to think of a man powered replacement or back up system. Contact your local county extension agent and find out what pests lurk in your neck of the woods. Get the supplies you will need to eradicate the pests that will plague your garden. Find a gardener to buddy up with. There should be several experienced gardeners in your area. Go ask them some questions. Find out when they plant, what they plant, what pests they deal with, what kind of fertilizer they use, be sure to take notes. Most gardeners love to talk about their gardens. Go to the library and find some books on gardening. The ones you like have the book store order for you. Fore thought and preparation is the key. It is very possible for us to feed our families from our garden.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/garden-plot-my-experience/

Garden Plot: My Experience
Tagged with: organic gardening Robert Kourik`s
Organic Gardening

I started organic gardening in the mid-seventies, when French bio-dynamic intensive methods were the fad. For years I grew most of my own food and medicine in a small garden on an organic farm north of Santa Barbara, CA. Here’s how:

A companion bed of herbs and vegetables. I planted a thick bed of herbs and vegetables. After selecting the main ones I wanted, I added a few plants purely for their value as companion plants: e.g., horehound for the tomatoes and yarrow for the herbs. Then I sorted everything out according to likes and dislikes, e.g., tomatoes like both dill and carrots, but dill and carrots dislike each other, so the carrots went on one edge and side of the bed; the dill went on the other. Then I arranged things according to soil strata, e.g., root crops mixed with bushy herbs; tallest plants at the back. and kohlrabi thrown in for comic relief. Companion planting also brings out the best in some plants, e.g., sage and peppermint, which I grow for medicinal use, also drive away cabbage butterflies and carrot flies. The bed is 4 footx12 foot. The plants are:

1) Tomato 2) Dill 3) Horehound 4) White sage 5) Zucchini 6) Peppermint
7) Echinacea Chamomile 9) Yarrow 10) Comfrey 11) Catnip 12) Parsley
13) Thyme 14) A mixed row of carrots, beets, lettuce, and kohlrabi
15) Oregano 16) Mixed beets and lettuce.

Growing barrels of potatoes, I got my hands on four plastic 50-gallon barrels. I drilled drain holes in them, set them up on blocks and planted spuds in them. Here’s how: Cut up potatoes which have started to sprout, leaving an eye or more on each piece. Dry these out for two days in a cool, dry room. Then plant in a shallow layer of soil and compost in the bottom of the barrel. As the potatoes grow up, add more soil and compost. After they reach the top of the barrel, I plant a couple of bush beans in each barrel. The beans protect the potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle, and the potatoes protect the beans against the Mexican bean beetle. As soon as the potatoes flower you can find little spuds in the soil. When the whole plant dies back, kick over the barrel for a bountiful harvest. I have two barrels of red potatoes, one of white russet, and one of Yukon gold.

Grow a Mound of Zucchini, and following an idea from Robert Kourik’s Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally, I cleared a section of yard and hoed the dead plants, green weeds, and topsoil into a long berm atop a space I whose clay crust I had forked loose. I put a layer of compost and a layer of dirt atop the berm. Then I poked holes through the dirt and planted the zucchinis in the compost about a foot apart. I expect to get mass quantities of zukes from now til October. It is 8 foot long. Grow a row of garlic:Keeping a huge stand of white and Swiss chard from last year, I planted a row of garlic. Using garlic bulbs from the grocery store, I pushed individual cloves just beneath the surface, and then heavily mulched. I grow and eat mass quantities of garlic year-round as both food and medicine.

Eat the weeds: Spearmint, nasturtiums, red clover, and dandelions all grow wild nearby. I make a garden salad with about half wild greens and half from the garden. I even let a few dandelions flower and go to seed in the garden. This will give you a start: lots of salad, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini. Plus highly nutritious comfrey and garlic.

* Replace your soda pop and coffee with peppermint tea.
* Treat headaches with camomile and catnip tea (both are delicious in salads).
* Treat colds and coughs with horehound and sage. Heal injuries with yarrow and comfrey.
* Prevent illness with echinachea.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/cheese-making/

Cheese Making

Cheddar Cheese:

To make a 1 1/2 pound cheese, combine 2 gallons of whole milk with 3/4C of Buttermilk, let mixture set at room temp. overnight to ‘ripen.’ Next day warm the milk gently in a double boiler to 86 Degrees F and mix in one cheese rennet tablet dissolved in a glass of cool water and let the mixture coagulate undisturbed. When the milk curdles (about 45 mintues), cut the curds into 3/8 inch cubes. Mix the curds and allow to stand for 15 minutes,then heat again, slowly to 100 degrees F. Cook for about an hour until a piece of cooled curd retains its shape when squeezed. If it crumbles,it needs more cooking. Drain the curds for a few minutes and rinse out the double boiler, then cheddar the curds.

To Cheddar the curds:

Return them to the double boiler, spread over a rack lined with cheesecloth. Cover and reheat to 98d.F for 30 to 40 minutes until the curds form one solid mass. Remove the curds, cut them into strips 1 inch. wide and return them to the pan. (NO HEAT)Turn the strips every 15 to 20 minutes for an hour. Cut the strips into cubes and gradually mix in 1 tablespoon of salt, being careful not to bruise the curds. Let them stand for 10 minutes, put them into a cheesecloth, and press them an hour. Remove the cheese from the press, unwrap it, dip it in warm water, and fill in and smooth off any cracks or uneveness. Rewrap in a clean cheesecloth and weight with 40 pounds for 24 hours, then remove and let cheese dry for four to five days in a cool,airy location. Turn cheese twice a day during this time period and wipe it dry each time with a clean cloth. When a hard, dry skin has formed, rub it with oil or seal it with paraffin. Cheddar can be eaten after 6 weeks but is best if aged six months or more. American Cheese is actually a mild variety of Cheddar cheese.

TIP

Coating cheddar cheese in parafin is an axcellent way to preserve it.

Colby

Making Colby cheese involves the unusual steps of adding cool water to the curds after they are cooked. The result is a mild, moist porous cheese. Because of its high moisture content, colby does not keep well. Use pasteurized whole or skim milk. Heat 2 gallons of milk to 88d.F and add 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir and let sit for 30 minutes. Dissolve 1/4 cheese rennet tablet or 2 1/2 junket tablets in a glass of cool water and add to the milk stirring well. Allow to coagulate (about 30 mins.) then cut the curds into 3/8 inch cubes. After mixing the curds for 10 minutes, heat gently to 98d.F, increasing the temp about one degree every three minutes. Continue to cook at this temp. for 40 minutes, then slowly add cool water until the temp lowers to 80d.F and remains stabilized at this point. Turn off the heat and gently mix the curds for 15 minutes. Drain the curds and mix in 6 tablespoons of salt. Put the curds into a cheese hoop or mold and press them lightly for half an hour, then add more weight for an hour and a half. Coat with paraffin when the surface has dried or rub with vegetable oil or salt. Ripen in a cool place (40-50d.F) for two or three months.

Small-curd sharp cottage cheese

The key to either of the ‘cottage’ cheeses is to heat the curds gently and gradualy. Cottage cheese is made my allowing the milk to coagulate, or clabber, without rennet. Heat a gallon of skim milk to about 72 degrees F, and add 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir thoroughly then cover the milk and let stand undisturbed in a warm place for 16-24 hours until it coagulates. You can use raw milk, but because of the risk of unfavorable bacteria developing, you will probably have better results with pastuerized milk. Do not let the temperature drop below 70F during clabbering. When the milk has clabbered, cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes, mix and let rest for 10 minutes. Then slowly raise the temperature to 104F increasing it by 5F every five minutes. Continue to cook at 104F for 20 to 40 minutes or until the curds feel firm. The curds should not stick together when squeezed, and the inside of the curds should appear dry and granular. If necessary, raise the temp. as high as 120F. When the curds are cooked, drain and rinse them. Add a teaspoon of salt for every pound of curd. For a creamed cottage cheese add 4-6 tablespoons of sweet or sour cream.

Large Curd Cottage Cheese:

Is made with rennet. Heat 1 gallon of skim milk to 90F (NO HIGHER), and add 1/4 C. of buttermilk. Dissolve 1 1/4 junket tablets or an eighth of a cheese rennet tablet in a glass of cool water, add it to the milk and let stand at 90F. Test the milk for coagulation after a few hours. When the milk has coagulated, cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then heat to 110F by raising the temp. 5F every five minutes. Test as for small curd cottage cheese, and raise the temp as high as 120 if the curds are not ready. Drain, rinse and cream as for small-curd cottage cheese.

HINTS

When rinsing cottage cheese, first remove cooked curds from heat. Drain through cheesecloth, allow to stand for a minute or two, then lift up the corners of the cheesecloth to make a ‘bag.’ Dip the bag several times into warm water, rinse for two minutes in ice water to chill the curds and let the water drain off.

Farmers Cheese

Is made by using the cottage cheese recipe above, except you use whole milk rather than low-fat. After coagulation cut curd into 1/4 inch cubes. Heat slowly to 104F. and continue to cook until curds reatin shape after being pinched or pressed with the fingers. Drain, rinse and pour into an oblong shape in a clean, folded cheesecloth. Wrap cloth over and press lightly with a board.

Cream Cheese

Combine 2 C. heavy cream w/2 T. buttermilk. Suspend the mixture in a clean cheese cloth over a bowl for 24 hours or until the cream thickens. The longer you leave it suspended, the drier the cheese will be. Season with salt or herbs for taste if you wish.

For a tangy cream cheese and with less fat, use yogurt in place of the cream and Buttermilk.

ASSORTED RECIPES & TIPS

Herb Rice

* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 2 beef or vegetable boullion cubes, crushed to powder
* 1 teaspoon green onion flakes,li>1/2 teaspoon each: rosemary, marjoram or oregano, and thyme leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt or celery salt

Curried Rice

* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed to powder
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt or celery salt

. In a large mixing bowl, stir all the ingredients for either rice and pour into a sealable container.

To Cook: In a large saucepan combine either the Herb or Curried Rice mixture with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir once and cover. Simmer for 14 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Each mix makes four servings.

Salmon or Tuna Dinner

* 1 package macaroni and cheese
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 (6 to 7 ounce) can tuna or salmon, flaked
* 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can, undiluted, Condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can peas (same size as soup can)

* Stir macaroni into 6 cups (or whatever you feel is necessary to make noodles) boiling, salted water (1 tsp. salt)
* Boil rapidly for 5-7 minutes, until noodles are tender.
* Drain macaroni. Add 2 tablespoons cheese powder packet, margerine or butter, milk and soup. Stir.
* Gently stir in tuna or salmon and peas (or green beans).
* Heat to serving temperature.

Unbelievably Easy Fish Chowder

* 4 tbsp unsalted butter
* 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 quart fish stock or clam juice
* 2 pounds cod, haddock, or halibut, cut into 1-inch chunks.
* 2 cups milk
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* Paprika, for garnish
* Oyster crackers, to serve on the side

1. In a Dutch-oven or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, until they are well coated with the butter.
2. Add the fish broth or clam juice to the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes. Add the fish chunks and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the fish cook in barely simmering broth until it is just done to taste, about 5-7 minutes longer. Stir in the salt and pepper.
3. Serve the chowder garnished with a sprinkle of the paprika and the oyster crackers on the side. Serves 6.

Tomato Basil Soup

* 4 cups tomatos (fresh or canned) peeled,seeded and crushed
* 4 cups tomato juice or chicken stock
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 12 to 14 leaves fresh basil
* 1 cup butter
* salt pepper

In large pot, bring tomatos & liquid to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and pour half into a blender. Add 1/2 of the basil, cover and blend, starting with lowest setting and working up to highest. Blend for 1 minute or until smooth & pour into medium sized bowl. Repeat with rest of tomato mixture. Pour blended soup back into pot and bring back to boil. reduce heat to low adding butter and cream. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring often. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve with fresh French or sourdough bread. Makes 8 servings Makes 4 cups

Salsa

* 1 pound diced ripe tomatoes
* 1 finely diced small red onion
* 2 seeded and finely diced jalapeno peppers (if you like it hot…leave the seeds in)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine in a large glass bowl and let stand for 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Can immediately if you’re going to put it in the pantry.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/country-lore-foil-slugs-with-eggshells/

Country Lore: Foil Slugs with Eggshells

By Anita Baxley

I’ve been gardening organically for many years in our Zone 6b region. I note that people are always asking and writing about getting rid of slugs. The general response is beer, copper, diatomaceous earth, bait and traps.

I’ve been practicing a method with eggshells and have found it to be 100 percent effective. My chickens provide me with the best eggs ever and after using the eggs, I rinse out the shells, let them dry and store them in a coffee can. After the can is full, I put them in an old food processor and grind them up. I sprinkle them around my flowers, veggies, etc. Slugs will not crawl across them. Also, the eggshells provide the mineral benefit of calcium for my garden!

I realize that some people compost or crush eggshells by hand, but with the food processor, they’re quite manageable and don’t nick and cut your hands. Also, it makes it easier to distribute the shells around plants.

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/companion-planting-2/

Companion Planting

The following is a list of vegetable and herbs which grow well together and protect one another from insect attack.?? Many herbs are natural insect repellents that can keep your garden bug free and reduce or eliminate the need for potentially harmful pesticides.

By using Companion Planting, many gardeners are discovering that they can discourage garden pests without harming helpful insects such as bees and ladybugs. Some herbs, through their odors or root secretions, will deter pests naturally. An added bonus is; these same herbs, planted as companions in your garden, will season the fruits and vegetables of your labor.

Some herbs even improve the flavor or growth rate of their companion vegetables. Companion planting is the ultimate way to bring the balance of nature into your garden. Just do your best to match the suitable herb with the suitable plant and the rest will follow.

BASIL:
Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor and to repel flies and mosquitoes. Do not plant near rue.

BAY LEAF:
A fresh leaf bay leaf in each storage container of beans or grains will deter weevils and moths. Sprinkle with other deterrent herbs in garden as natural insecticide dust.

BEE BALM (Oswego):
Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor.

BORAGE:
Companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. Deters tomato worms.

CARAWAY:
Good for loosening compacted soil.

CATNIP:
Deters flea beetles.

CAMOMILE:
Improves flavor of cabbages and onions.

CHERVIL:
Companion to radishes for improved growth and flavor.

CHIVES:
Improves growth and flavor of carrots.

DILL:
Improves growth and health of cabbage. Do not plant near carrots.

FENNEL:
Most plants dislike it. Plant to itself.

FLAX:
Plant with carrots, and potatoes.

GARLIC:
Plant near roses to repel aphids.

GOPHER PURGE:
Deters gophers, and moles.

HORSERADISH:
Plant in potato patch to keep away potato bugs.

HYSSOP:
Companion plant to cabbage and grapes, deters cabbage moths. Do not plant near radishes.

KELP:
When used in a powder mixture or tea spray, this versatile sea herb will not only repel insects but feed the vegetables.

LEMON BALM:
Sprinkle throughout the garden in an herbal powder mixture.

LOVAGE:
Improves flavor and health of most plants.

MARIGOLDS
(Calendula): The workhorse of pest deterrents. Keeps soil free of nematodes; discourages many insects. Plant freely throughout the garden.

MARJORAM:
Improves flavor of all vegetables.

MINT:
Deters white cabbage moths, and improves the health of cabbage and tomatoes.

MOLE PLANTS:
Deter moles and mice if planted here and there throughout the garden.

NASTURTIUMS:
Plant with tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, and under fruit trees. Deters aphids and pests of curcurbit family.

PARSLEY:
Plant and sprinkle on tomatoes, and asparagus.

PEPPERMINT:
Repels white cabbage moths.

PETUNIAS:
Remember mom or grandma planting these? She had good reason, even though she may have only planted them for tradition’s sake. They repel the asparagus beetle, tomato worm and general garden pests. Also, a good companion to tomatoes, but plant everywhere.

PURSLANE:
This edible weed makes good ground cover in the corn. Use the stems, leaves and seeds in stirfrys. Pickle the green seed pod for capers.

ROSEMARY:
Companion plant to cabbage, beans, carrots and sage. Deters cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies.

RUE:
Deters Japanese beetles in roses and raspberries.

SAGE:
Companion plant with rosemary, cabbage, and carrots to deter cabbage moths, beetles, carrot flies. Do not plant near cucumbers.

SOUTHERNWOOD:
Plant with cabbage, and here and there in the garden.

SUMMER SAVORY:
Plant with beans and onions to improve growth and flavor. Discourages cabbage moths.

TANSY:
Plant with fruit trees, roses and raspberries. Deters flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and ants.

TARRAGON:
Plant throughout the garden, not many pests like this one.

THYME:
Deters cabbage worms.

VALERIAN:
Good anywhere in the garden, as a powder.

WORMWOOD:
Keeps animals out of the garden when planted as a border.

Source:http://www.i4at.org/library.html

Crockpot Cereal

1/4 cup cracked wheat
1/4 cup oat groats — or steel cut oats
1/4 cup dried unsweetened grated coconut or oatmeal
3 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup brown rice

Just before bedtime, combine all the ingredients in a crockpot set on
low temperature.
In the morning serve with your favorite milk, fruit, and whole grain toast.

Source : The Just-Crockpot mailer on googlegroups.com

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slowcooker/

ping

[Repost from a couple days ago, does not have strange symbols]

I’ve noticed several other messages with odd symbols replacing certain parts of the text. I don’t know why. Just another yahoo glitch, I guess.

Redbud-Herb Muffins

2 cups redbuds
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage or rosemary leaves
½ cup sugar or sweetener of your choice.
Minced zest of 1 lemon
1 ½ cups unbleached or all-purpose
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°
In bowl #1, combine redbuds, herb, sugar, zest. Let sit 30 minutes.
In bowl #2 Sift flour, powder, baking soda, salt large bowl.
In bowl #3 Combine egg, yogurt, milk, oil, lemon juice.

Pour #1 into #2 and toss.
Add #3, stirring just dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
Fill your muffin tins 3/4 full.
Combine sugar cinnamon the topping sprinkle some each muffin Bake for 25 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
Remove form muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.

Messages in this topic (1)

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hillbillyherbalism/

Welcome to the thread, something for everyone will be found here.

I haven’t made cheese in years, but did make a lot of it for a few years.

Freeper Delawhere is making it now also yogurt.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/08/id-card-workers-center-immigration-plan/

March 09, 2010

ID Card for Workers at Center of Immigration Plan

The Wall Street Journal

Under a potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all
legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID
card with embedded information.

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled
on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national
biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be
required to obtain.

Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate,
all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued
an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card
to the worker.

continues.

[Are you ready for your National ID card???
granny]