Family Night With Pizza And A Movie

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the week-and no, it's not because it's Friday.  Well, maybe partly, it is pizza night and family movie night!  The pizza is homemade and awesome!  The movies aren't always awesome but they are fun and it's nice to relax with the fam.  This is how frugal people spend time together.  Frankly, I think it is a much more wholesome time together with much more interaction.

We have been doing this for at least 12 years.  I can't imagine what life would be like without movie/pizza night.  What do you do in your home to spend time together?

Chick-Chick-chicken Time!

It is the time of year that we should be ordering our broiler chickens.  I have to be honest here-my heart does not seem to be into raising these chickens.  Oh we're going to do it, but I, kinda, don't want to.  I think I'm getting lazy in my old age.

Joking aside, what really has me bumfuzled is the cost of feed.  We sell many of the birds, keeping enough for ourselves, but it is getting harder to turn a profit.  We buy a ton of feed at a time, supplemented with grass in chicken tractors.  Last year, when I went to buy feed it cost $400 for a ton.  It's still cheaper using our custom mix than buying Purina junk, so it worked out, but I haven't checked on the price of things yet-so I'm dreading it.

In the end, I need to quit lollygagging and get the order in for the birds.  No matter what, they are still the best tasting, best for you chickens around.

The Benefits Of Raw Milk-Revisited

Here is an article I found in my favorites list that I had totally forgotten about.  It is about the benefits of drinking raw milk, as we do from our own cow.  Good stuff.  Use the link and give the article a good read, it is very informative.

Eating Squirrels?

I am giving some serious consideration to hittin' the woods and knock off a few squirrels.  The woods are loaded with them, so I could stand to thin out a few.  What this got me thinking about is in the area of preparedness and survival.  Yes, you can eat squirrels and they are very tasty if they are done right.  Simply put, squirrels are a ready, and abundant, source of protien for the freezer should the need arise.  Many people say they won't eat them, or even think about eating them, but if you are hungry, you might reconsider that.  Not to mention it is a fun way to spend an afternoon with the .22.

Healing Cavities Without Drilling And Filling?

If you have never heard of Dr. Weston A. Price, do yourself a favor and look him up.  He was an incredible man and doctor that learned a bit about health and natural ways of healing and vitality.  Here is one great example of the things Dr. Price learned and taught.  Read the article, then check out the Weston A. Price foundations website.

Asparagus On The Grill

Ever had Asparagus on the grill?  Try it, it is delicious.  I did it yesterday for the first time on the grill.  We all love asparagus but never done this way-crazy, huh?  Just wrap the asparagus (from our garden) in tin foil along with a clove of garlic (chopped up) and butter.  Put it on the grill and let it steam until tender.  Very tasty.

I am not too good at veggies on the grill, so give me some ideas.

Orthorexia-If You Like Healthy, Organic Real Food, You Need To See A Shrink

Apparently, there are psych "experts" out there that say that if you like real, whole, non-GMO, non-pesticide laced, no chemicals, no hormones, no antibiotic food then you must be sick.  And eating processed foods that contain all those things aforementioned is normal.  What next?  Read more here...

Is It Safe To Eat If The Government Says So?

"The FDA and USDA say the engineered foods they’ve approved are safe — so safe they don’t even need to be labeled as such — and can’t be significantly distinguished from conventional varieties."  And how long have they studied this to have come to this conclusion?  I agree with this statement, but would add that if you mess with God, there are going to be side effects:

“If you mess with nature, there’s a side effect somewhere,” said George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley, the nation’s largest organic-farming cooperative.


Read more...

Demand For Bison Is Soaring

Bison ranchers are having a hard time keeping up with demand as more people are seeking heathier meat.  Bison grow slower than beef animals, making things difficult for bison ranchers.  Maybe we just need more bison ranchers?

Government Witch Hunt On Raw Milk-Stop The Subsidies

It is time for Americans to stand up for their right to consume healthy food.  Don't let the governmant tell you what you can, or cannot eat.  Read more...

How Did Colonists Fight Squash Bugs? Can Tansy Be Used?

We have a continuing problem on our little homestead with squash bugs. Every year we battle the little demons, leaving nothing untried. The only sure method of dealing with these bugs and keeping them from killing the precious squash plants is to pick off every little egg we could find. That, along with picking off and stepping on every squash bug we saw. Believe me, the effort always seemed futile. We have even decided to forgo growing squash for a couple of years in hopes of the bugs going away. The trouble is that we always have incidental squash plants popping up in the compost bin or elsewhere. So I am not sure how to get rid of them.




Pesticides are not an option. We like real food. So I got to thinking and wondering how farmers dealt with these squash beetles in colonial times. I am not sure that I found an answer (bummer) but I did come across something interesting and possibly valuable for us homesteaders/survivalists/farmers.



Tansy is a plant that has shown a natural ability as a pesticide and insect repellent. Townsfolk used to put Tansy wreathes on deceased loved ones and pack their coffins with the flower to ward of worms and insects. Colonists and English, alike would place pots of Tansy on window sills to ward off house flies. They would even put sprigs in bed linen to drive away pests and used it for ant control. Colonists went so far as to put Tansy in their shoes to fight off malaria carrying mosquitoes.



Try this one, Common Tansy is often planted along side potatoes to repel Colorado Potato bug. Research has shown that Tansy does, indeed repel mosquitoes, but not as well as the modern chemicals. Research in Sweden has shown a 64%-72% tick repellent from Common Tansy. Interesting, to be sure.



I don't know if I will find an answer to our squash beetle problem, but I love the way we can learn new things from the past. Maybe Common Tansy can find a place around our homestead.



A word of caution: the oils found in Tansy are toxic and can cause contact dermatitis on people with sensitive skin. Although Tansy has been used for centuries by herbalists to kill internal parasites (which is very effective), be careful. In the USA, Tansy has been limited to alcoholic beverages, so do oyur research before taking it internally.

Preparedness On A Budget-Where To Start?

When thinking of starting to raise more of your own food, a great place to start is with a garden.  This is one of the simplest ways with the least amount of money to start.  It does not take a rocket scientist to grow food, either.  If you don't know a thing about gardening, ask those who do, or read books and magazines.  Learn all you can, while you can.

At the same time, you can be thinking about livestock.  Again, simple is best at first.  Start with a few chickens.  If you have never raised animals before, chickens are the way to go.  When they get old enough, they will provide you with food (eggs) and meat.  There are many breeds out there that can serve both purposes well.  Google some hatcheries to find one close to you.  Chickens are not too expensive and you can start off with a dozen pullets, or so, depending on what your needs are.  They don't eat much, love kitchen scraps and are peaceful to watch.  They really do bring enjoyment to your homestead.  Check your local ordinances, if you live in town or the city, because many places allow you to raise a few chickens in your back yard. 

Remember, we need to think outside the box.  Prepping for emergency means we need to do what we can to maintain our families safety and health.

A MUST HAVE book for homesteading information is Carla Emery's Encyclopedia Of Country Living.  This book has been invaluable to us.  You must have it.  You can purchase a copy at Amazon.

Grass Fed Cows Produce Heart Healthy Milk?

If milk does the heart good, it might do the heart better if it comes from dairy cows grazed on grass instead of on feedlots, according to a new study.


Earlier experiments have shown that cows on a diet of fresh grass produce milk with five times as much of an unsaturated fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than do cows fed processed grains. Studies in animals have suggested that CLAs can protect the heart, and help in weight loss. Hannia Campos of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and her colleagues found, in a study of 4,000 people, that people with the highest concentrations of CLAs — the top fifth among all participants — had a 36 percent lower risk of heart attack compared to those with the lowest concentrations.



Those findings held true even once the researchers took into account heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking.



The new findings suggest that CLA offers heart-healthy benefits that could more than offset the harms of saturated fat in milk, Campos said.



“Because pasture grazing leads to higher CLA in milk, and it is the natural feed for cattle, it seems like more emphasis should be given to this type of feeding,” she told Reuters Health by email.



Dairy products in the U.S. come almost exclusively from feedlots, she added. And cow’s milk is the primary source of CLA. (Beef contains a small amount.)



Campos and her colleagues looked to Costa Rica for their study, where pasture grazing of dairy cows is still the norm. They identified nearly 2,000 Costa Ricans who had suffered a non-fatal heart attack, and another 2,000 who had not. Then they measured the amount of CLA in fat tissues to estimate each person’s intake.



Since CLA typically travels with a host of other fats, the researchers went a step further to tease apart its effects from those of its predominantly unhealthful companions, they report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The difference in risk attributed to CLA subsequently rose to 49 percent.



“Whole-fat milk and dairy products have gotten such a bad reputation in recent years due to their saturated fat and cholesterol contents, and now we find that CLA may be incredibly health-promoting,” Michelle McGuire, spokesperson for the journal’s publisher, the American Society for Nutrition, and associate professor at Washington State University, told Reuters Health in an email. “Whole milk is not the villain!”



Each year, approximately 1.5 million Americans will suffer a heart attack. A third will not survive.



The evidence may now be piling up: another paper out of Sweden in the same issue of the journal as the Costa Rican study also hints at heart attack protection through milk fat.



Further, the benefits of CLA may extend beyond the heart to the prevention of cancer and diabetes, suggests McGuire, pointing to results of other animal studies. “Milk is actually the only food ever ‘designed by nature’ to be fed to mammals,” she added. “We need to look to milk as the perfect food and learn everything we can from it.”



SOURCE: here American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online May 12, 2010.

Five Acres And Sustainability

Over the next few weeks, done on a peridic basis, I will explore the idea of small acreage and how to be sustainable.  Not that I am an expert on anything, but we are working toward this end, ourselves.  We are doing this for several reasons, but the top two are the fact that the government and current political climate leaves nothing to chance and the stewardship of God's land.

With this in mind, I have to believe that there are folks out there that are where we aere 12 years ago.  They might be concerned about the state of things, or just want to live a healthier life eating real, whole foods.  Again, I am no expert, but, over the next several weeks/months, I will share some ideas, pictures, anecdotes and general things we have done.  This effort will, I hope, inspire others to a life more sustainable on small acreage.

With that in mind, I want to refer you to an old article I wrote on sustainability to give you a good understanding of what I am refering to.  One thing is for sure, you can grow crops and much of your own food on a small amount of land.  I would argue that you can do a bunch, even in the city (of course, I would get out of the city, if you can).

I look forward to sharing ideas with you and hearing from you.  Come back often and enjoy your visit.

No Snow, But Did Build Some Garden Boxes

Well the snow never came but the rain sure did.  I understand that even Dallas got several inches, yet, we didn't-darn. 

We decided to just go on with the day, yesterday, even though the impending doom of snow was coming.  We went strait to work on some things that needed done.  I built three new garden boxes for gardening the square foot way.  It was simple enough.  There are two smaller boxes for the girls to have for their own.  I forget what they plan to grow, but they are excited to start.  I am excited to see what they can produce. 

I then made a box for my wife.  They were placed out in the garden area with weed barrier under them.  I still have to fill them.  Of course you know, that we garden with raised beds, anyway.  Until now, we used concrete, mason blocks for the beds.  As the price of these went through the roof, we switched to un-treated lumber.  We don't want the chemicals from treated lumber, so, we just plan on replacing them every few years.  We will start with the one, in addition to all the other beds that already exist.

After I made that box, we went out to prune our fruit trees.  I tell you that accomplishment feels good.  We have never pruned our fruit trees, knowing that it has to be done.  Now it is done, for this year and we are thankful for that.

I then set in to make the square foot grids that fir over the gardens.  These help determine, exactly, where to plant.  They sit right on top of the edges of the beds.

I then attempted to straiten out the tacoed wheel on my daughters bike.  As an old bike mechanic, I found this one to be a challenge and needed to step back and re-think it.  She didn't taco the wheel, we bought it from a thrift store and it came that way.  We may have to buy a new wheel.

Here are some pictures of what we built.

To the right are three potato boxes.  Simply fill them with dirt and add another when the greens come out.  This method should make harvest very simple by taking off each box and picking up the potatoes.  Below, are the same boxes, unstacked.  They are one foot square, usind 1x8 lumber simply screwed together.

This is a shot of the beginning stages of the grids.  We used lath boards in 4 foot lengths.  We then stapled them together in one foot squares.

This is a shot of one of the grids on the 4x4 box I made for my wife.  The lumber was 1x6 and screwed together to form a 4x4 box.

This picture shows some of the grids placed on the existing raised beds.  We are going to apply the square foot method to all of the gardens.  Now for some warmer weather....

Grass Fed Is Worth The Price Tag

Michael Pollan says that all animals are healthier when they have access to green plants.  This goes along with what I've been saying for a while-grass is the key. 

Pollan went on to say that "its worth looking for pastured animal foods in the market and paying the premium price they typically command".

You can read more here.

"Nativised" Verses Heritage Breeds

Joel Salatin makes the case for, what he has termed, "nativised" animals, verses heritage breeds.  I recently read an article he wrote on this, and, must admit, that I am intrigued.  Mr. Salatin always stirs the emotions and intellect and I am glad to trust his wisdom.

The gist of his argument is that heritage breeds (rare breeds) are fine.  It is a good thing to do your part to preserve the breed and propigate it.  The problem begins at, well, the beginning.  When purchasing the heritage breeds, the price tags often associated with them is very large.  This make the profit margin smaller.  In order to recoup what you have invested, you have to charge the same or more, to sell the animal.  In simplified terms, the meat is more expensive, but doesn't taste any different.  At least not enough difference to warrant the price tag.  The truth is that a heritage breedre can price themselves right out of business.  You have to be wealthy to maintain your herd.  Again, this is fine, if that is what you want to do.

But, if your goal is to provide good food without the injections, additives, hormones, antibiotics, poked, prodded, sardine style raised, mud bath, fecal dust, then the high priced rare breeds are silly.  He makes the case for what he calls nativised breeds.  These are your standard, plentiful breeds of animals.

But they are the same animals that the industrial, mechanical facilities use!  I hear you, but hear me out before you bring out the torches and the pitchforks.  Again, in simplified terms, it is not the breed that makes the meat healthy, eatable and injection free.  It is the way it was raised.  In other words, taking the animal, regardless of breed, and placing it in its natural invironment.  You know, nativising it.  Bringing the animal back to its native land.  It is letting a bovine be a bovine.  Brining out the pigness of the pig, the chickeness of the chicken, etc.

Once again, I must thank Mr. Salatin for causing a paradigm shift in my brain.  Now I face a difficult decision, one I have not reached, completely.  I will say that I may, now, be leaning toward the nativised.  My problem is that I really, really like the Dexter breed.  The smaller cuts of meat make for great storage in the freezer for a small family.  They eat less than larger breeds, that is a big plus.  They are gentle by nature and thrive on grass.  On the other, other hand, I can't afford to buy into a herd much less two to get started.  This brings me back to nativised, I can afford that. Hmmm......

Berry Care-Brambles

Brambles, such as Raspberries, Blackberries, Black Caps etc, need a March application of Aragonite which is very high in Calcium and low in Magneseum.  Too much Magneseum inhibits the plants from taking up Calcium.  This is followed by an April application of Berry Mix 4-2-4.  Than in August-October use Berry Mix 4-2-4 to allow the nutrients to be absobed in the plants roots.  This will also set the plants for heavy spring production.

Feel free to contact us for more information on Fertrell and all the products they offer.

Garlic As A Healing Herb

I thought I knew a lot about garlic, but, after doing a bit of research, I found that I knew very little.  We grow our own here, and enjoy the herb in many of our foods.  The smell of the kitchen when garlic is cooking is fantastic.  And the taste is heavenly.  I love the spice of it, and truly enjoy eating it.

We also enjoy the health benefits of it.  I learned a long time ago that garlic is a proficient healer, and take it, fresh, when I feel like I am coming down with something.  The herb has proven, more than once, that it does heal.

Like I said, I did some research on garlic for an article I was writting on hub pages, and I came across some interesting facts about this fascinating herb that I thought I'd share with you.

First of all,  what are the actions of garlic?  Garlic is an antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic and antiparasitic-to name a few.

What is garlic active against?  Again, to name a few, Tuberculosis, staph, E-coli, herpes and the flu.

In my opinion, garlic is our first line of defense.  Are you worried about swine flu?  Take some garlic, everyday.

A couple of posts ago, I wrote a few tips on being prepared.  I was speaking of natural disasters, but, we all know that there are any number of things that can bring about disaster, ranging from the natural to the political.  In any case, it is prudent to also consider what you would do if medical service was unavailable.  So, in you prerarations, make sure you have a supply of garlic.  Look for a good sale and take full advantage of it.  Better yet, add that as a staple to oyur garden.  It is incredibly simple to grow.

To learn more on this amazing herb, use the article link above and begind some research on your own.  Thanks for stopping by.

Tender Grassfed Meat-A Book Review

Tender Grassfed Meat is a gift that I received from my wonderful brother-in-law for Christmas.  Written by Stanlet A. Fishman, it is not only a cook book that helps convert age old methods and recipes to your modern kitchen, it is a font of knowledge.  It gives an excellent testimony to the health benefits of eating grass fed meat and a bit of history, as well.

The back cover reads. "Grassfed meat is leaner, denser, less watery and far more flavorful than other meat.  It must be cooked differently.  All the recipes in this book have been specially created and designed for grassfed meat, using only the best natural ingredients.  The step by step recipes are detailed and easy to use."  I must concur, this is a great book to have around.

The author ruined the first grassfed meat he ever cooked.  From then on, he used his research skills to learn how to cook grassfed meat properly.  You owe it to yourself, if you prefer grassfed, to add this book to your cook book library.