Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil world)

larry · Coal Joined: Sep 25, 2004 Posts: 1

Eustacean most garden seed last 1 to 3 yrs. if stored in the right way. I store mine in sealed jars in the ref. with a small amount of silica. A good referance is Territorial Seed Co. catalouge. They list the storage life in their descriptions. They also offer quite a few Open-Pollinated varietys if anyone wants to try and save their own seeds. Hope this helps.

Pops · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:36 am Post subject:

While the server was down I ordered a barrel stove kit for the shop. Good idea how to improve the old barrel stove and also how to buy and store the parts for future use here: http://www.endtimesreport.com/thermal_mass_wood.html
And Lehmans has an airtight kit here:
http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=199

I also built a heavy duty workbench, started 3 chicken tractors, worked on a schematic for the backup power setup and figured how to make one of the out-buildings (actually an old one car garage) into a greenhouse (Iâ€™ll post more later on the greenhouse idea later).

Another thing Iâ€™ve been doing for some time now, is whenever I need something for a project â€“ pipefittings as an example, I buy twice the amount I need. I canâ€™t afford to buy large items, but $2-3 dollars isnâ€™t much to spend at any one time and I have built up a nice little â€œwarehouseâ€ of repair parts. Of course itâ€™s 40 miles to a decent hardware store in our case, but for anyone, I think having common repair items on hand is a good idea.

And to take that a little further, donâ€™t skimp when it comes to doing repairs. When you have a leaky faucet supply line for example, replace it with a brass shutoff and braided stainless steel line, not the cheap plastic or one piece flex job â€“ the couple bucks you save may wind up causing you considerable headaches in the future.
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Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5395 Location: Oklahoma

Today I started reading Powerdown. I have been boxing up things I don't need (CDs, bad books, consumer stuff) to take to a garage sale in a couple of weeks, with the goal of raising money to buy some land. I have heirloom seeds (lots of variety) on the way and I'm learning about seed saving. I am also saving up for a decent mill (Country Living seems to be the way to go). Last night I discussed Lasek with my husband (his eyesight is very poor) in the context of peak oil, and he agrees it is a good idea. I have been getting advice from knowledgeable friends on bicycles and am about to start looking for those, too. I have a list of things to accumulate or acquire which we will need if we want to live more simply (good shoes, knives, etc.). I am trying to take small steps each day toward our goal of being self sufficient. The largest thing we need to do is get some land - right now we live in a rented house in the suburbs - yuck! Once we have land I look forward to raising chickens and such (I've done so before and it is fun!).

I also learned today that I must read spiritual books daily to help cope with anxiety and stay "out of my head" and positive. Read some of Tao Teh Ching this morning and it helped immensely!

So... trying to progress with limited resources. Good practice, perhaps!

Shannon

backstop · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:00 pm Post subject:

Shannon - I kike the sound of your approach - it seems very practical and open minded.

One thing I'd suggest (which may not be possible) but if you can find one, getting an old bike with rod brakes means you won't have to replace brake cables. Also, if it comes to it, rawhide works instead of plastic brake blocks (you just take a bit longer to stop)

Good luck in finding the farm !

regards,

Backstop

Pops · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:54 pm Post subject:

Yes, thanks for the post, Shannymara!

Little steps, thatâ€™s all any of us can do. As long as what you do is good in the worst case and the bad case as well, you havenâ€™t done anything wrong.

Tell us more.
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jesus_of_suburbia · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 5:02 pm Post subject:

I fixed my personal CD player with a box cutter; saved $40.
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Jenab · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 5:40 pm Post subject:

Jenab · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 6:24 pm Post subject:

You folks who figure on using your wood stove year-round for cooking better think again. For three years I've been heating my home in the winter with wood, and I've learned how much of it is needed to get through the cold season. More to the point, I've learned what a chore it is to locate, gather, haul, chop and stack four cords of wood. And that's with a chainsaw and a pickup truck.

Now imagine that I'm relying on wood to cook all my meals all 12 months of the year. I'd probably need more wood than I could find. If I could find it, I'd have to carry it home on my back, tied to an external frame off a backpack. Once I had it home, I'd have to cut it into woodstove size sections with a maul or a hand saw.

You and Superman, working as a team, might get the job done, but probably not you alone. So you probably want to minimize on your cooking requirements by eating stuff that doesn't need cooking. And, for what you must cook consider getting a solar oven.

I've bought two Global Sun Ovens for about 2/3 of the retail price on eBay auctions. (I picked up the second one at the post office today.) I plan on using Solar ovens for canning my apples and walnuts, once the trees I planted are bearing.

Jerry Abbott

Jenab · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 6:29 pm Post subject:

Catch-em-alive animal traps. I have four of them. They can catch small game without you using up your bullets, but watch out for raccoons. They're strong enough to bend the pressure plate and trigger rod; they're mean as all get out, and they taste awful.

NiKfUrY69 · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:

TripleGemini · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:29 pm Post subject:

Did the global sun ovens come with receipie books Razz

I'm in San Diego, figure if it's a hard crash, snails will be a good source of protien Confused

Good thing they are so easy to catch Smile

Throw a few snails in the global oven and walla! Dinner is served.

How much were the ovens on eBay? I get a LOT of my supplies on eBay, and I'm in the process of selling all my junk.

Trip

NiKfUrY69 · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:07 pm Post subject: Osage Orange

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5395 Location: Oklahoma

I second Nik's Osage Orange recommendation. The wood makes great bows, as well, I understand. I think some livestock might eat the fruits, too, and they look like something out of a Dr. Suess book!

Today a bunch of the heirloom seeds I ordered arrived. I have been reading about grain production and learning how much land various kinds of grain require to feed people, and what grain grows best on what land. Tonight I am going to a local peak oil discussion group. I found a children's resale shop where I can pick up some extra cash selling old clothes. I have also made some progress toward selling our hot tub today.

Someone mentioned beer brewing. You need barley and hops to brew beer, and you need particular strains of yeast to brew good tasting beer (we do it all the time). It is a good skill to have, but I would suggest learning how to make and use a still is more practical as a post peak strategy if you don't live where hops will grow. You can make alcohol out of many things!

Another idea is tobacco cultivation. Or hemp, if it becomes practical.

Shannon

Jenab · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:26 pm Post subject:

Pops · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:48 pm Post subject:

Is Osage Orange the same thing as "Hedge Wood"?

They rave about it here - hot fire, bows, posts, etc.
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