Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil world) 2

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1422

Well I guess we're just screwed then. Laughing

I guess there really is no completely good answer. Hopefully what we're doing will last a while, though. If I can just keep the pathways relatively clear for a couple years, until I can get the beds set up well and productive, then I can find time to battle weeds. Or, my kids will be big enough to know what a weed is and not pull up a tomato plant instead. Laughing

Quinny · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 03, 2008 Posts: 610

Books arrived Smile

John Seymour
How to grow more food
Carla Amery
Food Storage
Smallholders guide

Quinny · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 03, 2008 Posts: 610

Read John Seymour last night/this morning. Looks like good advice.

The Green Pharmacy arrived today

dovey · Coal Joined: Jul 24, 2008 Posts: 14

here it is called crusher fine. it hardens just like concrete and is very smooth to drive on.
dovey

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1762

Got 3 gallons of green beans snapped and in the fridge for canning tomorrow.
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Local fix-it guy..

SpringCreekFarm · Intermediate Crude Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 950

I love home canned green beans. We've always had great success with them. Oowolf says it's a waste to can veggies but I'll keep doing it because they are a great way to round out a meal and they taste great. As long as there are mason lids, beans and heat, I'll be canning them.

countrymomma · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 07, 2008 Posts: 43 Location: Midwest

mercurygirl · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 1290

strider3700

a tiger torch works just fine for lighting weeds on fire. They're normally used for torch down roofing and should be available at most decent hardware stores.

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shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1762

I got a torch like that from Harbor Freight for under $20. No tank, just the torch. No regulator req'd, just screw it on and go. Puts out a monster flame, 3 feet long when you squeeze the trigger. I use it every couple years to clean the fencerow, but plan on having a hose handy to put out the fire!!!! And wait for wet weather to do it--not to worry, it will burn wet weeds.....
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RedStateGreen

I got a bunch of lovely superpails in yesterday. I think I'm close to my goal on food storage. Spent a good portion of today putting them away and cleaning my storm room, which flooded a bit with the rains we've had lately.

I learned, though, that if you're storing cans in places that may become damp or flooded (basement/storm room) that you should take off the paper label and use a Sharpie to mark on the bottom what's in the can and any special directions. After several months in a damp room that paper label becomes moldy and disgusting.
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Conservation is conservative

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1762

RedStateGreen,

Watch out for rust on cans in a damp area.

Today I plowed the lower garden ( a total disaster this year) and, having done the upper garden last week, planted a row each of turnips and kale there. Very dry here, but we are due for rain this weekend, so I may put in some late beets, radishes, lettuce, and anything else I can think of tomorrow.
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Local fix-it guy..

RedStateGreen

kpeavey · Expert Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 1323

Did some last minute purchases to get ready Faye:
10# ground beef
2# ground turkey
20# chicken thighs and drumsticks
50# hard red winter wheat
50# soybeans
50# corn
20# rice
25# sugar
50# salt block
24 packs of mason jar lids (a box)
brown sugar, beans, and assorted other grocery items in minor amounts
some buckets and tubs

Oh...and a light for the bathroom

Yesterday and today's projects included hanging around inside, watching the last part of a movie, and processing all this stuff.

some of the soybeans became tofu, using this video as a guide. I went with lemon juice, as apparently Wal-mart does not carry edible anhydrous calcium sulfate, at least not where I looked. Can't imagine why they don't carry it.

The process was simple enough. Using the video as a template, I made a mold out of some scrap lumber, slapped it together yesterday. The mold mostly did the job as intended but there were some issues with the top section cupping heavily and the wood swelling from all the moisture resulting in a tight fit in places. I'm thinking stainless steel screws will hold up better to corrosion. The next mold will address these issues and I'll make it out of cedar rather than scrub pine.

I tried some of the soy milk in coffee. It did the job as intended, but the flavor was slightly off. At least I can produce non-dairy creamer. Getting used to it may not be a project I pursue.

The finished product was a bit soft. I made some adjustments and pressed it further which seemed to do the trick. I had the chance to try soft tofu, did not care for the texture. The do-over was acceptably firm. Not being familiar with tofu, I'm not able to tell what the quality of the product should have been. This batch came out with the texture and appearance of feta cheese. I'll try another batch in order to compare.

The taste segment of the experiment showed that the stuff is not all that great as a stand alone dish, unless that dish is supposed to taste like sawdust. Dinner was Chicken and Dumplings, the tofu went along with that just fine. Other methods of preparation included sauteeing with vegetable oil, with saturated fat from beef and with chicken grease. The beef grease worked the best.
The weighing of the stuff shows that 21 ounces of soybeans (26 cents/pound) produced about 3# tofu. This works out to 12 cents/pound for a meat substitute. Hell of a price.

I also ended up with mashed soybeans as a byproduct. I'll mixit with grease and feed the chickens. I'm sure there are other uses for the stuff. Any suggestions? Anyone have experience with tofu?

Project #2 was chunky meat sauce. This was the source of the grease used with project #1. I add diluted tomato sauce when canning. The beef and turkey went in. 9 quarts came out.

Project #3 was more chicken in jars. Sure is handy having it around.

Today will see cleanup in the kitchen, packing stuff in mylar and buckets. The storm is centered about 20 miles south of me right now. Getting some light wind, some fair gusts, a little rain. Not much of a storm for all the hype. The chickens are putting up with it well.
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If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984

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Accept the Facts.