Cherry Tomatoes

These are not the best pictures, but I tried to show how well they are coming along. I counted at least 40 tomatoes from the two smaller plants. One tomato was starting to ripen. From the bigger pot, the tomatoes are bigger and more are found. The pot that looks bare, if you look close enough there are two tomato plants started. I planted those a few days ago. They are coming up nicely. I still have a ton of seeds left over too. I'm going to grow them indoors when it gets cooler. The book I read about tub farming the author showed a picture of tomatoes she grew year round indoors. She enjoyed fresh tomatoes from January till December. Awesome!

I used a package of soil similar to Miracle Gro, called Expert Gardener, but I don't plan to do that again. Hopefully, soon we will be back home and our compost will be ready. Either that or I will just plant it straight into the garden.

Tub Farming and more

Well, since we found out our landlord said we could have a garden,I put off planting all that I wanted in pots except for a few cherry tomatoes. I planted 11 seeds and they all came up. But I ran out of space in pots so I kept the three best ones. They are doing really good. I"ll add a picture of them later. I'm planning on planting more tomatoes and keep them indoors if I have to. The book that I read said that you could grow them year round indoors. You can also grow beets indoors. I'll have to give that a try. We love beets especially pickled ones!

If we don't get a chance to plant anything before summer's over, we are going to have a fall garden. Green beans for sure, squash too. We are wanting more vegetables that we can dehydrate, freeze or can. And a little that we can eat fresh like squash.

I'm going to try and have an herb garden here. There is a patch out front where there used to be a tree years ago. I'm hoping that I can get something to grow there. I plan to get some railroad ties for a border. I want to plant calendula, chamomile, comfrey, chickweed, mint. I know they all grow like crazy, so I'm thinking of having them in individual pots to keep them from spreading. Once they start growing, I don't think you'll be able to tell they are all in pots. If I don't put them in that spot, I may just have them on a plant rack somewhere.


Some other things I want to try this year: ferment vegetables and fruits, make sourdough bread, homemade yogurt, soaps and soy candles.

I'll add pictures of these projects as I go.

Getting ready for gardening

I decided to write about gardening here instead of my personal blog.

I went to Walmart yesterday and priced containers for my project this year. I also decided instead to focus on a few vegetables rather than tackle so many as I'd planned before.

I'm going to plant beets, cukes, green beans, and tomatoes- both regular sized and cherry. With the beets, I'm hoping for enough crop to can a few batches, since we love pickled beets so much, but I've found a couple store brands that taste pretty good. So, if I don't get much out of those exept fresh eating I'll be okay. The cukes- I'm planning on purchasing several pots and having one plant per pot. The book Tub Farming that I am reading says that an 8 inch pot is the smallest size recommended. That size seems too small but I'm going to start them in that size and maybe transplant them later to a bigger pot. I'm planning to make small batches of relish, and sweet pickles.
We bought some Dragon tongue heirloom beans, that I may try. I don't know too much about them whether you eat them shelled or whole. So, I'm going to buy some green beans.

Also, instead of buying special seeds for container growing, I'm going to try using the seeds I already have. I'm hoping they work, since I already spent the money on them and they are also heirlooms and open pollinated. Being able to save seeds is a big plus for me.

The tomatoes I plan to plant for fresh eating. I may if I get enough can a few small batches of salsa. But my favorite kind of salsa to make is a salsa mix, using herbs, peppers and a can of tomatoes. So, I may just opt for canning crushed tomatoes.

As far as container prices goes: the size I need for beets and green beans run anywhere between $2.23 to $8. I have decided to use plastic pots instead of clay so that they are not too heavy to move.

For the cucumbers the containers are $.88 each and those are the kind that have a saucer attached to the pot. They had some standard looking ones for $1.57 but you have to buy the saucer seperately. I was kind of suprised to see them (with saucers) there for less.

For the tomatoes, the prices run anywhere from $2.97 for the 12 inch, $3.97 for the 14 inch, $4.97 for the 15 inch and $8.44 for the 18 inch. The book recommends using a diameter size ranging from 12-18. That is for the regular size. The cherry tomatoes call for a 6 inch pot which costs $.97.

I was worried that the containers would cost too much, but I was pleased when I found out they weren't. I'm going to use Miracle Grow Potting Soil, rather than the walmart brand version> I tried it and didn't have any good results. I have had good luck with the Miracle Grow brand before.

I thought I'd use a swimming pool, the plastic kind for $10 for planting some things, but I'm not sure how well it would drain. I'm going to read more about it and maybe plant some things in one.

Like I said earlier, I plan to post some pictures so keep checking back if you want to know how this project is turning out.

Walmart sells kits for strawberries, tomatoes, cayenne pepper and bell peppers. There are a large variety of strawberry kits, some come with soil, seeds and are guaranteed to grow. Some come in pots, baskets, and hanging bags. I thought it would be fun to try and see if I couldn't get some strawberries growing. I'd probably stick with a kit, but may just buy some plants and a glazed ceramic strawberry pot. The hanging bag kit sounded cool, but I have no place to hang one.

The tomatoes and pepper kits are also guaranteed to grow, but are they guaranteed to produce anything, I wonder? I will probably pass on the kits for these and just start it myself with seeds. Most people plant tomato plants rather than wait for the seeds to come up, but we got lovely results with our tomatoes last year and we used seeds.

I would love to find a blueberry plant that I can grow in a container and I found a company that sells some. They sent me a $25 gift certificate for free stuff with no obligation to buy. I may just have to do that.

Step three: Reduce your reliance upon utilities.

If you're ever going to be truly free, you have to reduce your reliance upon the utilities. You cannot be free if a third of your income or more goes toward keeping your lights on and house heated.

This step is where things get a little more "difficult." If you haven't made that most important step then you won't be able to do some of the things in this step. But read on ...

Electricity
First thing is to change how you light your house. If you must have electric lights, then switch to compact fluorescents. They last much longer than incandescents and they'll save you a couple bucks on your electric bill.

But here's where we get a little radical. If you can, throw out electric lights altogether. I don't suggest oil lamps because they have parts that can break or need to be replaced and you also have to purchase fuel. I suggest candles. They are the only form of lighting that you can fully make yourself if need be. We have not switched to candles yet, but it's on our to-do list.

Here's some more tips for lowering your electricity bill ...

Get rid of/turn off the air conditioner. Despite what you may think, you do not need an A/C unit. Once your body gets used to the natural weather you'll wonder why everyone else are such wimps that they can't stand it. Our bodies were meant to be in such weather. Dress appropriately for the weather, get yourself a good, old fashioned bandana and when you get too hot soak it in cool water and drape it around your neck.

Turn off the hot water heater. Chances are good that you don't need 40 or more gallons of water kept hot 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Water heaters waste tremendous amounts of energy. Noel and I now use our tea kettle to heat what little hot water we need. On average, we heat about two kettles a day ... that's it! Even better would be to purchase or construct yourself a solar water heater. You can buy one at WallyWorlds for about $6, or you can take an old milk jug and paint it black. Either way sit it out in the sun, and voila free hot water.

Look at all the appliances in your house which do not need to be on constantly. Like your computer, TV and stereo. If you have newer models and they are plugged in they are drawing energy. It may be only a small amount, but it adds up. And why should you pay to have the thing off? Get yourself some powerstrips with switches for those appliances and when you're not actually using them, turn the switch on the strip off. Every little bit counts.

Try to get rid of the fridge and freezers. It's hard to do, Noel and I are still researching and planning. But hopefully we'll be able to get rid of at least the freezer by next year maybe even the fridge too. We're looking at canning and drying our meats. There are other methods available (such as salt curing) but information on them is scarce and hard to come by. We'll write more when we go further down that road.

Don't use the clothes dryer. They also use tons of energy. Get yourself a clothes rack or string some line between two trees. Never pay for something you can get for free!

Gas
This might fall into either elec or gas depending but for us we were using gas to heat our home. Stop. Install a woodstove. Find a handful of folks that will let you cut wood on their property, and you'll have all the free heat you can use. The one tree we felled earlier will probably heat our home for at least two maybe even three months this coming winter. There is no reason to pay to heat your home.

Water
This one's a little harder than the rest, cause you just can't go without water. But there are things you can do that will cut, or if you're lucky eliminate, your water bill.

The biggest thing is to collect your rainwater. Get yourself some rain barrels and divert the chutes coming off your house into the barrels. You'll be surprised how much water you can store this way. Only one inch of rainfall on 1,000 square feet of roof will net you about 600 gallons of water! Those figures just blow me away! Why does anyone (outside a desert climate) pay for water to be piped to their home when hundreds upon thousands of gallons per year literally falls from the sky only to go straight down the sewer drain? We humans sure do have our priorities mixed up.

Bathe "birdbath-style." A regular tub bath can use 30 gallons or more of water, showers use 5-8 gallons per minute! So, get yourself a little four gallon galvanized tub or bucket, fill it with water and use a wash cloth to wet yourself, soap up, then use the cloth to rinse.

Sewage
I don't really think of sewage as a "utility," especially out here in the country where we have septic tanks instead of sewers. But it is still something that has to be dealt with, which you'll find out the first time your septic system backs up and you have to pay some fellow to come tear up your yard and carry off your "waste." Most people foolishly choose to flush away their "wastes" and try to forget that they ever existed in the first place.

But of course there is a much better way. If it's organic and it's a leftover the last thing that should be done is to flush it. It needs to be composted. Your garden will thank you by providing plants more healthy than anything you've probably seen.

Step 2B: Hunting

All you need to hunt is a New England Firearms Pardner in 20 gauge with a modified choke ($80). This one gun will fell anything in North America when used properly and responsibly.

Generally speaking, hunting is not quite as simple as fishing. It's also something I haven't done so much of. The only thing I've seriously hunted has been rabbits. They are easy enough. Any shotshell loaded with No. 6s or smaller will do fine for rabbits out of the gun I mentioned out to about 30-40 yards. Take your shotgun, go walking through the woods or prairie, stomping and kicking every little bit of brush or briars you find. Don't pass up even the smallest bits of cover. If you see a patch of grass and say "That's too small for rabbits, there won't be any in there" I guarantee that's where you'll find a rabbit. When you jump it and it's running off, aim a little bit ahead of it and pull that trigger. The best possible outcome is that the rabbit's head will catch the very edge of the shot pattern. That way you won't have any shot in your meat, which isn't all that pleasant.

You clean a rabbit almost like you do fileting a fish. Grab the fur about the middle of the body and pull with both hands, the fur will strip right off. Leave the fur on the head side, but take the fur all the way off the back-end and legs. You can leave the fur on the feet. Then all you have to do is filet the backstraps off each side of the spine just like a fish. Then cut off the hind legs, there's a joint in there that's just tendon and your knife will slice right through you just have to find it. Then cut the feet off the legs, a little more trick but the same idea. If the front legs aren't shot up too bad, you can get those too, but I usually just leave those for my cats or hound since there's not much meat on them anyway.

Right now we wrap our catches in freezer paper and stick them in the freezer. We are, however, working on alternative methods of storing meat because the next step in the path to self-reliance and independence is to reduce or eliminate using the utilities.

I will write more to this chapter when I have more experience hunting other game.

Step 2A: Fishing.

Fishing is the simplest and one of the most enjoyable ways to provide some of your own meat.

There is an amazing number of fishing rods and reels available on the market. Some costing hundreds of dollars. But you don't need to spend much money to catch fish. I personally own one Zebco 202 rod and reel which I purchased from Mal-Wart for $10 and a Zebco 33 rod and reel outfit, that was $20.

If you've never gone fishing before don't worry, it's easy. First of all, for your first times out, forget about lures altogether. If you're bank-fishing a public body of water, they are useless. Go back into the garden that you've dug and root around till you've got yourself a handful of nightcrawlers, then put them in one of the containers that you've saved instead of thrown away along with some moist dirt and head for the fishing hole. When you get to the water you have several options. I personally like to have one rod rigged to set the bait on the bottom and one rod rigged with a bobber to fish closer to the surface.

For the bottom rig, take the line from your reel and put on an egg sinker (about half an ounce, doesn't have to be real heavy just enough to get the bait to the bottom) then tie on an eye swivel. After the swivel, tie on a short leader of line (can be the same stuff on your reel) and then tie on the hook. For the bottom rig, I'm targeting catfish so I like the slightly bigger hooks labeled 2/0. Thread a worm on that hook and cast her out and let her sit till you get a bite, then reel it in. Catfish will usually hit the bait so hard and inhale it so deep that you won't even have to set the hook, just reel 'em on in.

For the surface rig, tie a snap swivel to the end of the line from your reel, then clip a bobber above the swivel (I prefer the ones with a little weight to them). You can experiment with how far up the line you put it, some days fish might want it shallower other days they might want it deeper. You can either put the hook right on the swivel, or you can use a leader. When you are speficially going for the more spooky panfish, a light-line leader (ie-4 pound test) might be an advantage because it's not as visible underwater as the heavier line.

Some folks also put a little weight on the line. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't; I don't think it really matters that much for this type of fishing. The size hook you want to use depends on what you're trying to catch. When I use the surface rig I'm usually going for panfish (bluegill, crappie), and use a very small hook, No. 6 or even No. 8. This rig will also catch bass.

For the surface rig, I don't put a whole worm on the hook. Just pinch off a bit and stick that on there. Panfish are a little more tricky to get on the hook though. Sometimes they'll hit the bait hard enough to hook themselves, and other times they'll steal that worm right off without you even knowing it. You just have to practice. Watch that bobber, most times you'll see it start moving differently when the fish are inspecting it. Just about as soon as it goes under you want to lightly set the hook, there's what you have to practice. You don't want to jerk it right out of their mouths, but you don't want to let them spit it back out either. The most important thing in reeling in the bass or panfish is to keep that line tight, if you let them get some slack in it they'll spit that hook out faster than anything and they'll be gone.

Using these methods, if they are there to catch, you will catch fish.

When you leave the lake you're only half-done though. You still need to get them cleaned and put away.

I prefer to filet most of my fish. This is not the easiest way to do it, but it is certainly the cleanest. Take the whole fish, it's sometimes easier if you have one of those boards with the clamp at one end, make a cut down the side of the fish behind the gills. Then make a cut along that same side of the spine down the length of the fish almost all the way to the tail. Then proceed to gently filet off the meat from the ribs. Then filet the skin off the meat. This way is nice because you don't have to gut or scale the fish and there will be no bones in the meat.

Catfish can be done the same way, but it is a good deal more difficult. For one thing those spines will leave inflict a nasty injury if they poke you, and it will take a while to heal (so I've heard, I've been blessed not to have been poked yet). Some folks use their pliers and cut the spines off, which I'll probably do this year too.

Another way to prepare fish is to scale and gut them and cut off their heads. This way is probably better for the smaller panfish because you won't waste any meat (as often happens with me when trying to filet the little buggers). And I'll probably be doing this more often this year, now that we have a place to grill stuff.

When you find the right places to go, you'll be rewarded with a catches like these.

The homesteader's most valuable resource...

It doesn't matter if you are the poorest SOB on the face of the planet, if you are a homesteader there is one thing that you have more of than you could ever use up.

Time.

We live in an age where folks think that everything should've been done yesterday. And I tell you what, that is probably the hardest attitude that I'm trying to overcome.

There are so many things that I want to do to our homestead, and I want them done now! But it is just not meant to be that way. I don't have the funds (or the desire) necessary to live that kind of life.

When weighing options for getting work done here so far, I've always been presented with two basic options. The "easy" way and the "hard" way.

Obviously the easy way entails paying someone else to do the work; whether paying for labor or renting equipment to use myself. But there's that key word -- "paying."

The hard way always means doing the work myself, often with materials scavenged from somewhere else. Oh, and it almost always means lots of time.

Thankfully, I rarely have money to pay anyone to do my work for me. And I say thankfully because it really is much more fulfilling to do the work yourself. Because I have all the time in the world.

Yes, I do have a day job. But my evenings are all mine, along with all day Sunday and half-days on Saturdays and Mondays.

Fencing in my yard is the perfect example. I'll be scrounging the wood from old pallets and doing all the labor myself. Sure I won't be able to fence in my entire yard in a week's time, but if it takes me half a year to finish, so what? Yes, it's hard as hell to take the boards off pallets; especially the one's I've been getting lately, seems whoever put them together thought it'd be a good idea to put four nails in each place where wood touches wood. But I've got all the time in the world. My yard's not going anywhere, and neither am I.

When it's done, I'll have done it myself and at no cost to me.

The "other" garden...

I've spoken briefly about the other garden that we have. It's at a friend of Noel's who lives not even 5 miles from here.

She approached us with the offer of letting us plant some more there and we jumped on it.

The plot is about 40-by-40-feet. So far we have planted there beets, cucumbers, peas, bush beans and corn.

We went by today to check on its progress as it's been about two weeks since we planted it.

The four rows of corn surprised me, they are doing pretty good. There are some bare spots in the rows where the seed didn't take, but all-in-all we should have a little bit of our very own corn this year.

The green beans are doing very well so far. We're going to have a goodly amount of beans this year, gods willing.

The peas there are also doing pretty good.

The cukes are coming in nicely and I can't wait to put away several jars of pickles this year! Yum.

The beets are not really up yet. I found a couple of sprouts that might be beets, but I suppose it's just a little too early to tell. The beets we planted here at the homestead are really just now showing so I should check them again next week.

But we still have about 10 feet on one end of the garden that I haven't planted yet. We have more pumpkin watermelon and beet seed. Plus quite a bit of seed potatoes. What do you all think we should plant in that last little bit of garden?

Three-weeks garden update...

Three weeks ago today, we planted the garden in our backyard.

We haven't been having much luck with it. The neighborhood dogs think it is a playgound, and the neighborhood cats think it is a litterbox. Needless to say, fencing in the yard has become a higher priorty than it was.

But we do have a couple things coming up so I took photos of them this morning for your viewing pleasure.


Here is a photo of a lima bean plant coming up.


Here is one of the pea plants. Funnily enough, our peas are doing pretty well. Most of the seeds I planted are coming up.


And here is one of two pumpkin plants that have come up. I planted five hills of seeds and only two came up! What is with that.

Oh well, we're having fun, and this year was really meant to be a grand experiment anyhow. There are definitely several things to do differently next year.

Pallets: A homesteader's best friend...

Businesses usually have to pay someone to haul away their old pallets. That means that they are ripe for the homesteader's picking! And the potential uses for them are without number.

I've been getting pallets from the newspaper that I work for. Tonight I put three full-size pallets together along with one half-pallet to form a compost bin.

What I did was simple. I took the slats off the back of the pallets, stood them on their ends and nailed them in place. The half-pallet simply slides in the front, which will allow us to remove it when we want to get the finished compost out.

But that's not by far the only thing you can do with them.

You can make fences out of them. Which will be one of the projects that we tackle in the near future.

You can construct sheds and woodsheds.

Anything you can imagine building with wood can probably be made out of pallets. And it'll be one heck of a lot cheaper than buying store bought lumber -- by which I mean free!

Here is a photo of the compost bin I made out of old pallets: