Vitamin C for the Survivalist

     Have you ever thought about what your diet would be like if you had to fend for yourself? Have you found a solution to the problems of vitamin insufficiency in restricted diets? Most of our modern, processed foods have been vitamin-enriched to prevent scurvy, rickets, and folate deficiency. If you were trying to supply your whole diet from what you can grow or forage, would you be safe?

     Interestingly, capybaras and guinea pigs (cuys) also lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid just like humans, bats, and some other apes. If cuys are one of your survival protein sources or urban farming animal, this is a problem you will have to address.

     Lack of vitamin C results in scurvy, with significant symptoms appearing in as little as three months. Foods naturally high in ascorbic acid are cruciferous vegetables, all kinds of peppers, kiwi, seabuckthorn, acerola, goji berry, persimmon, and citrus. Also found in oysters and animal liver. Heat (cooking or canning) significantly reduces available vitamin C in foods. One trick for canning is to add lemon juice to foods which are lacking, increasing the vitamins, preventing oxidation, and lowering the pH.

     Although I have no real proof, I suspect that the leaves of many of our edible plants that produce high-vitamin crops probably have a higher than average concentration of those vitamins, particularly before flowering and fruiting. I suspect strawberry, rose, and hibiscus leaves to be higher in vitamin C, banana leaves to be higher in potassium, citrus leaves high in both. With our soils naturally being magnesium-deficient, I suspect that to be lacking in a person living on a native Floridian diet (in the absence of shellfish and other seafoods). The more research I have done to prove or disprove this hypothesis, the more I notice there is a lack of study in this area, though I did find here that purslane and plantain are very high in vitamin A precursor. This study finds that ascorbic acid is higher in lemon leaves than in the bark, roots, and juice, partially confirming my hypothesis.

Another Great Reason to Grow Lemon Trees

     There are several reasons to grow citrus trees even if your production of fruit turns out disappointing, or if you live in an apartment and only have room for a small plant in dim light indoors.
     Vitamins found in the leaves can be higher than the vitamins found in the fruit. This includes vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A precursor. Potassium and vitamin C are not stored well by the body, so have to be replenished periodically by the diet. There is some evidence that dehydrating the leaves concentrates the vitamins, as long as the dehydrating is performed without excessive heat. Can we say valuable post-apocalyptic trading commodity? Also a great reason to enjoy herbal tisanes and justify the cost of an inexpensive solar dehydrator for the backyard.
     Citrus greening could become a problem, but not if you are growing the plants specifically for the leaves. Greening is the newest, baddest threat to Florida's citrus industry, basically an uncontrollable bacteria that causes fruit to improperly ripen. However, leaves are unaffected, and the bacteria is not a human pathogen. The best time to harvest leaves is right before the lemon trees flower and fruit, as that is when they will have the maximum nutrition. Meyer lemons flower in December, usually, and fruit a few months later. The flowers are fragrant and nutritious too! Citrus trees are perennials, so care must be taken to sustainably harvest them.
     As much as IFAS and the news sensationalize the plights of the citrus industry, most citrus trees are largely resistant to pests. Perhaps it is because those statistics come from the monocultured orchard citrus industry. Perhaps it's because most are already grafted before you have the opportunity to purchase the trees. Perhaps it is because most people's backyard citrus are not planted so densely so as to encourage the growth of pests and the lack of beneficial insects and bacteria. Remember this previous article about how the state destroyed thousands of homeowner's citrus trees, then lost a lawsuit because it was scientifically unfounded? It just shows that they don't really know the answers either.
     The fruit has many culinary uses. It is used in canning to lower pH and prevent oxidation. It can be used to cook raw fish without heat, but dehydrates the proteins - changing the texture. Lemonade. Household cleaner. Fragrance. Color. Limitless possibilities.
     It may have some medicinal properties. Although not thoroughly researched here in the US, lemon is used in Ayurveda in India. According to this study, lemon is used to treat disorders of the throat and persistent catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes usually in the airway, causing an overproduction of phlegm and mucus). The low pH of lemon juice inhibits bacterial growth. Certainly vitamin C is absolutely necessary in our diet. Remember this post where I wrote about vitamin C and guinea pigs (as a survival protein source)? We all need good nutrition.
     The recommendations for lemon culture from IFAS state that lemons are more vigorous than most citrus species and that dense plantings encourage pests. They are recommended for the warmest, sunniest part of the landscape that does not flood. IFAS doesn't recommend propagation by seed, but rather grafting onto a rootstock specifically chosen to avoid certain soil pathogens.

Making Bread After the Apocalypse

     The biggest problem with making bread after the apocalypse has to be the availability of ingredients. This is the part where gluten-free bakers get to jump up and shout hooray, because they have probably already been making potato bread and cassava bread for some time. Of the grains that do grow here in Central Florida, perhaps amaranth and sorghum might be our best choices. Research should be done into kenaf and durum semolina also. Assuming you'll be able to acquire some kind of flour or substitute...
     Many preppers foresee themselves culturing sourdough starter to make homemade breads at some point in the future. After maintaining a starter for several years, I now no longer do so because I don't have a large enough family to properly produce and use almost any quantity of starter. It also takes a lot of cleaning and attention to bacterial growth prevention. Here in Florida, the warmer temperatures in your average air-conditioned kitchen will make your starter 'grow' about three times as fast as the yankees' starter. A sourdough starter gone flat can still be used in your bread recipes with the addition of either commercial yeast or a pinch of baking soda.
     What can be used to leaven bread when you can't get baking soda? Hardwood ashes, once leeched and turned into lye (potassium hydroxide), can further be dehydrated and kiln-fired into potash/pearlash. Potash is potassium carbonate, known commonly for its fertilizer properties. It was an American tradition with some Native Americans and the colonists to leaven bread with potassium carbonate, but over time this fell out of favor when commercial baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) became available, as it has less of a bitter aftertaste. It is conceivable that the underground kiln your buddy used for making biochar was also making some pretty high-quality pearlash, or could be used to produce some.
     For the easiest Solar Cooker ever, used to bake bread in along with an oven bag, check out this design that I have used successfully.
     For other ideas on cooking with your preps, with local ingredients, and without expensive ingredients, please check out the labels marked Pantry Raid or Cook With Your Preps in the sidebar.

Debunking the paleo diet: Christina Warinner at TEDxOU

     I have decided that every once in a while I will be sharing some videos of interesting, probably nerdy topics. Not all will be related to the food supply, but many will, since we all need to eat.
     This video espouses the common claims that it is even possible to approximate Paleolithic humankind's diet in our modern world. She points out many interesting facts, the most remarkable being the severe hybridization of our modern agricultural system. Our fruits and vegetables aren't what they once were. The end wraps up with a concise summary and plan for those who want to eat in a more paleolithic style.
     What is your opinion?

 

Voluntary Poverty

     Voluntary poverty. Some people think it's a rationalization to avoid hard work. Others view it as knowingly relying on the social welfare systems in place in our country. Others would view it as doing your best to live a life of less impact on both the environment and other people. Somewhere in the gray lies views about self-sufficiency, frugality, and happiness.
     Having lived in Florida almost my whole life, I can tell you that very few people in Florida were born or raised here. Most people have moved from someplace less hospitable to the heat and insects that they forever love to complain about. I have spent much time trying to understand what would make someone leave their family to come to a place that they hate, and the only conclusion that seems worthwhile is the one that says that they came here to have more with less. Taxes in the Northeast being what they are, they can come here and have huge ranch-style abominations, four cars, and spoiled brats that refuse to work hard for the community they now share. I'm not bitter, but it is a phenomenon that needs looking into.
     After working at a difficult and poorly-compensated career for several years, I am proud to say that I have paid off my house. It's not a big house, but it is more than big enough for our needs, which is very different from a person's wants. And I figure that if something happens to me, it will be three years of failed tax payments before we will be homeless.
     Now that shelter is covered, the next biggest expense is transportation. I'm still working on that one. The local transit system is not a far walk, maybe 2/3rds of a mile to the closest bus stop, and much cheaper than the car insurance for your average cheap car. I still use a cheap car at the moment, but that might change someday.
     After shelter and transportation, the next largest expenses are electricity and food/toiletries. Most of electricity is air conditioning. I have halved the air conditioning expense by raising the temperature setting in the house to 83F. It's warm but not actively sweating warm, and much cooler than outside. It's still good to drink plenty of cold water and do all outdoor activities before 10:00 AM. Installing solar water heating and an efficient clothesline system will save even more electricity over the long run.
     Food is a much more difficult expense to cut down. My love of sandwiches has led me to egg-salad, chicken-salad, and tuna-salad as my favorite warm weather foods. Easy to make, cheap, and nutritious. Unfortunately the kid prefers peanut butter and jelly, but sometimes I can talk her into grilled cheese and tomato soup, another cheap, easy, and nutritious meal. The next best way to save money on food is to grow as much of it as possible, and that is a topic for another post.
     People worry about healthcare a lot, and learning about the healthcare system as it stands today and in the future will prevent this anxiety. If you have a small child or a disability (Hmmmmmm?), you qualify for medicaid, provided your income is sufficiently low. Over the age of 65 should qualify for medicare, the cadillac of health plans at the moment, provided you have paid enough income tax to qualify. The most important thing about healthcare is to prevent sickness and injury in the first place, which is not easy or everyone would do it. Sometimes illness happens, and healthcare agencies will work with you to set up a payment plan. They don't mind, believe me. As long as you are paying it, even slowly, they will not put it to collections. And hospitals are unable to deny you critical care based on payment status, but they have been known to transfer patients once stable based on ability to pay. Not such a big deal since the patient still receives the needed care.

Finally part of the 3%. 

     After having recently re-evaluated my life situation, goals have changed somewhat. I still want to take this house off-grid as much as possible, and continue learning about sustainable living. I don't feel the need to slave to buy junk like so many others, and retirement savings seem not as important since it's so cheap to live here. Obviously having some money is worthwhile, but having a lot of money seems pointless, since the more you earn the more they take, for every category mentioned above.

     Did you know households that are led by a single mother have a 31.6% poverty rate? Are they like minds or deliberately accidentally poor?

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

     Ever since learning that bread can be made in small batches in the crock pot, I have been seriously contemplating the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method. Before I had ruled it out, since heating up the kitchen with the oven everyday seemed kind of excessive. Not to mention the serious electricity drain. It made me kind of miss the bread making machine I had given away years ago when I was given a stand mixer. But with using the crock pot method for baking bread, small batches can be cooked quickly and with very little mess.
     Their technique couldn't be easier. The only special equipment needed is a large enough container to hold your four pounds of dough in the refrigerator.

Master Recipe, directly from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day website.
Makes 4 loaves, slightly less than 1 lb. each.
Note: The recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use the dough in 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) portions over the next 14 days.

• 3 c. lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated yeast
• 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a 6-quart bowl or, preferably, in a lidded food container or food-grade plastic bucket, stir together the water, yeast and salt.
• Mix in the flour — kneading is unnecessary.
• Allow this to rise, covered with a lid that’s not completely airtight, at room temperature for about 2 hours. Refrigerate the dough and use over the next 14 days. Do not punch down the dough before using it.

In the Crockpot from Star Tribune (2013)

"On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated Master Recipe dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Place the shaped ball on a strip of parchment paper wide enough so there is 1 inch on each side. (No need to let dough rise.)"

     I have found that you may omit the additional flour dusting.

Making Soap from Wood Ash (Potash) and Oils, Part 3

      Most websites say that the lye solution is the correct strength when a small potato or raw egg floats while showing an amount above the surface tension of the water about the size of a quarter. Most sources are unclear about the proper pH of lye water, but it is expected to be somewhere between 13 and 14 (the most alkalotic substances known to man) to be strong enough to saponify oils.
     It is difficult to guesstimate an approximate recipe to use the lye water. One person states, "If your lye water will float an egg with only a quarter size showing, boil down 1 gallon of lye water to 3/8 cup. Use 2 cup fats with 3/4 c. concentrated lye water…proceed slowly adding small amounts lye to fats whipping briskly each time."
     Another recipe concerning the proportion to ash water to fats can be found here. The author states, "Thirty-five liters of ashes is about the right amount for 2 kilograms of fat (a bushel of ashes for 4 pounds of fat). This proportion is cited in soap-making recipes of the colonial period in the United States, but many of the recipes of that era differ on the proportion of ashes to fat. Put 115 ml (1/2 cup) of lye in the kettle for every 230 ml (1 cup) of fats or oils."
     Another soap making website says the ratio of home-made lye water to fats should be "115 ml (1/2 cup) of lye in the kettle for every 230 ml (1 cup) of fats or oils." It goes on to say the mixture should be boiled until it becomes thick, foamy, and rubbery.
     This site has a surprisingly well-written article about how to neutralize an alkalotic pH in liquid soaps. In short, boric acid or borax is added to the soap solution, then allowed to precipitate, leaving the remaining soap more neutral and clear. Of course, proper pH testing is necessary to prevent skin reaction (we can handle more acid than alkali). Adding more fat will also bind the alkali in the lye.

Making Soap from Wood Ash (Potash) and Oils, Part 2

     On the other hand, Mother Earth News has printed an article from 1972 that says this about making wood ash lye at home:

To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water, rain water is best, for about half an hour. Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim the liquid lye off the top. You can do this daily and when you've got enough of the weak solution, start the soap making process by boiling the liquid down until it'll float an egg. Now put that meat fat, left-over cooking lard and vegetable oil into a kettle not over half full, and heat the whole mess until all the liquid has been rendered out of the solid scraps. While it's still hot, add this clean grease to the bubbling lye and continue to boil the mixture, stirring all the while, until it reaches the consistency of thick cornmeal mush. 

     The article goes on to say that added salt makes the soap set into bars more easily, and that non-hardwood ashes are too resinous to produce soap. That last statement could use a good skeptical questioning, since pine tar soap is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties against ailments such as psoriasis.

Second Random Personal Update for August

After sitting through a lovely first day of college classes, I decided to go to the financial aid office to see if the money was there to pick up my books and supplies. I have already given up on it being available for the tuition. The financial aid office is extremely slow at every campus at this college. I know this, because I have waited in uncomfortable chairs at each, surrounded by people with all the same questions and concerns.
The really odd thing about this is that it was much simpler to apply for government insurance, food benefits, and WIC than to get government tuition assistance. I filled out one financial form for medicaid and one for tuition, but guess which one took less time and was easier? Heck, I didn't even know  I was applying for food assistance because the phone conversation I had was for the insurance! Yet have had to come in and sit and wait and talk to people several times, adding a form here and there, to no  avail. No waiting until the last minute on my part either.
How can it be easier to open my arms to the public wealth but difficult to arrange the shuttling of those same funds into the higher education system?

Making Soap from Wood Ash (Potash) and Oils, Part 1

     It wasn't all that long ago that housewives and farmwives made a liquid soap at home using wood ashes and animal fats. The recipes and techniques have been somewhat lost through the years, but several websites have been collecting some information about the process. This website has a bit of background information on the subject, saying, "Historically, potash was derived from boiling down liquid lye (leached from hardwood ash) until it was reduced to a white solid composed primarily of Potassium Carbonate (K2CO3). Potassium Carbonate was used in soap making, glass production, and other manufacturing processes. It could be further refined in a kiln to remove impurities. The refined product was called pearl ash. Both potash and pearl ash were used as an early leavening agent in baked goods."

     One book, the Farmer's Magazine (1859), estimates that ten pounds of ash will make about one pound of salts of lye. The leeched ash water is boiled "to the consistency of tar".
     From Frontier Freedom Magazine and other sources, homemade lye from wood ashes produces potassium hydroxide, an alkalotic relative to the commercial sodium hydroxide that handmade soap is made with. Most online sources agree that rainwater or distilled water is the most desirable for making wood ash lye. The technique they recommend to produce lye, which also sounds to be one of the faster and safer techniques out there, requires you to fill a pillowcase with ashes and place over a five gallon bucket. Pour boiling filtered water into the pillowcase bucket, like you are making tea. Agitate for some time (1 1/2 hours?), then take the pillowcase of ashes out of the water and cook the extra moisture out of the ash water. The lye is strong enough when it can dissolve a chicken feather. The process may have to be repeated several times to get the correct strength (approximate pH?). Avoid scorching the lye (?). Liquid lye can be sun-dried/dehydrated into crystals (?).
     The recipe from Frontier Freedom Magazine calls for 18.2 ounces of homemade lye crystals, 2 1/2 pints of water, and 6 pounds of fat, which they say will make 9 pounds of soap. Their single bar recipe calls for 3 heaping tablespoons of homemade lye crystals, 1/2 cup soft water, and 1 cup melted beef tallow. "A combination of half tallow and half lard is usually suggested." This is somewhat frustrating because most of us use metric measurements for everything this exacting. The soap is made via hot process, and can be hardened into bars and molded or left as a liquid for washing clothing.

What is Potassium Hydroxide, really?

     Potassium hydroxide KOH, is commonly called caustic potash. It is famously used to saponify fats into liquid soap, which is then firmed up with the addition of common salt.
     "Historically KOH was made by adding potassium carbonate (potash) to a strong solution of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), leading to a metathesis reaction which caused calcium carbonate to precipitate, leaving potassium hydroxide in solution" (Wikipedia). Also historically but not mentioned on Wikipedia, potassium hydroxide was leeched from wood ashes using rainwater and a barrel, a long and indeterminate process which I will explain further in another post. The addition of calcium hydroxide (hydrated lime), which came much later, potentially simplifies and streamlines the process even for the farm wives who historically made soap.
     Other than it's famously historical use in home soap making, potassium hydroxide has fallen out of fashion in the chemical world in deference to it's cheaper sister chemical, sodium hydroxide, now also used for soap making. Potassium-based soaps are known to be milder than sodium-based soaps, though properly formulated soaps of either kind are mild enough for children and pets.
     This excerpt is from a chemistry text on soap and candle making, written in 1856. The science discussed herein is still good, though does not make adequate use of one our great modern advances in alkalimetry, known as the pH scale. Potassium hydroxide can have a pH of 12 to 14, depending on its formulation and purity. A pH of 13 is considered the normal for it.

Personal Update August

     After watching the American Heart Association video again, I realized that my very first CPR class was almost ten years ago. So much has changed both with me and with CPR over the years. Mostly with me, CPR hasn't changed that much, other than a few nuances in technique. On the other hand, I have the two kiddos, bought a house, blah blah blah. Personal details that are difficult to nuance into writing. Where's the mandatory class for that?

Not a stroke, just a goofy picture.

How to Bake Bread in the Crock Pot

     People say the internet is more than 95% a waste of resources, because it doesn't offer any new information, just rehashes the same over again. This is true, in a way, except that not everyone knows everything, so sometimes it can be better to follow some blogs and learn as we read along.
     The other day I found a simple technique to bake bread in the crockpot. Having never known about this technique before, it has really made me rethink what kind of appliances I had wanted for my future dream outdoor kitchen. Before Crock Pot Bread, I had wanted a convection oven so I could bake bread without heating the whole kitchen and using all that electricity. Convection ovens are, after all, known to use less electricity than standard ovens. Wood-fired ovens are a lot of work, and propane ovens or grills are just as costly if not more so than standard ovens, plus the hassle of replacing tanks.
     One other great thing about Crock Pot Bread - if you are making standard round (artisan-style) loaves, then as long as you have parchment paper you will not have to scrub any loaf pans or even the inside of the crock.

     Perhaps discovering an appropriately-sized portion of dough for use in the crock is the hardest part. The dough should be about one pound in size, which is about the size of a grapefruit. Ensuring the optimal size helps to make sure the interior of the dough reaches a high enough temperature to baked thoroughly, a temperature of roughly 190-200 degrees F. Pictures is a smaller loaf, so the baking time has been adjusted to match. Most crockpots with loaves of this size need at least a good hour on the High setting to bake all the way through.
     Since the inside of the crockpot remains moist, a heavy/thick crust does not form on the top of the loaf. This may invalidate that lazy baker's tap test to check for done-ness. Some would check the bottom of the loaf. I just like to wing it, myself, and remove from the heat when I think it's probably ready.

Chrissy's Basic Recipe for a 1 Pound Loaf of White Bread
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup milk or water, can be powdered milk.
1/4 cup butter or oil

     This particular recipe needs no additional kneading or rising time, unless that is your preference. The dough will rise as the slow cooker warms up to temperature. This basic recipe can have any number of tasty additives incorporated into the dough before baking, such as blueberries, raspberries, herbs and spices, garlic, onion, etc. Pictured is cheddar cubes and ham slices.

Home-made Ollas

     Ollas (oi-yas) are a traditional Central American method of irrigation. One simply plants the terra cotta vessel in the garden, then plants the most water-needy vegetables near the olla. The more drought-tolerant vegetables are located further from the olla. Then the ollas are topped with water regularly, slowly leaking moisture to the soil nearby. The surface soil and leaves never receive watering with this method, which eliminates water lost through evaporation.
     To make some yourself, you will need terra cotta pots, some stones, super glue, and bathroom caulk. The best place to find terra cotta pots cheap is to look at garage sales and rummage sales, or ask any friends that think they have "black thumbs". I used to have bromeliads in these when I was an apartment dweller, but now that I have a yard, the smaller pots seem like more work than they are worth.
     Glue a stone over the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot. Allow to dry, then caulk around the stone to ensure waterproofing. Super glue the superior pot on the top, allow to dry, then caulk around the edges to waterproof. Bury where you plan on having the veg grow, leave the top exposed for adding water.

Weeds for Farms

     I think anyone into eating natural foods should be a big fan of weeds. They can be an abundant nutrition source, and for whatever reason they haven't lended themselves to commercial agriculture. Most of the time this reason is difficulty to harvest or perhaps very short shelf life.
     This author is the first, perhaps only, weed advocate for the farming community. I wonder what he would think about the current agriculture revolutions, here, the UK, and in Australia?
     One of my favorite points in chapter 6 is how weeds seeds can be used as a cover crop and as a natural, free green manure source. Maybe this could be a good technique for the South?
     Regardless, it's a thought-provoking read.

Weeds: Guardians of the Soil

Mordore - Local Plant Dye

     In an effort to experiment with plant products growing right in my backyard, I harvested some orange honeysuckle flowers. They are the brightest thing around in the wintertime, a beautiful almost fluorescent orange that is rare in nature. The lack of information about Floridian plant dyes online was encouraging, nay, rousing me to try it out.
     Gathered the flowers. It took some time to gather enough flowers for the project, I probably harvested a full pound of blossoms twice. I dried the first batch while locating the rest of the supplies.
     Bought some alum. It is the safest, easiest mordant to use for home dying, as it is a main ingredient in some canning recipes. I think it's also the other chemical found in baking powder. Regardless, it is safe to eat and won't destroy your cooking utensils. It's in the dried herb section of your grocery store.
     Soaked the skirt in alum water in the crock pot on high for a couple of hours, then left to cool overnight.
     Meanwhile on the stove, cooked the blossoms with plain water for several hours - first bringing to a quick boil then left to simmer. Left it overnight. Then strained the flowers out and tossed them on the garden (Waste not, want not. right?)
     The next day, dumped out most of the alum water, then added my cooked blossom dye. Heated the dye with the skirt for maybe six hours in the crock pot on high, while I ran some errands. Came back, stirred the skirt a bit, left it, came back, strained out the dye water.
     Ran the skirt through the rinse and spin cycle in the washer, then into the dryer with the other clothes. And done! Really, it wasn't very much work, all said and done. And the color is very interesting.
     Next on the agenda is cherry laurel leaves. Maybe the fruits too. But will have to be very careful because of the cyanide precursors in that plant. And who knows what the color will be for the next recycled Goodwill white clothing?
    It's not a bad photo, the skirt really is that strange brass color. It's lighter in the sunlight, and I suspect it will fade with washing.   

What is Alum, really?

     Alum is the common name for a salt that is most easily found in the spice sections of some grocery stores. Individuals that are well-versed in home canning principles will recognize the name, since it is a common ingredient in some pickling recipes. It is made by mining bauxite, then refining it into alum.

Baking

     Potassium aluminum sulfate, or potash alum, is also half the base of baking powder, another useful cooking ingredient. Baking powder leavens, or raises, quick breads, muffins, and pancakes, without dramatically changing the pH, and therefore taste, that baking soda would. The alum in baking powder is activated as the dough reaches higher temperatures. The other half of baking powder is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
     Years ago bakers in England used to add it to their breads, not as a leavening agent, but to make the dough seem whiter. A practice we would abhor now, it has been made illegal there. However, it is not illegal here. It kind of makes you wonder how they 'bleach' flour and make white bread so white.

Personal Care

     Along with aluminum chlorohydrate, it is added to some deodorants as a safe astringent, as it kills odor-causing bacteria. Many people are against the use of alum in this way, since it is possible that it gets absorbed into the skin and contaminates the body. Aluminum compounds supposedly neither hurt nor harm cells, but the science is still out on that opinion. It is known that aluminum can be absorbed from deodorants and can cross the blood-brain barrier.

Leather tanning

     Tanning animal skins is a fairly complex skill. The alum comes in at near the end of the process, where it can be mixed with washing soda, the cleaned, dry skin can either be immersed in the mixture or have it painted on as a paste. Alum is used in tanning to remove moisture, prevent rotting, and produce leather.

Dyes

     Alum is known to be one of the least toxic of the metallic fabric mordants. A mordant is a chemical used to help to adhere dye to fabric. It is also considered to be the all-purpose mordant, as hand-dyeing is a largely artistic and experimental endeavor with no two results being alike. Iron impurities in alum can change color outcomes, making for a dull piece. Alum is recommended for all protein fibers, like wool, and most cellulose fibers, like hemp. There doesn't seem to be a recommended mordant for cotton.

Pickling

     Alum is used in pickling recipes to keep the vegetables more crisp. Washington State University says, "Calcium and aluminum salts improve pickle firmness by combining the pectin to make the cucumber more resistant to softening. Alum (aluminum potassium sulfate) has been shown to cause a slight increase in pH and a significant increase in firmness when used at levels up to ¼ teaspoon per pint."
     It can be used in wastewater treatment to 'grab' larger particles, making them sink, which makes them easier to filter from the wasted water.
     Given its wide variety of uses, this little chemical makes a very interesting addition to your preps and pantry.

Exerpt from a School Assignment

     When our ancestors came to colonize / farm / homestead / practice religious freedoms / explore other pursuits here in North America, they mercilessly slaughtered and subjugated the local people, eventually pushing them onto small pieces of land in seemingly uninhabitable areas. Our local natives were wiped out by biological attacks (perhaps unintentional, but who can say?) and then pushed into the thick swamps of the Everglades, places where no conventional buildings or farms could be placed. Their historic homes, our freshwater springs, were turned into tourist attractions and high-dollar housing, though our state has been slowly buying back the springheads. And we generously (guiltily?) allow them to operate casinos in our cities.
     So... then we have the half of the one percent that controls the economy of the United States. And then we have the people paying the majority of the taxes that run our government, and that turns out to be about 20% of the population that resides in the middle and upper middle class. This group can be colorfully referred to as the Debt/Tax Serfs that finance the status quo. The 1% pays very little of our taxes. Everyone always thinks that we should tax the rich more, and whenever a country takes that tactic, the smart rich simply leave that country and diversify themselves.
     More than 9 million people are on (paid) disability from the office of Social Security. The number grows by about 3% every year, so next year we will have about 300,000 more people on disability than this year. How does that number continue to increase when our population is relatively stable? To put that 9 million into perspective, the combined population of Pasco and Hernando County is about 640,000 people or 7% of 9 million. So everyone you personally interact in a day, week, or year, is less than the number of people receiving government aid.
     It is imperative to understand that no one in the government cares about the average people. In fact, it would be in their best interests if large segments of our population were to die out, so as to make life better for the elites. We are not in Perikles’s Athens, we are part of a global society. And we are largely consumers instead of producers, which is a problem for the American citizenry’s continuing well-being.
     So what is the solution, what’s the answer, how can we solve this? One solution is “to renounce debt, go off the financial grid, and escape serfdom by fashioning a low-cost lifestyle in the cash economy. At what point do productive people tire of supporting parasitic financial and political Elites and millions of people who aren't working themselves to the bone to pay taxes and service debt?” Another solution is to turn from consumer to producer as much as possible. Another idea is move more toward a barter economy, which disallows much taxation.

     Perhaps personal aspirations should be much more important to most people’s career than corporate aspirations. Check out what this Lakota tribes-woman is doing to help her people. The work is absolutely inspiring.

Urban Homesteading: Quail

     Quail are probably the niftiest native but domesticated backyard birds available. I have been tossing around the idea of getting quail versus chickens, but considering I will need to buy 100% of their feed, quail seem like the best choice. They are quieter and take up very little space, and even more prolific than chickens in terms of meat and eggs.
     Quail could also serve as cat and dog food with hardly any preparation in the event that we were unable to buy pet food. If that day seemed close on the horizon, rabbits, quail,  and chickens would be raised in every back yard. Quail are insectivores beyond par, it would behoove all of us to raise insects (mealworms, black soldier fly, cockroaches, grasshoppers) to feed our microlivestock healthfully. Although there is not much common knowledge on the topic, cockroaches would probably be the easiest to raise, since they can live on cardboard and mulch, right?

     The young man over at Florida Hillbilly has written a number of articles featuring knowledge he has learned from raising quail in his backyard. This kind of secondhand experience is priceless, and makes for interesting reading even if you aren't interested in quail...yet. Florida Hillbilly's Quail

Cowpeas, Black-Eye Peas, Vigna unguiculata

Uses: Edible, Forage, Legumes, Xeriscaping. Native to: West Africa
     A true survival food, the cowpea is grown for its edible beans and leaves. It's a nitrogen-fixing legume, which allows it to grow in extremely poor soils. In addition, it's one of the best fodder plants for the deep south.
     Not only do cowpeas grow very well in this area, it seems that wildlife has very little interest in them. This can be a boon when squirrels and birds frequently do their best to defeat even the most resilient of gardeners.
     Plant cowpeas in the early spring, around the beginning of March if no additional freezes are reported. Plant them again at the end of September. They are a short-season annual that only needs about 3-4 months to produce a whole crop of beans. The beans germinate faster if soaked in clean water for 2-4 hours before planting. If desired, innoculate with additional nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but this step is not necessary in order to get good results. Grows very well in the full sun provided they plants have enough moisture to prevent wilting.
     Cowpeas have also been shown to be an excellent green manure and annual cover crop, as they grow in poor soil and have a short growing season. Supposedly they arrived in the US via the slave trade, and are still a New Years Day traditional holiday food in the south.
     Mine are originally from the grocery store, and I have been growing them now successfully for a while. I'm attempting to hybridize some cowpeas that particularly enjoy our weather and soil, though I have been amending the soil with rabbit manure for some time as well. This variety is low-growing and bushy, and can be planted very closely together to maximize your growing space. They are very well-behaved little plants, and will stay where they are placed. At the end of their cycle the beans and plants politely die and dry right on the plant, making harvest very easy.

Timber for Florida's Future

   I may have already said that I ardently believe that Florida's natural state is forested, and that it's weather and plants do everything they can to return the state to a forested system, time and again. Perhaps we should work with nature instead of against her, and plan Florida's agriculture to its forests and not to cattle pastures and tomatoes. After all, citrus trees can be part of a silviculture system, when properly managed.
     In the not-so-distant past we were all about growing timber, and some parts of North Florida still are. The construction lag has reduced the timber industry nationwide, but there will always be a need for lumber. Moreover, there are dozens if not hundreds of native and exotic trees that can be used to produce high-quality lumber products.

Grow a Forest in 3 Years

      This amazing essay was written in 1964 by an agricultural professor in Athens, Georgia. He outlines some information gleaned from their test site, which uses the American Sycamore tree, a member of the maple family, to very quickly produce high-quality timber and rough cellulose. The species grows very well in the entire east side of the country, is relatively pest-free, and can produce maple syrup and mushrooms as a by-product (read: secondary income). It grows quickly from seeds and is a prolific producer. The trees are even great at growing where other timber species can't or won't.
     I'm not advocating large fields of trees, but I am advocating some parts to life that can be more sustainable. What about permaculture farms that grow pecans, citrus, persimmons, cacti, pines, and other useful trees in polycutures? With processing facilities nearby or on-site, the value added could be enormous.

     Another favorable long-term study for commercial growth of Sycamore and Sweetgum in the deep south.

Florida's Department of Making Water Gardeners Sad

On this list, all the plants are illegal.

These species can only be grown in licensed, permitted, and inspected nurseries which have taken measures to ensure no possibility of escape for these plants.

     While some of these plants are unfamiliar, others are sources of human and animal nutrition that should not be disallowed in non-tender areas. For example, non-native water hyacinth is a favorite food of manatees and is reported to be well-received by cattle, goats, and rabbits. It's one of the main plants that I wanted for my pond, since it has beautiful tropical flowers and is edible. A few other plants of making people sad are water chestnuts, water spinach, and water lettuce.

Greenfest 2014

     Greenfest 2014, a fundraising event held by the gardener's at Plant Park, at the campus of University of Tampa, will be Saturday March 29th and Sunday March 30th, from 9:00 AM to 4 PM. They will feature hundreds of plant vendors, guest speakers, and a children's activity area.

Spiderwort, Tradescantia spp., Asparagus of the South

Uses : Edible, Forage, Xeriscaping. Native to : Eastern North America.
     There are several Tradescantia members that look similar, notably T. virginiana and T. ohiensis. The good news is that they are both edible. The bad news is that when anyone thinks of Tradescantia, they usually think of the striped (Wandering Jew) or purple (Purple Heart, Moses in a Boat), which are inedible.
     These purple beauties will bloom all spring, but each flower  is only open for a day or so. They are very successful, some might even say invasive, and can survive some mowing. The best practice is to relocate these hardy perennials to a flower bed in the full sun.
     Rabbits do enjoy eating them, along with some humans. Green Deane says:

     "Its leaves do not change in flavor as the plant ages. The leaves are good for salads as well, or in soup and stews but they are mucilaginous. The stems can be braised like asparagus. The flowers, at one time favorites for candying, make very pretty blue additions to back yard salads." 

   

Innovative Intensive Farming for the Humid Tropics

     I really enjoy this diagram for a self-sufficient farm in the semi-tropics. This particular plan calls for a large crop of sugar cane, which is processed into juice to feed the ducks and pigs. Perennial nitrogen-fixing forage trees are chopped to feed sheep, and azolla is cultivated to feed fish, sheep, ducks, and pigs.
     All the wastes are managed and recycled into the system to fertilize and prevent erosion. When done on a large enough scale, the meat and vegetable production could be great enough to take to market.
     This particular system could easily be modified for Florida by not changing a thing. Sugar cane grows well in most parts of the state, as does azolla and duckweed. The system might slow down in our cool winter, but should restart without any troubles in our warm spring. The daily chores would involve collecting food for the animals and managing livestock and manures. Like on any farm or homestead, the family's vegetable garden would need periodic tending. Overall, it looks like a balanced system with minimal outside inputs.
     The full description can be found here.
   

Spring is Coming

     With the weather finally warming, I have high hopes that we will get no more cold weather this winter. It has been the wettest winter that I can remember, with rain coming almost every week. Most of the neighborhood's plants have not really achieved dormancy, including the grasses and weeds.

     In celebration of the upcoming warmth I have planted some more banana trees. These were soon-to-be homeless plants that were rescued from some property renovation my mother was performing at her place at Myakka River. With any luck, these small trees will root and thrive along my path to the rabbit cages. Even if the trees bear no fruit, the leaves are a welcome change from the rabbits' usual diet of grass clippings and alfalfa pellets.

     My plans for this spring's plantings are minimal. We are six months pregnant with our second child as I'm posting this, resting from planting those bare-root bananas with some hibiscus flower and strawberry leaf tisane. It was surprisingly tiring! For the most part, we will be focusing on family and readying the household for the baby. Perhaps I will get some more chances during naptime to slip out and divide some of my favorite perennials, the cannas, and propagate. This spring I most likely will not be doing much with seeds, even the cowpeas. Kind of a shame, but it's not as much of a priority right now as it was last year. Distributing the parrot and rabbit manures, plus a layer of mulch, will be more than enough outside work to keep us busy this spring.

     There are a few events we will probably be attending... please join us!

• Bay Area Renaissance Fair - It looks like the bloodmobile will be there, giving away free tickets for donations. Also discounts by city/date seem to be new this year. Tickets available at Walgreens and Circle K. Coupons available from Subway?
• Nature Coast Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - Does not yet have the date posted on their site.
• USF Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - April 12th and 13th.

Survival Gardening in Florida, Part 2

     As far as growing carbohydrates, nothing really jumps out at me beyond sweet potatoes, cassava, sugarcane, the safe yams, and coontie, which are all very nutritious and pack a good deal of fiber as well. Also, kids like them. The leaves of all but coontie can be eaten or used as fodder. White potatoes are great too, if you are really good at growing them. Some grains that do well in Florida include amaranth and sorghum. Sorghum can be made into a tasty molasses if a person desired it. There are a ton of fruits that grow very well in Florida, the most well-loved being citrus, which can, with choosing proper varieties, be available for picking fresh about half the year. Canna, carrots, lilies, and cassava roots are all loaded with vitamins and nutrition. Sugarcane grows very well through most of the state. Bees love it here too.
     As far as growing fats, that's going to be a tough one. This might be a good time to mention micro-livestock like rabbits, guinea pigs, or chickens. Quail are great, but need an extremely high-protein feed as they naturally eat insects. Rabbits can live almost completely on grass and weeds. Chickens can live on almost completely grains and bugs. Fish can be raised in ponds or containers and fed things like azolla, duckweed, or garden worms.
     If I had to choose just three plants to grow to survive on, it would be cowpeas, cannas, and sweet potatoes. Cowpeas are a nitrogen-fixing legume that grow very well in poor soil and can be grown twice a year. The beans are high in protein and fiber, while the plant is high in protein for the rabbits. Cannas, aside from being beautiful and able to handle our hot, humid weather, can yield a starchy root and the leaves are high in vitamins for the rabbits. Sweet potatoes are a nutrient-dense starch, with very excellent tasting leaves which are high in protein. The leaves from all three plants can be eaten raw or cooked.
     Areas of the property which are not actively gardened can be, over time, landscaped with perennials that produce nutrition, fodder, or both. My favorite useful perennial is probably the wild rose bush. They don't have much of a smell, but make large, beautiful flowers that turn into rose hips - very nutritious. The leaves are good fodder and the thorns make the plant valuable for fencing. Thorned or thornless prickly pears are also a wonderful perennial, as the leaves are edible and the fruit is delicious. Plant those with an asiatic lily in between each bush and you will have created lush, flowery nutrition.
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Actual Survival Gardening, Part 1

    Survival gardening is a phrase that has been thrown about and equated with permaculture, which it is not. Permaculture is lasting plantings of perennials which give abundantly year after year, while survival gardening is active gardening with a care to provide all of a person's nutritional needs.
     All nutritional needs. Fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, trace minerals, and vitamins.
     There is a lot of debate as to how much land it would take to provide for all nutritional needs. Some people might say one acre per person, others more. Would all nutritional needs include meat and fish? what about the healthy fats that are in avocado and olives? So everyone is going to have their own opinion on land consumption, particularly in regards to climate and use, for example, like bio-intensive agriculture.
     I think as far as growing protein the first thing that jumps to mind is nut trees, and the first one that really jumps to mind is pecans. They grow really well in most parts of Florida, where other nuts fail. The rumors of a pecan blight exist, though I have not seen it for myself yet. Then there are bean plants, which are low-growing, sun-loving herbaceous protein factories. Peanuts, cowpeas, and green beans all do well here. Probably the best part about growing beans is that the plant stalk and leaves make great fodder for livestock once the beans are harvested. Sprouted grains are reputedly high in protein and vitamins.
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Unsweetened Kool Aid

     There have to be dozens of off label uses for Kool-Aid and other food additives, one of the most well known being a temporary hair color. I suspect it could easily be used to color handmade lye soap, particularly the hot process variety. I would rather have Kool-Aid in my soap than crayons or other non-food-grade additives, since what goes on your skin readily gets absorbed in.

     I'm going to have to make a test bar on the next small batch I create. In the meantime, Lowes has discontinued carrying the Roebics 100 percent sodium hydroxide crystals, so I would have to purchase future supplies online. I will check the Tractor Supply here in Polk County, but since the area is known for its high domestic consumption of some of the other off label uses for sodium hydroxide, there's some low expectations.

     After dyeing the kids hair, and your hair, and the cat's fur, why not try hand-dyeing some white yarn with Kool-Aid for the kids and the cat to enjoy? Or tie-dyed clothing using Kool-Aid and alum? That plain white shirt from the blood donation place could surely use a face-lift.