I have been rethinking the case for planting spiny Opuntia at the new place. The spiny Prickly Pear still makes a delicious fruit, and it has the added benefit of keeping out people, deer, and anything else soft and fleshy.
There is a very nice overview here.
I must have at least 20 starts in the front yard ready for transplant. Exciting!
Showing posts with label Scrub Land. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scrub Land. Show all posts
How to Clone your Basil, Part 1 of 3
This is a picture of the basil cuttings in my clone bucket, a miniature aeroponic system that bathes the stems in a constant mist. I had previously modified the sprayer head to produce finer misting particles, and once it was loaded with water and a pinch of rooting hormone it was ready to go. Also, the plants won't need light, so the clone bucket is tucked into my fairly dark kitchen where I can keep an eye on it.
Have you ever started cuttings in water, using this method or any other method?
Manure Brewer
How to ghetto-tastically make a manure brewer. (Say that 5 times fast!)
The first step: Get your hands on a blue barrel. This is probably the hardest part, but they are out there if you really want them. There are many sources, I ghetto-tastically just asked someone who wasn't using theirs.
Then, using a saw, slice in half in the middle. This is the best time to clean the inside out really good.
If it had a cap or plug on the top, take it off. Get a large piece of old screen to more than cover the cap area.
In the base, drill a hole and install a spigot. This will need to be glued and caulked very well so there are no leakage problems.
Then invert the top onto the bottom, so the top acts as a cup for the raw manure. It should be open to the air so rain can come in.
Then fill the whole top with all the rabbit manure, waste hay, other manure, and small bits of kitchen waste, like eggshells. If you find any worms in your garden, add them as well.
How to use the manure brewer:
Dump water in the open top
Open the spigot and drain manure water into your watering can or bucket.
Take the watering can or bucket to your hungry plants, water slowly so more nutrition is absorbed.
The first step: Get your hands on a blue barrel. This is probably the hardest part, but they are out there if you really want them. There are many sources, I ghetto-tastically just asked someone who wasn't using theirs.
Then, using a saw, slice in half in the middle. This is the best time to clean the inside out really good.
If it had a cap or plug on the top, take it off. Get a large piece of old screen to more than cover the cap area.
In the base, drill a hole and install a spigot. This will need to be glued and caulked very well so there are no leakage problems.
Then invert the top onto the bottom, so the top acts as a cup for the raw manure. It should be open to the air so rain can come in.
 |
| This one isn't so attractive. Yours can be better. |
How to use the manure brewer:
Dump water in the open top
Open the spigot and drain manure water into your watering can or bucket.
Take the watering can or bucket to your hungry plants, water slowly so more nutrition is absorbed.
Combating Invasive Plants
There are so many different views as to what constitutes an invasive plant. The state of Florida would say invasive plants are all non-native plant species that displace natural habitats. My mother would say that all vines are invasive plants that should be removed before the get "out of control." Perhaps she should stick to something that is easier to manage, like Confederate Jasmine.
Then there are native invasives, like Dog Fennel in pastureland. Florida does not like to be turned into pasture, it likes to turn into scrub forests and swamps, and Dog Fennel is a succession plant that helps with that process. It quickly flowers and reseeds itself over an entire field, ruining it in just one season. (Maybe that's why Florida has no large land herbivores?)
The agricultural state university 'round here is doing trial testing for releasing a beetle that eats Air Potato. While I'm all for getting rid of Air Potato, a member of the yam family from Africa that may or may not be edible, I'm unsure that the beetle is the way to go. UofF was also responsible for the Lovebugs being introduced here, and look how well that turned out! The Lovebug's only natural predator is... cars driven by humans.
The extension service agents and the university website will both point out chemical controls for various plants, and how to properly apply them. This technique could be useful for a very small infestation of a particularly noxious plant, like Poison Ivy, but how would it work for an acre of forest covered by Air Potato or a field infested with Dog Fennel? On the other hand, proper land management techniques are generally cheap or free, excepting for time investment.
Some techniques: controlled burns, agro-forestry, tilling and seeding, over-seeding, frequent rotational grazing, overgrazing and seeding, hand-scything, rotational grazing with multiple species, holistic management. Perhaps really rethinking how agriculture is done here might include something even more drastic, like small-scale, holistic, organic farms that raise key deer and rabbits instead of cattle.
Then there are native invasives, like Dog Fennel in pastureland. Florida does not like to be turned into pasture, it likes to turn into scrub forests and swamps, and Dog Fennel is a succession plant that helps with that process. It quickly flowers and reseeds itself over an entire field, ruining it in just one season. (Maybe that's why Florida has no large land herbivores?)The agricultural state university 'round here is doing trial testing for releasing a beetle that eats Air Potato. While I'm all for getting rid of Air Potato, a member of the yam family from Africa that may or may not be edible, I'm unsure that the beetle is the way to go. UofF was also responsible for the Lovebugs being introduced here, and look how well that turned out! The Lovebug's only natural predator is... cars driven by humans.
The extension service agents and the university website will both point out chemical controls for various plants, and how to properly apply them. This technique could be useful for a very small infestation of a particularly noxious plant, like Poison Ivy, but how would it work for an acre of forest covered by Air Potato or a field infested with Dog Fennel? On the other hand, proper land management techniques are generally cheap or free, excepting for time investment.
Some techniques: controlled burns, agro-forestry, tilling and seeding, over-seeding, frequent rotational grazing, overgrazing and seeding, hand-scything, rotational grazing with multiple species, holistic management. Perhaps really rethinking how agriculture is done here might include something even more drastic, like small-scale, holistic, organic farms that raise key deer and rabbits instead of cattle.
Harvesting the Cranberry Hibiscus
Earlier this spring my mother found these young plants at a garage sale, and they must have been priced well because she picked up one for me. It turned out the bargain annual happened to be the interesting and beautiful Hibiscus sabdariffa mentioned on the Florida Survival Gardening blog by David. No doubt the original seeds were from ECHO, as my mother lives not too far from there.I had no idea this plant could be so beautiful, unusual, useful, pest free, maintenance free...
Today I am going to harvest the fruit. According to David, the round green bits are not the delicious part, but are where the seeds are stored. It's the red wrappers (or calyx) around the round green fruit that is used for cooking and eating. This year recouping seeds is a high priority, since this is the only plant that I can source, and likely the only cranberry hibiscus growing in my county. It would be amazing to grow about 10 of these next year, as they like full sun. They do visibly wilt if you neglect to ensure hydration, but bounce back very easily and quickly. (I must have wilted it at least 5 times during the hot part of the summer.) Never would a tomato be this resilient.
The leaves are edible, and I can tell you that the rabbits eat these leaves even before they eat their normal favorite weeds, Spanish Needle (Bidens alba). Although Hibiscus sabdariffa is tasty, none of the plants in the mallow family, or rose family, are particularly high in nitrogen (protein about 2 1/2%) - a consideration for overall rabbit dietary needs. I did eat a few of the leaves, which were very mild but did have a pretty tasty flavor, much better than Bidens, which is tart. These leaves would be good in a salad or on a sandwich (which is probably what I will be doing since the cold weather is here.)
The seeds are higher in protein and very high in omega 6 fatty acids, and in quantity are valued as animal feed, particularly for chickens.
This is the first and largest of probably two harvests from my one plant.
Knotty Pots Method for Making Pots
I don't really recommend using heavy planters in hanging baskets. After all, this is Florida, and we are known for having high winds during the rainy season.However, I am all for using your own creativity to beautify your house and home. This is the tutorial from the original Knotty Pots book for making planters from molding plaster, which is probably plaster of paris. She has some recommendations for adding simple textures, painting, and sealing the planters.
The third image has her advice for making beads from the same plaster.
I have no personal experience with molding plaster planters, but there is a lot of information on the internet about molding hypertufa, which would be much lighter (and more fragile) for a hanging planter. Perhaps smaller, thicker plaster planters would be more sturdy.Make sure you read my disclaimer about these images before you start, here. These images are provided for informational purposes only, and I am not profiting from them in any way.
Knotting To It
In order to learn to macrame, one must first master a few basic knots. Really though, if you can tie your shoes then you can do macrame. The basic granny knot is the most frequently used knot in macrame, as it is the first half of the square knot. The second half of the square knot is another granny knot, just reversed. Since square knots make up most macrame, learning that one mode will get you pretty far.
From the left are a few more explanations of knots that might help you do some macrame,or it might drive you crazy from its complication. As with gardening, cooking, and any other pastime, you can make macrame as complicated or as simple as you wish. People have been making knots since they began working with textiles, so there are some great historical pieces of remarkable complexity out there.Please see my discussion on these images here. I am in no way making a profit by displaying these out-of-print images.
Vitamin C Tisane/Infusion Recipes
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| Dried Hibiscus Flowers |
Be aware that boiling the plants for 20 minutes reduces available ascorbic acid by at least 20%. Perhaps making sun tea/solar tea or steeping overnight might be a better method.
High-C Tisane (Homemade Red Zinger Tea)
Dried hibiscus, lemongrass, orange peel, peppermint, and rose hipsBoiling water
1 . Steep herbs for ten minutes
2. Drink as a vitamin C boost.
Pine Needle tisane
Dried pine needlesBoiling water
1 . Steep herbs for ten minutes
2. Drink as a vitamin C boost.
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| Celestial Seasoning's Red Zinger |
Mint tisane
Your choice of mint or balmBoiling water
1 . Steep herbs for ten minutes
2. Drink as a vitamin C boost.
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| Fresh Flowers, Water. Let chill overnight. Enjoy! |
Fats Villainized
Fat, whether eaten or trimmed, frequently gets blamed for making Americans a country of large waist proportions.
One potential cause of fat villainy is displaced anger against sugar. A study's highlights here show that sugar is just as damaging if not moreso than dietary fat intake, and that the brain gets pleasure from consuming sugar just as much as fat.
Trimmed fat has many uses, not excluding soap making. A really interesting chemistry read of how fats become saponified can be found here. Soap made from animal and vegetable fats contains glycerine, a natural moisturizer, where commercial soaps lack this valuable by-product. The glycerine is removed via a chemical process, and sold to be used for , but since glycerol is a by-product of manufacturing biodiesel, it isn't worth as much as it used to be. The glycerin-devoid soap is milled, or ground down, and rebatched into what we call bar soap.
There is quite a bit of research that shows that people can't survive without dietary fats. Most people are familiar with the concept of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids being good for us. Other fats are necessary as well, as this post I wrote a while back demonstrates. Indeed, too much protein with too little fat has been known to cause a dietary phenomenon called Rabbit Starvation, sometimes known as protein poisoning. It happens in the absence of carbohydrates and fat, as the name implies. The liver can't effectively metabolize the high amounts of protein, and the kidneys are inefficient when blood urea levels are that high. Death soon results. The prevention? Eat a wide variety of foods, including natural carbohydrates and fats.
In summation, blaming carbon molecules for poor life choices is like blaming guns because psychopaths use them.
One potential cause of fat villainy is displaced anger against sugar. A study's highlights here show that sugar is just as damaging if not moreso than dietary fat intake, and that the brain gets pleasure from consuming sugar just as much as fat.
Trimmed fat has many uses, not excluding soap making. A really interesting chemistry read of how fats become saponified can be found here. Soap made from animal and vegetable fats contains glycerine, a natural moisturizer, where commercial soaps lack this valuable by-product. The glycerine is removed via a chemical process, and sold to be used for , but since glycerol is a by-product of manufacturing biodiesel, it isn't worth as much as it used to be. The glycerin-devoid soap is milled, or ground down, and rebatched into what we call bar soap.There is quite a bit of research that shows that people can't survive without dietary fats. Most people are familiar with the concept of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids being good for us. Other fats are necessary as well, as this post I wrote a while back demonstrates. Indeed, too much protein with too little fat has been known to cause a dietary phenomenon called Rabbit Starvation, sometimes known as protein poisoning. It happens in the absence of carbohydrates and fat, as the name implies. The liver can't effectively metabolize the high amounts of protein, and the kidneys are inefficient when blood urea levels are that high. Death soon results. The prevention? Eat a wide variety of foods, including natural carbohydrates and fats.
In summation, blaming carbon molecules for poor life choices is like blaming guns because psychopaths use them.
Alternative Method for Making Lye, Part 3
Barefootboy's Recipe and Method for making lye from washing soda and hydrated lime, originally found here. Edited by Tentance.
Editor's Note: To calculate the amount of homemade lye to use in your soaps with your choice of oils, head over to the SoapCalc website. In field 1, choose NaOH (sodium hydroxide). In field 3, choose Lye Concentration 50%. Adjust your superfat and oil percentages and calculate as usual.
When in doubt, do a small test batch. You can always add more water and "cook" the soap for a longer amount of time in the crock pot or on your survival fire until you obtain the desired consistency. This homemade sodium hydroxide might lend itself more to the hot process method until you become more familiar with it.
Previous method discussion
- Put 4 ounces of distilled water into two, 2-cup measuring cups (or containers).
- Slowly add 1/2 oz of the Sodium Carbonate to the water in the first cup and stir. It will clunk up, so you'll need to stir gently but well with each 1/2 oz you add. NOTE There will be some very minor but noticeable heat given off. This is normal.
- Add 1/2 oz to the water until you reach 2 ounces. Stir until the mix is clear. There may be a tiny amount that will not mix. This is NOT a problem.
- Slowly add 1/2 oz of lime to the water of the second cup, stirring with each 1/2 added to mix as much as possible. Continue until you reach 2 oz. The mix will look like a grey white milk shake and there will be some gritty residue especially if you use garden lime. This also is not a problem.
- Carefully pour the first cup with the 4 oz of clear liquid into the first large container, leaving any non liquid behind.
- Now pour the second cup carefully into the first large container.
- The mix will now become an even thicker gray white mix. Allow to separate into a clear liquid and a white/grey solid. This can take 2 hours or more. General rule, if you can let it sit for 24 hrs, do so.
- Set up your funnel with filter on top of you second container.
- When the mix has settled, carefully pour off the clear liquid into the funnel.
- The first 3 to 3 1/2 ounces should filter off rather easily, the last 1/2 ounce will take a bit longer. You can either let the mix sit and separate over time, or put the white semi-solid in the filter and let sit until as much of the liquid as possible filters out. What will be left on the filter paper will be Calcium Carbonate (raw chalk) with lye residue. Dispose of this very carefully.
You should now have 4 oz more or less of at least 50% lye solution. Every batch has had the strength verified by the pH test and has turned out 13 on the scale.
As listed above 2 oz of Soda ash (Sodium Carbonate) to 4 oz of water and 2 oz of hydrated lime to 4 oz of water = 4 oz more or less of 50% lye solution.
Editor's Note: To calculate the amount of homemade lye to use in your soaps with your choice of oils, head over to the SoapCalc website. In field 1, choose NaOH (sodium hydroxide). In field 3, choose Lye Concentration 50%. Adjust your superfat and oil percentages and calculate as usual.
When in doubt, do a small test batch. You can always add more water and "cook" the soap for a longer amount of time in the crock pot or on your survival fire until you obtain the desired consistency. This homemade sodium hydroxide might lend itself more to the hot process method until you become more familiar with it.
Previous method discussion
Alternative Method for Making Lye, Part 2
This is an explanation of how to make common lye, sodium hydroxide, from readily available ingredients.
Explained very well by Barefootboy, from the Homesteading Today forum. Edited by Tentance.
Read more for a better recipe and breakdown of the method. Check out this post for confirmation of the validity of this method from a chemistry and soaping text.
From PlicketyCat:
Explained very well by Barefootboy, from the Homesteading Today forum. Edited by Tentance.
Alternative Method for Making Lye
Due to the restrictions being placed on lye sold in stores because of the criminal use of it, I'd like to bring up an alternative method of making lye that does not require wood ashes.
Get hydrated lime at a hardware store (as builder's lime) or garden supply store, it is used in gardening and I found it under the Hoffman brand. The next ingredient is a little trickier, you need to find some basic washing soap powder. It should be straight Sodium Carbonate with NO additives or perfumes. Arm and Hammer (Washing Soda) does sell it in the old blue box some of us remember for childhood, but most big box stores don't carry it. Try discount or dollar stores. I found 100% Sodium Carbonate being sold as a pool chemical inexpensively, called "Pool Time pH UP". Or, you could try heating regular baking soda (NOT baking powder) then use it as the soda ash. I'm not sure how long to heat it, as I have not tried that method, but chemically it's correct.
If you do get these two, simply make an equal mix of each in filtered or distilled water and carefully combine. I suggest starting out with a cup of each to get used to the steps. This will create a white solid (Calcium Carbonate = chalk) and a liquid (Sodium Hydroxide = Lye). Using a funnel and a coffee filter, filter out the white solid.
I mixed 1 tsp of the Sodium Carbonate with 3 oz of distilled water, and 1 tsp of the lime with 3 oz of distilled water. I poured them together and waited 5 minutes for the solid and liquid (lye) to separate, then filtered the mix through a coffee filter in a funnel. The result shows all signs of being Lye.
This process does NOT require heating at any stage of it. It is simply dissolving two powders in enough water so they can mix and separate, and then filtering off the liquid. If you use 1 ( oz, cup etc) of each chemical (lime and carbonate) and 1 (oz, cup, etc) of water in theory you'll end up with 1 (oz, cup) of the solid and 2 (oz, cups) of the liquid which will be 50% strength lye (which may need to be further diluted with water to be used with a lye calculator).
BUT as they said in MASH "this is meatball surgery" this is meatball chemistry, so you will not get the exactness you'd get under controlled lab or industrial conditions.
On the other hand, it will work, and has signs of being economical (yield/cost) and IS an alternative to getting hassled whenever you want to make a batch of soap.
I found that I had to use 2 cups of water to each cup of lime/carbonate (4 cups of water). I am filtering the mix now, and it's looking like I'll recover 2 cups of lye solution, so the 50% strength still looks viable. At the max I'll get 2.5 cups of lye solution, so that's still somewhere between 35 to 40%.
The fancy term for this is a "double displacement reaction" [Editor's Note: Double displacement reaction - aqueous metathesis (precipitation)]. The Sodium Carbonate swaps with the Calcium Hydroxide (slaked lime) to create Sodium Hydroxide (lye/liquid) and Calcium Carbonate (chalk/powder).
Read more for a better recipe and breakdown of the method. Check out this post for confirmation of the validity of this method from a chemistry and soaping text.
From PlicketyCat:
You can grind limestone or seashells (calcium carbonate) and then heat it in a kiln/bonfire (1200F) until it calcinates and forms quicklime (calcium oxide), then soak the quicklime in water to create slaked lime (calcium hydroxide).
You can also burn kelp/seaweed to create soda ash (sodium carbonate) instead of heating baking soda. Soak your soda ash with water and filter to leach out the carbonates, and mix that solution with our calcium hydroxide water solution to form Sodium Hydroxide (and dry calcium carbonate again).
Or burn wood to create potash (potassium carbonate) and a small amount of soda ash (sodium carbonate). Soak the ashes with water and filter to leach out the carbonates, and mix that solution with your calcium hydroxide water solution to form Potassium Hydroxide (and dry calcium carbonate again).
Alternative Method for Making Lye, Part 1
I have taken enough college chemistry classes to realize that I never could seem to find the useful parts of the chemistry books. Perhaps because they didn't come with those chapters. But here is a small bit of a nifty chemistry which can be done at home to work-around the lack of available lye sources for home soaping.
I love antique cookbooks and now, chemistry books. They provide a new perspective that is absent in our modern age.Read more for a more practical method breakdown. Do home chemistry at your own risk. Never throw salt in your eyes.
What is soda ash? What is hydrated lime?
What is Soda Ash, really?
Soda ash has been very popular in the do-it-yourself community. It is a household chemical that is considered to be very safe, and is chemically closely related to its cousin baking soda, though harder to find and slightly more expensive. It is used in laundry detergents, soaping, making glass, water softening, pool care, and for adding dye to clothing.
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is commercially made from common salt and limestone. It's pH is a high 11.6, compared to the more mild sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) of 8.4. The high pH and cheap production is what makes it valuable to water softening and pool care. It's unique chemical properties make it useful for laundry - "It competes with the magnesium and calcium ions in hard water and prevents them from bonding with the detergent being used" (Wikipedia). I have a nice recipe for the home-made laundry detergent here for your perusal.
When used for home dye projects, it can help to mordant fiber-reactive dyes to vegetable fabrics. That
translates to binds certain synthetic dyes to fabric like cotton, hemp, or bamboo. It's usually used as a pre-mordant.
When used in baking, it can replace baking powder/baking soda in order to leaven breads.
When used to make glass, it is added to the mixture of salts and silica before the melt process is started. It hardens and makes the glass less permeable to water.
For home swimming pools, it can be added to increase the water's pH which lessens the corrosive effects of chlorine. Indeed, finding sodium carbonate in the pool supply section of the local multi-mart can be the most cost effective way to purchase washing soda, with five pounds selling for under $15.
Historically, soda ash was made from leeching the ashes of certain seaweeds in a similar manner to potassium hydroxide production from wood ashes (read our post about it here). Before you ask, the common historically used plants were glassworts, saltworts, barilla, and seaweeds of the Fucus family (Wikipedia). Very little research has been done to investigate plant sources in the New World (maybe a survival project for another day?). It is mostly mined nowadays, but can be lab created in a similar manner as sodium hydroxide.
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is commercially made from common salt and limestone. It's pH is a high 11.6, compared to the more mild sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) of 8.4. The high pH and cheap production is what makes it valuable to water softening and pool care. It's unique chemical properties make it useful for laundry - "It competes with the magnesium and calcium ions in hard water and prevents them from bonding with the detergent being used" (Wikipedia). I have a nice recipe for the home-made laundry detergent here for your perusal.
When used for home dye projects, it can help to mordant fiber-reactive dyes to vegetable fabrics. That
translates to binds certain synthetic dyes to fabric like cotton, hemp, or bamboo. It's usually used as a pre-mordant.
When used in baking, it can replace baking powder/baking soda in order to leaven breads.
When used to make glass, it is added to the mixture of salts and silica before the melt process is started. It hardens and makes the glass less permeable to water.
For home swimming pools, it can be added to increase the water's pH which lessens the corrosive effects of chlorine. Indeed, finding sodium carbonate in the pool supply section of the local multi-mart can be the most cost effective way to purchase washing soda, with five pounds selling for under $15.
Historically, soda ash was made from leeching the ashes of certain seaweeds in a similar manner to potassium hydroxide production from wood ashes (read our post about it here). Before you ask, the common historically used plants were glassworts, saltworts, barilla, and seaweeds of the Fucus family (Wikipedia). Very little research has been done to investigate plant sources in the New World (maybe a survival project for another day?). It is mostly mined nowadays, but can be lab created in a similar manner as sodium hydroxide.
Another Great Reason to Grow Lemon Trees
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.
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?
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.
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.
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%. |
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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