Making the case for the Modern Homestead

Every day the headline news fuels the uncertainty being faced by people today.  Economic news like fluctuations of the stock market, unemployment numbers, government backed bail-outs, inflation, deflation, currencies and countries going bankrupt.  Then there is the science related news such as GMO food, ‘global warming’, solar activity, or natural disasters.  There is a solution to some or all of these problems, and there are steps that can be taken today to move towards lowering the exposure to risk on the individual level.  The answer is the modern homestead.

Every person has the same basic needs: food, water, shelter, fire, and security.  The modern homestead can provide all of these things.  Food in the form of organically grown, pesticide and herbicide free fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh meat, be it poultry, beef, or pork.  Water comes from a spring, a well, or rain catchment.  In the right location, the land can provide logs for a home, or fuel for a fire.  Along with that, the homestead can provide electricity (an altered form of fire) via a solar panel system, a wind turbine, or possibly a small hydro-electric system.  The homesteader gets there security from all of those things being within their control, and can take comfort in the fact that their work output directly benefits them.

They provide for themselves healthy fresh food, and the waste generated from that helps feed the animals, or feeds successive years gardens.  Some of the garden produce is eaten as it ripens, the rest is set aside for the remainder of the year.  With groceries being a continuous expense, and becoming for expensive daily, this has a powerful effect for the family if one of the wage earners loses their job.  How much of a relief would it be to know that regardless of what may come, they will not go hungry?  That gives the homesteader comfort and a step towards freedom and independence.

The money spent on a solar system provides a renewable electrical source, rather than to a corporation.  I personally have had years that I have spent over $3600 on electricity and natural gas.  Had I spent the money on producing my own over buying from someone else, my expenditures would have gone down, allowing me to work on some other aspect of my personal freedom, rather than remaining enslaved to the “system”.  A wood fire can provide heat for warmth, cooking and water at the same time, instead of having three separate appliances to do that work.

The current trend towards homesteading and self-sufficiency and sustainablilty  is not so much a new concept as a return to an old concept.  It is the way our forefathers lived, and then successive generations moved away from with mechanical and technological advances.  The homestead movement is a reaction to the collective realization that the current system is going to fail at some point.  To believe otherwise is foolish and niave.  It is far better to take preparatory steps while there is time, than to try to panic through the process at the last second.

So what can be done today?

1. Pay off debts.  Debt is a leech that will suck its host dry.
2. Store food.  Take one fourth of the shopping list and buy double of those items.  Do that for one month; this will yield one extra week of food per month.
3. Plant a garden.  Now.  Choose vegetables that are easy to grow, and that get used often in the kitchen.  This will reduce the burden on the grocery budget: see step 1.
4. Raise small animals like chickens or rabbits. Re: steps 3 then 1.
5. Cut expenses wherever it can be done.  My Directv service costs me $550 a year-it’s leaving!  Turn thermostats down in the winter and up in the summer.  Or find cuts that can be made and do it.
6. Keep vehicles maintained.  Repairs are expensive both in terms of the work done, and lost time from a job if I can’t get there.

After those things, learn skills that will allow you to do more for yourself.  For example my cost for an oil change I do myself is about $20 and a half hour of my time.  To have it done for me, it’s about $35.  That’s a 42% savings.  If I can find a way to save 40% on everything I do, I will be well on my way to having my pilgrimstead bought and paid for, and working for me.

Lessons learned

Yesterday I had the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson, one I already knew, and was eye opening and humbling at the same time.  I am the the holder of a permit to carry a concealed weapon.  I read some of the magazines related to that, as well as listen to some of the podcasts that are being done as well.  I am a student of the shooting sports, and had thought that I was paying attention to the various people that write or talk about guns; handguns in particular.

It should be common sense to clean my guns after a day shooting.  I do that.  I have studied different rounds for personal protection, and try to eliminate variables between practice ammunition and defense ammo so that if I am ever in the situation that I have to present my side arm, I can do what must be done.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t been doing enough routine maintenance of my carry gun.  A friend and I were comparing various things gun, and we had both emptied our weapons for safe handling.  I still don’t know what made me do it, but I decided to field strip my semi-auto pistol.  I could not believe the amount of lint that had collected under the slide and on the top side of the frame.  I carry with an inside the waistband holster, with a cover garment of some sort, be it shirt, or sweatshirt, or jacket.  Essentially my sidearm is the meat of a cotton sandwich.

I have a few hundred rounds out of this gun, with varieties of brands of ammo, steel cases and brass cases, hollow point bullets and round nose bullets, all without any stoppages to this point.  This is a good thing!  Maybe I was fortunate enough to choose a forgiving semi-automatic pistol.  Or it’s possible that I have had these results because I have used new factory loads, instead of remanufactured reloads.  I don’t know for sure.  What I do know is that all of these rounds have been discharged on a range, during practice, not in a life-or-death situation.  I also know that I am not willing to forfeit my life due to lint!

I think that everyone should be a good citizen and carry a sidearm.  I also believe that as good citizens, it is our obligation to make sure that our equipment is in flawless condition.  I corrected my mistake this morning, and will make it a part of my weekly routine. It only takes about five minutes to make safe, field strip, clean, add a couple drops of oil, and reassemble.

If you chose to carry a gun, please please please take care of it.  Make sure to use quality ammunition.  Make sure it feeds, fires, and ejects like it should. And don’t that maintenance is a critical part of dependability.  Fortunately in my case, my mistake only injured my pride.  As much as it stinks to admit it, if one person learns from my mistake its worth sharing.

Gardening by the foot

The seed order that I place with Victory Seeds on Saturday evening arrived in the mailbox on Wednesday morning. I still have at least one more order to place online that I know of.  I have talked just a bit about square foot gardening , and that is an integral part of my plan.

I have the bed layout worked out in the way that I think they will work the best for my location.  I spent some time studying the yard and how the surrounding trees will shade my area, and I hope I’m right on my layout.  I am going to build three beds that are 4′ by 8′ with the 8′ length running from north to south.  I have enough room to put all three beds end to end with a three foot walk space in between them.  I am doing it this way so that I have room to build three more just to the west of the first three to expand our gardening area to the size we really need.  The first three will get us started, and when all six beds are in there will still be plenty of room for the chicken coop and run.

In the northernmost bed, with tall plants to the north then getting shorter, I will have Alaska peas and radishes left to grow .  From there cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, potato, spinach, and yellow onions.  Bed two will have two types of tomato, more potato, radishes and lettuce.  The southern most bed will have the Cherry tomato plants, white onions, jalapeno peppers, and carrots.  This last bed had 4 square feet left over for now.

This coming weekend I am planning on getting my seedling area set up, but not necessarily planted.  I have some helpers that want to actually help that won’t be around at that time.

In the meantime, I have to keep looking for the materials for the herb spiral.

Closing in on the Garden Plan

Last week I talked about garden plan, and it’s back up on the menu today.

This weekend I ordered Alaskan Peas, 3 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of onions, lettuce, beets, radishes, Jalapeno peppers, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini for vegetables.  Herbs ordered: spearmint, chamomile, basil, cilantro, and thyme.  And Ox-eye daisies for the Mrs.  These seeds are coming from Victory Seeds and all of these are heirloom types.

Still to get on the way are potato, cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower.  I would like to try sweet potato also, but not sure yet.  We also need to fill in the herb garden more, but that part is in the court of the wife.

Next is to decide how much to actually plant.  I do know that I won’t plant anymore than half of the seeds I get.  I fully intend on doing staggered planting through the season, I may even scale it back to a third of the seeds.  The second third for the next round of planting, and save the final portion for next season or torrential rains.  I will deal with seed saving later, but that is another aspect of the plan.

Right now I’m leaning towards having three 4’x8′ raised beds, but will adjust it if we add more varieties, or decide we want more veggies. For the herb garden I want to build an herb spiral.  An herb spiral is a circular bed made of stones ( I want to use landscaping blocks if I can find them for the right price) that’s infilled with dirt.  I want to make the first tier 5 to 6 foot in diameter.  Add another circle, about 3 1/2 to 4 feet diameter this time.  Again fill with dirt.  One more tier that’s 2 foot diameter, and again fill.  The function of the stones is to absorb the sun’s heat and direct that heat to the herb’s roots.  I will put up a picture when I get it done.

It’s also been requested to plant Concorde grapes and apple trees… contrary to the plan, but may have to anyway.

Excellent news!

With a bit of online research I learned a couple of bits of great news for the current ‘stead.  It’s time to finally get moving forward on the Pilgrimstead Plan.

Good news #1:  I can have up to ten (10) chickens here inside this town of ours. No roosters, which is okay for now. Right now my primary interest is on egg production and meat.  A side benefit is that chickens are just fun to watch.   Also they are supposed to be a quiet type.  No big deal there.  The only other condition specified is that the coop must be located 40 or more from the nearest (or any) residence, and it must be adequately fenced to keep the birds in.  Clipping wings is an allowable alternative.  Right now I’m thinking that we will start with 3 or 4 hens, but no more than 6.  Looks like I need to look at the Farmer’s Market more closely fairly soon, as we don’t use 3 dozen eggs a week.  We sometimes use 2 dozen in a week, but not always.  If we yield 14 dozen a month, that will give us a surplus of 6 to 8 dozen each month.  The surplus will either need to be preserved or sold.  Either way is in line with the pilgrimstead goal of providing for us.

Good news #2:  A beehive is allowed, with a permit.  Not entirely sure how that part works yet, but at least the door is open for it.  More research required here.  If the bees do no more than pollenate the garden, that’s okay.  Anything else is a bonus.

Also of note: Large animals are specifically prohibited. I did not see that rabbits are prohibited or allowed.  I will be looking at the code again for that nugget of information.

I looking at a busy few weeks of finalizing the garden plot plan, designing and building a small to medium size chicken coop, and taking on the city on the beehive.

Conquering Utilities on the Homestead

Today I’ve spent some time day dreaming instead of being productive, and I got to thinking about how I want to get the pilgrimstead set up utlitity wise.  The types of utilities will remain the same for the homestead as here in the city, but how they get handled will be quite different.  To this point, this is how I feel its going to work best for us.  Keep in mind that the ultimate goal is for our homestead to produce for us, rather than consume, so that will govern each and every aspect of design.

The first utility on the agenda is water and sewer. In my head they go together, and will be dealt with as such.  Ideally water would come from a spring.  If that won’t work, then option 2 if a well.  The exact method for that will be determined when we have our property.  I will deal with rural water only if I have to.  Rain catching will be a part of the plan as well.  On the sewer/waste side, the toilet will be either composting or Incinolet.  Not really sure which way to go with that just yet.  Gray water will be diverted and reserved for irrigation.

Heating will be a wood burner, with an assist from a wall mounted LP heater.  These two units can work together, with a quick warm up from the wall heater, while the wood burner gets going then takes over.  Cooking chores will be done with an LP stove.  One heating component I haven’t worked out yet is hot water.  Undecided between a tank-less LP unit, or a wood burner with water heater option.  Leaning towards the tankless, as a wood fire in summer inside doesn’t pass the common sense test for me.

Input definitely welcomed there!

Electrical needs will be served by photovoltaic, and I would really like to supplement with a wind turbine.  That would give me the option to tie into the grid and actually sell my home generated juice.  Since we don’t plan on disappearing from society, a hat tip will have to be given to internet access, whether through satellite or cellular.

The other aspect that will influence our utilities, specifically heating, will be home construction.  I think that the traditional log cabin is out of the question for us, but I also believe that there are some viable alternatives for building that lend themselves to a super efficient structure.  Straw bales, foam formed concrete, and SIP panels are a few that appeal to me.  I might consider modern home building methods (as I can do that in my sleep) with a few modifications to improve thermal efficiency.  One area that it does not pay to cut costs is on windows and doors. (disclaimer: that is my professional opinion. I’m not a salesman, but I’ve been a carpenter for 20 years)  After that, wind-proofing and attic insulation will keep the home nice and toasty during those long winter months.

The last, more mundane utility is trash.  Step one is composting organics.  Recycle what we can, and burn the rest. For us, recycling actually starts with what we bring home, and we try to eliminate as much packaging as possible.  Once the habit gets started, it’s not that bad.

Your turn.  What have I overlooked? Or just got wrong?

A simple bathroom project

Yesterday I made for the Mrs a simple little shelf for the bathroom.  Well, really it was for the hair dryer and straightener, but it goes in our bathroom.

It’s simply a 1″ x 8″ cut to fit between the vanity and shower wall.  In my case, it’s just over 3 feet long.  Secured it on each end with a cleat to vanity and wall.

Drilled a 2 1/2″ hole for the hair dryer and a slotted hole for the straightener.  I used a hole saw for the big hole, and drilled 2 adjacent holes with a paddle bit then a bit of clean up with a copy saw for the slotted hole.  Then a quick pass with 1/4″ round-over bit in my router cleaned up each hole and the front edge.

It’s been promised that it will be painted.  I can’t stand doing that job.  It did have the desired results of a) keeping her hair tools handy, and b) removing the clutter from vanity area.

Garden Planning ’12

The Mrs. and I are getting excited about the fast approaching gardening season.  We are trying to wrap up the garden plan very soon.  One of  the main components has to do with using raised beds, as it makes complete sense to us both for several reasons.  Our raised beds are based on concept of Square Foot Gardening ( http://www.squarefootgardening.com).  I like the idea of not working a tremendous amount of ground for a limited amount of production.  The Mrs. and her daughter (aka Bug) deal with a genetic condition, so the elevated beds will be ideal for them, with not having to bend or kneel for extended periods. This part is important as Bug is home schooling part-time and the garden is a part of her studies.

Item 2 of the plan is the use of heirloom seeds for planting.  Subpart to that is actually saving seeds for following years gardens. Personally I like some of the things that a hybrid can offer, but am not willing to sacrifice following crops in years to come. Along with this, some of our seeds will be coming from Seed Savers Exchange (http://www.seedsavers.org/).  Not entirely sure what exactly what will be planted, but I want to support their work.

In addition to the veggie garden, we have plans for an herb garden. Undecided on its exact contents just yet…Looking at basil, mint, thyme, and garlic for starters.  I want mint for tea, the rest goes to the kitchen.

The biggest debate we are having is how to approach our plantings. In this I mean, do we plant gobs of what we use most, or do we plant other  stuff, and participate in the local Farmer’s Market, both as buyers and as sellers? I will have to look into the red-tape associated with that at some point. As I do have a regular job, and our local Farmer’s Market is on Wednesday afternoon, this may not be a viable option right now.

Preppers make the news

Excerpted…

Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization’s collapse

By Jim Forsyth

Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:44am EST

(Reuters) – When Patty Tegeler looks out the window of her home overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, she sees trouble on the horizon.

“In an instant, anything can happen,” she told Reuters. “And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared.”…

I read this on the Drudge Report and I was instantly frothing to respond to it.  In fairness to the author, the prepping community was not painted as total and utter kooks, but I don’t like being referred to as a subculture. It’s semantics at this point; culture I can accept, subculture makes it sound like the lunatic fringe.

While I agree with the first interviewee of the article, to an extent, I also feel that common sense says to “Look at what event will most likely effect me”.  This exactly how I approach my prep philosophy.  Personally I believe that the prepper movement is 1) a return to our roots as a nation and 2) a reaction to the recent years of loose credit and easy money.  There was a time that most families had a garden, and canned or preserved their harvest. Now folks go the local grocery. Some people are remembering how their grandparents lived, and are returning to some of their practices.  On the recession end, I feel that more and more people are concerned over their employment, or lack of, and are taking steps to help take care of their families.

The main point that I think that the media misses, when they scoff at the prepper is this.  Preparedness and food storage is sustenance insurance!  They have auto insurance and life insurance, medical insurance, and maybe a home alarm system “just in case”, food storage is no different.  I consider it to be the most basic form of life insurance, as it’s actually geared for LIFE.

Given that, it would seem to be more fringe-like to NOT store food. No one I know likes being hungry, and I can remember times when I was verging on it, but not truly starving, it was unpleasant to say the least. Therefore I set food aside. I believe everyone should. Start small if necessary, but please get started.

Ice storms and preparedness

Today the Mrs. and I are eagerly awaiting the oncoming icy precipitation that is heading our way. Well, not really, as we are both tired of dealing with winters in general, and ice in particular. Until we make our move, it is a fact of winter life in Iowa, however, so we deal with it.  This brings to mind the concept of being prepared for such events, and how to mitigate their effects on us.  My common sense approach to preparedness says I’m far more likely to have to deal with a power outage in winter, than I am to have to deal with a Zombie Apocalypse.  Having said that, we are far more ready for storms than we are for zombies.

I am quite sure that right now there are countless people at the grocery, dashing madly for bread, milk, batteries and their favorite sugary snacks.  We are spending our Sunday doing what we always do; household chores, lounging, and spending time with the family. Why is that?  Easy.  We have what we need, whether this storm is a minor inconvenience, or it’s effects last a few days.  Here is our multi-prong plan, in rough terms.

Food storage.  We have stored an amount of the food we commonly eat.  We are not up to the 6 month point yet, but we are working on it. In my experience even bad storms here have effects that last more than a few days, so that will have no noticeable effect on our stores, if we even need them. Generally we make meals with left overs in mind, that get portioned and frozen. Our freezers are full, which will help keep their contents preserved if the power goes down. Where it to become extended outage, the chest freezer goes to the garage. It’s Iowa, it’s cold, problem solved.

Along with stored food is alternative food preparation methods. In the event of a power outage we can still use our natural gas stove, with the aid of a lighter.  Baking is out of the question, but that’s okay.  If it happened that there is a disruption in the gas line of some kind, we bring in (or out) the camp stove.  Ours runs on LP (liquid propane) canisters, and we have several on hand.

The next biggest items for winter power outages are alternative heat and light.  On the warm front, we have a kerosene heater.  This unit gets new batteries each fall (September- my birth month, along with smoke detectors) and I have enough kerosene to keep us in shorts and t-shirts for a few days.  Realistically it will keep us warmed for more days than that, with sectioning off the house and keeping us all together.  Sadly it’s harder than ever to find filling stations with K-1 on a pump than it used to be, but I find that they are a better bargain than the home centers if  one can be found locally.  For lighting we use a combination of candles and battery lights.  I prefer to give the kids flashlights over flames.  This way I know they won’t burn the house down while they are using the bathroom.

Some people keep a black out kit.  Ours isn’t that formalized. I can get to all the items we need without being able to see them. Everyone should.  No one knows when an outage will occur, and it makes sense that it will happen at the worst possible moment.  If it happened at a good time, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?  Practice finding your black out kit with a blindfold, or at night time.  I keep a flashlight on my nightstand for multiple reasons, so does the Mrs.  Murphy’s Law states that I won’t be in bed when the power goes down.  This is why I practice

To wrap it up, think ahead of time what sort of events are likely to effect your area.  Consider what will be needed to keep life as normal as possible.  Gather those items ahead of time.  Practice.  Better to find something is missing during a dry run, than when it counts.

Stay warm. Stay safe.