Saturday, July 27, 2013

We today I began a new goal. I have set up an account to raise money to have the farm I so desperately want for my family. Farm Dream Fund. Hope i can achieve this for my family. With the donations i get from the fund and what we save ourselves, i hope soon we will be living our dream. Please friends help spread the word.

Soon i hope to be seeing this every morning. More updates to follow

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Basic Rules of Wildcrafting: The world at your finger tips

ARTICLE BY GUEST BLOGGER DAWN RENEE SPALLINGER
FACEBOOK LINK

Here are the basic rules of foraging. Memorize them now should there ever come a time when you need to have this it will be there.
1. Do NOT collect plants closer then 200 feet from a road. Many times you can literally see the difference in the plants.
2.NEVER collect from areas that have been sprayed with herbicides,pesticides, or chemicals.
3. ALWAYS be familiar with dangerous plants in the area.
4.Positively Identify all plants you intend to use for food or medicine. Checking against 3 references with good illustrations.

 So that is easy sneezy...no problem...:)

Wild Crafting is the oldest occupation known to mankind. Knowing it means that you will never worry about starving to death.
So Here I'm going to spell out the basics of it, the rules of thumb, and how to distinguish between poisonous plants and good plants.
The very first rule of thumb is find your info from 3 sources. so if you are wanting to know how a plant is used and you are not sure if it can be used internally find it from 3 sources. So for example...I will use St. Johns wort. In this case I'm using herb books and not the Internet.
St. Johns wort:
 The Herb Bible basically tells me the history of the Plant, that it is a muscle relaxer,used for depression relieves cramping,promotes healing of the skin and helps fight viral infections.
It tells me how to take it and it tells me how much to take.  It also says to never take it if using other anti depressants.

The Herbal Medicine makers Handbook tells me more information- It says that it is Nervine. Taken internally it has it has a sedative and pain relieving effect.

Then we get to : The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide: Here Linda has St. Johns wort listed in the poisonous plant section. Here is what she said: Known for medicinal value since biblical days. Primary Use-astringent and salves for bruises wounds and anti-inflammatory Characteristics: leaves shaped like lungs with many holes in them. Plant grows 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall. 5 petaled flowers. From a distance  shape is similar to the pocomoonshine variety of goldenrod. Poison.

 So my conclusion to this would be never eat it fresh as a survival food. Since you can buy St. John wort over the counter in tablet form, it is taken internally. However...being that it is a plant used to treat depression I would tend to not mess around with it and take Valerian root for any form of anti depressant /calming drug that i would need.
However; know this: I am not saying that it is not good to take internally as you will find it in tablet form in the health food stores. I am saying that logically, i would not use it as a survival food nor will i make a tincture out of it.I do use it in salve making as there is not a salve i have made with out it in it.If I had to i would grind it up to take as a powder. But I would only do that if i was digging out a bullet or some such with no Valerian Root in the house.
I hope this makes sense :)

Now lets say you have no books, no references and your out in the wild starving to death... you have to figure out if you can eat a plant or more importantly serve that plant to the people that you love to eat:

1. Take a piece of the plant and roll it around in your fingers. smell it. pitch it if you have any warning signals in regards to how it smells. If you like the smell of it rub a portion of it on your upper gumsabove the teeth.
2. Wait 20 minutes
3.Check for burning, nausea, stinging, itching.Poisonous plants USUALLY  produce one or more of these symptoms.
4.If there is no negative reaction make the plant into a weak tea. steep for 10 minutes. (Must be 10 minutes) ingest a small amount.
5. Wait another 20 minutes. check for any irritation. If there are none reheat the tea and finish.
6. Keep all samples away from children and pets.
7.Remember that heating and boiling a plant does not always destroy toxicity

   Also NEVER be intimidated by a plant: Plants were given to you. Not you to the plants. There is however, a certain understanding and connection that we have with them. It is a very hard thing to explain with out sounding like a nut. Maybe the best word that can be used is the word : RESPECT. with highest esteem following along right behind that. I will not  destroy something that i hold in high esteem. but we will get into that when I explain gathering to you.

How to locate Pasture raised chemical free meat locally

     Do you get tired of eating and feeding your children processed foods? Would it make you happy to eat meats grown locally and raised on natural grass? Does meat not tainted with hormones, drugs, antibiotics make your mouth water? Do you want to eat safe food but dont know where and how to get it?
    Well your in luck. I have located a site that gives you lots of information plus a easy to use state locator for all your needs in this matter. The site has a direct link to local farmers page. You simply click on the link and it takes you to a map. Select your state and it has a list with the farm, its info and services they offer. To make it easier the map can be zoomed in so you can look easier to find one more close to your home. 
     This is a great site. Its are responsibility to purchase foods from farms in our area to support our own local economies. Why buy from california, when they pick it eary and ship it thousands of mile to our store. By doing that, you support there economy, pollute with the transportation of the products, not to mention all the trouble the west has with E. Coli and food poisioning or their products. 
      Support local clean chemical free farmers and check out this website. EAT WILD
                             

Friday, March 4, 2011

Free

     Well as every frugal person knows, there is nothing more frugal then free. Over the years my mailbox is always filled with free goodies at least 3 times a week. I receive anything from free pens all the way up to a box filled with a thousand condoms (yes, i said a thousand condoms). So to me filling out forms and pages online to receive free stuff in the mail, is worth the effort. Many years back I would frequent the freebie pages daily, looking for what new freebies have been posted, and man they are vast.
     So where do you begin? Its simple, start with a google or bing search for freebies. That should give you tons of sites to go to. We have moved from site searching, to simple facebook. Facebook has pages devoted to freebies. So I thought to help you out I will give you my list of pages and facebook groups I go to for such wonderful freebies.

WEB PAGES
The Freebie Source Webpage
Free Stuff Plaza
Freakin Freebies
And there are many more, but watch out for the scam sites, wanting you sign up to do surveys.

FACEBOOK PAGES
Free Sample Page
Sample Stuff
Nanas Deals And More Which shows freebies and has contest to get free stuff

There are many, many more sites and pages out there that can get your mailbox filled everyday with freebies. Just take the time to look and you will get freebies flowing into your mailbox

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My Review of By Example website

           Recently I can across a rather interesting website. It was called BY EXAMPLE, The Quest for Sustainable Living. It is a very informative and very detailed account of a couples trip down the sustainable life trip. "We began a wondrous experimental lifestyle exploring the limitations of sustainable living", as quoted from the website.
         The site contains so much information, as person can spend hours reading and educating themselves on the
 trials and tribulations this couple have been through over the years of their experiment. They go through the standard About Us format, but through in so much information, its like your there and can see it or even dream it for yourself. The show through their website all the information they have tried and tested over the years. Experiments they have tried and succeeded as well as experiments they have upgraded due to their demands and needs, As well as planned projects in the future are there for you to review and maybe try yourself.
        Currently, I myself am still reading and reviewing the vast amounts of information on there site. I felt the information that one can obtain from their experiences, should be shared with my fellow back to landers. I hope those who have chose to explore this web page, enjoy it as much as I am.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Household Cleaning the Cheap and Green Way

Green living is a trend we all should follow. These days household chemicals bought at the store contain to many harmful chemicals. Well here's to helping you clean your home cheap and environmentally safer.

*Floor Cleaner
            1/2 cup of borax to 2 gallons hot water
*Furniture Polish
            Mix 1 pint of mineral oil with 2 Teaspoons lemon oil in spray bottle
*Air Freshener
            Spray- 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon lemon juice dissolved in 2 cups hot water
            Simmer sliced citrus in water on stove
*Window Cleaner
            2 tablespoons vinegar in 1 quart water
         For rust, lime removal on windows and shower curtains or doors
                               1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup ammonia, 1 cup vinegar
*To unclog a drain
            1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt, 1 cup white vinegar. let foam and set for 15 mins then pour down  drain. After words pour several cups boiling water in after.

*Oven cleaner
            baking soda, salt and water paste
*Mildew remover
            mix 1/2 cup bleach in 1 cup water. pour over let set 5 mins and rinse with water
*Toilet bowl cleaner and odor removal
           borax and lemon juice

Please feel free to experiment with these mixtures to get you the right results.  Some are simply just you mix contents to get desired results.

Happy Green Cleaning

Easy Dandelion Wine

I remember when I was a teen, I was given the chance to taste dandelion wine. I remember my first taste of the pleasant tartness and familiar smell. Since then i have enjoyed the taste many times over and have learned that its simple to make dandelion wine.

Step 1. Collect a gallon of dandelion blossoms

Step 2. Rinse blossoms in water to remove debris and bugs.

Step 3. Press blossoms into a 2 gallon container.

Step 4. Pour a gallon of boiling water over them and let set for 3-7 days. 7 days being best.

Step 5. Strain through a cheese cloth, squeezing all liquid from them. Maintain the liquid compost the flowers

Step 6. Add the Juice and thinly slice rind and pulp of 3 lemons and 3 oranges.

Step 7. Stir in 3 lbs of sugar and 1 oz of brewers yeast.

Step 8. Cover with cloth and let stand for 3 weeks to ferment. You could also use a container with a relief value on it as used in making alcoholic beverages.

Step 9. After bubbling stops, Strain and bottle tightly.

Step 10. Enjoy your very own, you made it yourself Dandelion wine.