Becoming self sufficient

[lazy gardener]

I would suggest making your own laundry soap. I've been doing it for a year now, it's already saved me at least $100. We use the Duggar recipe:

http://www.duggarfamily.com/content...t%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value

The 5 gallons lasts 6 months for our family of 6.

I am also planning an aquaponics fodder system to feed the chickens and eventually rabbits and a cow.

can this home made laundry soap be used in a front load machine??

 

[suthrnmomto5]

Watching for ideas

 

[Pancholoco]

Sorry wyoDreamer for the delay - it is a Great Northern Popcorn Co. grinder. (Lists for ~$25 @ http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx ) Yeeeaaahhhh, if you need seven cups of flour, that grinder can be a pain...grind/sift, grind/sift. For a fine baking flour, it takes me about 30 minutes (because of the re-grinding and sifting needed). The fun-meter for me usually pegs out around 2 - 3 cups, but then I can sometimes tag in my son (he get a kick out of it). A buddy of my husband's at work is from Guatamala (by way of Mexico) and knows how to grind corn/make traditional tamales...gonna try to convince him to teach me...I think it would probably work great for that.

Never tried the dough enhancer. I tried making 100% whole grain wheat pasta, though (and, um, to say it was "heavy" is a bit of an understatement. I swear we didn't feel like eating for about a day and a half). Wonder if the enhancer would help with that, too...........and my bread-maker (admittedly a cheapy) really doesn't seem to like too much on the whole wheat side for some reason...

I can get that corn grinder for under too $25 dollars at my local swap meet, also you can upgrade your to a electric my mother-in-law make tamales too (corn and pork tamales)

 

[Pancholoco]

Watching for ideas

Me 2

 

[Pancholoco]

Do the chickens and rabbits get along? How many of each, and how big is the run? The last time I had a rabbit with chickens, it ATE my chickens!!! (that was 15 years ago)

How do you keep the worm bin from freezing in the winter?

For your mozzarella and chedder, do you use the cultures that you buy, or just rennet? (Ive made a lot of soft cheese over the years, but never tried those- and I'm going to attempt them later this summer! )

My neighbor had rabbits and chickens together, and he had some issues with rabbits they started to bite chickens and one morning he awake and saw all his flock with blood in her end.

 

[bachbach1]

Being self sufficient means a lot of different things to different people. Being able to produce meat, and veggies is great. But in my humble opinion you need a significant food storage to be truly self sufficient. Mainly because any supply line can be interrupted. Odds are we will never see bare store shelf's, or have problems with our animals (disease feed shortage) or garden problems that can shut down our food resources. I have a food stash, grow a garden, and am getting back into chickens, probably pigs, and even a few cows. I have lots of cow experience in my past, LOL big boys. Anyway, dried goods like beans and rice that can be bought in 50 pound bags at Sams Wholesale, Also other items like wheat, and corn are great too. These are cheap, and they can keep you going and allow you to get over any crisis in food supply. I also can a lot, and I can a lot of meat. Rotate your stock, on all of it. Other things like mashed potato flakes, and oatmeal are good storage items too. All these type foods go a long way.


So raising foods, garden, eggs, meat is great, the food storage gives you a buffer to be able to be truly self sufficient. I would look into a large modern pressure cooker, and learn to can. After all if you produce a surplus, you need to store it. Canning can be done over any fire in adverse conditions, and during normal times it can be done on a regular stove. What you are able to can is almost endless. I have caned smoked turkey, pork, ham, beef, corned beef, pastrami, even some sausages, and chicken. Then all the normal stuff jam, and fruit. Me and my family could go a long time without buying anything from a store before we were hurting, that is a good feeling.

Anyway just a few thoughts about what I view as self sufficiency.

 

[Life is Good!]

Me and my family could go a long time without buying anything from a store before we were hurting, that is a good feeling.

Double that!

 

[cws451]

Being self sufficient means a lot of different things to different people. Being able to produce meat, and veggies is great. But in my humble opinion you need a significant food storage to be truly self sufficient. Mainly because any supply line can be interrupted. Odds are we will never see bare store shelf's, or have problems with our animals (disease feed shortage) or garden problems that can shut down our food resources. I have a food stash, grow a garden, and am getting back into chickens, probably pigs, and even a few cows. I have lots of cow experience in my past, LOL big boys. Anyway, dried goods like beans and rice that can be bought in 50 pound bags at Sams Wholesale, Also other items like wheat, and corn are great too. These are cheap, and they can keep you going and allow you to get over any crisis in food supply. I also can a lot, and I can a lot of meat. Rotate your stock, on all of it. Other things like mashed potato flakes, and oatmeal are good storage items too. All these type foods go a long way.


So raising foods, garden, eggs, meat is great, the food storage gives you a buffer to be able to be truly self sufficient. I would look into a large modern pressure cooker, and learn to can. After all if you produce a surplus, you need to store it. Canning can be done over any fire in adverse conditions, and during normal times it can be done on a regular stove. What you are able to can is almost endless. I have caned smoked turkey, pork, ham, beef, corned beef, pastrami, even some sausages, and chicken. Then all the normal stuff jam, and fruit. Me and my family could go a long time without buying anything from a store before we were hurting, that is a good feeling.

Anyway just a few thoughts about what I view as self sufficiency.

i would love to be at this point im trying to get everything done with the livestock i have now...been having a couple rough weeks tho..my turkey coop was destroyed by a storm so there shacked up with my chickens for right now and i have lost 3 rabbits now 2 to animals and one died a couple days ago from reason unknown but im trying to hang in there

 

[bachbach1]

i would love to be at this point im trying to get everything done with the livestock i have now...been having a couple rough weeks tho..my turkey coop was destroyed by a storm so there shacked up with my chickens for right now and i have lost 3 rabbits now 2 to animals and one died a couple days ago from reason unknown but im trying to hang in there

Just keep moving forward, life will always throw you a few (sometimes more) curves at you. I just opened a 3 year old quart jar of canned smoked turkey, and it was supurb. I found an old straggler, I try to rotate out and use canned meat before it gets 2 years old. I cant say enough about how nice it is to have quality clean canned meat in a food storage. Keep sams stores in mind they have 50# bags of rice, and pinto beans. It is a great way to set up a basic food stash that can carry you through tough times.

 

[deserthomestead]

lazy gardener,
from what I hear the homemade soap is great for front loaders and HE machines. It's very low-suds, which is great for that kind of machine. It may void your warranty though, FYI.


OP,
I'm having a rough time too, I'm about ready to throw in the towel. I lost my ducks to predators 2 nights ago, just lost 3 chickens 20 minutes ago (trampled each other to death panicking during a sudden storm), rabbit gave birth to dead kits instead of a healthy litter, and all my new fruit trees were destroyed by wind and wild rabbits. I'm about to give up and quit putting $$ into all these things that aren't even coming up even, much less saving me any money.