Homesteaders

[boskelli1571]

Temperatures here have been in the 60's the last two days. Hard to believe that overnight it's supposed to drop and turn to ice and snow! Then it will continue to drop.... Brrrr..... Right now it's raining steadily.

Not far behind you - it's been upper 50s' all day - positively tropical

working in the yard without a coat on! Sue

 

[rancher hicks]

got the nice weather. Plastic is up. Bought 300 #'s of feed to stock up for the month if it snows. I hate to go out in the wintertime. I've plenty of hobbies and things I can do indoors.

Plus with the internet I don't get lonely.

Straw over the garlic. I hope to plant even more before it gets really bad. Will lay more cardboard on top of the snow through out the winter. I will desintigrate during the summer delaying the weeds.

 

[Raech]

That looks awesome Rancher.

So the boys and I went on our first "clean" shopping trip. Spent $60 and feel pretty good, only thing I got premade is noodles, alfredo and tomato paste. Got lots of vegetables too, my oldest was trying to put one of everything in my cart, because he LOVES his fruits and vegetables. Any good recipes for alfredo sauce?

Hubby says I over thought this, but is country sausage supposed to have msg in it? He said that they have to list everything on the label but it had a color dye and msg and a couple of different acid types as well. I didn't buy any, and when my son said he would go grab it, since it was the only thing I didn't get off my list, I told him no and said we will go to one of the butcher shops and get bacon, and sausage from them. That earned me a weird look from the cashier, but I figure it's my choice. Hubby says that the cow meat we eat has msg in it, but I told him our cow was grass fed its whole life, killed in that same field and they taken to the butcher shop, he never went through a factory; we buy our cow from a friend who keeps 5 cows and 1 bull on his small farm.

Sorry for the ramble but I am very curious what you guys think.

I have chosen that since it is the Holiday Season, I am not going to rush everywhere, I will just take my time and enjoy life. Which got my passed twice on a residential street, since I drive a lowered car and the road has a lot of ruts and raises(not my normal street that I drive on) so I was driving 3 mph slower than the 25 mph stated. But my oldest was also pointing out animals and asking questions about stuff so I was explaining it. Plus it was snowing so I was really enjoying it. And to put the icing on my cake, my children behaved better since I am not as stressed/rushing today. Normally we have the typical "mommy I want...." fights in the store; well we went to the courthouse, stood in line then went to 3 different stores and I only had 2 little hissy fits when I told him no. If that doesn't make you realize the difference you make in your children I don't know what will, but it has made my day. Wooosah

 

[boskelli1571]

Sounds like you had a great day Raech!

MSG has no place in fresh country sausage, nor does food dye/coloring. The colorings do just that - color! I'm sure you are aware that some food colorings are under scrutiny for causing/aggravating hyperactivity in kids. Some of the acids are used as preservatives and I think they are ok for the most part,since they are natural substances although I'm sure others might disagree.
Did you also notice as you slowed down your day, other people seem to smile more? or perhaps it's just that we notice! I went shopping today and almost everyone was cheerful and smiling.........until I got to Walmart

Sue

 

[wyoDreamer]

X2 about the MSG. It is a "flavor enhancer" that is added with spices. Unless your butcher adds it to sausages with the spices, it won't be in there. Grew up eating the stuff, mom had a jar of it that she used in recipes. Sometimes it gives me a headache when I eat chinese food with it in there.

I grind fresh porkloin and season it myself for bulk sausage. It is very lean that way, store bought sausage gives me stomach cramps because of the grease. Only sausage that I use for pizza is my home ground. I buy the seasoning mix from the Penzeys Spices store.
Some day, next summer I hope, I am going to buy DH the smoker that he wants, then I will try my hand at making smoked sausages also.

 

[rancher hicks]

X 3 on the msg. Gives my wife migraines. Not natural. Nor is food coloring. Yuk poo!

We don't have a Penzeys' store here but I did bring back some stuff last time I was in Homewood, AL.

I realize we all can't eat 100% organic but I say eat as healthy as you can afford. Too, better less and healthy than more and unhealthy.

 

[Raech]

Sounds like you had a great day Raech!

MSG has no place in fresh country sausage, nor does food dye/coloring. The colorings do just that - color! I'm sure you are aware that some food colorings are under scrutiny for causing/aggravating hyperactivity in kids. Some of the acids are used as preservatives and I think they are ok for the most part,since they are natural substances although I'm sure others might disagree.
Did you also notice as you slowed down your day, other people seem to smile more? or perhaps it's just that we notice! I went shopping today and almost everyone was cheerful and smiling.........until I got to Walmart

Sue

I actually didn't know that about the food dyes. Walmart was actually nicer than the supermarket we go to. Courthouse was cranky as usual, we didn't even get a smile when the baby said "danda clause" which is as close as he can get right now. I did notice that the people at Walmart smiled more, I also got more grins and smiles from the other parents and grandparents, a couple of "oh look he has so many people to wave at, look how happy he is." It didn't last very long though, my husband came home after rushing all day so he was kind of cranky and wasn't "catching my vibe," got a dirty look for that too. I tried to say that in the "hippy" drawl and it was funny to me, but not to him, go figure.

At least the boys stayed in a good mood for just over 2 hours after he got home, then his mood/attitude rubbed off on them. We had grilled chicken BLTs on homemade buns with part of the vegetables I brought home, so the boys and I can have a salad with the leftovers, and I feel pretty good. Now it's time to send the boys off to bed and maybe hubby and I can have a good discussion tonight about our future plans; I'm thinking about trying to find a small acreage on the edge of town, and I know he wants a city lot. And the oldest wants more than 2 dogs when we get a house, two hybrids and a "tiger" puppy(anything with bridle markings) plus he wants to do homeschool and hubby doesn't want him to so I am stuck in the middle trying to be impartial, yet happy he wants to stay home. So many decisions and it feels like way too little time. Since kindergarten round up is supposed to be in April I guess, so which should I listen to, my husband or the child?f

 

[boskelli1571]

I'm in favor of home schooling - kids learn more. Not only 'education' wise, but love, moral structure etc. However, if it happens that they start kindergarden, do they have to continue to the end? If they attended for a short spell it would give you more time to prepare for home schooling, also would give them brief exposure to other kids (could be good - or bad).
Y'know, house lots on the edge of town are usually a little cheaper than city lots, for many reasons. Check into the zoning tho' - some cities won't allow livestock, more than 2 dogs etc. Sue

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm in favor of home schooling - kids learn more. Not only 'education' wise, but love, moral structure etc. However, if it happens that they start kindergarden, do they have to continue to the end? If they attended for a short spell it would give you more time to prepare for home schooling, also would give them brief exposure to other kids (could be good - or bad).
Y'know, house lots on the edge of town are usually a little cheaper than city lots, for many reasons. Check into the zoning tho' - some cities won't allow livestock, more than 2 dogs etc. Sue

Forgive my comments.

I do know that some areas have groups of parents who home school that meet together for social and support reasons. If someone was to consider home schooling they might look into talking with someone from that group. At least that's here in Syracuse, NY. There might be a forum for such a thing and a group in your area.

All our kids went to a private Christian Academy ( The Living Word). All were college ready, but not only because they went to the Academy but because we made sure at home to support the school and teachers.

As for a lot, I always tell young people buy as far from the city and as much land as you can afford. If you build it they will come, trust me. Here in Syracuse, commercial encroachment and house development is a nightmare. Plenty of farm land being built on around here.

 

[farmerkevin]

Originally I was a prepper. I was prepping for economy collapse.

Well, I didn't find that stocking 1000 top ramens was very healthy. So here's where I'm at.

I found that the more I did what felt "right" I was more of a homesteader.

I planted dozens of fruit trees. I listed them in another thread but I'll summarize here:
Apple
Apricot
Asian pear/apple
Avocado
Cactus (for prickly pears)
Fig
Grapefruit
Guava
Lemons
Edit. Forgot limes
Mango
Nectarine
Orange (Algerian, cara cara, navel, satsuma)
Papaya
Peach
Pecan
Plum


Plus different annuals/perennials etc:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Mint
Passion fruit vine

I have a small garden going with peas cauliflower, broccoli and onions. Not a LOT but its a start for now.

There's tons more I'm forgetting though. Just a lot escapes me.

I'm on 1/3 acre and everything is planted close. Part of my self sustaining idea is to keep the trees trimmed and use the appropriate wood for smoking meats and such.

This past late summer/fall, I installed a rainwater catchment system. On the two totes, I have 660 gallons capacity. As of now, its about half full. On the barrels, I have 330 capacity. The 660 is for watering my trees and garden. The 330 is for everyday use (flushing toilets, dishes, watering the front yard roses. Hey. I love roses )

I'm still on grid as far as utilities are concerned. My main motivation for homesteading is to reduce my utilities use age so that if the grid goes down, no big deal to me, because I'm already self sufficient. I was once able to get my light bill down to $15 for one month haha.

And just having my water totes I saved $10 last month on water. Hoping for another $10 next month. It had been $52 now its $42. I also fixed a couple water leaks in my front shower and an outside spigot.

I made the expensive switch to LED lights throughout most of the house. Haven't seen much of a decrease because I'm using space heaters to heat the house. I'm about to use more of the furnace though.

That's it so far. My biggest achievement is the rainwater storage. I'm hoping for solar this time next year.

Edit. Forgot that I had chickens They're so new to me I forgot