Thursday, March 31, 2016

Episode 51 Beekeeping


You can subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher or iTunes

Honeybees may be an excellent addition to your homestead. They produce a harvest both directly and indirectly. We are going to go through the basics of beekeeping.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, honeybees contribute $14 billion to the US crop production. Several crops are highly dependent on the honeybee for pollination. 90% of the pollination of blueberries and cherries occur as a result of honeybees and 100% of the almond pollination is a direct result of these wonderful little workers.

Honeybees are not native to the United States, but then neither are most of us. There are native pollinators like certain types of wasps, insects, and carpenter bees, but taking care of the honeybees is well worth the effort.

Honeybee Production and Benefits

First I want to say that the very year we put bees on our little homestead we saw a 30% increase in the production of our garden.

Honey - honey doesn't just taste great on a buttered biscuit, it is also very useful. Honey can be used in making soaps and can even help heal minor cuts and scrapes.

Wax - Wax can either be harvested or fed back to your bees. Wax can be used to make homemade candles, balms, salves, and if melted and mixed with boiled linseed oil makes a very good coating for metal to prevent rust and for wooden handles of your tools.

Pollen - Pollen is used in several herbal remedies. You can read some of the benefits here.

The Hive

We will be talking about 3 styles of hives, the function, and a little on the benefits of each.
Langstroth - this is the hive everyone pictures in their mind when someone talks about beekeeping.
Image result for l langstroth
The langstroth yields the greatest amount of honey of the three types, with little to no wax yields. The reason for this is the langstroth has honey frames that contain a wax base. This base allows the bees to spend more time making honey and less time making wax. Special equipment is normally used for the honey extraction. We will get there, I promise.

Warre - The warre hive looks a lot like the langstroth on the outside. On the inside it is quite different. The warre has bars on the top of each section, but no wax frame. The bees conduct themselves in a more natural way, because they have to do all of the interior "construction" themselves. This reduces honey yield and increases wax yield. Annual honey yield can be reduced by as much as 50%.

In the langstroth when new boxes need to be added which in their case are called supers, they are added to the top of the hive. In the Warre configuration additional boxes are added to the bottom.

Top bar hive - The top bar hive is the easiest of the three types to make yourself. I has the lowest honey yield and the highest wax yield of the three.

Gear

You can get by with a limited amount of gear. The bare minimums are a bee suit, bee hood, smoker, and hive tool.

Bee Pests and Problems

There are several challenges that our honeybees face. Most of these challenges are dealt with fairly well by strong, healthy hives, but sometimes we have to go to the rescue of our hives. Here are some of the bad guys when it comes to bees.

Varroa mites
Small Hive Beetle
Foulbrood
Tracheal mites
Wax moths
Rodents
Colony collapse disorder.

Only two of these cannot be treated successfully. If it is found that a hive has foulbrood, that hive must be destroyed. There are steps that can be taken that have been shown to prevent foulbrood, but there is no cure.

Colony collapse disorder is still a bit of a mystery. According to a study by Harvard the most likely cause is pesticides. Of course the chemical companies have come out swinging to try to prove that it is not their products that is causing the problems. It is my opinion that this just strengthens the importance of organic practices.

I hope you enjoyed this. If you did consider sharing the show in some way. It is available on both iTunes and Stitcher.

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Homestead Blog Hop #76

Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday featuring real food recipes, natural health remedies, DIY, crafts, Gardening Tips, and more...

Welcome to the Homestead Blog Hop!

Spring has spring and our lives have gotten incredibly busy, but that doesn't mean we cant take time and enjoy some great articles from some very talented writers.
 
Now on to the hop... Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday and is for all things homesteading: real food recipes, farm animals, crafts, DIY, how-to's, gardening, anything from-scratch, natural home/health, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, natural remedies, essential oils, & more! Basically anything related to homesteading.

Meet and Follow Your Hosts!

Homestead Blog Hop Hosts - come link up your homesteading posts every Wednesday Bonnie - The Not So Modern Housewife (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+) Gregg - The Rural Economist (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+/Instagram) Jenn - Little House on the 100 Farm (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram) Jennifer - Homesteading on Grace (Facebook/Pinterest/G+) Katey - Mama Kautz (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter) Kelly - Simple Life Mom (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+)

Featured Posts from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week we will choose three posts to feature. Each post will be shared on all social media platforms by all of the hosts! Here are the features from Last Week's Hop: Basic Lambing Supplies - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop
1. Basic Lambing Supplies from The Woolly Homestead
Assemble a Chicken First Aid Kit - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop

2. Assemble a Chicken First Aid Kit from The Cape Coop
Egg Recipes When You've Got Too Many Eggs - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop

 3. Egg Recipes When You've Got Too Many Eggs from Idlewild Alaska
Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.
Just right click and 'save image as...'
Homestead Blog Hop every Wednesday featuring real food recipes, natural health remedies, DIY, crafts, Gardening Tips, and more...
Guidelines for this Get-Together:
  1. Click on the “Add your Link” Button below and add a great image of your project or recipe. Make sure you link to the page of your family friendly post – not the main page of your blog!
  2. Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by!
  3. Please link back to this post somehow (a text link is ok). This is one thing we look for when choosing who to feature. We will share on multiple social media if you are featured!
Let the Party Begin!

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Episode 50 Fishing






In this episode we talk about freshwater fishing. You can subscribe to this podcast on Stitcher or iTunes.

We talk about basic equipment, bait, and 4 types of fish that are common in our area.

Equipment

Jug fishing/Noodle fishing - really the lazy man's way of fishing. Really need a boat for this type of fishing to be effective. This method has always worked well for me in winter. Primary target species is catfish. (may or may not be legal in your area.)

Cane pole - time honored, poor man's method. With practice fishing with a cane pole can be very effective when it comes to line placement, especially when fishing in and around underwater treetops.

Rod and Reel - this is the method most people think about when you talk about fishing. The combination of rod and reel can be as cheap or as expensive as you are willing to spend.

Trotlines - May or may not be legal in your state.  Must have at least one anchor or tie off point and are typically used in more narrow streams and tributaries.

Types of Fish

Bream - Probably the easiest to catch any time of year. You will have to use a bobber and adjust the depth of your hook and bait. When bream are spawning (on the bed), the will bite at almost anything. This fish has the highest creel limits of the fish listed.

Bait can be artificial or live bait. I have always gotten best results with crickets and/or grasshoppers.

Catfish - Bottom feeders. Best bait for these fish are things that are stinky, blood baits, or rooster livers. Rooster livers are tougher than hen livers and will stay on the hook better.

Crappie - In my opinion the best tasting of the fish listed. Normally fish in downed tree tops, using minnows, cane poles work great for this fish. Spring time is the best time to fish for this species. There are some artificial baits that will do well with this fish.

Largemouth Bass - This is the main sports fish in our area. Artificial bait is primarily used. Can be fished for from bank or in a boat, but a boat gives you an edge. Even when this fish gets large it still tastes pretty good.

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do please consider sharing.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.
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Monday, March 28, 2016

Episode 49 Should You Take a Wilderness Survival Course



In this episode we talk about wilderness survival courses.

General Information

Wilderness survival courses last anywhere from a few hours in an afternoon to a couple of months. Generally the longer the course the more intense the training. Course cost runs from $25 to hundreds of dollars per course.
Shorter courses tend to focus on surviving long enough to be rescued and more advanced courses teach bush crafting and true long term survival.

What You Will Learn

Basic Course

Suggested Gear
Firemaking
Water acquisition and prification
Basic Knots
Basic Shelters
Signaling
In a basic course you may not cover food at all.

Advanced Courses

Navigation
Basic Herbal Medicine
Foraging and Trapping Food
More Permanent Shelters

Benefits of Taking a Course

Confidence
Skill Development
Problem Solving

Who Absolutely Should Take a Survival Course

Hunters
Fishers
Hikers
Campers
Skiers

It is more optional for everyone else, but still provides all of the same benefits. If there is a low cost course in your area, I strongly suggest you consider taking one. If you have an avid outdoors-man in your family that does things the old way, you may be able to learn from them.

Outdoor activities are great fun and can be enhanced by knowing these skills. If you are a prepper these skills will cross over in to everyday life if something happens.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.
Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Episode 48 A Disposable World and What We Can Do About It


While I was researching this episode, I did a search to try and find out just how much garbage the average American produces each day. I was shocked by the numbers I found. According to the EPA the United State produces an average of 4.4 pounds of garbage per day. That is for every single person from the newborn to the 90 year old. Holy Cow! That is about 1600 pounds per year. When I first saw this number, I thought to myself "that cannot be right", but after thinking about it I realized that it probably is. If you will take a trip through an affluent neighborhood on garbage day, you will be amazed at some of the things that gets thrown away.

I know that many think there is nothing that an individual can do to turn the tide, but this is not the way to look at it. We should be striving to be the best steward we can be, in many ways by reducing our waste we can actually save a good sum of money and in some instances actually earn some.

1. Repair

This used to be the norm. When I was growing up there wasn't a decent sized community that didn't have a radio and television repair shop. Not only that but when you went to even a small town there were shoe repair and watch repair shops. Sadly those are no longer staples of our communities. In fact it is very difficult to even find someone to do this type of work anymore. I have a watch that was owned by my grandmother that I really want to get repaired, but I can't find anyone close that can do the work.

The sad point is that we have gotten to the point to where there are a lot of people that just don't want to repair anything. If the dryer is acting up instead of calling the repair guy they just buy a new one and have the old one hauled away. I have even talked to people that when their car is doing something that they think may be the sign of problems they will trade it off instead of getting it repaired. That is crazy.

Some things have gotten to the point where they are no longer cost effective to repair. Companies have made it where parts of a television for a consumer are as expensive and the television itself. I have actually been told that a person was trying to repair a television and tried to order a control board only to find out that one board was more expensive than a new television. You cannot tell me that one component is more expensive than the whole. This is being done to encourage the consumer mentaility.

Clothing can still be mended. I have sewn up holes in pockets, fixed hems, and have even sewed on patches. My wife doesn't like the idea of me wearing jeans with patches on them, but then if you go to some of the trendy stores they are selling new clothes that have or need patches. Even after the clothing items are completely worn out there is still use in them.  We will talk more about that in a minute.

My rule of thumb is that as long as the repair cost is less than 50% of the replacement cost, that item gets repaired every time. If the repair cost is more than that, well then it is up for debate. But just think how many times we could repair things that we normally throw away.

2. Buy Used

I realize that there would be a lot of the economic talking heads that would discourage this big time, but for those of us who are looking to increase our personal independence, buying used is a good idea. With the exception of food and personal hygiene items there is very little that cannot be found used.

Yard sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and even pawn shops are good places to look. Hand tools can readily be found at pawn shops. One word of warning about pawn shops, shop smart, I have seen power tools at some pawn shops that were actually higher than in a retail store. The power tools were on sale, but you should never be able to buy new cheaper than used for the same name brand. If you are in the market for hand tools especially mechanics tools be sure to check out pawn shops. Many times they will have a bin full of tools. If you are selective and are willing to dig through, you can find good quality tools that have lifetime warranties for very little.

3. Packaging

There are a few reasons companies will increase the size or bulk of packaging without increasing the size or quantity of the product that is inside. Some will increase the size of packaging as a way to try to deter theft, others will be simply to get greater visibility. If you are wanting to be waste conscience, this is still something you might want to look at. Are there alternative products that either use less packaging or can the packaging be used for something else.

4. Compost

Composting is not only a way to decrease the amount of "garbage" that goes to the landfill, it is also a way to improve your soil. A lot of people do not realize all of the things that can be composted. Depending on how you are doing your composting, the list of compostables is a lot longer than you might think. There are so many ways to compost that this is going to be a complete topic of its on in the near future. For now just think about two methods of composting. Simple composting and worm composting or vermiculture. There are several ways of doing each. Each can use some things and not others. In a vermiculture system you cannot use citrus or onion peels. Things that you might not think about that are compostable include newspaper, cardboard, and fabric that is made from natural fibers like cotton. Just think, this alone can decrease the amount of waste that goes to the landfill.

5. Produce Some of Your Own

This primarily has to do with food, but it can be really anything. I have noticed that the packaging for food has really increased in the last couple of years. Even producing a small percentage of your food will help you save money and decrease you waste.

It doesn't have to stop there. If you have noticed the amount of packaging on most of the assemble yourself shelves, it's a fairly large amount. When you build your own book shelves, (even if you ask for help) you end up with a nicer looking, stronger product for the same or lower cost and you have developed a new skill. Can you say win, win, win, win?



6. Go Cloth

I have friend that buy a big package of paper towels every single week. They use them as napkins, to clean up spills, and really almost everything. If we will simple replace the paper towels with fabric that can be washed over and over again we save money. Here is the cool part. Remember above when I was talking about old worn out clothes? T shirts and denims can make very nice napkins and excellent cleaning rags. The lifespan of an article of clothing should look something like this.

New- wear till it is outgrown or "worn out". If it is outgrown find someone to give it to or donate it to a non profit.

Worn Out Stage 1 - Napkins or washclothes
Worn Out Stage 2 - Household cleaning rags
Worn Out Stage 3 - Shop cleaning rags
Worn Out Stage 4 - If the rags are not soaked with chemicals, compost them. If they are soaked with chemicals, now you can throw them away.

7. Recycle

I know that there are sections of the country where there is almost forced recycling. I have even been told that in some cities that if you don't recycle they will actually levy a fine on you. Sorry that is just wrong. In our area a recycle center will buy all metals, cardboard, plastic, and glass. The amount you will be paid per pound varies based on the market and your area. If you will just look at that list if you wanted to go all out on it, you could get paid for 99% of your garbage. Granted this wouldn't be a major income source, but if you are wanting to be as eco-friendly as possible, why not get paid for it along the way. 

8. Reuse or Upcycle

There are people out there that are really artsy that can take general garbage and make some really beautiful things. I am not one of those people. I am slowly tearing down a building. All of the lumber that can be saved, I am saving. I am planning of taking the useable lumber from this building and building another in a different configuration. Not only am I saving the good lumber, I also save all of the nails that are still useable.

9. Learn to Live With Less

This one is a battle cry for some and a sore spot for others. I have come to the realization that we as people actually need very little. We have been trained to think that things will make us happy, but if you will watch a young child on Christmas you will see that is not really the case. The child will play with the new toy for a short period of time and later in the day you will find the toy in the middle of the floor abandoned and the child is playing with the box.

10 Look for Efficiency and Effectiveness

This one is a little tricky. I first learned about this concept from a book called the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Efficiency is getting something done as quickly as possible as cheaply as possible. Effectiveness is getting something done in the best way possible with the least amount of impact. Dr Covey gave an example of talking to family. He said that with family slow is fast and fast is slow. What he meant by that is if you take the time to understand the person you will be better able to explain your point. How does this apply to reducing waste? Here you go.

From scratch cooking is as good an example as any. It takes a little longer, but the outcome is so much better and there is a lot less waste. This concept can be applied everywhere.


The big thing I want you to take away from this is that everything we do matters. If every person just started with a little, it wouldn't take long before there was a huge impact.

I hope you enjoyed this full blog post and podcast. If you did consider giving us a rating on iTunes or Stitcher and share this with someone it will help us a ton. Be sure and enter the Listener Appreciation Contest.


Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there. 

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. If you see something you are interested in, check them out. Thanks for your consideration.


Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Homestead Blog Hop #75

Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday featuring real food recipes, natural health remedies, DIY, crafts, Gardening Tips, and more...

Welcome to the Homestead Blog Hop!

I have been out of the loop for a while, but I am back at it. I hope to hear from lots of you and I hope you enjoy your time on the hop. 

Now on to the hop... Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday and is for all things homesteading: real food recipes, farm animals, crafts, DIY, how-to's, gardening, anything from-scratch, natural home/health, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, natural remedies, essential oils, & more! Basically anything related to homesteading.

Meet and Follow Your Hosts!

Homestead Blog Hop Hosts - come link up your homesteading posts every Wednesday Bonnie - The Not So Modern Housewife (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+) Gregg - The Rural Economist (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+/Instagram) Jenn - Little House on the 100 Farm (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram) Jennifer - Homesteading on Grace (Facebook/Pinterest/G+) Katey - Mama Kautz (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter) Kelly - Simple Life Mom (Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/G+)

Featured Posts from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week we will choose three posts to feature. Each post will be shared on all social media platforms by all of the hosts! Here are the features from Last Week's Hop: 6 Vegetable Plants to Start Indoors - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop
1. 6 Vegetable Plants to Start Indoors from Growing Wild Roots
Growing a Garden: Starting with Seeds - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop
2. Growing a Garden: Starting with Seeds from Flaws, Forgiven
Homeschooling on the Homestead 2016-2017 - Featured on the Homestead Blog Hop
 3. Homeschooling on the Homestead 2016-2017 from The Woolly Homestead
Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.
Just right click and 'save image as...'
Homestead Blog Hop every Wednesday featuring real food recipes, natural health remedies, DIY, crafts, Gardening Tips, and more...
Guidelines for this Get-Together:
  1. Click on the “Add your Link” Button below and add a great image of your project or recipe. Make sure you link to the page of your family friendly post – not the main page of your blog!
  2. Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by!
  3. Please link back to this post somehow (a text link is ok). This is one thing we look for when choosing who to feature. We will share on multiple social media if you are featured!
Let the Party Begin!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Severe Weather Preparedness




This is the time of year that many of us are thinking about being prepared for severe weather. We are going to help you be ready.

Know Your Risk


In our area the major risks of severe weather are as follows.

Severe Thunder Storms
Tornadoes
Hail

In that order. Other areas the major risks will be things like floods, hurricanes/typhoons, or wild fires. Knowing your risk is the first step and you have to be honest with yourself.

Make a Plan

I believe that everyone should have a plan to shelter in place and a plan to evacuate. In our area if there is a threat of a tornado, you can be your boots we will be evacuating.

Shelter in Place


For sheltering in place the things that might be needed are easy to prepare foods.

Foods:  Canned soups, stews, canned ham or chicken, really anything that can be opened and heated or prepared with just water is a good idea.

Water: A case or two of bottled water or even 2 liter bottles rinsed out and filled with water and stored in a closet are a good idea. This is one you can do for free.

Blackout Kit:  An alternative way of cooking, like a cook stove, flashlights, lanterns, flame-less candles, regular candles, are all good ideas and we have some of all of the above. We also have oil lamps. Just the above and you will be able to cook (at least some) and have lighting. I suggest all of your lighting be led based.

Now we will talk about saving everything in your fridge and/or freezer. If you can't afford a generator, don't worry, there is a way to take care of everything without mortgaging the farm. Get a good quality inverter and extension cords and rotate your fridge and freezer by powering them with your car idling.

Evacuation


Evacuation is where you need a backpack. It doesn't have to be all tactical, in fact for this type of event a tactical backpack can create more problems that it will fix. This is especially true if you are going to have to spend a short amount of time in a local storm shelter.

Things that should be in all backpacks are basic comfort items like blankets, change of clothes, and even some travel games. You should also include some food items. The last time we have to go to the local storm shelter it would have been a lot better if we would have had some snacks and some water. 

Stay Informed


There are several ways to stay informed. First is get a good quality weather radio.  Weather apps are available on all smart phones, I suggest getting one from your local television station if possible. Our local EMA (emergency management agency) has a way to get text notifications directly from them. I really like this service.

Take Action


When the time comes you would rather react and nothing happen than not do anything and be caught in the storm. Be safe and take care of your family.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there. 

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. If you see something you are interested in, check them out. Thanks for your consideration.


Friday, March 18, 2016

Episode 46 Opting Out of the Political Circus






In this episode we dive into the political environment. We talk about both Trump and Clinton. We cover my thoughts on how sad the national election system has become and the importance of local elections.

We also talk about working on personal independence and working to be as far outside the system as possible.

I hope you enjoy. If you do consider giving us a rating on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever podcast directory. That will really help us out.
You can enter the listener appreciation contest.
Check out our YouTube Channel.
Bringing Rural Back.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Episode 45 Skill Development







In this episode we talk about the importance of skill development. We talk about both soft and hard skills. I am a big believer of the Jack of All Trades, Master of Some. 

In many cases the only way to truly learn a new skill is to just do it. Videos are great, but without practical application it doesn't do a whole lot.

I hope you enjoy. If you do consider giving us a rating on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever podcast directory. That will really help us out. 

You can enter the listener appreciation contest.

Check out our YouTube Channel

Bringing Rural Back.