Monday, June 26, 2017

Homestead Tips: Firewood.



Believe it or not it is never too early to be thinking about how you will be staying warm when winter comes. Most people, depending on where you are, should have a heating source that you have control over. In our case we have wood as a backup heat source. When I was growing up heat was our primary source of heat during the winter. As a result, I have cut my fair share of trees and split a lot of stove wood.

The best way to make sure you have plenty of wood for winter is to take advantage of every opportunity to collect your stove wood. In this episode we talk about procuring , seasoning, and heat ratings of wood for your home.


 
If used correctly and harvested in a managed fashion, firewood is extremely sustainable. I hope you enjoyed the video. 
 
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

American Pokeweed

Image result for american pokeweed
 
This time we are talking about American Pokeweed. At one time this was a heavily eaten plant. So much so that companies actually commercially canned pokeweed. The Allen company canned a lot of poke. I tried to find a photo of the old cans that I could legally share but I didn't find any.
 
Poke can be cooked as a pot herb but the most common way they are eaten is with scrambled eggs. A nutritional powerhouse. This plant must be processed correctly or it can make you quite sick.
 
 
There are also several ways it can be used as an herbal medicine. In fact, I really need to make some extract. I have promised some to friends of mine.
 
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.
 
Bringing Rural Back.
 


Monday, June 19, 2017

Direct Sow, Seed Starts, or Buying Transplants

 
Today we are going to talk about the pros and cons of direct sow, seed starts, and buying transplants. Each have their own strong points and weeknesses. They vary on cost as well as time to harvest. Which is best for you? You will have to make that decision. I hope you enjoy the video.
 

 
I have used a mix of all three. My goal for next year is to not purchase any plants. We are adding a greenhouse this fall and will be producing not only our own plants, but will have some for sale as well. This is just another step we are taking to become as sustainable as possible and serve our local community with the highest possible quality plants. Wish us luck.
 
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

A Passion for Teaching

 
What makes a person create content to share to the world? What energizes a person to share the stories of their life, their views and belief systems? Is it profit? Ego? I mean think about it. It takes a lot of time and effort for someone tho to edit photos, write up a post, set up a video, do a podcast, anything like that on a consistent basis. Why would anyone in their right mind put themselves through all of this and subject themselves to the trolls and spammers? I am going to tell you and I am going to fill you in on some secrets.
 
 

Why we do this.

A person doesn't spend this much time and effort on something unless they are passionate about the subject. For every video, blog post, or podcast there is normally hours of research. Think about that. A 10 minute video may entail a minimum of 45 minutes of reseach, sometimes as much as 2 hours. It has to be a passion. If it isn't, you the reader, listener, or viewer will know it and you won't pay attention.
 
A content creator has to want to teach and share what they are doing in order to stay motivated. It has to be something deep inside of them.
 

It's not for the money.

There are a few (a very small precentage), that make a living writing, on YouTube, or podcasting. Most do it simply for the joy. Most people who are content creators make the bulk of their living from other activities. Some write books, some are virtual assistants, some sell training courses, but most have a regular full time job to go along with what they are shareing.
 
I am going to let you in on a little secret, and I will be honest I am a little nervous about it. If my income from the blog stays at the current rate I will make a whopping $41 this year. That's right I said $41 total. From the YouTube channel I will make about $151 this year and that is up from last year.
 
Why did I tell you that? To let you know that in the niche of Homesteading and Preparedness content creators, they are doing it because they want to spread a message and to help others. It is as simple as that. They can supplement their income by helping you find products that you will use or by directing you to learning opportunities, but in general any money earned is a trickle.
 

When a creator wants to do more.

As I stated above, if a content creator wants to expand their teaching and possibly make more money in the process they have to move into other areas. Books and courses tend to be the primary methods for creators to increase their income. Increased income means they aren't as reliant on a traditional job, which means they can produce more and better content.
 
I myself have come to this place. I may be slower than most, but that is okay. I have set my sights on producing PDFs on wild edible and herbal plants. This will enable anyone who is interested to create their own foraging notebook. That is just step 1. Step 2 would be an eBook and step 3 is a printed workbook. In order to make this happen, I need some help. We have a Kickstarter running. The Kickstarter ends July 4, 2017. You can watch the informational video below.
 

 

 
We are over halfway to our first goal. If you can help us out with a contribution, thank you so much. If you can't help with contribution but are willing to help by sharing the campaign to help us get the word out, thank you as well. I believe in this project and would love to have your help.
 
Thank you,
 
Bringing Rural Back 


Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Wild Edible and Herbal Plants: Cattails

 
Cattails are awesome and have lots of uses. Tender shoots and stalks can be eaten. Seed heads can be eaten and are similar to corn. Roots can be processed and used as a flour or a flour extender.
 
Mature heads can be used as a tender, heads can be soaked in melted animal fat or kerosene and used as a torch. Leaves (blades) can be used to make baskets. Plus cattails help treat and filter water. This is a plant that is well worth knowing about.
 

 
We would love to have you join us over at YouTube. We have lots of things going on over there.
 
Bringing Rural Back
 
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Microclimates on the Homestead


Lots of things cause micro climates on the homestead. Trees, terrain, even building create little areas where the climate is a little different. In some cases the difference is a lot more than you would expect.

In this video we talk about microclimates on my little homestead, how I plant to take advantage of them and mistakes i have made because of them. I hope you enjoy.


 
I hope this has gotten you thinking about the things on your own homestead and the differences that are created by solar exposure, orientation, and terrain.
 
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Wild Edibles Wednesday: Lambsquarters





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Lambs quarters is considered by many to be a noxious weed. Those poor people don't realize what they are missing. It is one of the most nutritious wild edibles there are. A hearty, fast growing annual that has almost world wide distribution. Lots to learn about this one.

It is so nutritious and hearty that many people have begun to plant it. Amazon has a seed packet that includes seeds from this useful plant. Check out the video for more information about this plant.



I really like lambsquarters as part of a salad. This plant can have oxalic acid in it so raw consumption should be in small quantities. Cooked or steamed the flavor is very similar to spinach, at least to me. 

Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.

Step by Step we are Bringing Rural Back