Why Homestead?

I have found that we have reached a point that we are truly seeing divulging cultures in our country and I have heard that this is true is several areas around the world. There are those of us who wish to be as self sustainable as possible and there are those that think we are nuts. We have recently talked about how in several areas that trying to be self reliant is at a minimum frowned upon and in some areas even illegal. We have talked about why groups would want to discourage an individual or group from trying to become more self sufficient. Today we are going to talk about some of the things I have heard these people say and our response, we are also going to talk about reasons we should be as self sustainable as possible and some answers we can give the naysayers.

What the people say that do not understand

Homesteading is so much work

You know what? Homesteading is a lot of work, but I can say at least for me it is worth it. It doesn't matter if I am gardening, foraging, hunting, or fishing, just being out there and experiencing the soil is almost spiritual. I can think of no better way to get to know the creator than spending time in his creation. You can watch nature shows on television all day every day, but it will never be the same as if you experience it yourself.

Homesteading costs more that buying at the grocery

To this one I give a very soft maybe. Can gardening be more expensive that purchasing all of your produce at the store? Yup sure can, especially if you are doing everything the way the "experts" are telling you to. Think about it. You have to have a tiller. You have to have raised beds. You have to use chemical fertilizer. You have to use pesticides. You have to use organic fertilizer. You have to use insecticidal soaps. If I were just starting out, my head would quickly start hurting from all of the opposing ideas. Find someone you like, who lives either close to you or in an area similar to where you live. Emulate them, start small.

I know there are people that cannot do anything without jumping in with both feet. That is great if you are that kind of person. Most people however, are not. It is easy to get overwhelmed. Starting small is my best advice for anyone on just about any subject.

You mean you kill your own animals for food?

This is one that both confuses and bugs me. I have had people ask me this while eating something they picked up at the local burger joint. We as a society have become so far removed from what reality is that we have a warped perception of the world. If we are going to eat meat, someone has to kill an animal. I will tell you straight up that I eat meat. I have not qualms with those who choose not to eat meat. 

When I harvest an animal, I know how that animal lived. I know how it was kept and how it was fed. Plus, all food tastes better when you know how it was raised.

Homesteading takes so much time

Again, this one is actually a fair observation, but with a wrong perspective. The time spent, can have a therapeutic effect. This is especially true if you work in an office. Our bodies were designed to be placed under stress through physical exertion. Getting out there and having a good honest sweat is good not only for the body but also for the soul. If this were not true gyms would not be a multi million dollar industry. Sorry, I just do not see a lot of homesteaders needing to go to the gym.

Why I homestead

The Food Tastes Better

For those of us who grow any of our own food, we know the difference instantly between home grown and commercial grown vegetables. Commercial growers do not select varieties based on flavor. They select them based on shelf life, appearance and trans-portability. That means they will select a tomato that has little to no flavor because, once picked it will not go bad for a couple of weeks. 

I still run into people who question the sanity of homesteading. Some will come up will any and every reason they can to discourage you from homesteading. But one taste of fresh vegetables most are shocked.

Greater Independence

We do not grow all of our own food. We just can't on the amount of land we have, not to mention there are lots of foods we like that just will not grow here, but if we had to we could get by on what we can produce. There is just something liberating about being able to provide at least some of your own food, really being able to provide some of your own anything. 

Let's look at an Idaho potato. That potato starts somewhere where they grow seed potatoes. The seed potato is then sold to the farmer. The farmer grows the potatoes then sells them to a wholesaler or distributor. The distributor then ships the potatoes on trucks to warehouses all around the country. The warehouses then sells them to the grocery stores warehouses, then it goes out to the individual grocery stores, before finally being available for you to purchase. Just in the example above a sack of potatoes goes through at least 7 people's or companies hands before you can even look at them. I know some of you are saying that is good for the economy (oh don't get me started on that). The truth is that the flavor and nutritional value of that potato is going down for the entire trip. Did you know the average vegetable that is purchased at the grocery store travels over 1500 miles before it reaches you home. Yum Yum.

Greater control

I know there are a few out there that think genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the greatest things since sliced bread, but you are in the minority and are probably working for one of the big pharmaculture companies. Why do I call the pharmaculture? Because they are selling chemicals as food. I don't want glyphosphate soaked food. I don't want fish genetics in my tomatoes. Sorry, I just don't. I want real food.

The control factor goes even further for me. There can be a more nefarious reason for companies wanting to patent life. I want as much control over my family's lives as possible. 

“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.”-Henry Kissinger

Health and Teaching

I have touched on this a little, but I want to delve a little deeper.  The entire lifestyle when done correctly is a healthy lifestyle. Working hard, being out in the sunlight, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of exercise. But there is another component, responsibility. If you don't get it done, it won't get done.

There are lots of parents that will get their children a pet to teach responsibility. Many times the child will grow tired of the pet and the parents will have to take over its care. On a homestead the animals and plants are there for more than just enjoyment. They produce a surplus. Homesteading can be used to teach lessons about life, birth, death, sickness, investing and so much more. I honestly believe that there is no better life in which to raise children. This is going to sound strange, but I have fond memories of hog killing and chicken harvests. I hope my children will look back and say that they were glad that dad made them help produce their own food. 

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Quitting Smoking My Adventure

What this post is NOT going to be; this is NOT going to be a "Hey look at me and what I am doing, you should do it too. This post is NOT going to be preaching that everyone who smokes should quit. This post is not going to be anything except me sharing what I go through as I quit smoking and my thoughts on the subject.

I have smoked off and on for a very long time. Here is the kicker. I like smoking. I enjoy the flavor, the smoke slowly fading into the air, the quickening of the pulse, and calming of the nerves.

If I like smoking why am I quitting? Several reasons. 

1. I don't want to be a hypocrite. If I  am teaching self-reliance I should not be dependent on something I cannot control.

2. Saving money. Even where I live cigarettes are $4.00 a pack for the cheap ones. I normally smoked between 1/2 to 1 pack per day. That adds up.

3. Principle. I do not like the fact that I am using my money to support a company that adds flavor enhancers that make their products more addictive. I also do not like the fact that tobacco is taxed so heavily. The government claims they tax the product so heavily to discourage people from smoking, but when people start quitting tobacco they have to search for another money stream.

4. The most important reason I have decided to quit; my baby asked me to. My wife is a respiratory therapist and she sees what some people go through. She asked me to quit. I will succeed.

Don't get me wrong. I believe I am invincible. I can get hurt, but I believe I can live through anything. I am not weird in thinking that way. If you don't think like that you know someone who does.

I am quitting "cold turkey". I have tried the gum and the patches in the past. Neither program worked for me. I am unwilling to take medication. I just do not want to have the side effects of some drug especially when one of the side effects is thoughts of suicide. 

Now for the day by day breakdown on how I feel and what I go through quitting. If you have quit smoking you will understand. If you are planning on quitting, count this as a heads up for what you might go through.

Day 1: "I can do this. Little on edge but I can handle this." Some stressful moments.

Day 2: "Just leave me alone. I will stay quiet and we will all get through this together."

Day 3: "What the Crap are you thinking?!" I hate chemicals that drive you crazy when you don't have them. "Just breathe. Why does sugar help? I swear I smell chocolate. Either my taste-buds are changing or something is different about this hot dog."

Day 4 : Very high energy and louder than normal, which is saying something, I am loud anyway. The filter that is normally between my brain and my mouth is either broken or very weak. Don't ask my opinion unless you are sure you want to hear it. Why are stupid people allowed to breathe? Why am I so hungry? If I grow my own tobacco it won't be as bad for me right?

Day 5: High energy, high frustration first thing calmed down quickly. Sense of smell increased I can smell a lit cigarette at 300 yards, still want one, but it is okay. Chewing gum is my friend. Everything tastes different. Somethings better some things worse. Really rough afternoon. I am going to make it.

Day 6: I really thought I would be over any effects by now. There are certain times that I want a cigarette more than others. Today has been really bad. I think it has been bad because up till now I have been able to stay busy. Downtime is the most difficult part.

Day 7: Still want a cigarette. I can deal with it. Not a very nice person right now. I am much too quick to say whatever comes to mind. I have not been very social. I have read a temporary personality change is NOT uncommon and can last a month or longer. It is tough, but I am doing it.

The most difficult times for me are driving and riding. 

What Helped Me

Set a date and stick with it. I started on a Monday, admit ahead of time that it is going to be difficult. Don't put off trying.

Stay busy. For me the most difficult times are when I am not active. I didn't realize that smoking was part of my quiet time routine. Actually I used smoking when I was relaxing, thinking, stressed, worried, happy, sad, well you get the picture. 

Let people know. If your experience is anything like mine, people are going to need to know in advance. As your body us cleaning out the nicotine, you may not be as nice as normal. I know I wasn't.

Reward yourself. Set small goals and reward achieving them. I only smoked a pack a day. The reward could be a movie, a snack, anything small that you enjoy.

Chewing gum is your friend. Part of the habit is the motions. Replacing those motions help.

Have a plan to celebrate. I know what I want to spend the money I am saving by not smoking on and when I get there it is going to be great.

If you fail don't beat yourself up. I have tried several times to quit. It is NOT easy. If you start back just get ready to try again.

You can do this. At the time I am writing this I have saved $28.00 and it has only been a week. Depending on where you live you could save a lot more than that in a week. Will I be able to maintain? I am going to try, but it is tough.

Have you quit smoking? Did you go through the emotional rollercoaster like I did? I would like to hear your story.

P.S. I am still thinking about growing tobacco. Talk about a powerful barter item.

Don't let an addiction get in the way of your 

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.

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Getting Prepared for Beginners #10 Medical

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This article is provided to get you started thinking about being more prepared. I do not give medical advise and no attempt is made to diagnose or treat any illness or injury.

I hope by now you have realized that I am not a person who preaches beans, bullets, and band aides. Being prepared for the things that are most likely to occur is so much more than that. I have found that medical preparedness is an area that an individual either does nothing or goes way overboard.

Unless you have medical training you do not need a trauma kit, but everyone should have some basic over the counter supplies. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and allergy medicine should be in everyone's supplies as should some type of bandages and topical salves.

Take time to educate yourself on basic first aid. Everyone should know CPR, how to make a splint, and how to apply a tourniquet. Hopefully you will never need these skills, but odds are high you will need some of the skills taught in the CPR course. I have personally assisted in the Heimlich maneuver.

There are lots of herbal remedies that can be made from plants that grow around you everyday, but if you don't know what you are doing you can cause more harm than good. A plant may be a great medicine if prepared properly but if it is not done correctly that same plant could kill someone.

There are several very good books that cover everyday medical needs. You can cover the basics. I know you can.

How much medication should I keep on hand in case of an emergency?

 Several times I have referred the the governmental preparedness site www.ready.gov and their recommendations for basic preparedness. Today I am going to reference another governmental agency. The Center for Disease Control. According to the CDC emergency preparedness guide you should keep a minimum of 7 days of medication on hand in the event of a crisis. I like this recommendation a lot more than the 3 days suggested by ready.gov.

Pain Medications

Pain medications are generally not thought of as life sustaining. They may help you maintain a better quality of life, but normally you will not die if you don't have them. Prescription pain medications tend to be fairly highly regulated due to the likelihood of abuse. In fact, narcotic based pain relievers cannot be refilled until after a certain length of time. This means you will either not be able to have a surplus on hand or it will be more difficult to obtain a surplus. If you are in an emergency situation and you take regular pain medications realize there may come a time when you will simply have to deal with it. I am not saying this is easy and I actually even hate to have to write that, but this situation has been caused by people abusing medications.

Maintenance Medications

Maintenance medications are prescribed for long term chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. These are the medicines to not have them could endanger a person's life. These types of medications are much less likely to be abused. To the best of my knowledge none of the true life sustaining medications produce a "high".

Due to the fact that maintenance medications are for many people required to sustain life and few of these medications are abused, many insurance companies will fill a 90 supply. Only one catch. You have to talk to your doctor and ask them to write a 90 day prescription. This action alone will help insure you do not run out of the medication you need.

I also mentioned a very important thing you need to do. Talk to your doctor. If need be refer them to the CDC website and tell them you are trying to build an emergency kit as suggested. Ask your doctor what you should do it an emergency strikes and you are out of medication. I may be that you will have to temporarily adjust your diet or activity level. Your doctor may have other suggestions that will help you get through an emergency.

Documentation

Now for the singly most important thing you can do for your medical preparations. Have a file will all of your pertinent medical information in it. You can have a file one your phone or other digital device, but I suggest very strongly that you have a hard copy.

Things that should be in this documentation package include ALL of your medications, any conditions you may suffer from, ALL known allergies, and contact information for your primary care physician.

If an emergency occurs you may have to leave your home. A little planning can help insure you get to live out your

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

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You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. Or you can even follow The Rural Economist on Pintrest. We now have a YouTube channel and are doing a series on wild edible and medicinal plants. Hope on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe.

More Posts in this series:

#1 Why Prepare

#2 The Preparedness Mindset

#3 Priorities List

#4 Getting to My Family

#5 The Backpack

#6 Food Storage

#7 Basic Energy

#8 Water
#9 Security
#10 Medical
#11 Travel and Communications
#12 Fuel Storage
#13 Keep It Quiet aka OPSEC
#14 Building Community and Helping Others
#15 Skill Development (Home)
#16 Don't Fear the Reaper

#17 A Case for Long-Term Preparedness

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Getting Prepared for Beginners #8 Water

As I sit here writing this a severe thunderstorm is rolling in. I know it sounds strange, but that helps me focus on my topic. If you have been around a while you know that I lost a business in a tornado in 2011. Now every storm makes my pulse quicken and puts my senses on high alert. I have never really been a fearful person, but I do try to he very observant.

You may remember all the way back in post #2 of the series I said that water wasn't a very high priority in our area. There are several reasons water isn't as high a priority for us as it maybe for you. In our area we still have water towers. Water towers store thousands of gallons of water and use gravity to supply water pressure. As long as the towers are full an entire community will have several days of water at normal usage levels. We are on "city water", not a long term plan, but it is what it is. There are benefits for being on city water. Even when the power goes out the utilities board has huge generators or fuel powered pumps. Does this mean that I do not have any water storage? Of course not. Does this mean that I do not have as much as someone should have that is on a grid powered well or even in the more arid parts of the country? Probably.

Remember our good friends at www.Ready.gov? They suggest having a minimum of a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. Children, nursing moms, or people who are ill may need more. Also remember the good folks at ready.gov are only interested in you being able to take care of yourself long enough for them to come to the rescue. The one gallon per day recommendation is for both drinking and sanitation. 

Do I have the minimum one gallon per person for three days? Yup. Do I have a little more than that? Yup. Do I have a plan if need be? Oh yes I do. 

Why Store Water?

I know a lot of people who when you talk to them about being more prepared or even more self- reliant look at me like I am growing another head right before their eyes. Even when I point out the government suggests them doing so. A lot of people think major problems only happen somewhere else. That is simply untrue. We are going to cover some reasons storing water is a good idea.

1. Water main break. Nothing catastrophic has happened. The zombies have not risen, just a huge inconvenience of metal fatigue. The utilities company has shut the water off to an entire section of your community to be able to make repairs.It is only going to take a couple of days to repair.

2. A drought had lowered the aquifer and the authorities are telling everyone to boil their water.

3. A severe weather event that knocks out the water supply.

4. A regional flood.

You can see from the list above that you not only have to worry about a lack of water, but too much can be a bigger problem. Contamination is as big a concern as lack of water. Disease caused by contaminated water in many cases kills more people than the event that caused the problems.

Water storage.

If you have read any of the posts in the series, I believe in looking around at what you have or what you can get for free first, then if needed purchase things second. To get to the minimum of 3 days of water for each person we want to look at cheap or free. There are a variety of water storage containers available from several different places. But if you look around there is really good free storage available.

So the requirements for water storage are of course water tight, movable, rugged, and stores easily.

Do I want any of the 5 gallon stackable storage containers like the one on the right? Yup sure do, and I will get one in the future. But for just getting started I use what is available. If you were going to start saving water tomorrow what is the first thing you would think about using? Most people will first think of a milk jug. Hey, I mean it meets three of the four criteria. Oh but the fourth criteria is the one that dooms the milk jug to failure. 

The problem with a milk jug is it is very thin and gets brittle quickly. I have stored more that a few in the freezer filled with water. I take them out to find that they have busted. I have carried several in my van and had them bust and soak the carpet. They really are just not designed for a very long and productive life.

Enter the hero; the lowly soda bottle. You can get them in 16oz, 20oz, 1 liter, 2 liter, and 3 liters. They are designed to deal with higher pressures caused by carbonation and have been designed to be able to handle the acidic qualities of soda. Soda bottles store well and once you get a layer, just put a board on top and start another layer. The soda bottle meets all of the criteria for good quality water storage. 

If you drink sodas around your house, no problem. Every time you empty a bottle rinse it out well then fill with water and store. That is really all you have to do. If you like you could add one drop of chlorine bleach to the water, but that isn't necessary. Do not store these bottles where they will receive any light. Light promotes algae growth and you do not want that in your water. You can do this till you have your basic storage complete.

Caution:Studies have shown that water stored in plastic containers that have gone through wide temperature swings may contribute to certain types of cancers in women.Do not store water in plastic containers in areas such as vehicles and sheds that will experience wide temperature variations.

Longer Term Water Storage

Some folks want to have a much longer term water storage or may even water self- sufficiency. A very honorable goal indeed. There are all kinds of systems for water catchment, water acquisition and water storage.

Water catchment is when you capture water that would not be available for use. An example would be having rain gutters on your house and instead of those gutters emptying out onto the ground they empty into some type of storage container. Trashcans, 55 gallon barrels, and even larger tanks have been used. For the most part water that has been captured in this way is used for gardening, grey water, and black water purposes, but it can be purified and used for drinking in a pinch.

Grey water: Water that has been used but would not be considered truly contaminated biologically. Examples would be the water that drains from you clothes or dish washer, the water from your tub or shower, and even the water from your sinks.

Black water: water that has been biologically tainted. The water from your toilet being the most commonly thought of black water.

Water acquisition on a home site is typically done by use of a well. Though I have read articles about cisterns and even air wells. There are a few problems with wells. If the power is out how will you get that water? If the local water source has been contaminated, how can you be sure your water source isn't as well? If there is a regional drought it is possible that your well could run dry.

We have a drilled well on our place. Only one problem. We do not have a well pump and it is not on the priorities list right now. Well pumps can be fairly expensive and if the power is out the pump doesn't work anyway. (I know some of you are thinking solar or wind well pumps and they do have their place, but remember for the purpose of this series we are talking a short term even say 10 days or less. We will get to true long term later on.)

This is where a pressure tank comes in. A pressure tank is actually a fairly simple device that as I think about it may be difficult to explain. It is a tank that has a diaphragm or bladder inside. As it fills with water, pressure builds up. The pressure starts immediately. As long as there is any water in the tank at all there will be pressure. Power out no problem. You may have to start conservation procedures, but a 20 gallon tank will provide the recommended 1 gallon of water per person per day for 4 people for 5 days. My grandparents had I believe a 50 gallon pressure tank. For short term outages they acted like normal. They are fairly pricey as well, and again it is on my long term list.

Water Purification

Okay so you have used up your suggested 3 days of water and you have no additional water stores. What do you do? I know there is a pond or creek just over there! STOP! Remember what I said about how many people die from water related illnesses? I tried to find a reference that was not politically motivated that would tell me how much of the world's fresh water was biologically contaminated, but I could not. The percentages I found were between 76 and 99% of the world's fresh water contain some type of biological contamination. One site claimed that if you add chemical contamination the result is 100% of the planets water is bad. So basically consider all water contaminated until treated in some way. I hate the fact that my children have never been able to experience drinking straight from a stream as I did so many times as a child. 

There is a whole host of products available to purify water. You can use iodine tables, personal water filters, or even water filtration systems. All of the ones I included below require no power. If you are only worried about biological contamination all you really have to do is boil the water. I have heard people who acted like experts say you needed to bring the water to a boil and keep it there for 5, 8, and even 10 minutes. That just did not seem right to me. So after a little research I found that I was correct. According to a USA Today article you only need to keep the water at a rolling boil for 1 minute. Anything longer than that you are just wasting water and fuel. You can actually go even less than that. According to Modern Survival Blog as soon as the water comes to a boil it is purified. I tend to agree more with the Modern Survival Blog, but hey if you wish to be extra cautious, we are only talking 60 more seconds.

Now boiling and water purification tablets only deal with biological contamination. Chemical contamination is another story all together. Water purification tablets do nothing to deal with chemical contamination and boiling only makes it worse.

Allow me to explain. When you boil water, you will lose some of the volume of water in the form of steam. It is natural and there is no way to avoid that. The chemicals however do not evaporate as easily, in fact some do not evaporate at all. What you end up with is the same amount of chemicals in less water, so the concentration of these chemicals have gone up. When chemical contamination could be an issue you may want to invest in a filter.

Steps to Purifying Water (Biological)

1. Get the water. So you have decided to use the water from a local stream or pond. You are going to need a container. Any glass or plastic container that is clean is acceptable at this point.
2. Filter the water. When you collect the water, no matter what you do you will get several organisms and a lot of sediment in the water. There are ways to make a very effective water filter with stuff you can find around your house, but most of these take a lot of practice. I am just going to cover the basics. You will want to filter out as much of the larger particles from the water before you boil. You can use coffee filters (I would suggest at least 4 of them at once), or even a t-shirt folded several times as your first line filter.  
   
    
3. Boil the water. If you are without power and you have a camp stove like I suggested in post #7 Basic Energy, this is no big deal. All you need is a pot, tea kettle, or percolator. If you are having to do this the really old fashioned way, you will need a pot that can handle an open flame. There are several, so I will not cover those.
4. Allow to cool before you drink. I know this seems obvious to all of us, but remember we live in a world where there are warning labels on everything. I know you have seen on plastic bags "Do not place in cribs". Come on! Who thinks, "Junior needs a toy. Hey I know !I just got back from the store, let's give him one of those bags to play with."?(Sorry for the rant).
5. If you do not have a way to filter the water before you boil, you can just go ahead and boil then wait for the stuff in the water to settle to the bottom then carefully pour off the clearer water at the top.

I hope you are learning a ton from this series. Maybe you could share these with someone who is on the border of wanting to be more prepared, but concerned that they will look like one of "those people on TV". You comments and question are always appreciated.

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes to you.

You can subscribe to The Rural Economist by email by simply filling out the form at the top right of the page. Your information will never be sold or given to anyone else. You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. Or you can even follow The Rural Economist on Pintrest. We now have a YouTube channel and are doing a series on wild edible and medicinal plants. Hope on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe.

More Posts in this series:

#1 Why Prepare

#2 The Preparedness Mindset

#3 Priorities List

#4 Getting to My Family

#5 The Backpack

#6 Food Storage

#7 Basic Energy

#8 Water
#9 Security
#10 Medical
#11 Travel and Communications
#12 Fuel Storage
#13 Keep It Quiet aka OPSEC
#14 Building Community and Helping Others
#15 Skill Development (Home)
#16 Don't Fear the Reaper

#17 A Case for Long-Term Preparedness

Affiliate Link Disclosure: The post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog.

Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less)

As I sit here there is a tinge of fall in the air. In fact this is the third day in a row where it has felt like fall and that is really strange for August. This morning I fed the chickens, gathered the eggs, checked the garden (I will have to cut okra when I am done here), got a couple of loads out of the old house, and split some firewood. My wife says that I peck at things till they are done. She laughs and says I am a pecker. Guilty as charged. I gradually peck at all of the projects I have working until I get them done. I do this with almost everything including reading.

As summer growing season is winding down, the time to start planning the fall and next springs gardens draws near. My wife and I had a long talk about what we are going to grow next summer. I have never really had much of a fall garden, that is until this year.

I have been reading the book Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) (Living Free Guides). This book has inspired me to really expand my fall garden and I would like to share why it is a good read for anyone who is interested in having a homestead lifestyle. The book was written by Angela England. She really put a lot of time into research for this book. This is not just a gardening book. It is a lifestyle book.

Angela describes some of the reasons that producing at least some of your food is a good idea. She talks about the lack of nutrition in many of the foods we buy at the grocery store, the health and cost benefits of producing as much as you can. You do not have to go into the homestead lifestyle with both feet. Start small if you need to, be sucessful do more each year. Just do something.

There is a chapter on selecting a homestead and one on homesteading where you are now. Angela has included possible layouts for one quarter, one half, and a full acre. Her designs are very functional and asthetically pleasing as well. These designs are not set in stone and can be customized to fit each persons situation.

Angela covers the tools that would be needed on a homestead and basic skills that should be developed. She does a very good job of covering fencing and outbuilding that the homestead is likely to need. She does not include any plans for building because those are so situation dependent.

Angela does an excellent job of covering many types of fruits and vegetables, tips on growing these varieties, several recipies in which to use your produce and ways to preserve much of your produce for the winter and early spring. She was so thorough with her coverage of things that could be grown in the fall and winter that I am going to be planting a full fall garden this year for the first time in years.

There are chapters on keeping chickens, rabbits, sheep and goats, and beekeeping. You can tell that this book was written with an eye on trying to be as self sustainable as possible. I do not know if I will ever talk all of my family into the idea of raising rabits or goats for food, but the information is here to get someone started.

I was very impressed with the section on Crafting from the Backyard Farm. This section focuses on trying to create an income from your homestead. This is a topic that I feel that many people overlook. It is very difficult if not impossible for one family to be self sufficient. By producing things that can be sold or traded on the homestead, we can add a level of sustainability. Doing this gives us the ability to buy or trade for things that we cannot produce.

In the appendeses there are plans for cold frames, to extend the growing season, plans for a chicken coop, and plans for a sheep or goat shed. There are also gardening journal pages which can be copied and used for the next several years. Angela also included references to all of the organizations that she referenced in the book.

Scattered throughout the book are important points. Some are called Over the Garden Fence. These are tips on how to do things easier or ways to save money. Some points are called Thorny Matters. Thorny Matters are warning about things to avoid. Other points are called On a Different Scale. These points are just other ways of doing things, I have found that I tend to do quite a few things that were listed in the On a Different Scale.

This is a great book for the beginner or intermediate homesteader and is written in a way that even people who have been gardening their whole life will learn or in some cases relearn things that will really help them produce more of their families food.

Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) is just one more way, no matter where you live, that you can...

Keep It Rural

Flea and Tick Season has Begun

 

For most of the country Spring has finally sprung. With the temperatures rising the fleas and ticks have started coming out. These little blood suckers are out and trying to take a bite out of everything, including me. A couple of weeks ago, I was helping a friend on his farm. We were walking through the edge of the woods planning a fence line. That night I found a tick that was attached to my rear end. My wife pulled it off for me. I of course thought everything was fine, but after a couple of days, the spot started itching like mad and turning red and swelling. Yep, that little bite was infected. My wife finally talked me into going to the doctor and I am now on antibio ticks, ha ha.

Several of the sites that I looked at for tips on avoiding ticks talked about things like getting rid of leaves, keeping lawns cut very short, limiting the amount of shrubs around your yard, and things like that. If you are like me most of these suggestions are not an option. I rake leaves up and put them in either the compost pile or on the garden spot as mulch. I am trying to have as little grass as possible in my yard, but the grass is being replaced by surprise, surprise, other plants like blackberry, blueberry, and fruit trees. These are the very type things that according to the experts should be avoided to keep away ticks. As a result of my choice to try to be more food sovereign  I must turn to a repellent.

Tick Repellent for People

There are several products available for purchase to repel biting insects. The most well known is Deep Woods Off. This can be very effective against mosquitoes, but does only a fair job of protecting against ticks. The active ingredient of Off is DEET (Diethyl-meta-toluamide). Research has shown that DEET can cause seizures, insomnia, radical mood swings, and impaired cognitive function. Seizure likely hood is quite rare.

The second most common commercially available insect repellent is permethrin based. Permethrin is a compound naturally found in chrysanthemums. Studies have shown that permethrin is far superior at repelling ticks than DEET. One huge problem is there is only one company that manufactures a product for human use. The human permethrin product costs about twice as much as the DEET products per ounce. There are several premethrin based veterinary products that are designed for horses that are considerably less expensive. Some people have used the horse products for themselves and their pets. I however do not suggest this practice.

What if you want a more natural way of protecting yourself? There are several essential oils that are purported to repel ticks and fleas. The most common suggestion is to add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil to sunscreen and apply to all exposed areas.  Other recipes for homemade tick repellent include things like lavender oil, geranium oil, lemon balm, citronella, peppermint and pennyroyal.

There are ready to use products available that can be purchased like Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent Pump Spray or Botanical Solutions Tick Guard 4 Oz. Both of these products reviews are pretty good and both are rated for human use. The Botanical Solutions has been used on pets, but according to one of the reviews the scent is so strong that their dog sneezes constantly.

Tick Repellent for Dogs

The most common two insect repellents for pets is Frontline and Advantix .The links I provided are to the product for the big boys, like I have, the 89 to 132 lbs doggies. Frontline and Advantix are very effective against ticks, but around here only works for about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks for fleas. According to a doggie dermatologist, the fleas in this area are developing an immunity to the chemicals in most of the topical treatments. The problem is many of the things made for dogs will only control either fleas or ticks. For example Comfortis can be purchased at your Veterinarian's office and is incredible at controlling fleas, I have found nothing that even comes close, but it only protects against fleas.

Several sites I have searched actually say to use the same homemade flea and tick repellents as with people only to not mix it as strong with the essential oils. One person said that they use one drop of rose geranium essential on their dog's collar once a week. There are also ready to use products designed for pets such as  Vet's Best Natural Flea and Tick Spray, 8-Ounce. Again with this product the reviews are really quite good.

We will always use something to control the fleas on my dog and my families cats and we are going to try some of these essential oil treatments. If you do end up having a tick bite, even if you get the head out, you may have to go to the doctor. I am glad I finally let my wife talk me into going.

Remember to 
Keep It Rural