Gramarye

Garlic Interruptus

2011-09-27T10:30:00.001-04:00

We have all heard the benefits of buying local...great for the local farmer/producer, great for the environment and so on. Now being that we have no land yet (not even any window ledge space nor a porch to grow anything on) we're still having to buy everything.

Well, it just so happened that we were at the Byward Market in downtown Ottawa the other day and I needed some garlic for Bruschetta that evening. We had a good look around to find fresh, firm bulbs but only found garlic bulbs 'from China'. Needless to say we kept walking and looking for local produce.

Eventually, we came to a stall with thousands of hanging bulbs mixed in with local colourful squashes and thought we had come to the right place.

We wanted only a couple of bulbs, for now, and looked about the stall.

They had single bulbs...

...from China.

We then spotted another basket of bulbs with a sign saying 'Grown Locally'. Hooray! :)

Wait...

The bulbs from China were 50 cents per bulb and the local bulbs were $1.50 per bulb! WTF? How on earth can local bulbs (non-organic) be three times the price of bulbs from China, which have travelled half way around the world?

We asked the stallholder why (multiple times), all she would say is that the $1.50 per bulb was because they were local. As you can imagine, we were amazed and somewhat disgusted.

There was a woman stood next to us looking at the produce, she said that garlic was hard to grow in Ontario, she knew, she had tried. We walked away, not believing our ears and eyes.

I then did some research and YES, garlic can be grown in Ontario, if planted in the autumn and not the spring (this link discusses it).

I still shake my head at the over pricing of local garlic and wonder how 'buying local' will ever work with that attitude. Hubby and I both agree we can't wait to grow our own garlic, amongst many other things.

Necessary Things

2011-09-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

Hello Folks, Marc here!

As we plan our future homestead, I keep trying to think about all the possible things we will require to be able to fend for ourselves. Let’s face it. Without the proper things, you can’t do a proper job…

The more I thought about what tools we will need, the more quickly I realized we will require a lot of small things. This can vary from pliers, knives, rulers, sharpening stones, scissors, etc. But over the last few years, I have noticed a trend that disturbs me greatly. That trend is buying cheap because it can be replaced easily. How do I notice this? I live right smack in the middle of a fair sized city. On garbage day, I always keep an eye out for something that can replace something in our current place.

So far, I have reclaimed the following:

- 2 computer chairs (one of them was just full of cat hair, would you believe!),

- 3 set of bookshelves (one was dinged on one corner, can’t see it unless you look for it),

- 1 ladies bicycle (nothing wrong with it at all!),

- Multiple computer towers from which I recycled many parts including RAM and DVD burners,

- 1 IKEA table top (missing legs, gave it to a good friend to allow him to make a painting table),

- 3 dressers (one for the bedroom, one for the living room and one for my workshop!),

- 1 coffee table (again, nothing wrong with it),

- 1 bedside dresser (Wifey loved me finding that one)

- 1 tall lamp (it just needs an extra click to go on or off)

And there are a few more things I forget on the spur of the moment but as you can see, all those things just needed a little bit of attention to be reusable in any house.

Now when the time comes to buy something new, loads of people go to the, well known by now, Dollar Stores. I agree you can find loads of things for very cheap over there but you do have to keep an eye out for the quality of the items you buy. Sometimes, it looks like a deal but it will cost you more in the long (and sometimes short) run. Here is a list of things I try to avoid buying in a dollar store:

- Tools like pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, etc because they are made in a too weak material to be efficient.

- Kitchen items like measuring jugs, frying pans, drinking glasses, cutlery. They just don’t last.

- Bathroom items like shampoo, bars of soap, towels. Most of these items are made sub-standard to the point that one dollar store bar of soap will last a third as long as any brand name bars of soap out there.

On the other hand, there are quite a few items I pick up from there:

- Electronics: USB cables, video cables (saved over $50.00 in a year and have yet to replace any of them)

- Various tools: foam paint rollers (cheaper then hardware store anytime), steel rulers, Exacto blades (I replace them often enough and the ones I get are the SAME quality if not better).

- Kitchen: cutting boards (for my crafts), anti-slip rolls (up to 10 dollars difference compared to a Kitchen shop!), potato knives and some steak knives.

So, yes, you can buy lower priced things that can last you a long time but do compare price versus quality first… It’s common sense really!

AND, recycling helps everyone, not just yourself!

Garlic Scapes!

2011-06-25T11:53:00.000-04:00

Recently, through one of my favourite blogs The Big Red Barn, I found out about Garlic Scapes. For those that don't know, Garlic Scapes are the tops of hard neck varieties of the garlic plant, which produce a central stalk that grows straight up and then usually makes one or two loops.They also have a bulge where the bulbils will form:

Harvesting these Scapes does two things. Firstly, it helps the garlic plant by forcing all its energy back down into the bulb, hence growing larger bulbs and secondly, gives you a second food source from one plant. That's right, you can eat them! They are mildy garlic in taste, of course. :)

You can steam them whole and serve with melted butter like asparagus, use them to make garlicy pesto, cook in stir fries and even chop them up and freeze them like green beans. If they are not too old, you can also chop them and add to salad.

I love finding out things like this--Hubby he didn't know about them either--needless to say we've stored this information away in the Gramarye file. ;)

A fridge without electricty?

2011-05-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

Not much has happened with the Gramarye studies recently as other projects have been taking up all our time. However, we do still catch a few great ideas as they are flashed around the Internet and this is definitely one of them.

Hubby found an article on 'an electricity-free terracotta fridge'. It's such a simple and yet clever idea, I just had to spread the word.

Click HERE to go to the article on the Permaculture website.

Enjoy!

Just for fun - A Snow Fridge!-

A great idea for an electricity-free fridge in winter. lol

The Woodman's Cottage

2011-02-09T09:55:00.003-05:00

Several years ago, I watched an episode of 'Grand Designs', a series about unusual homes in the UK and Europe. Most episodes didn't draw my interest as the buildings were too modern in style and structure, however, one episode blow me away.

The episode I speak of was about a man called Ben Law.

Ben lived in a wood, in a hut, under a canvas roof and his job was to maintain the woodland he lived on. He had gotten permission to build himself a small house and wanted to do it by himself with the wood from the land. What came of this desire turned out to be my dream home, I fell in love with it instantly and when I met my hubby, years later, we watched it together and he too fell in love.

Several years later, the series returned to the house to see how it had developed over time and once again I fell in love. Everything about this home is spot on for me...everything.

Take a look for yourself...

Wonderful, isn't it?

Walt Disney Knew!

2011-01-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

My cousin spotted this recently and shared it....

'As progress brings the city directly around a little house, she grows more and more depressed.'

What more needs to be said?

Winter Hobbies #1

2011-01-12T10:19:00.001-05:00

During the cold winter evenings here in Canada, there is very little to do. Winter here is not like winter in my home country of England, where the weather is mild enough that most forms of entertainment are the same, no matter the season. No, here in winter most folks kind of hibernate, especially in the evenings and so it's essential to find entertainment and hobbies to stop you from going stir crazy.

A self confessed 'knit-wit' friend of mine introduced me to handmade dish cloths a couple of years ago. These are an excellent way to use up oddments of wool and be a creative with a very useful hobby during the winter months. As I used to knit rather a lot, many years ago, I find I'm able to work on these cloths whilst we watch a film in the evenings. :)

What you will need:

Yarn (cotton is best, but any yarn can be used. Just remember they all have different absorption rates.)
Knitting needles (I used size 5 but any medium size will work)

Cast on 3 stitches
Knit first row
Knit 1, yarn over, knit to last stitch, yarn over, knit 1
Repeat last two rows until you have 53 stitches or half your prefer size of cloth.
Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit to last three stitches, knit 2 together, knit 1
Knit row
Repeat last two rows until you have 3 stitches left
Cast off.

Easy, huh? Remember, you can pretty them up by alternating the colour of yarn or however you like. Get creative this winter! :)

You have to be kidding me?!

2011-01-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

Can this be real? Seriously?

An online friend of mine, who writes the Self Sustained Living blog, posted this image the other day. I was so amazed by it, I asked her where she had found it, which just made the whole thing far worse!

Edain: BTW...where on earth did you find that horrifyingly ignorant newspaper comment?
mmpaints: Hey Edain! LOL, that came from a firearms forum my hubby likes to read on. A Berkley student no less.....

A Berkley student? This has to be fake, doesn't it? Seriously? Are there really so called educated folks out there that think like this?

Think it's time for a cuppa and a change of subject before my head explodes. ;)

Reusing at Yule

2010-12-08T09:28:00.003-05:00

Yule Card Set by celebfea01

As Pagan/Heathens, not only do we celebrate Yule/Winter Solstice instead of Christmas, we also try to be more careful of our environment, after all what is the point of a nature religion if we ignore nature and use it's resources without a care?

Every year, we receive Yule cards from family and friends and the last thing I want to do is throw them in the recycling come the new year. Yes, recycling is good, but why not reuse them?

For many years, I've been taking the previous year's cards, cutting off the image portion and recycling the remains. The image is then trimmed to use as a label for this year's presents. Sometimes, depending on the images, several labels can be produced from just one card. You can cut them out simply or shape them however you like. Go on get creative.

You can attach the new labels by making a hole with a hole punch on one corner and thread it with ribbon, lace or wool, depending on what you have to hand. Alternatively, you can just attached one corner of the label to the present with tape.

Not only does this save us money in buying labels, but we get to reuse all those lovely images. Then, after Yule, the labels are finally recycled and the wrapping paper saved to be reused next year. :)

Try to reuse and recycle as much as you can this Yule, it'll help save your pennies and the Earth.

FREE downloads useful to Homesteaders #2

2010-10-26T09:38:00.021-04:00

Once again I have dipped into my long list of free, downloadable PDF's that are possibly useful for Homesteading and thought I would share a few more with you today:

For educational purposes only!

The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency (PDF)

First Aid - Full Manual (PDF)

Rain Water Harvesting (PDF)

Solar Cookers - Natural Living (PDF)

Cheese Making (PDF)

Building A Bead Oven (PDF)

Please note ~ The website, that the links go to, states the following re copyright:

FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not always have been specifically Authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, and as such this constitutes 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Act. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available without profit to those who have expressed an interest in the included information for research and educational purposes.

Please note that hubby and I aren't responsible for these links and we share them in good faith. :)

A lovely thing...

2010-10-20T10:06:00.001-04:00

As you know we often have a good noisy around garage sales and can often come away with interesting things, you have already seen our manual meat grinder which we found for $5.

One of our latest finds is this wonderful faux Tiffany lamp:

I just love the warm, soft light it provides and the lovely colours, it's also great for reading in bed and best of all, it only cost us $5!

It is amazing what you can find, if you look hard enough. :)

Porch Envy

2010-10-13T10:02:00.001-04:00

One of the things that must be included in our dream home is a decent porch. It's not something you see often in the UK and it has become something I really want.

I particularly want a wrap around porch but if not, some kind of porch has to be included.

I want to spend some of my time looking out over our land, garden and animals while sat on my porch with hubby, a glass of something yummy and the dogs at my feet...ahhh...sounds wonderful doesn't it? :)

Hmmm...so now a porch has been added to the list of wants for our future. :)

Carrots Galore!

2010-10-07T09:53:00.002-04:00

In September, we were given a generous pile of carrots by close friends. There was no way we would be able to eat them all before they went bad, so I decided to freeze them.

Now, I don't know if you know or not, carrots have an enzyme in them that, when frozen raw, will continue to rot the carrot even in the depths of your freezer and give you nasty mushy carrots. This is where par-boiling comes in, par-boiling, for those of you who have never heard of it, is a process that enables many vegetables to be frozen. It's simply a method of 'partially boiling' them to kill the nasty enzyme.

After cleaning and chopping the ends and nasty bits off, they were ready for the chop.

Lots of yummy crunchiness, I admit one or two raw ones were munched. :)

The carrots were then boiled for just 3 minutes (I had to do them in three loads due to pan size) and then they were plunged into cold water to stop the cooking, drained and separated into meals sizes. As you can see we got eleven meals, for hubby and I, out of this kind gift.

That's another freezer project successfully completed. :)

We're Back And We've Been Awarded!

2010-10-01T10:20:00.003-04:00

We're Back!

We hope you all enjoyed the nice weather and missed us, as we missed you. :)

Once again the wheel has turned, we're are now heading towards winter and with it comes all those indoor pursuits to escape the deep cold. In our house, this is a time of thick soups and meaty stews, of snuggling on the sofa reading good books. Our activities also include researching and continuing to studying the skills we need, to live off the land as our long term plan dictates.

But before we get back to our normal posting, we are pleased to announce that we were blessed with an award whilst on hiatus...

The Sunshine Award:

A little while ago we were visit by Witchy Godmother who left us a lovely present of a blog award!

Thank you, Witchy Godmother. :)

As I also received the award for my other blog English, Pagan and in Canada, from Witchy Godmother, please go there for the blog recommendations.

It's lovely for us to have our work here appreciated, thanks again.

Blog on Hiatus!

2010-07-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

During the summer and most of the autumn months, we are normally outside having fun at festivals, parties and visiting various places. As such, this blog will be on a short hiatus until October, when we will be getting back to our homesteading studies with a hot chocolate in one hand and a hearty meal in the other.

So until then, keep researching your dreams to make them a reality.

Have a great summer, we shall see you again in October! :)

Easy Homemade Oil Candles

2010-06-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

What You Need:

Old bottles such as wine bottles, perfume bottles, vinegar bottles, etc. (remove labels)
Nylon wick with bottle cap holder (available at candle making/supply stores)
Lamp oil
Funnel

Instructions:

1.Put funnel on bottle and fill with lamp oil.
2.Place the wick in the bottle; the bottom of the wick must touch the lamp oil.
3.Let wick soak for about 5-10 minutes and it's ready to light.

Remember, the wick is made of a nylon that lasts a long time and doesn't burn up like a candle wick. You may need to trim it a few times a year. Two ounces of lamp oil will burn for approximately 12 hours.

Safety Tips:
Please do not leave burning oil candles unattended.
Keep children away while preparing your oil candles.
Make sure you are not near an open flame when pouring the lamp oil.

Looking for Homesteaders!

2010-06-22T10:00:00.006-04:00

Do you grow your own veg? Raise animals?

Are you an urban or country homesteader?

Do you want to share your experiences with others of like mind?

We are looking for homesteaders who are interested in being guest bloggers and contributing with occasional articles.

If you are interested and want to share your hard earnt knowledge, then please email Edain via

edainduguay-@hotmail.com (remove the dash).

Meanwhile, why not take some time to check out an interesting list of homesteading blogs via:

Living off the Grid

Read and Learn # 1

2010-05-30T10:10:00.001-04:00

Occasionally, we will be posting books relating to this journey we are undertaking. These books may be about living a more self-sufficient lifestyle or about gardening, or cooking or anything else which takes our fancy.

I hope you will join us in investigating these books and taking some of their knowledge back to your hearth.

Which logs are best?

2010-05-23T09:50:00.001-04:00

There is nothing like a real fire.

Curling up with your loved ones or by yourself by the heat of a real fire can be wonderful, whether it be outside in the garden or your heating source inside.

But which woods are best?

Which species of wood gives you the best heat and are longer burning?

Which are the most economical?

Did you know that one cord of wood burned as firewood provides the heat equivalent to that produced by burning 200 to 250 gallons of heating oil, depending on the type of hardwood you are using?

Here is a list of hardwoods in descending order of heat value:

Elm, rock
Hickory, shagbark
Oak, white
Hickory, butternut
Beech
Oak, red
Birch, yellow
Elm, red
Ash, white
Elm, white
Mesquite
Hop hornbeam
Locust, black

This just may be a useful list, if you ever have the choice from your wood source.

Living Arches

2010-05-10T10:10:00.002-04:00

Mum and I under the Living Arches at Chalice Well.

There are many things we want to incorporate into the future garden of Gramarye, one of them is Living Arches.

We first saw them at the Chalice Well gardens in Glastonbury several years ago, and fell in love with them.

Willow branches are well known for their ability to be cut and just placed in the ground and they will grow. This the basis of a Living Arch.

How to make a Living Arch:

Take long rods of willow, you can get these from a willow coppice that is being trimmed or if you have a willow, trim it back and use the cut off's. You may use cut off's or rooted rods.
Design the length and shape of you arch or tunnel (long arch).
Place the loops in the ground according to your design, you may twist them together for effect and strength. (Always take care not to kink the willow, as it will die down above the kink otherwise!)
Take remaining lengths and intertwine them horizontally to provide the structure with strength.
As shoots grow weave them into the arch.
You may also grow other climbing plants up the arch like roses, magnolia or passion flowers. Some folks even grow fruits and vegetables up them!

Watch and Learn # 4

2010-04-28T09:55:00.002-04:00

Sepp Holzer

Who is Sepp Holzer?

Sepp Holzer is one of the early and very successful pioneers of Permaculture. What Wikipedia has to say about him.

Check out his own website here.

Description of this video:

This is a clip from the film "Farming With Nature" about permaculture farmer Sepp Holzer. We went to film Sepp Holzer for about 2,5 years. He created an edible landscape on 1500 m above sea level. Between the pinetree monocultures of Austria he built the biggest functioning permaculture landscape of Europe.
You can see all films about Sepp Holzer on a DVD called "Sepp Holzer´s Permaculture" published by the filmmakers, Malcolm St.Julian Bown and Heidi Snel. Find the DVD at www.ecofilm.de

For the Fungi in you...

2010-04-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

This time, I decided to talk about a mushroom that is not a comestible one, but a rather useful one: The Tinder Fungus (also called Horse Hoof Fungus, Tinder Bracket or Amadou) Fomes Fomentarius. I have included lots of pictures on purpose, to show how varied this fungus is in appearance.

This fungus comes shaped like the hoof of a horse, hence the alternate name of Horse Hoof Fungus. It is a semi to very hard mushroom and very woody in appearance. The upper crust is the hardest part of it and it is concentrically grooved and grey in coloration, as seen in all the pictures in this article. The inner section of this fungus is light to dark brown in coloring, very close to cinnamon in general, as seen directly below:

Season and Range:
The Tinder Fungus grows all year around and can therefore be picked when found on the spot. Use of a small pocket knife is strongly recommended, as the section of the fungus connecting to the tree is as hard as the surface. Being non-toxic, you can just stuff your findings loose in your backpack or bag.

Preparation:
If you try to taste it, it will be very acrid. This is not a comestible mushroom. Fortunately, it smells better then it tastes; it has a faintly fruity odor to it. The flesh is hard and extremely fibrous, which makes it really ideal to use a tinder to start a fire.
It usually grows on birch, but can be seen growing on beech as well. In Europe, it will even grow on sycamore trees. This “little” guy can grow to a very respectable size indeed; the biggest one I found was wider then an average adult head! Below is an example of how odd the fungus can grow:

Tinder Fungus was a precious resource to ancient people, allowing them to start a fire by catching sparks from flint struck against iron pyrites. Remarkable evidence for this is provided by the discovery of the 5000-year-old remains of "Ötzi the Iceman", who carried it on a cross-alpine excursion before his death/murder and subsequent ice-entombment.

Another good use for this fungus, which is a great water absorbent, is known by the fly fishing kind of person: Fly Drier material! Because it can absorb so much water, it is the ideal thing to use to dry flies, as it dries quickly and does not tend to rot once treated accordingly:

Another unusual way to use the Tinder Fungus is to make hats out of it:

The above hat is made in Romania, Bohemia, and Hungary. The process involves soaking the interior tissues of the polypore in lye, mashing the tissue into a flat layer, and molding and drying it.

Other documented uses are:
• Cauterization substance for wounds (described by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC)
• A styptic to stop bleeding-- used by surgeons barbers and dentists (sometimes called the "agaric of the chirurges" or "surgeon's agaric"
• Remedy against dysmenorrhea, hemorrhoids, and bladder disorders in Europe
• Diuretic, laxatives and nerve tonic in Indic folk medicine
• Treating cancers of the esophagus, stomach and uterus in China
• Used in smoking rituals in western Sibera and Hokkaido, burning the fruiting bodies overnight to banish evil spirits (or like me at rituals, as a "charcoal" block that doesn't go out on you, even when windy! )
• Making clothing such as caps and chest protectors (after pounding)
• As pincushions to prevent pins and needles from rusting
• Used by entomologists to mount their delicate insects
• Used in Siberia as snuff or mixed with tobacco

I will add three personal uses for that fungus at this point:

• You can make a flower pot out of one if it is big enough, like the picture above
• If used up side down once again and installed on a wall, it can make a nice little shelf or mini altar...
• If you remove the back portion of the fungus, you can apply essential oils on it and they will stay in for a very long time...instant pot-pourri!

Once again, this is not a comestible mushroom.

Well that's it for now! Hope you enjoyed this article.

Hubby

FREE downloads useful to Homesteaders #1

2010-04-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

I have a long list of free, downloadable PDF's that are possibly useful for Homesteading. I thought I would share them with you a few links at a time:

For educational purposes only!

Permaculter Design Course (PDF)

Where There is No Dentist (PDF)

Organic Gardeners Composting (PDF)

Every Step in Canning (PDF)

Joy of Gardening (PDF)

Culinary Herbs Their Cultivation Harvesting, Curing and Uses (PDF)

Growing Potatoes (PDF)

The Manual of Free Energy Devices and Systems (PDF)

Downsizer

2010-03-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

I have recently found a interesting website, called Downsizer. It's designed in a forum style and they have twenty-three sections on various subjects which will appeal to Homesteaders.

Why not check out the forum and see what you think?

Remember:

Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient. ~ Aristotle

I want to be potty!

2010-03-19T13:56:00.006-04:00

One of the many things on my list for the future, is to take up pottery again. I say again but don't be misled by that statement. By again, I mean I did it for two years in school when I was much younger and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although, by now, I do think I may have forgotten an awful lot of what I was taught.

I loved the sensation of the clay in my hands and the wonderful creative feeling of taking a lump of clay and making it into something useful and lovely to look at.

Ideally, I want to make cups and jugs, plates and bowls like those in the image above. I love that basic, almost medieval style. Most items produced will be for personal use but if, by any chance, they look good enough, I may sell or barter them for items we won't have on our future Homestead.

Just one more thing for me to study about and add the infomation to the 'Gramarye' file. :)

Watch and Learn # 3

2010-03-13T10:59:00.002-05:00

Houses of Straw ~ The Rediscovery of Strawbale Building:

Interesting, eco-friendly and cheaper than normal building materials...hmm....

You can buy the DVD!

In 'Pal' (Europe) format here: ÖKOFILM

In 'NTSC' (USA & Canada etc) here: Green Planet Films

Watch and Learn # 2

2010-03-08T13:39:00.000-05:00

Recently, in the UK, a wonderful new TV series has begun called Mastercrafts. Here are the subjects covered by the episodes in the first series:

Green Wood Craft

Thatching

Blacksmithing

Stained Glass

Stonemasonry

Weaving

The great news is that the rest of the world can enjoy them and watch every episode on the BBC website, but be quick, some are only up for the next 18 days!

There is also a book released for the series:

We are really enjoying the series, the programs are great for those Homesteaders who are interested in old crafts. Enjoy! :)

Something to do in winter....

2010-02-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

During my breaks at work, I sometimes like to surf the net and distract myself from what I do, to save my sanity I think. I sometimes focus on research for greener ways of doing things and find interesting and easier methods of reaching certain goals of self-sufficiency.

For example, instead of buying pre-made planter pots for my future generations of herbs and veggies, I was looking into possibly of recycling some materials already available around me. I get loads of junk mail, from offers to get such and such services to coupons to the expected & ever dreaded bills. So I researched what could be done with all that paper and came upon a great solution; The Pot Maker!

Lee Valley Potmaker

Probably the simplest device I ever saw (uses elbow grease, a never ending source of energy!) to make planter pots! It takes about 10 seconds to make a paper pot with this device and could see enough made in one single evening, for planting all your seeds in the early spring.

Country Gardener potmaker

As seen above, they can be found in various shops around the globe and in a wide variety of materials. Metal looks cool and will (hopefully!) last forever but is more expensive. Vinyl is also employed and is pretty low priced but not so environmentally friendly. But my favorite material of choice is wood (big surprise... Not! *grin*). The reason I prefer wood is that like vinyl it is cheap to make a pot maker with but also easier to decorate, as last I checked, you cannot pyrograph too well on vinyl or metal...

Once we have our dreamy piece of land, I will probably have to buy a pair of these (his and hers, you know *wink*) to get us started. Once I can get a lathe in my future wood shop, I will be making our very own in various sizes to accommodate our needs...

Hubby

Watch and Learn # 1

2010-02-20T10:45:00.001-05:00

River cottage at the beginning of the series before garden remodelling

Over the years, that we've been interested in living off the land, we have watched many programs and/or series that have added to our knowledge base and inspired us.

I thought that we would share a few of them with you over the coming months.

One of our favourites is River Cottage.

Description of first DVD in the series:

[Non-U.S. Format (PAL) Region 2 U.K. DVD - This will not play on U.S./Canada DVD players or those from most other countries outside of Europe. You would need a "multi-region" or "region-free" PAL compatible DVD player or computer.] *Or you can find compatible files online via iTunes etc. *

SYNOPSIS: It is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's dream to escape the urban sprawl and find a little place in the country where he can live off the fat of the land. When Hugh finds River Cottage nestling in the heart of the beautiful Dorset countryside he sets about turning his dream into a reality. The first casualty to self-sufficiency is the flower bed which makes way for terracing to grow edible crops. Once the vegetables have been taken care of Hugh sets off in his 1965 Ford Corsair in search of livestock. The first arrivals at the cottage are a pair of eight week old Gloucester Old Spot pigs but more animals soon follow. Hugh also finds time to show how sumptuous meals can be prepared from the local produce be it sea fish, pigeons or freshly caught pike.

These DVD's are packed with great ideas, recipes and very useful homesteading tips, all wrapped up in a wonderful 'old world' sense of community.

River Cottage went on to become a phenomenon with several more series and spawning many books on wild foraging and homesteading. There is also a wonderful website and forum: RiverCottage.net

Hubby and I have been collecting the DVD's and books for several years. Many of the tips mentioned are now in our 'Gramarye' file, stored for the future.

Homesteading Treasure #1

2010-02-09T10:51:00.010-05:00

This is one of our newest treasures...a manual meat grinder!

In the autumn of 2009, we discovered that our next door neighbours were having a roadside sale for their local Buddhist Temple and amongst all the various cookbooks, boxes of glasses and oven ware, we found this manual meat grinder in perfect working order.

It was on sale for only $5!

Yup, just five! :)

Although this is an older model, the parts are still easy to find and aren't ridiculously expensive.

Don't you just love bargains? :)

Periodicals

2010-02-03T10:12:00.003-05:00

Recently, we were loaned the October 2009 edition of 'Harrowsmith Country Life' by a friend.

I enjoyed reading through this Canadian periodical, the articles were actually relevant to country living 'here', as opposed to being mostly American, which, many of this type of magazine are. In fact, I found a couple of items which I made notes of and added them to our file of tips and instructions.

So this got me thinking...those of you reading this that are already homesteading or planning to, have you found any good periodicals that you could share with us? Please feel free to add any information about magazines in the comments area and we'll take a look at them to see if they will help us in our every growing research.

Thanks for any help you can give. :)

First Exposure

2010-01-17T10:36:00.000-05:00

One of my first exposures to Homesteading was the 1970's TV series, The Good Life also known as Good Neighbours, I believe.

My family used to watch this comedy weekly and I loved it. Admittedly, the comedic factor was one of the main reason why it was so good and well received, however, I loved that the main characters were stepping away from the 'norm' and living life in a different way.

Here is part 1/3 of the very first episode:

If you enjoyed it and want to see more, the episodes are available on YouTube in parts, HERE, or you can buy the DVD's below.

Please note these are PAL format, if you can't watch them...there is always the link above for YouTube!

Series One - 6 episodes
Series Two
Series Three
Series Four
Specials

We, like the characters in the series, are in pursuit of 'IT'! :)

A little about Hubby...

2010-01-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

Boy Fishing

Artist: Eastman Johnson

Greetings all and welcome to our blog!

Hubby here, about to give you a small insight into my past so you can understand better why we want to live off grid. My wife was raised city style and I thought comparing notes would prove useful to find out what we know and make a list of skills we need to acquire in order to succeed well in our endeavor.

As a single child, I was raised in a family with very little or no money at times. We often had to find alternate means of procuring money to buy food and other necessary things. This lead to recycling, before the word was widely in circulation, a wide variety of things; car parts, furniture, various household items…I remember a few of my things had rivets in them to hold them together!

Collecting things to make our life easier was not all we did. We hunted, fished and even trapped to make sure we had enough food on the table, all the time. I used a filleting and hunting knife very early in life, possibly before a kitchen cleaver. I learned to maintain, sharpen and even repair all the knives I handled. As a result, when in the kitchen or cutting something else, a sharp tool insures a job done quickly. Whilst fishing and hunting for future meals, I got to learn a lot about the ecology around me. Some of those things that come to mind are, but not limited to:

- Best time of the year to fish.
- The different ways to trap efficiently and humanely.
- The proper way to build and use a fire.
- Various ways to prepare oneself for the outdoors.
- What is safe to eat in the wilderness and what is not.
- Proper equipment to carry at all times.
- The list goes on…

An experience I had, when I was in my teens, made me aware that my knowledge of the outdoors comes in handy. I had won a trip, all expenses paid, to go visit the North Shore and the wilderness of the Province of Québec. We were about 20 kids and 4 adults to tag along, 3 men and 1 woman. The 3 men were game wardens. One day, we were privileged to go fishing in a controlled fishing river as salmon made it up the same stream and as a result could only be fished in certain times of the year. Our guide that day, a warden himself, stood waiting for us equipped with what looked like the latest fly-fishing gear available, from net to basket to fisherman’s vest. After a short talk on how to be careful and what a salmon looked like (so they could be released), we were left to our own devices after being provided with a fishing rod each and a small can of worms.

The warden promised us he would fill his basket and feed us all that evening. I asked him, like a proper fisherman should, if there was a limit for us. He quickly explained there was a special dispensation for us so we could catch as many trout as we pleased. I asked him how long it usually took him to fill his basket and he said those very words: “Not long”. I said Ok and took place next to him and cast into the river my lure and promptly missed landing a decent size fish. I took a moment to look at my lure after that near miss and realized how shoddy the lure was; the hook had not been sharpened yet! It was brand new!

This is when I went back into the car that brought us there, got into my bag and pulled the fishing gear I carry around when I know I am going to be outdoors; a dozen small sharpened hooks, 50 feet of line and few split peas sinkers. I changed the lure on my rod to one of my hooks, made sure my knot was done correctly and went upstream to resume fishing. Within10 minutes, I had a small string of a dozen trout hanging from my belt. The string in question, I had made out of a strip of bark from a recently fallen branch, using my trusty pocket knife. After the allotted 45 minutes of fishing, I came back to the group with 3 strings of fish to show for my efforts, as the warden opened his basket and produced 3 medium sized trout.

After asking me how I managed to catch so many, the warden offered me his fillet knife to clean the fish, which I accepted kindly. I was soon disappointed to see the knife as useful as a spoon to cut a tomato. He revealed he had not sharpened it since LAST year’s fishing season. Needless to say, I quickly reverted to my pocket knife and proceeded to clean the hundred or so trout the group had caught that day in less then the time it took us to catch them…

Now, I will admit that even after all those years, I don’t know everything and I still have a lot of things to learn. Because what I know IS useful, this is not a reason to not accumulate more knowledge. That would be foolish in the extreme. So nowadays, I take notes. I save links. I always do research in areas I think we need information on between crafting of my projects.

Recycled Home

2010-01-03T10:02:00.003-05:00

When we moved back to Canada a couple of years ago, we arrived with only a suitcase each and my laptop. We had left a few items with my family in the UK, who are more than happy to bring items each time they visit. After staying a couple of weeks with friends, we moved into our new home, a small and very empty apartment. Gathering together what little we had, including camping gear stored at our friends, we began our new Canadian life with the following:

Laptop
Two milk crates (found)
A blow up camp bed
A camping chair
A coffee table (given)
A chest of drawers (given)

Since that time, we have filled our apartment with furniture and other modern day items for virtually no money. It is now a warm and cosy place, full of wooden furniture and comfy seating.

What has this to do with Homesteading? I hear you wonder.

Well, in truth it is more to do with how we managed to fill our apartment and how this mentality will work well in a homesteading situation.

You see 100% of our furniture was not bought new. What we have now, is a home filled with items given to us by friends, items bartered for, bought second hand or found by the road on garbage day. In doing this we have been able to equip ourselves at next to no cost and find some really interesting items. The items relevant to homesteading deserve, and will get, their own posts in the future.

I can't help thinking that learning to find items and saving a lot of money this way, is really good training for later when we are trying to live on a lower income and not add to the 'throw away society' of modern man.

Hence, this is where our motto: 'Cheap is good, free is better' came from! :)

The Grand Scheme of Things

2009-12-26T10:54:00.003-05:00

For the last few years, hubby and I have been working on (and off, as life allows) our 'Grand Plan'. It is easy enough to say we want to live off the land, be more self-sufficient and live in tune with nature...the question is, how does one go about actually doing it?

The first thing we did, once we realised we both wanted the same things from life, was lots of research, in fact it has become a never ending research project. We have, over the last few years, watched many hours of Homesteading programs, read online news articles, joined Homesteading blogs and forums, watched Homesteading YouTube videos, talked to established Homesteaders and read many books.

This is what we've decided on, so far:

A house/cabin in a wooded area. We are willing to build, if the plot is right.
Land good enough to be used for livestock and an old fashioned organic vegetable/herb garden.
Solar and/or Wind and/or Water energy, depending on the site but definitely off grid.
Livestock: bees, pigs, chickens and goats.
Mixed orchard.
Grey water recycling system.
Maintain our online businesses with whatever connection we can get in the area, whether via DSL or satellite.
Wood fire/stove.
Creation of Bio-diesel

This is what we have decided against:

Grid Electricity
Cows and Sheep
Super market food
Cable
Gas (Petrol)

Hope to include:

Bartering our excess produce for items we don't produce ourselves.
Sell own produce at local farmers markets.
Horse and waggon/sleigh

These are, of course, starting points and may change and grow as time and research dictates but you get the idea. Some of these items will be explored further during the coming months.

A Beginning...

2009-12-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to our new blog!

The idea of living a more self-sufficient lifestyle, on land of our own, is something that hubby and I have been thinking about for several years.

You might wonder what a modern day couple, who live in a small apartment in the middle of a capital city, might have to say about Homesteading and you would be right to wonder but we shall not give up on our dream just because the road is long. We acknowledge we have much to do to accomplish our dream and we hope you will come with on this journey.

For those of you who are new to Homesteading, I hope you will learn something here and those of you who are already 'knee deep in it' may you find something new and hopefully share with us some tips and insights. I have found that the online community of Homesteaders is a helpful and friendly one and if any of you experienced folks want to send tips or insights for us to post, please feel free to email them to me: edainduguay @ hotmail.com (remove spaces).

Obviously, in the beginning, there won't be a flood of posts but I am sure they will increase as we near our goals.

Anyhoo, welcome aboard and please feel free to comment on any of the posts! :)

A very Happy Yule to you all!