I volunteered at our school’s flu clinic on Saturday. It was bit like locking the barn door after the horse was out as most of our kids have already had what appeared to be the flu a month ago. Still, on the off-chance that that was some other random virus, a lot of people opted to get the vaccine anyway. I found one thing disconcerting. The signage for the event was from FEMA and said: Medication available, Free, and We are here to help. I’m not sure why that was creepy to me but it was. The signs were obviously meant to be generic and cover any mass medication or inoculation event. I guess it makes it pretty real that the Feds have geared up for something major.
Bruce and I brought home the bacon yesterday. Our hams, jowls and bacon were all smoked and ready for the freezer. The farm where we picked them up is only about a mile from my house and has been on the market off and on for a few years. It’s a beautiful place but way out of our price range and probably more farm than we really want to deal with. Still, I indulged in a bit of dreaming.
I am an old stick-in-the-mud when it comes to change of any sort. I have always composted in a heap but the permaculture book I am reading suggests that you should just toss your compostables right on the garden bed you are creating with sheet mulch. I get the premise but it just feels wrong to put my garbage in the back yard. I’m doing it with vegetable wastes, coffee ground and egg shells and hope I get good soil and not rats. I suppose the rats would be as likely to come to the compost heap as anywhere else. This does bring up a good preparedness point (thank goodness because, as you might have noticed, I’ve got nothing this morning). We are really creatures of habit. I think that people who are assuming they will change their ways of living if they have too are in for a shock when they see how difficult that is. My sister, brother and respective spouses came over for dinner on Saturday. I proudly showed off our wine and brandy jugs, pickles, applesauce, bread, pork and vegetables as it all came from our land except for the flour, yeast and salt. I suppose I wanted them to be interested in the process and see it as a realistic way to live. They raved about the food but I think they see me as their slightly quirky little sister, cute, but silly, even though they can acknowledge that their own futures are not as rosy as they had anticipated they would be. They are not likely to make any changes until they are dragged, kicking and screaming, into a world of declining resources.
November 23, 2009 at 7:48 am
I’m trying to make little changes along the way so I don’t have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the new world alongside your siblings. My husband doesn’t even flinch anymore when I start a sentence “You know, I’ve been considering….” so he’s getting used to little changes too LOL.
I’m looking into a grain mill this morning, as it’s something I’ve kicked around for a while and just never committed to…the mill seems simple enough, but does the flour really taste better? Is the bread really more nutritious?
November 23, 2009 at 8:16 am
I don’t know about tasting better; homemade bread is pretty good no matter what you do to it, but the nutrition is certainly better. Whole wheat berries start to deteriorate as soon as it’s ground. The peak is to grind, then bake. I grind, then freeze the the flour which preserves the nutrients. White flour is enriched but they put back only a fraction of what is removed. The added benefit to the mill is that you can store wheat about forever and it’s a lot cheaper in bulk. What kind of mill are you looking at? I would not be honest if I didn’t add that I got a Lehman’s Best and it is really hard on my arm. I ended up getting an electric mill for everyday. If I had it to do over again I would have sprung for the Country Living as it can be adapted to use with bike power.
November 23, 2009 at 8:26 am
I’m leaning towards Emergency Essential’s middle of the road mill…I can’t recall the name…because I have a gift certificate to use and they have a great return policy! I figure I’ll try it out the manual one first and then if it’s something I’m going to stick with, I’ll get an electric one.
November 23, 2009 at 8:34 am
I compost in bins, but do put it direct on the garden soil in the late fall and winter. I think the decomposing in the heat times makes the soil too hot and uses up to much nutrients to break down. However, I am told that it is not so…dilema! I garden almost exclusively in raised beds, so I don’t have a heavy mulch anyways.
November 23, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I have a Country Living mill. I don’t have it hooked up for pedal power but the idea is great. The mill is sturdy and very well made. It’s also made in the US which is one of the reasons I went with it.
November 23, 2009 at 12:31 pm
My husband has been pretty good-natured about some of my recent preparedness- related projects and plans, even while he does not yet share my, um, passion for it. But on Saturday night we decided to go out to dinner – a rare event for us, but much needed. He said, “Can I just ask one favor?” I assented. “Can we not discuss peak oil for the entire evening?” Hmmmm. Maybe I need to tone it down a little at home, and keep posting here, where I wont be boring anyone (I hope).
Kate
November 23, 2009 at 2:54 pm
A few of my friends and family think I am a little nutty when I begin my talks about prepardness, but I think it’s important. I know I want to be ready and have my family ready. But maybe I need to just dial it down a little
November 23, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I can really identify with your family not seeing the value in what you are trying to show to them. I cannot convince people I work with or live by to keep a small stash in their pantries to at least make up 1-2 weeks worth of food. I haven’t even bothered with why you need 6+ months.
Likewise, my gardening and canning is a curiosity, but not something that any of them want to try. I look at my extra linen closet full of food, the bottoms of my bookshelves with more supplies, the bathroom cupboards with extra medications (prescription & OTC), and wonder how long it would really last in an emergency.
I am thrilled though at how much I canned / froze / dehydrated from my garden and my daughter’s apple trees. All the rest was bought at the Farmer’s Market. It is truly local, even down to the grass fed beef sitting in my freezer. But the satisfaction is mine alone and nothing that anyone really wants me to share with them.
November 23, 2009 at 3:32 pm
LOL@Kate! The only comment my husband has made in recent history was to ask me what I meant when I referred to “the zombies showing up”.
November 23, 2009 at 8:08 pm
thread hijack….just went shopping for christmas..5 of Kathy’s book for all the females in my family! ok, Iam done, back to flu discussion
November 23, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Wow Sarah, that’s a great idea! I am going to do the same for some of my family members.
November 24, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I prefer to frame ‘preparedness’ discussions in terms of snowstorm/power outage/flu quarantine. People will never change their views of JIT shopping until the shelves are empty. And who knows, it may not happen for quite some time still.
My kids love that there are shelves of canned food in the basement and a freezer with goodies. They used to moan ‘we need to go shopping’. So they like it, even if they don’t realize the motivation!
As for food scraps – yes that will attract vermin – around here, opposum. But if you secure your compost bin with screen, you should be ok.
I think the best use for scraps is a worm bin. I am going to start one in the spring. For now I dump the scraps in the garden which has lots of leaves first thing in the morning. The chickens pick it over all day and leave their nitrogen rich droppings on the high-carbon leaves. Should decompose nicely by spring.
My plan is to shift the chickens into a chick tractor this coming year. I have set out leave piles all along fence rows, under trees, against bushes. The deep mulch will soon team with worms and crickets. This will replace the scraps and cut down on purchased feed. So their diet will be bugs and grass, laying pellets, some whole grain (oats), and oyster shells.