Thursday, April 19, 2012
Sepp Holtzer
I don't believe I have ever mentioned Sepp Holzer before so I thought I would share a couple of videos with you guys. Sepp is an amazing man. He is a genius at Permaculture and understanding how to create systems that mimic nature. He lives in Austria on the side of mountain and he is able to grow things there that normally would never think of calling a mountain home. I have been listening to a lot of Permaculture podcasts lately and I am convinced that Permaculture is the best chance that we have of creating real sustainable systems that will not only support us but also support the world around us. I'm also convinced that Permaculture is a natural extension of our spiritual lives into the mundane world. So for those of you who are interested in Permaculture, I hope you enjoy these videos! Btw...if the closed caption option is not available at the bottom, you may want to go to You Tube to watch it so you can click for the captions. He doesn't speak English so you will probably find the captions helpful. The title of the videos are Sepp Holzer Permaculture Part 1 and 2.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Washing clothes old school
So recently we ordered this nifty little device called the Breathing Mobile Washer. I happened to come across it online and it looked like it would work pretty well. We liked the idea of having a way to wash our clothes manually in case of an emergency but we are also thinking about washing our clothes this way the majority of the time.
If you want to go green, this is about as green as it gets. When the washer is assembled it looks a little like a plunger. You fill a container with 4-5 inches of water, add your detergent, and start to wash. Wash your clothes using a plunging motion for about 3 minutes per item. That's it!
This is a video I found on You Tube that demonstrates how the washer works. It's very simple and of course the kids think it's fun. The only problem we have is that we don't have a wringer right now to wring the water out of the clothes. If we intend to use this on a regular basis then that is something we will have to invest in soon.
We did test it and it worked really well. We were actually shocked at how much dirt it got out of our sheets. We tried it out on our queen size bed sheets, one fitted, one flat, and four pillow cases. By the time we were done the water had gone from clear to gray. We were amazed at how well it worked.
I would highly recommend this if you would like to have something to use in case of emergency or to keep at a retreat. This would also be great for extended camping trips. I know I am personally tired of having to use a laundromat and it will probably be a while before we can use our washer and dryer so this may be a good option for a while.
If you want to go green, this is about as green as it gets. When the washer is assembled it looks a little like a plunger. You fill a container with 4-5 inches of water, add your detergent, and start to wash. Wash your clothes using a plunging motion for about 3 minutes per item. That's it!
This is a video I found on You Tube that demonstrates how the washer works. It's very simple and of course the kids think it's fun. The only problem we have is that we don't have a wringer right now to wring the water out of the clothes. If we intend to use this on a regular basis then that is something we will have to invest in soon.
We did test it and it worked really well. We were actually shocked at how much dirt it got out of our sheets. We tried it out on our queen size bed sheets, one fitted, one flat, and four pillow cases. By the time we were done the water had gone from clear to gray. We were amazed at how well it worked.
I would highly recommend this if you would like to have something to use in case of emergency or to keep at a retreat. This would also be great for extended camping trips. I know I am personally tired of having to use a laundromat and it will probably be a while before we can use our washer and dryer so this may be a good option for a while.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Soil Cube
Ok, so I have a new toy, the Soil Cube. I actually ordered this a few months ago from www.soilcube.com but of course I haven't been able to use it until now. The Soil Cube let's you make your own seed starter cubes so you don't have to buy seed starter kits every year. Now you do have to buy the soil and compost to make the soil mixture but if you plan on starting more than a few plants I think this is worth the investment. If I remember correctly it cost around $35.
This may look like a pile a mud...and I suppose it is, but this is a specially mixed pile of mud. The soil should be mixed to an oatmeal consistency so it will stick and compact down into the cubes. I actually added a little too much water so I had to add some more compost and peat moss to thicken it up.
The process is simple. Scoop up the soil mixture in the cubes and press it against the side of the container. I pressed down the top bar to help squeeze out excess moisture. Scrap away the excess soil before moving over to the container that will hold your cubes. I used a plastic storage container to mix the soil in.
Press firmly down on the top bar to compress the soil and then gently lift the Soil Cube.
You may have to press down on the bar as you lift up to get the cubes to release. After the first few attempts the cubes began to slide out a little easier.
These were the first cubes that I made. I got the tray at a local nursery that let us have it with a purchase that we made but I'm sure you could find plenty at any nursery that wants to get rid of them.
This is the finished tray. I made twenty cubes with this batch. I made some more today but since I didn't have to add anything to the mix this time, I only got about eleven. I plan on making several more because there are several plants that I haven't even started yet. Plus I have to order more seeds!
We had some Popsicle sticks lying around so I used these to make tags for the cubes. I love how this system works and it is very easy to use. We are contemplating trying our hand at a micronursery business. It probably won't happen this year but maybe next year. For anyone who is looking for options for self employment because you want to be more self sufficient, this might be a good option. It's not much of an investment, it's something you can use for yourself, and you can do it on a small scale to see how you like it and hopefully build from there. So if you're interested check out their website and see what you think!
This may look like a pile a mud...and I suppose it is, but this is a specially mixed pile of mud. The soil should be mixed to an oatmeal consistency so it will stick and compact down into the cubes. I actually added a little too much water so I had to add some more compost and peat moss to thicken it up.
The process is simple. Scoop up the soil mixture in the cubes and press it against the side of the container. I pressed down the top bar to help squeeze out excess moisture. Scrap away the excess soil before moving over to the container that will hold your cubes. I used a plastic storage container to mix the soil in.
Press firmly down on the top bar to compress the soil and then gently lift the Soil Cube.
You may have to press down on the bar as you lift up to get the cubes to release. After the first few attempts the cubes began to slide out a little easier.
These were the first cubes that I made. I got the tray at a local nursery that let us have it with a purchase that we made but I'm sure you could find plenty at any nursery that wants to get rid of them.
This is the finished tray. I made twenty cubes with this batch. I made some more today but since I didn't have to add anything to the mix this time, I only got about eleven. I plan on making several more because there are several plants that I haven't even started yet. Plus I have to order more seeds!
We had some Popsicle sticks lying around so I used these to make tags for the cubes. I love how this system works and it is very easy to use. We are contemplating trying our hand at a micronursery business. It probably won't happen this year but maybe next year. For anyone who is looking for options for self employment because you want to be more self sufficient, this might be a good option. It's not much of an investment, it's something you can use for yourself, and you can do it on a small scale to see how you like it and hopefully build from there. So if you're interested check out their website and see what you think!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Signs of spring
Even though we really have not had much of a winter, we are finally beginning to see some signs of spring. Little blades of grass are starting to peek through, some fruit trees are beginning to bud out, and one of the geese has started to sit on her eggs.
She has taken to sitting on them more regularly but she does not sit on them all day. We have put the roosters up so they can't bother her and we can leave the pen open. If the roosters are out they like to go into her nest and uncover the eggs. Not to mention that they will try to jump on the female geese as well as the hens!
She doesn't like it when we get too close and tries to hide her head so we can't see her. I have read that not all female geese will sit on the eggs. Usually one or two will lay the eggs and one will sit on them. So far we have only noticed two of the females laying eggs and the one that is sitting appears to be laying more often.
I have finally found a book about domestic geese that I want to get. It is very difficult to find a lot of information about raising geese online so we are trying to let her do what comes naturally until we can learn more. The geese are fun to watch and they do have a certain elegance and grace to them especially when they are on the water.
We did get a little snow recently and it was the first that the birds have seen. The geese did not seem to be bothered by it at all and went about their usual routine of getting breakfast and then heading back to the pond. The chickens however took a little longer to venture out. Geese are pretty hardy birds and don't seem to be bothered by very much. And of course the eggs are great!
She has taken to sitting on them more regularly but she does not sit on them all day. We have put the roosters up so they can't bother her and we can leave the pen open. If the roosters are out they like to go into her nest and uncover the eggs. Not to mention that they will try to jump on the female geese as well as the hens!
She doesn't like it when we get too close and tries to hide her head so we can't see her. I have read that not all female geese will sit on the eggs. Usually one or two will lay the eggs and one will sit on them. So far we have only noticed two of the females laying eggs and the one that is sitting appears to be laying more often.
I have finally found a book about domestic geese that I want to get. It is very difficult to find a lot of information about raising geese online so we are trying to let her do what comes naturally until we can learn more. The geese are fun to watch and they do have a certain elegance and grace to them especially when they are on the water.
We did get a little snow recently and it was the first that the birds have seen. The geese did not seem to be bothered by it at all and went about their usual routine of getting breakfast and then heading back to the pond. The chickens however took a little longer to venture out. Geese are pretty hardy birds and don't seem to be bothered by very much. And of course the eggs are great!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
One coop down...
We finally completed another project in the last month or so. The small chicken coop is officially done and useable. It doesn't look very pretty but the chickens seem happy with it. Hopefully I can make it look a little nicer whenever we can get some siding to go on it.
My husband built this using all reclaimed materials. We bought the window but it was from a Habitat for Humanity store. The chickens seem to be happy with the fact that they can sit on their roost and look outside. The door that leads inside is on the end that you can see in the picture. If you look carefully you can see the handle on the door. And yes, he built that too. Not a bad job if I do say so myself!
This is the inside of the coop. The black milk crates sitting on the left are what we use for the chickens nesting boxes. Right now they are sitting on the floor but eventually we will put in a shelf or two to set them on. The stair looking thing is the roost. This is only temporary because we plan on insulating the coop. When that is finished then we will put in a roost that will rest on boards attached to the walls.
The posts are in for the fence but we still have to get the fencing material. So for now the girls are enjoying roaming the yard because the boys have been put in jail. In other words we have separated them and the girls seem very happy about the whole thing. And just for a laugh, here is a picture of one of the girls hitching a ride on my husband's shoulder.
My husband built this using all reclaimed materials. We bought the window but it was from a Habitat for Humanity store. The chickens seem to be happy with the fact that they can sit on their roost and look outside. The door that leads inside is on the end that you can see in the picture. If you look carefully you can see the handle on the door. And yes, he built that too. Not a bad job if I do say so myself!
This is the inside of the coop. The black milk crates sitting on the left are what we use for the chickens nesting boxes. Right now they are sitting on the floor but eventually we will put in a shelf or two to set them on. The stair looking thing is the roost. This is only temporary because we plan on insulating the coop. When that is finished then we will put in a roost that will rest on boards attached to the walls.
The posts are in for the fence but we still have to get the fencing material. So for now the girls are enjoying roaming the yard because the boys have been put in jail. In other words we have separated them and the girls seem very happy about the whole thing. And just for a laugh, here is a picture of one of the girls hitching a ride on my husband's shoulder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)