Eating and Planning On Real Food

My post on "E" has been delayed over and over again, and for that, I apologize.

Those of you who read here regularly may be aware we'll be getting chickens next spring. The goal is to get as many of our own eggs as possible. This has led us on an interesting adventure of comparing coop designs, breeds, free range vs. penned and so on. We've tossed the idea at the boys that perhaps they may want to sell some of the extras, but considering they're city kids, we'll see. But all that got me thinking, at what point do we decided what is extra? All of us eat a lot of eggs, never mind what goes into baking. Do we eat and use whatever we want and then sell the eggs that are left over? Which then begs the question, how long do we wait to determine what is extra? 2 days? 4? How long is an egg fresh? All of this will also determine how many birds we get. 15 have been suggested but I'm new to chickens, and I don't want to get over my head right away. It's one thing to say we'll get 15 birds, but another to build a brooder for and keep 15 little fuzzy peepers alive. So I'm thinking 12. Crawl before we walk and all that.

One of the elements to my plan is to be more proactive with our health. Part of that involves growing our own echinacea. Some of you may know that echinacea is commonly known as coneflower. Many say this plant can shorten the recovery time from the common cold and flu. Others say that the herb can relieve urinary tract infections. I know through personal experiences that instead of suffering 7 days with a cold, I felt less miserable and more able to cope when I was taking echinacea tablets. I can only imagine how much better I would have felt if I had been drinking homegrown echinacea tea. I'm looking forward to growing some next year.

Another part of my plan involves building elevated garden beds instead of growing in traditional rows. There are a few reasons for this. I'm a big fan of intensive planting, which involves planting seeds or seedlings closer than most seed packets recommend. It doesn't harm the plants, increases yields, reduces exposed soil and erosion, cuts down on potential pest problems and makes more sense on smaller lots such as we have. As a side benefit, I'll be able to implement a crop rotation plan, which I've written about before in the blog. Elevated beds are of more benefit to the small scale homesteader than traditional rows, and are worth the effort.

So that's just a few thoughts on what's to come. Next time on the blog, adapting in place.

What I "C" From the Urban Trench

My apologies for the length of time between posts. Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way when you make other plans.
So the letter of the day is "C". It's taken me a couple of days to list some things that applied to our little world here, and then narrow that list down, but the most important for us is country. As in, we're moving out to it. We're finally getting out of the city, and none too soon. Now, I know that's not news to you regular readers, but it's a huge change for the boys and the dog. Moving from the city to the country will allow us  more freedom, more options, more self-sustainability, and definitely more security. The recent rash of "bath-salts" drug using has me more convinced than ever that we need to get the hell out of Dodge, so to speak. Yes, I know you can find pot growing in the bush because someone figured it was safe there, but at least someone high on pot isn't going to try and eat my face off!

Also a change for us will be the raising of chickens. We'll be raising layers in the hopes that we can keep our mini-horde of egg lovers satisfied, and  any extras (ha!) will be sold to generate money for feed. This is just one way to provide a bit more food security, and eat healthier too!

Compost is a big part of eating healthier in a way. Feed the soil, and you feed the plants, and in turn, eat healthier yourself. So I've been devoting a lot of time to learning how to make compost quicker and better.

Cover crops also help feed and protect the soil. They feed the soil by replacing nutrients and carbon mass, thereby building more productive soil, and increasing crop yield each year.

Speaking of crops, there's dozens that start with our chosen letter of the day. I look forward to harvesting all kinds of carrots, celery and cucumbers. I've never grown collards before, but since someone in the family wants them, we'll give them a go. I've been told they are similar to a cross between turnip greens and spinach. Well, I guess I'll just have to see.

Conservation of water and food has been a big thing for us lately, and will continue to be. I've taken to figuring out how much water we'd need for a week and setting it aside in sanitized 2L pop bottles here. Up at the new homestead, we're already getting rain barrels and eavestrophes in place so that we can save water there. Part of food conservation is canning, which I also look forward to. I've not been able make jam or salsa here, and honestly there's nothing like bright and lively homemade fruit salsa or crunchy pickles.

There's a lot to be said for home cooking too. Eating out has become fraught with super sized portions even I can't finish, preservatives I can't pronounce and a general feeling of dissatisfaction. Making our meals at home allows us a little more control over portion size, favor, spices, sodium and best of all, taste.  Not mention that the amount of food one can buy for $30 eating out is nowhere near the amount of food one can cook for $30. I feel sorry for all those folks at McD's, but my family has to eat better than questionable mystery meat, fries white with salt and drinks I can't finish.

Candles are important to those who like to prepare for emergencies. During thunderstorms, we gather candles in one place and make sure we adults know where the lighter is. Much better than groping in the dark. yes, cell phones give off some light, but I'm not sure I'd want to find my candles by cellphone light! Even if there is an app for that.

Well, this wraps up today's installment. Be sure and let me know about any "C" items I may have missed, in the comments. I love hearing from my readers!

"C" you all next time!