To Be A Young Farmer

I've been finding myself reading a few small farming blogs these days, and the thing that strikes me most is that there seem to be a small but persistent number who want to make it their life's work, but only circumstances prevent them from expanding. I found one or two folks in my area that do very well urban farming on very little land. I found a few more in my province that have enough room to raise a few chickens. Urban homesteaders are out there, they're just not the easiest folks to find! while I was traipsing around the internet I came across a program here in Ontario that basically hooks small scale farmers up with young folks who want to learn on the job. Craft Ontario

It's a farmer intern program. Through this program, wanna-be farmers get on the job experience, learning and hands-in-dirt training that books just can't give. Small scale farmers get help on their farms and the chance to pass on what they know. Sometimes the farmers put up the interns with room and board, sometimes there is pay involved. It sounds like a fascinating experience! I just wish there had been something like this when I was in my formative years.

I think it's great that someone has decided it's time to encourage folks who want to get into farming. Most farmers these days are challenged to think of new ways to stay competitive, no matter what size their land. There is a woman in Kitchener, Ontario that has a herbal company that she runs like a vegetable based CSA. She takes her orders ahead of planting so she has a clear idea what she needs that season. Vision, insight and goals. Awesome! There are young people in Toronto that are running flower and vegetable businesses, but using other people's yards. The home or landowner gets a lovely, productive yard that adds to the value of the land, and the entrepreneur has a place to grow what they need without the hassle of paying land tax, etc, etc. There are more perks and details than what I've mentioned here, but it's an example of new ways of approaching an interesting dilemma.

I see there are a growing number of people that want to reconnect with the land, and those that want to help those that want to reconnect.

Perhaps there is hope for society after all.

Real Food and False Calories

On our way to school the other day, my youngest son and I were talking about the Farmer's Market. He doesn't understand why I enjoy holding the vegetables, smelling the tomatoes and admiring a particular apple. I tried explaining why small farmers are necessary, but B is firmly camped in the world of Sonic The Hedgehog and all things Play Station. So he doesn't "get" my fascination with bio-intensive gardening, seed saving and composting.

I hope to introduce him to the world of fresh potatoes soon. The ones you pull from the soil, wash off and eat within two hours. I hope I can convince him that a pea inside a long green pod is pretty much the same as the ones in a can, only better tasting and much more real.. The biggest problem is that he isn't really into fruits and veggies. S, however, seems to be leaning toward gardening. He is quick to volunteer to help me plant, is always concerned about how much water the plants are getting, and has input on what we plant next. He helped me plant seeds a couple of weeks ago, and then did his best to save some lettuce seedlings after the beagle sat on the corner of a pot and knocked the whole thing over. (S seems to have saved them. We have quite a few sprouts growing haphazardly toward the sun) But I'm thinking this seed crisis of his may be the basis of a new relationship with his food. It's not easy to get kids thinking about what's on their forks. Especially on a limited budget, in the city, in the spring before a whole lot is ready to harvest.

But...

I am resolved to teach them what I can and have them along for the journey as much as I can. I will teach them what I learn about wild food, domestic food, real food and false calories. I will teach them how the parks and trails can feed them better than McDonalds can.

I know I have a long road ahead, especially with B. But I have to have faith that if I hang in there, my children will learn to appreciate the difference between a real vegetable and a colourful lump in the grocery store.

Chickweed or Stellaria media

This is known far and wide as one of the easiest plants to forage for. Easily identifiable, easy to introduce into your commonly consumed wild-foods, and high in Vitamin C.

Chickweed can be sprinkled in your soups, in your omelets, stews, or on your salad instead of that leaf of iceberg lettuce. You'll get far more vitamins and minerals from a sprig of chickweed! Enthusiasts claim that chickweed tastes much like a mild spinach. This simple, unassuming plant has levels of Ascorbic-acid, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Coumarins, Genistein, Gamma-linolenic-acid, Flavonoids, Hentriacontanol, Magnesium, Niacin, Oleic-acid, Potassium, Riboflavin, Rutin, Selenium, Triterpenoid saponins, Thiamin, and Zinc that multi-vitamins can only be envious of.

The plant that so many call a weed and try to kill can be used as an infusion to treat hoarseness and cough, a circulatory tonic, relieve constipation, and help to treat kidney complaints. New research shows the plant may be used as as an anti-histamine also! It can be used to treat rheumatic pain, ulcers and can be applied as a medicinal poultice. Chickweed has a bit of a reputation as an aid in weight loss. It's said to bring down swelling and perhaps even aid in settling upset stomachs. For anyone allergic to chickweed, reports are given that allergy symptoms do not appear when using the dried leaves.

It can be found nearly anywhere man does not want it; roadsides, your lawn or perhaps your neighbor's, abandoned parking lots and forgotten green spaces. Look for this green warrior on your next walk around your neighborhood and perhaps perk up your next sandwich or salad!

I've not tried chickweed yet, but it's on my list of urban edibles to try this summer!

Compost Anyone?

Today I started an experiment. A tumbling composter.
It's a bucket with a tight fighting lid and a couple of holes. Into it will go all the fruit and veggie scraps, the coffee grounds and the tea bags we've been throwing out. I've felt guilty about contributing to the garbage that gets hauled off to rot somewhere else. Here in our region, there is a composting program, but the basic premise is that you bring trimmings and so forth and get finished compost in return. This assumes one has a vehicle. Which we don't.
So, in the interest of being self reliant, I am trying a tumbling system. I have heard brown to green ratios of anywhere from 1;1, 2:1 or even 3:1. I have also heard old-timers advise 1:1 and play it by smell after that. If it gets hot and doesn't smell, then things are going well.
I think the fact that it's in a bucket that can be moved, rolled and added to easily should work in it's favor.
I can't put a bin system here at the apartment, and I can't afford the over priced $150 for a larger barrel, so I've scaled back the basic premise.
We'll see how it works, and I'll keep you up to date!

Oatmeal Honey Maple Bread Recipe

Oatmeal Honey-Maple Bread

*This bread is not a considered a sweet quick bread but is sweet and a little heavier.

2 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp maple flavoring

1 tbs. honey

¼ cup melted butter

1 tbs. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbs. yeast

3 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cups bakers’ flour

1 tbs. gluten

In mixing bowl, combine water, oats, sugar, flavor, honey, butter, salt and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast and flours stirring to form rough dough. Knead 7 minutes by machine until the dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl; cover the bowl with plastic or towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled. Divide the dough in half and shape into l loaves. Place the loaves in 2 greased small bread pans. Allow to rise until they have crowned about 1 inch over the rim. Bake in oven at 350degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Screen Door Shenanigans

I learned a valuable lesson today. A few of them, actually.

First, never assume that what you think will be a quick home repair that will only take a minute in pajamas and bare feet will be easy. It won't be. Take the time to get dressed, fill your coffee cup and make sure you approach the job with a set jaw.

I didn't.

Also, make sure that you know how to put something back together if you are taking it apart. That means having the proper tools at hand, instructions or diagrams if you think you might need them.

I didn't.

I thought I could just 'pop the screen door' back on it's tracks this morning before work. HA!

This involved removing two of the heavy glass doors first, and much wrestling with a flimsy screen door, as well as much muttering, cursing and swearing at the door, and it's creator, and it's installer, and the apartment superintendents for not teaching tenants how to install the cursed doors, and... you get the idea.

Instead of fighting with it, I decided to take it out completely and replace the screen and spline. That job was done in under 20 minutes and we only got a little damp in the rain. By then I had figured out what I had been doing wrong with the door. First the top goes in, THEN the bottom. Then I had to fiddle with the springs that control the tension of the wheels. This all keeps the door on track, so it's kinda important. Seems simple enough until one corner fits snug, and one doesn't even meet the door frame. Fiddle, twist, fiddle, shut door, make a face, twist, fiddle, shut door, and so on. Finally we got it! Then came time to wash both sides of the heavy glass doors and set them back in.

At least with them, I knew what I was doing. They were a breeze.

With an hour to go before work, almost two hours after I started, I finally got the job done.

Note to self: next time, take your coffee outside with you and wear your shoes!

Why We Should Consider Growing Our Own Food

Last time, I told you I would explain why I think we should all attempt to grow at least some of our own food.

The most basic reason is cost. When you buy a loaf of bread a day, like we do here, you suddenly find that you've spent nearly $9.00 in one week on bread. The way we buy our milk, in bags totaling 4 liters, $5.89, and that lasts us roughly a week. Cereal, $3.49. Butter, $3.99. A package of 4 tomatoes, $4.00. A 10 pound bag of potatoes $3.99. Right there is $30.36. and all the signs point to the price of our food going up.

Now, I've generalized here, and I haven't talked about the cost of a salad if you buy the fixings from your corner store. I haven't talked about how it might pay to shop around; because that's not the point of this post. My point is, most of us can grow at least some of our own food, and do it more cheaply. Granted not everyone can grow their own wheat and sugar; I certainly can't. But I can make good use of the bread maker that is sitting behind me. My plan is to make two loaves a day. One in the morning, which should be ready by mid-afternoon, and another right after that one comes out. Carefully timed, the last one should be ready by the time I'm ready for bed. Yes, I have to buy the ingredients, but this way i can control what goes into my loaf. I can mix whole wheat flour with white or flax or whatever I like that week. Not only will I know my kids are getting better bread but in the end, it's cheaper to make our bread than to shell out $9.00 every week. I certainly wouldn't be spending that money every week on flour, eggs, oil, etc, even with the price of eggs! So, by making my own bread, I'm giving my family better nutrition, I have more control over what goes in our bodies, and I'm saving some hard earned money.

I don't have 4 acres to grow all kinds of wonderful things. I have a patio on the dark side of the building that faces north. Not a great growing climate. But, I'm still attempting to grow carrots, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, radishes and a few assorted herbs. Why? Well, not only do I get to play in the dirt and satisfy the gardener in me, but I also get the satisfaction of knowing I can produce at least SOME of the ingredients of my salad. Then there is the added perk of being able to offer my family veggies that actually have some TASTE to them. S will finally know what lettuce TRULY tastes like, never mind the romaine he THINKS he knows. Tomato sandwiches are a whole different experience when you can pick one, step inside your door, wash it and eat it right then. Nothing comes close to the taste of peas right out of the pod. I could go on, but you get the idea. So, I've spent no more than $1.99 each on those seeds. So for roughly $9.00 (the weekly cost of bread, remember) I have enough seeds to last me for approximately 3 years. With that amount of seeds, I could get an enormous number of tomatoes, peas, radishes, carrots and lettuce. And with only a smidge of creativity, I could grow repeat crops of most of those plants all year long. Yes, all year long. So while everyone else is paying terrible prices for lettuce, we could be eating our own.

Remember, we live in an apartment, on the dark side of the building, facing north.

If I can do this, why can't more people?

Many do.

Many want to but think it's too big a job.

To them I say...nah. Start small. Don't start with tomatoes if you don't want to. Start with radishes. They're easy to grow, can be grown indoors most of the time if you have a light source like a full spectrum bulb, which you can buy at your favorite hardware store. Don't like radishes? No sweat, what about lettuce? It can be grown in a planter, it's easy to grow and grows fairly quick so you don't have to wait months to get yummy results.

The hardest part of any of this is making sure you have enough light while they're indoors.

When we have sunny days here, I haul all the plants outside to get sun and fresh air. the hard part then is making sure the squirrels stay out of them. I have a plan for that too, I just need to get to the hardware store. (More on my squirrel-proof plant cage later) With only a little creativity and very little work, I'm growing some of our own food. Convenience (I can harvest in my pajamas if I like), cost saving, more control over what we eat, less reliance on our local grocery store, and I am assured of no pesticides or growth hormones.

Seems like a bunch of good reasons to grow what we eat.

Learning and Trusting Yourself

I saw a quote recently in my email, “Garden like your life depends on it, because it does!”

This will be a harsh reality for many, and I’m learning all I can now so that when we are in the position to feed ourselves, I’ll be able to. I want to give us the best odds possible, so I learn and experiment now.

I’ve taught myself about green manure crops in theory, now I want to be able to grow my own soil amendments. In pots, on my patio. Why?

How many times have you nursed something through life in a pot on your patio or balcony, or even in your yard, harvested it and wondered what to do with the soil. A lot of apartment dwellers have. Here’s my answer, grow a legume until just before flowering, then take garden scissors and clip as much of the greenery into as small pieces as you can manage. Take a trowel and cut into the soil, break it up well and then turn the greenery under the soil. You’ve just “tilled” your crop under. Now let it sit for a month.

Why?

Because this will encourage the breaking down of the plants. The root systems of legumes have already brought nitrogen to the upper layers of soil and once the greenery starts breaking down, it will enrich the soil. You’ll want to turn the soil every now and then with your trowel, just to make sure things are breaking down the way they should. Now, instead of soil that’s been stripped of nutrients, you have a richer soil, one more ready to help you grow bigger, better radishes.

Now what?

Now you find radish seeds you like, heirloom preferably. Why? Because as much fun as garden catalogues are to look at, I don’t want to have to buy seed every year. I’d like to provide my own seed. Why should I give my hard earned dollars over to some big seed company? Anyway, soak your seed overnight on some moist paper towel. Some folks say that the paper towel isn’t a good idea because it may have chemicals in it that would suppress the seed’s ability to sprout. It’s a valid point, but I’ve never had that problem so far, so I carry on with what’s worked. I moisten the paper towel, and start as many seeds as I think I can handle planting the next day. I can’t always buy soil when I’d like, so I’m faced with two considerations: do I have a pot and do I have soil? Let’s assume I have both. My moist paper towel is in an aluminum pie plate, waiting for my seeds. Why one of those pie plates? Because I have them. You know the pies folks bring as a holiday contribution? I wouldn’t feel right just throwing the pie plate out, so I re-use them as seed starting plates. so with however many seeds I want to sprout, carefully spaced on the paper towel, I root through my closet for a plastic bag. I always seem to have at least one clear one, so I’ll grab it, put the pie plate inside it and make the top surface as snug as possible. This provides the seeds with a mini-greenhouse environment. Now they have moisture and humidity, and they happily send out a tiny root.

The next day, open the plastic bag, peel back the paper towel that covered the seeds and plant these in the re-enriched soil that held the legumes only a short time ago. Cover the seeds with a small amount of soil, so you can’t see them anymore and mist the soil gently. If you can, place the pot(s) in either a sunny windowsill or under a lamp. I don’t have sunny windowsills, but I do have a full-spectrum craft lamp on a goose-neck. So I put my seeds under the lamp and have the light a mere 6 inches away from the soil. In less than a week, I have green sprouts. Seems pretty easy, right? Radishes are among the easiest seeds to sprout. They’re forgiving and eager, and it won’t be long before I’m crunching into little red goodness.

Next time, why I think we should all learn how to grow our own food.

Ingredients On A Package of Carrots ...

My experiment into the world of container gardening is going slow but okay I think.
The tomatoes need to be replanted into their own containers, as do the radishes.Today S and I prepped a few pots out on the patio and planted some rainbow carrots and leaf lettuce. I'm hoping that if he helps grow the lettuce, he'll be more inclined to eat it when it's time to harvest. Same with the carrots.

I found a delightful spot to harvest dandelions. I never see a dog down there, so I should be able to use all the parts without worrying about what's peed on them. As a bonus, it's right near the trillium patch, so hopefully I'll be able to get pictures of those at the same time! I was going to get the dandelions this afternoon, but I've messed up my back. Sitting still is fine but walking is sore, so I've been resting it a lot this weekend. I see on the web and in books that one can use the dandelion flowers for candies, but I'm not sure if I'll be using them for that. I know I want the leaves and roots though! We'll be using the leaves in soups and stews, that way, the kids won't see them in there, but they'll get loads of vitamins. B is the picky eater, and if all he eats is a small bowlful of the broth (in carefully disguised chicken noodle soup), I'll know he still got vitamins and minerals you just can't get in a pre-made, store-bought vitamin!
I've been reading a lot lately about simplicity, how we've processed our food to death and how so many of us have been filling our need with stuff. We feel an emptiness,many of us go out and buy something. There comes a time when we don't want it any more, we stuff it aside. or we eat, or we ... fill in your crutch here. We all have one. In the interest of a speedy meal, we support the production of fast food. Open a box, drop it in another box that nukes your food and voila! you have dinner! One of these days, read what's in a microwave dinner. Trust me, you'll think twice before eating it.
I've started reading the sides of boxes and realizing I can't pronounce half of what makes up my dinners. So then I reach for something with more pronounceable ingredients.
Not easy when you work retail, but it's a start.
Instead of grabbing a frozen whatever from the cooler, I've been trying to reach more for nuts and seeds, and yoghurt, and bagels. Not as filling, but at least I have a better idea of the contents of my stomach.

Which is entirely the whole point behind growing my own food.

(wildlife seen today: White-crowned Sparrow)

Cover Crops and Why We should Grow Them

For all of you who I have blathered on to about cover crops (sorry mom), I offer this as a more logical explanation. It is possible in a home garden...I'll let Mother Earth News, and Barbara Pleasant, explain it.

Cover Crops: Options, Tips and Advantages for the Home Garden

By Barbara Pleasant

There are three main ways to improve your soil — grow cover crops, mulch the surface with biodegradable mulches, and/or dig in organic soil amendments (such as compost, grass clippings, rotted manure or wood chips). All have their advantages and none should be discounted, but cover cropping is the method least likely to be practiced in home gardens. There is a reason for this: Information on using cover crops is tailored to the needs of farmers who use tractors to make short work of mowing down or turning under cover crops. But when your main tools for taking down plants have wooden handles and you measure your space in feet rather than acres, you need a special set of cover crop plants, and special methods for using them.

How Cover Crops Help

A cover crop is any plant grown for the primary purpose of improving the soil. Since the early 1900s, farmers have used cover crops to restore fertility to worn-out land. In addition to helping bulk up soil with organic matter, cover crops prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and create and cycle soilborne nutrients using the power of the sun. Recent advances in soil biology have revealed two more ways cover crops can improve soil.

Rhizodeposition is a special advantage to working with cover crops. Many plants actually release sugars and other substances through their roots. They are like little solar engines, pumping energy down into the soil. With vigorous cover crop plants, this process goes on much more deeply than you would ever dig — 6 feet for oats and rye! If you are leaving your garden beds bare in winter, you are missing the chance to use cold-hardy crops such as cereal rye or oats to solar-charge your soil. Thanks to this release of sugars, the root tips of many plants host colonies of helpful microorganisms, and as the roots move deeper, the microbes follow.

But so much for scientific talk. If you’ve experimented with cover crops, perhaps you have dug up young fava beans or alfalfa seedlings to marvel at the nitrogen nodules on their roots, or watched a stand of buckwheat go from seed to bloom in four weeks flat. Or how about this one: It’s April and the soil is warming up and drying out. After loosening a clump of fall-sown wheat with a digging fork, you pull up a marvelous mop of fibrous roots and shake out the soil. What crumb! The soil’s structure is nothing short of amazing! These are the moments an organic gardener lives for.

Bio-drilling is what happens when you use a cover crop’s natural talents to “drill” into compacted subsoil. For example, you might grow oilseed or daikon radishes as a cover crop where their spear-shaped roots will stab deep into tight subsoil. Bio-drilling action also takes place when deeply rooted cover crop plants penetrate subsoil and die. Then, the next crop grown may actually follow the rooting network mapped out by the cover crop (see illustration in the Image Gallery). Maryland researchers were able to track this process using special camera equipment (a minirhizotron), which took pictures of the interactions between cover crop (canola) and crop plant (soybean) roots. As the canola’s deep roots decomposed, soybean roots followed the trails they blazed in the subsoil, hand in glove. In addition to reduced physical resistance, the soybean roots probably enjoyed better nutrition and the good company of legions of soil-dwelling microcritters, compliments of the cover crop.

Dozens of plants have special talents as cover crops, and if you live in an extremely hot, cold, wet or dry climate, you should check with your local farm store or state extension service for plant recommendations — especially if you want to use cover crops under high-stress conditions. Also be aware that many cover crop plants can become weedy, so they should almost always be taken down before they set seed.

How to Take Cover Crops Down

Speaking of taking down, this is the sticking point for most gardeners when it comes to cover crops, which is why it’s a good idea to start small with your first cover crop plantings. Traditionally, cover crops are plowed under, but most gardeners chop, cut or pull them, and use them for mulch or compost. Or you can assign the task to a flock of pecking poultry. All are sound methods, and it is possible that composting cover crop plants produces a more balanced soil amendment compared to chopping raw-crop residue directly into the soil. Pulling plants saves time, too, because you don’t have to wait three weeks (or more) to plant, in order to avoid possible negative reactions between rotting plant residues and the plants you want to grow. For example, the cover crop known as sudex (a fast-growing sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid) produces gargantuan amounts of biomass (leaf, stem and roots), but fresh sudex residue in the soil inhibits the growth of tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli. Oats, wheat and other cover crop plants also produce allelopathic substances that can temporarily hinder the germination and growth of other plants, too, but not in quantities sufficient to cause serious disturbances in the garden. If you chop in fresh cover crop residues, just plan to wait two to three weeks before sowing crop seeds.

Top Cover Crop Options

The following cover crops work well in a wide range of climates and situations, and they’re not hard to take down, as long as you do it at the right time and in the proper way. We’ve selected these six because they are easy to manage using hand tools, grow during different seasons and provide multiple benefits in the garden.

During the summer, buckwheat (Fagopyron esculentum) is in a class by itself as a cover crop. Seeds sown in moist soil turn into a weed-choking sea of green within a week, with many plants growing 2 feet high or more and blooming in less than 30 days. Should you need to reclaim space that has been overtaken by invasives, buckwheat can be your best friend. In my garden, buckwheat has been a huge ally in cleaning up a spot overrun by dock, bindweed and other nasties that grow in warm weather. For two years, each time the noxious weeds grew back, I dug them out and planted more buckwheat. Throughout the battle, the buckwheat attracted bees and other buzzers in droves. Fortunately, even mature buckwheat plants are as easy to take down as impatiens — simply pull the succulent plants with a twist of the wrist, or use a hoe or scythe to slice them off at the soil line. You can let the dead plants die into a surface mulch and plant through them, gather them up and compost them, or chop them into the soil.

In late summer, while the soil is still warm, you have a fine opportunity to try barley (Hordeum vulgare), a fast-growing grain that’s great for capturing excess nitrogen left over from summer crops, which might otherwise leach away during the winter. Barley often suffers from winter injury in Zone 6, and is often killed altogether in Zone 5 and above. This is good! The dead barley residue shelters the soil through winter, and dries into a plant-through mulch in spring in cold zones.

Early fall is the best time to grow the dynamic duo of soil-building cover crops — oats (Avena sativa) mixed with cold-hardy winter peas (Pisum sativum). When taken down just before the peas start blooming in spring, an oat/pea combination cover crop is the best way to boost your soil’s organic matter and nutrient content using only plants. Both make a little fall growth when planted in September, and in spring the peas scramble up the oats. On the down side, one or both crops can be winterkilled before they have a chance to do much good north of Zone 5, and in more hospitable climates it will take some work to get the plants out of the way in spring. Do it by mid-April, because the job gets tougher as the plants get older. Cut or mow them down first, and then pull and dig your way through the planting. A heavy-duty chopping hoe works well for this.

Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) needs a good head start on winter, too, but it’s hardy to Zone 4 and gives a huge payback in terms of soil improvement, and saved time and labor. Unlike many other cover crop plants, you can quickly kill hairy vetch by slicing just below the crown with a sharp hoe. When hairy vetch is beheaded about a month before it’s time to plant tomatoes and peppers, you can open up planting holes and plant through the dried mulch — no digging required.

Late fall is not a lost season for cover crops, but in most climates you’re limited to cereal rye (Secale cereale), the cold-hardiest of them all. Rye will sprout after the soil has turned chilly, but be sure to take it out early in spring, before the plants develop tough seed stalks. Or let your chickens keep it trimmed; leave the birds on the patch longer in spring and they will kill the rye for you. If you’re looking for a cover crop you can plant in October for cold-season poultry greens, cereal rye is probably the best choice.

In any season, you may find many more great cover crops in seed catalogs, or among your leftover seeds. As you consider possibilities, think about plants that quickly produce an abundance of leaves and stems, but are easy to pull up or chop down if you decide you don’t want them. Bush beans, leafy greens or even sweet corn can be grown as short-term cover crops, along with annual flowers such as calendulas and borage in early spring, or marigolds and sunflowers in summer. Teaming up a flower with a cover crop plant is always fun, whether you’re planting sulphur cosmos with cowpeas in summer, oats with dwarf sunflowers in late summer or bachelor’s buttons with crimson clover in the fall. Whatever you do, just don’t leave your soil bare or you’ll be missing out on a chance to capture solar energy to recharge your food web.

Little Red Globes of Happiness

This morning I've soaked 12 radish seeds, and once they have a little green showing, I'll plant them in their own little containers. They are of the "Cherry Belle" variety. I bought these in downtown Preston a few weeks ago.

My plan is to plant radishes once a month, in the hopes that I'll have a good supply. Time was when I was the only here who liked them, but I'm thinking now S might like them as well, since he's developing a liking for spicy and hot things. Some people say these radishes are hot, but I would say they have a little bite.

I wonder if I can dry radishes? Wonder if they can be pickled?

Also in my plan is to plant lettuce, for salads and sandwiches.

Damn, I'm going to need more soil!

Speaking of soil, we're looking into worm composting under the kitchen sink. By all accounts, if the worm composting is done correctly, they shouldn't escape and there should be no smell. No commitments yet, we're still looking into it.

I've also been learning a bunch about cover crops as green manure. What types do what, which grow in my hardiness zone, which of course will include Searchmont one day. but that's so much info, it'll be another post entirely.

Must get ready...off to OSC Seeds in Waterloo for seed shopping! Woot!

Blissful In Searchmont

My name is Carolyn, and I have "Barnheart"

What is Barnheart? Well, let's let Jenna explain...

Barnheart is that sudden overcast feeling that hits you while at work or in the middle of the grocery store checkout line. It’s unequivocally knowing you want to be a farmer — and for whatever personal circumstances — cannot be one just yet. So there you are, heartsick and confused in the passing lane, wondering why you cannot stop thinking about heritage livestock and electric fences.

Yup. That's me. I drool over seed catalogues for fun. I read homesteading books on a busy city bus. I daydream about being able to grow vegetables that are the earliest, most productive, most odd colored, and so on. I constantly gnash my teeth that I live in an apartment building, on the shaded side with a northern exposure.

I would like to make my own cheese, and then have the option of smoking it in a smoker.

I would like to be able to sell seedlings that came from seed I collected from plants I grew the year before.

I would like to have even just 2 acres of even halfway decent soil, be allowed to have a composter and a rain barrel, maybe a few chickens, and grow all kinds of things.

But I can't. Not here anyway.

So instead of giving into despair, my partner and I came up with a plan.

Under advisement from dear friends and family, we assessed what we'd need to live where we wanted.

With the help and support of family (they know who they are), we can see how we're going to get there.

Now, as our ten year old son will attest to, I like to have a plan. I am known for having backups, and then having backups for my backups.

Plan A ~ Move to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.Get a house with a yard, even just to rent, get a job. Grow as much as we can while still leaving some yard for the dogs.

Plan B ~ Move to Searchmont, Ontario, while looking for a job and home with a yard. Live with the folks while the big search is on. Help them with their garden, expand Mom's small scale selling operation, which includes baked goods, seedlings and knitted wear.

Neither plan is perfect, both involve sacrifice and hard work.

But I have to tell you, life in Searchmont with the family I've been missing keenly appeals so much, it makes me wonder if barnheart can be painful.

In Searchmont, I won't have a barn, but it's as close to a real farm as I can ever see me having.

And right now, I would be blissful in Searchmont.

Btw, the picture back at the beginning of this post is our Tiny Tim tomato seedlings!

Day 40 and still growing!

In The Interest of Education

Now I'm not saying we're all going to need this info because of floating nuclear material from Japan, but, there are folks concerned about radiation exposure from x-rays and the like.
So in the interest of education, I pass along the following...


SURVIVING RADIATION THE WISE WOMAN WAY
~2002, Susun S Weed


We are adapted to survive mild exposures to radiation. After all, the sun is a kind of controlled nuclear bomb and it releases a lot of radiation. Of course, this radiation, and man-made radiation, can also cause cancer and a host of short- and long-term health problems.

Whether you are worried about the radiation from dental x-rays, a mammogram, or fallout, here are some Wise Woman Ways to help you stay healthy.

~ Japanese researchers found that diets high in carotenes significantly reduced DNA damage in humans exposed to radiation. Supplements of beta-carotene (or of vitamins C or E) did not show this effect. Eating lots of orange and dark green foods (sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots, kale, collards, chard, and spinach, for example) can protect you from radiation-induced cancers.

~ Envision yourself and all your cells protected from damage. (One woman wrapped herself in psychic lead.)

~ Guinea pigs bombarded with radiation lived a lot longer if they ate broccoli or cabbage. All cabbage family plants - including arugula, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, mustard greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, broccoli d'rappe, kale, collards, and of course broccoli - protect your cells from the damaging effects of radiation.

~ Choose an image, an icon, something meaningful to you, as a focusing agent. Put your affirmations, blessings, prayers, visualizations, and healing love into it, for easy access when you need help.

~ Miso broth is the classic food for prevention of radiation damage. There’s twice the protection if a quarter-ounce/5 grams of dried kelp seaweed is added to the soup. In scientific studies, seaweed was able to neutralize radioactive isotopes in the human body. Researchers at McGill University say radioactive strontium binds to the algin in brown seaweeds to create sodium alginate, a compound easily and harmlessly excreted. Common black tea exhibited the same anti-radiation effects in several Japanese studies.

~ In Fighting Radiation and Chemical Pollutants with Foods, Herbs, and Vitamins (Vitality, 1991), Steven Schecter tells us that both black and green tea showed "radioprotective effects" whether taken before or after exposure to radiation. Among other modes of operation, tea catechins absorb radioactive isotopes and remove them from the body before they do damage. The action is similar he says, to that of sodium alginate (the "active ingredient" in kelp seaweed).

~ Eating any amount of reishii (a mushroom) reduces damage from radiation.

~ St. Joan’s/John's wort oil protects my skin from radiation damage. I use it as my only sunscreen (and I am outside a lot) and find it not only immediately effective in preventing and treating sunburn, but even more protective with continuing use over years.

~ Burdock root (Arctium lappa) removes radioactive isotopes from the body. A dose is 1-4 ounces/300-120 grams of cooked fresh root, up to a pint of infusion daily, or several large spoonfuls of vinegar (but only if made with fresh roots).

~ Dried beans, especially lentils can reverse DNA damage done by radiation. So can red clover (Trifolium pratense) and astragalus (Astragalus membranaceous) - two powerful members of the legume (bean) family.

~ Homeopathic remedies can be taken before and after exposure to radiation: Plumbum (lead) is said to help those who feel overwhelmed and in need of protection. Belladonna is used to prevent and relieve radiation burns and pains - even long after the immediate exposure.


~ Selenium protects DNA from radiation damage and helps prevent damage to the skin surface, too. Get plenty of selenium by eating a daily dose of 2 cups/500 ml of nettle infusion, one-half ounce/15 g kelp, 2 ounces/60 g cooked burdock root, or 1 cup/250 ml organic yogurt daily. Shellfish, green and black teas, and garlic contain significant amounts of selenium, as do many mushrooms. The best sources however are nettles (2200 mcg per 100 grams), kelp (1700 mcg/100 g), burdock (1400 mcg/100 g), catnip (Nepeta cataria), ginseng, Siberian ginseng, and astragalus.

~ In clinical trial with humans, those who took ginseng extract (Panax quinquefolium) for thirty days following exposure to radiation showed hastened recovery from injuries to their bone marrow, organs, skin, and blood cells according to Paul Bergner in The Healing Power of Ginseng, The Enlightened Person's Guide, Prima, 1996. He quotes Japanese researcher Dr M. Yonezawa as saying that "ginseng appears to be the most useful agent available for protection against radiation damage."

~ It’s important to keep yourself well nourished if you are exposed to radiation. Make it a habit to drink at least two big cups of nourishing herbal infusion daily. Nettles, red clover, and violet leaves supply generous amounts of the nutrients you need most: protein and minerals, especially potassium and zinc.


For best results, do not use capsules of the herbs mentioned in this article. Instead, cook with them (kelp, astragalus, Siberian ginseng, ginseng, reishii, and burdock), brew nourishing herbal infusions with them (nettles, red clover, astragalus, burdock, catnip, and ginseng), make mineral-rich vinegars with them (nettles, burdock, catnip, ginseng, and astragalus), or take a high-quality non-standardized tincture of them (burdock, ginseng, Siberian ginseng, astragalus).

To make a nourishing herbal infusion:

~ Put one ounce of dried herb into a quart jar; fill jar to the top with boiling water and cap tightly.
~ Strain after 4-8 hours and drink hot or cold.
~ Refrigerate what you don't drink right away; drink that within a day.

To make a vinegar:

~ Fill any size jar with fresh herb (best!!) or one quarter full of dried herb (not nearly so good).
~ Pour room temperature apple cider vinegar over the herb, filling jar to the top.
~ Cover with plastic wrap or a cork.
~ Label with date and name of plant.
~ Let sit for six weeks.
~ Decant into a pretty bottle and use to season soups, beans, and salads.


This is the Wise Woman Way the world 'round. Take good care of yourselves. Green blessings to all.

Balance and NIMBY

These days, there’s been a lot of focus on the earth changes, nuclear crises, environmental disasters and the like. I have heard a lot of people saying things like, “relax, it won’t happen here”
Well, not to burst those folks’ bubble, but it can, it has and it will again.
Consider if you will:
October 16,1954, Hurricane Hazel floods the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
81 people died and 1,868 families were left homeless
October 4, 1995, Hurricane Opal kills at least 59 people, knocks out power to over 2 million customers across eastern and southern North America
On July 18, and continuing for over one week, upwards of 50,000 people in Queens, and New York lost power due to excessive heat and dilapidated infrastructure. On July 21st, the Mayor of New York estimates that the number of people affected is actually closer to 100,000. an estimated 10,000 are still without power on July 24th.
June 23rd, 2010, a 5.0 strength earthquake hits Buckingham, Quebec, approximately 56 kilometers from Ottawa (the nation’s capital), lasts for 30 seconds and is felt as far away as Baltimore, Charleston and Halifax. Near the epicenter, telephone lines are knocked out, making Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media, the best way to communicate. Immediately afterwards, cellphone service is disrupted.
March 16th, 2011 an aftershock ranging anywhere from 3.7 to 4.3 hits Hawkesbury, Ontario (on the Ottawa river Valley) southwest of the initial magnitude 5.0 epicenter

Now, this is just a small section of a list of events that should make people sit up and take notice. The big power failure of Aug 14, 2003 was enough to make me take notice. The devastation in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina was enough for me.
My local news has begun to report a shard of the truth when they run stories on food preservation and wastage, and local government greed and lies.
I try not to be extreme. I try to be balanced. But it’s difficult when I see local stories about a school board choosing not to spend an ear-marked fund as it was intended, but instead use it so they can have sick days.
I try to be balanced when I bring extra tinned goods home, but the rising cost of food almost prevents the very act!
I try to be balanced by shutting lights off if I don’t need them, going out foraging for wild food sources; but the urge to bolt for the hills is growing stronger.

This balance thing is a tricky dance!

No Fried Green Tomatoes Here!

My partner made an interesting comment the other day while we were discussing herbs, and indoor gardens and the plethora of survival info on the web. Not her exact words, but this is the gist of what she said...

It's all well and good that we grow this or that, but then what?

And that's a good question.

Above is a picture of our tomato seedlings. I was reading the other day about sprouts, and got curious if tomato sprouts could be eaten.

Apparently not; they're poisonous in this stage.

Mental note: no tomato sprout munching.

Okay, so they grow, and they get sliced and dried (even if they are cherry tomatoes), then what?

There is no point in putting a lot of energy into growing ones own food, and then taking steps to preserve it, if one won't eat what one has saved.

Even if the brown stuff DOESN'T hit the fan, all this saving and stashing is a good way to support our lean budgets. So again, it makes sense to stash what your family will eat. So, you've got some dried tomatoes...now what? Tomato sauce. Me being the geek I am, I went scouring the web to see if someone had already done this. I give you, ModernSurvivalBlog's recipe for dried tomato sauce...

• 1 typical size fresh garden tomato will result in about 6 slices, each about one-quarter inch thick – excluding the end pieces.
• 1 typical ‘can’ of diced-stewed tomatoes from the grocery store (my cans say 14.5 ounces) is equal to about 30 slices of tomato.

For example, when a recipe calls for 4 cans of diced tomatoes, I will substitute about 120 slices of dehydrated tomatoes.

Keep in mind that re-hydrating dehydrated tomatoes will not be as ‘pretty’ as the original, but, believe me, most of that original flavor will be there, just a bit mushy instead. For sauce, it doesn’t matter!

Modern Survival Blog recipe for tomato sauce, using dehydrated tomatoes

The sky’s the limit, go ahead and experiment!

• Dehydrated Tomato Slices (about 120), cut into smaller pieces, re-hydrate, strain – save 3 cups strained water for recipe add
• Water (3 cups)
• Tomato Paste (optional, thickness to taste, 3 cans… 6 oz. cans)
• Garlic (8 cloves – chopped)
• Onion (1 – chopped)
• Sugar (1/4 cup)
• Worcestershire Sauce (1/4 cup)
• Parsley (1/8 cup – dried, or 1/4 cup fresh chopped)
• Basil (2 tsp.)
• Oregano (1 tsp.)
• Sage (1 tsp.)
• Marjoram (1/2 tsp.)
• Salt (1/2 tsp.)
• Pepper (1/2 tsp.)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbsp.)

This tomato sauce recipe is good as it is, or you can add meat to it and enjoy just as well.

Tomato Sauce Recipe Instructions

After cutting the dehydrated tomato slices into smaller pieces, dump them all into a pot of water (cool or room temperature) to re-hydrate. Stir them up so they are all covered with water.

The tomatoes will be re-hydrated enough in 30 minutes. Then, strain the tomatoes. This gives the recipe a base-line of tomatoes to start with…

Then, add all ingredients into a pot, and slowly bring to a rolling boil at medium heat.

Then, lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, use a masher to mash the ingredients.

Then, taste test, and realize the magnificent flavor!

Add meat if you wish, then simmer until all flavors are blended, and any meat is cooked. This is typically about one hour on low heat.

If you had added tomato paste, you should use a covered pot. If not, then boil down to your liking.

Remember, you can’t go wrong. Use your own experimental judgment!

Hopefully this will encourage you to consider dehydrating your excess tomatoes during the summer growing season, which will greatly reward you during the winter months!

If you have a chance, please drop by Modern Survival Blog. It's always an interesting read.

I'm off to cheer on the seedlings... what have you done this week to prepare?

Coffee and The Mighty Dandelion

This past week, we were warned that food prices were going up again. Now, some of you might have been warned weeks or months ago, but just this week, someone said the C-word.

That's right... COFFEE

My coffee prices are going up! AUGH!

*breathes deeply*

Ok, I'm in control again.

So this shock led me to starting not only stashing coffee before it goes up to $10 for 2 pounds of the stuff, but also looking into finding an "extender" that won't taste gross. Of course, that will require actual scientific experimentation.

The first step is to look into historical replacements.

Chicory comes to mind, it's been used as a coffee substitute on a commercial scale since 1970, but probably long before that. I've not tried it, but I'm sure I've seen chicory plants in our neighborhood.

Dandelion root is supposed to be tolerable. It's enjoyed a long life, mentioned first in Harper's Magazine back in 1886. In 1919, it was widely talked about as a cheap substitute for coffee. After harvesting, chopping, roasting and grinding, it's said to be a passable and tasty alternative, and as an added boost, it's good for your liver too!

I think this may be the first thing I'll try, especially since I want to harvest dandelions this year for so much else.

So many people think of the poor dandelion as just a noxious weed, but for the folks not allergic, it is so much more.

A great addition to almost anyone's diet, in so many different ways. We are getting good here at slipping in healthy food without the boys knowing; it's a little like a challenge.

The leaves are tender if harvested in early spring. They can be slipped into a salad, or boiled with spinach. These green darlings are higher in Vitamin A than carrots! They're loaded with iron, magnesium, zinc (good for alleviating cold symptoms), copper, selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamins A and K, and, I could go on and on, but suffice it to say this is a plant that we here plan on taking the MOST advantage of this year, from root to leaf and beyond!

In the meantime, I will continue to buy all the coffee I can while it's still $8 or cheaper for two pounds.

I'll let you know how my experiments go...just as soon as spring comes back!

A Shard of Our Three-Year Plan

When I told my mother we were going to move north, I picked her brain for tips and advice on moving such a distance with kids and dogs; since she's done it a few times. Among her advice was this gem, "Plan for this to take years." This is realistic advice because Betty is the one home most often, so logically, she would get the brunt of it. So I have been pondering what I can do. I like lists, but I know I'm a procrastinator. So this morning I decided to make a common sense list of things we can do bit-by-bit that will help reduce what we pack, as well as make it easier to live. (Think living simply) Because we are all packrats, we need to approach this in baby steps, otherwise we'll get rid of nothing and be right back where we started. So after putting our heads together, Betty and came up with the following list:

• reduce books and magazines we no longer read or use all of (why keep a whole magazine for one recipe? Copy out the recipe and pass the mag on to a doctor's office)
• reduce outgrown and no longer worn clothes
• clean out kitchen cupboards (think of that one cupboard that you stash little-used grocery items)
• make the pantry we've always wanted (this will also help us stock up on food better and regain control of those kitchen cupboards)
• clean off desks and reduce the amount of paper we keep (with an eye to my research notes and the fact that my freelance writing figures into our three year plan)
• learn the skills that will help us reduce our grocery bills, and thereby help us prepare for the coming food price hike, as well as the coming food shortage

Now, this might not seem like much to some, but to us, this is huge. I figure we can reduce our "stuff load" by quite a bit.

I admire those who can embrace simple living, all the while admitting it won't work for this family. But we can do these simple things. Less stuff to move equals easier cleaning, and possibly reduced allergies. Less stuff to move means a smaller truck to transport it in, and less of a carbon footprint.

Many perks, few drawbacks.

A New Direction

Teenagers are under an enormous amount of pressure to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Some figure it out, many don't.

I was one of the ones who didn't.

Until now, in my VERY adult years.

A few conversations with a few close friends and family have led me to this point...the point that I know what I want to do.

Yes, I am over 35. Well over, but, oh well.

Yes, it will involve moving the family, but the planned move came before the decision that made my heart speed up.

This "clicks" for me. This feels as right as putting my socks on one foot at a time. This feels like what I am meant to do while I write.

This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

This I can do up north; because being up north is important to me.

Because I need to be able to provide a future for my family. Because I want to be able to help my folks out. Because I want to be with them again. Because I miss green spaces and clean(er) air, because the city's not my home.

I need a place where my spirit can sing again.

This will put my feet on the path my soul has been pulling me toward.

From the Sault College website: The Park Operation Skills program is a one year certificate program to provide individuals with practical hands on skills in park operations including park maintenance, natural heritage education, natural resources law, plant and animal identification, outdoor navigation, field equipment certification and horticulture in a wide variety of park systems.

This will give me material to write with, so that I can write, and in the freelance market getting paid for my writing.

This will give me happiness, and peace, and teach our children that happiness and contentment can be found outside a video game.

This is the next phase of our lives, and a proper step in the next direction.

This will put my feet on the path my soul has been pulling me toward.

I can't wait!

I Dream of Radishes

It's a fine thing to dream and make plans, but it takes serious dedication see those plans through! I'm a procrastinator and a hoarder; so you can imagine how much I hate purging and getting ready to move. My desk is the most obvious spot to start. It alone has prompted friends to intervene. They mutter about crews of junk haulers as I steadfastly refuse to let anyone near it.

It's my mess I'll clean it.

I know it needs sorting, but the desk has been there a long time. This won't be easy.

One day at a time, one pile at a time, that's my plan. I know it'll take time, but we're planning on being here at least more 3-ish years. We want to clean out the front closet that only holds bags and outgrown winter wear, buy wire shelving and make that our pantry.

Then we'll have room to store preserves, and pickles, and gleaming jars of homegrown herbs. Not to mention that we'll be reducing the amount of stored "stuff" we don't use anymore. I'm hoping to have enough room underneath that we can put put our seasonal footwear and thereby help clean up the front hall.

There's a drawer in the dark wood dresser that needs gluing and nailing since it's nearly unusable now. I need to hit the hardware store this week for industrial strength glue.

The whole apartment needs a good coat of paint, but if we're only staying 3 years, why bother? It's not like I can paint it the colour I want anyway. Better to invest in the community garden that will feed us instead.

I dream of a garden ripe with peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, beans and peas, carrots and sage, basil and chives. I wouldn't mind trying my hand at collards too, just to see if I can. Radishes, onions and maybe early gherkin pickles too.

I can almost taste them now.

First though, to find the desk.

Explanations, Plans and Survival, Oh My!

My last blog update was a little vague I suppose. I was trying to avoid the "the sky is falling!" screaming message. I guess I avoided it too well, because a few of you were in the dark.

So, this time, I shall explain, and my apologies for not being clearer, sooner.

It is no longer an extremist viewpoint that our society is changing, evolving and failing in many ways. Society no longer helps those who need a hand up. Not our fellow man, not our government(on any level). It is as though, for the most part, we are turning our backs on each other.

There are still some that try their damndest, don't misunderstand me, but by and large, we are not the society we once were.

Hurricane Katrina, the day the Twin Towers were toppled, the overwhelming number of homeless and working poor, I could list signposts until my fingers fall off. My point is that our world is changing. Hurricane Katrina made it abundantly clear that we cannot rely on others for our survival. We alone must wake up and take stock of our own situations. Now, I know that the liklihood of my neighborhood being devastated by a major hurricane are slim, but we did have a big power failure not long ago. We could still cook, and well, but our neighbors could not say the same. What about those who only had electric can openers? We were eating quite well. Breakfast on the BBQ, pizza, fruit...we were comfortable.

But all this brought us to the question of what if it were a longer power outage? What if it were some other crises that crippled our city? Both the American and Canadian governments have emergency preparedness pages on the web, so I didn't think we were too extreme.

We decided that if our little apartment could not sustain us for an extended period of time, and that's not realistically going to happen, we would have to look at going somewhere we could survive.

Mom's house.

It's a choice that makes sense for a lot of reasons, but the only way to get there if we had to would be to walk.

We have no vehicle and we AREN'T leaving our dogs behind!

So yeah, we'd have to walk it. Hence what I called The Great Migration, after The Land Before Time kids movie.

So, shortly after that last post, my friend Debra and I were talking on the phone about where I'd like to be if I had no obstacles.

Mom's house. Okay, anywhere closer to her and Dad and my brother would be nice!

"So why not move back?" she asked me

Money, logistics and the kids were the answers that came to mind.

The kids turned out to be the easiest solutions. Sort of. Jimmy was much more cool with it than I thought he would. Shandon was in shock and I'm not sure, but I think he's hoping we'll change our minds. Braydon is the tough cookie. This is the only home he's ever known. He does not do change well. Even less well than me.

He is the one I worry about.

But, in the meantime...

We start making plans, we take small steps now, we save what we can now (which likely won't be much for awhile) and we inch our way toward our goal. Which is to move in 3-4 years. After I get my print journalism degree. Another usable skill set besides retail. After Shandon is done high school. After we have had some time to ease Braydon into the idea of a move.

In the meantime, we keep an eye on the job market and home rental situation in Sault Ste. Marie.

We build a stockpile of canned goods and hand-powered can openers, candles and other supplies; just in case the shit hits the fan. In the meantime, we learn the skills that will keep us warm, fed and somewhat more comfortable if we have to make the Great Migration. In the meantime, Mom has said that we can plant fruit trees and such on her land. Things that we can all benefit from, things that will take some time to get established.

Survival "huh" moment of the week:

Did you know you can use jute twine as tinder? Simply unspin it, and gently separate the threads. To keep them really waterproof, melt some candle stubs down to a liquid wax, soak the jute twine lengths, remove and let dry on newspaper. Good for camping trips when you want to have a fast, strong fire until the wood catches.

Baby Steps

Since my last entry, we here have made a few inroads on getting ready for, as we call it, "The Great Migration"

We decided to call it that so that we can ease the two younger boys into the idea of walking that far without alarming them. They'll be busy objecting to walking 788 K, or roughly 489 miles, which will take roughly 2 months to walk.

Barring big delays, sickness and other assorted crises.

(I'm tired already)

We figure the eldest boy will settle back into walking just fine, and B and I have always enjoyed walking, so no problem there once our bodies settle back into it.

This morning we were looking at routes, and we think we have a rough one laid out.

Over the past few days we've been looking at equipment and supplies and skills.

We've learned that we have a fire tinder quite close at hand , and in copious supply. (Yay for jute twine!) It's an easy enough thing to wax it too so we have dry tinder no matter what the weather. We have emergency candles. We have one wool blanket and a crank flashlight.

Not much for now.

But we have been scoping out camping supply companies, sports equipment supply houses; seeing what's available and what's frivolous. we've been talking about how to keeps spirits up when the boys realize their Game Boys will no longer work as they're used to. Games, books and so on. Honestly, we would miss our iPods. But apparently we may not need to miss them too much. As a friend pointed out, ebooks and the like can be charged now by solar power. which means, in theory, so could the iPods and Game Boys. So we've looked into solar power sources. It may all be a temporary band-aid, but if it gets the boys north in a happier state of mind, then I'll invest in it. We've been doing a lot of talking about how much water we all need. We've learned about on-the-go water purification and storage.

We figured out that we may even be able to take out bikes up, instead of walking. This would cut down greatly on our travel time. Of course this also means a change in cost of the migration, weight considerations and a myriad of other things. So we're still talking about that one.

But our guts are telling us we'll be walking.

Realistically, what B and I are talking about doing, is taking a day even at this time of year, just striking out and seeing how far we can walk, in winter boots, until a certain time of day, and then figure out how far we walked.

My thought is that if we do this experiment in winter, wearing boots, we might have a fair idea of how far the two youngest boys can walk. Remember too, we'll have two dogs with us as far as we know.

So we'll look at doing that soon.

For now though, it's time to head off to the job that will pay for all this.

More tomorrow!

The Times They Are A'Changin'

Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time, knows I am not an "extreme" personality.

I do not think extremes are healthy; for anyone.

But I believe in being prepared. For anything.

Once in my lifetime, I knew people I thought were extremists. They talked about the changing times, they bought batteries by the dozen, canned tuna and soup by the cases. They had an elaborate system of organizing their food, oldest products eaten first, dated and so on. Nothing expired. They had medications and antibiotics stockpiled, they made sure they were located close to water, away from major cities...all "in case".

At the time, I thought they were going a little over the top.

Years went on, I moved on, made a family of my own.

Then I woke up one day to watch how the horror in a major, American city unfolded. I watched a vibrant, lively city suffer, weep, die and decay. As horrified as I was at that, I was not prepared for the news coverage that showed a dead body washing up against a fence, in the backwash of a news boat. I was not prepared for that at all. I thought then, and still believe today, that the news media should never have shown such an image.

That was someone's parent possibly, someone's cousin, someone's sibling, daughter or son. That was once a human being.

And shocked, appalled and stunned as I was; I did learn something from the entire situation.

No matter how advanced our society is, our civic structure, our government can not always help us.

Yes, Hurricane Katrina was years ago. August 29th, 2005 saw massive flooding, which resulted in massive loss of life. The blame was eventually laid on the doorstep of the US Army Corps, who were responsible for the building and maintenance of the levees and floodgates. 80% of the city flooded, and much of that stayed flooded for weeks. The hurricane caused 7 million gallons of oil to spill into the water. Part of the cleanup involved dumping floodwater into Lake Pontchartrain for 43 days. That water contained raw sewage, pesticides, heavy metals, and bacteria.

When the hurricane left the city on August 30th, the people who had survived became desperate. There was excessive looting as people began to do whatever was necessary to get food, water, baby food and diapers, pet food and anything they thought they needed. The city was not prepared. There was a sharp rise in violent crime; rape, home invasion and so forth. It is a part of government responsibility, at all levels, to be prepared for disaster of all kinds; man-made and environmental. Part of the tragedy of New Orleans came about because the varying levels of government suffered from poor communication. FEMA claimed to have supplied over 700,000 applicants with emergency housing, but only one-fifth of that was actually supplied. All levels of government were criticized for poor response, much of the criticism came from the Mayor and Governor of New Orleans. There were deaths days after the hurricane had blown itself out, from thirst, starvation, exhaustion and dismal hygiene. There was poor planning on a civic level, where buildings and relief centers were concerned.

The Louisiana Superdome was designed for an occupancy of 800, but 30,000 arrived seeking safety. The New Orleans Civic Center was not designed as an evacuation center at all, but 25,000 arrived seeking safety, food and water.

So, what did I learn from this?

I learned that no massive structure can offer safety from death by dehydration, hunger or un-sanitary conditions. No government can protect us properly from Mother Nature when she's pissed. Rarely will a neighbor sacrifice to save another, but it IS possible. I learned too that people, generally, have a herd mentality. I also learned that man will turn on their fellow man in order to survive, to a great degree.

I learned that, essentially, we are all in this for ourselves first. Then, when we are comfortable, warm, fed and safe, THEN we have a responsibility to help our fellow man.

Do you know how you would accomplish this?

Neither do I.

So as of last night, Betty and I started thinking in a logical way about our own state of preparedness. We started looking at what we know how to do, what supplies we already have and so on.

I know how to skin an animal, I know how to make a fire. I know, in theory, how to acquire safe drinking water, although I've not yet had to do it. Betty has a firm grip on the physical aspects of what we'll need to keep us alive and fed, and hydrated, and comfortable.

We face some challenges, to be sure. We will not be ready for quite some time. We have to plan and prepare; but do it all rationally and calmly without shrieking about the sky falling around our ears.

And we will.

Hang on to your hats and rainboots as I take you along for the ride in the days to come.