With a $12,000 budget, a San Fransisco couple decided to turn a 39-foot school bus into a dream home – that sleeps ten people. To create their totally off-grid dwelling, Richard and Rachel, who run a blog, mounted six solar panels on the roof of the bus, installed a compost toilet, solar fridge and freezer and a propane-fed catalytic heater, stove and oven. Rachel, who says they live rent-free, paying just $100 per month for maintenance, admitted that family and friends were ‘confused’ by their decision. ‘My mom’s reaction was “this isn’t the sixties.” But …
Category: news Self-sufficiency
UN Syria "Peace Plan" a Fraud
December 28, 2012 (LD) – UN “peace envoy” Lakhdar Brahimi is attempting to broker a transitional government ahead of proposed elections in Syria. For Brahimi, his efforts are not only in vain, they are entirely disingenuous. The proposal of a “transitional government” in the midst of what is in fact a foreign invasion, funded, armed, and perpetuated openly by foreign interests violates both Syria’s sovereignty and the UN’s own founding charter. It would be not unlike a UN envoy visiting Poland at the beginning of World War II, and proposing a transitional government in the midst of the Nazi invasion. The UN would clearly…
NYT Defends Fortune 500’s Global Human Exploitation
December 27, 2012 (LD) – While the US funds and arms sectarian death squads across the Arab World under the guise of “promoting democracy,” it props its own economy up on a vast network of global human exploitation. From Walmart’s sweatshop-death traps in Bangladesh, to Apple’s deplorable partnership with Taiwan’s Foxconn, millions go underpaid while overworked under dangerous, inhumane conditions to fuel America’s consumerist paradigm.Public backlash against these practices range from outrage over human exploitation (less common) to complaints that the West’s economies are suffering due to these outsourced jobs (more common). As this backlash increases, and as technology reaches a point where real viable local alternatives may soon displace large, centralized corporations, a perfect …
Intro to Synthetic Biology
January 5, 2013 (LocalOrg /Tony Cartalucci) – Professor Jamie Davies walks an audience through the coming synthetic biology revolution. Comparing it to the personal computer revolution of the 70’s and 80’s, Professor Davies explains the lessons learned and how they can be applied to developing an open and constructive use of synthetic biology. What is synthetic biology (video)? It is the next step in genetic engineering – not simply copying and pasting genetic code from one life form to another, but creating entirely new genetic sequences, and thus entirely new life forms. Already, competitions like MIT’s iGEM, pit universities and even high schools against one another as they develop new forms of synthetic biology using “biobricks” -open source, standardized components that can be interchanged…
War on Syria: Gateway to WWIII
January 5, 2013 (Corbett Report/Global Research) ….The book, “War on Syria: Gateway to WWIII,” can be found, for free in .pdf format, here. For the latest Land Destroyer Report headlines on Syria, see here.
Multimedia Roundup: Fiscal Cliff Charade
January 4, 2013 (Corbett Report – PressTV)
On the Cusp of Ending Big Pharma
Gene therapy threatens to disrupt forever big-pharma’s profiteering, but not without a fight. December 28, 2012 (LD) – Imagine being diagnosed with cancer, a genetic disease, or even age-related deterioration in the morning, given a single injection in the evening, and beginning your recovery the next day. No prescriptions, no lengthy treatments, no difficult decisions between finances and getting better. This is the promise of gene therapy, a promise already being fulfilled.Image: One method of gene therapy – taking human cells, “editing” them genetically, and reinserting them into the human body where they will replicate and carry out their newly designed functions. (Microsoft Encarta Online Concise Encyclopedia)…. Gene therapy is the identifying…
How To Make Home-Made Orange Cordial "Splitza"
When the end of orange season comes, more often than not we are left with a surplus of this wonderful fruit, which is a really good position for me to be in because it forces me to do something with the extra bounty before they go bad. Orange marmalade is great, fresh orange juice is terrific but can become overindulgent and it doesn’t keep or freeze well either, and then there are other ways to treat an orange surplus… like making cordial. Fresh oranges start perishing from the time they are picked and if you leave them piled in a container they will soon go mouldy, attract fermentation flies, …
Why I finally got a solar system?
In my last solar article: 20 Solar Questions Answered PT 2 (when I asked 20 questions from Brett the QLD State Manager of Green and Gold Solar here in Australia), I concluded by stating not to be surprised if in 6 months to read about my own solar installation. Well, I’m pleased to announce that’s exactly what I’m writing about in this article – my very own photovoltaic (PV) system. Over the past two years, I have seen the price for a 5kW solar system plummet from 20k plus, down to around 13k in June/July this year (2012). Before that, but still not so long ago, I…
My Solar Installation 5Kw System On Shed Roof (Installed By Green & Gold Solar)
So my previous solar article on "Why I finally got a solar system" answered why I finally did end up getting a solar system, and this article is dedicated to explain my whole solar install experience. Even though I was very happy with my final price and overall solar package, there’s no doubt that a solar investment is still a lot of money (offset against electricity savings or not) and it’s a big decision for most people. My 5kW PV System installed on shed roof (image above) This is why the hunt for solar took me so long, because I wanted to be convinced beyond doubt that not only was it the right decision…
How And Why To Grow Cucumbers
Cucumbers, the phallic melon which takes pride of place displayed proudly in the fresh food section in supermarkets around the world are without doubt a truly amazing fruit. Everyone has their own personal experiences and when I think of cucumbers I almost always associate them with Pekin duck. The match between the Pekin duck, crispy skin, hoisin sauce, shallot, and cucumber, wrapped in a Chinese pancake is outstanding! And, what about pickled cucumbers… The pickling of this fruit is what makes cucumbers universally famous. The fast-food chain McDonalds would not have been such a success if it wasn’t for sliced pickles – that’s what I reckon anyway. What would a McDonald’s restaurant be without sliced cucumber randomly flung and stuck to the…
Mark’s Pickled Cucumber Recipe/s
The famous pickle Cucumbers are the most famous of all pickles, so famous that if I asked, “would you like a pickle?” You would probably assume I was offering a pickled cucumber when in fact a pickle can mean many different foods – which have been pickled (like peppers). As I explained in our last article, How and why to grow cucumbers, pickled cucumbers are so important even massive food chains are made off the back of this simple ingredient. Ok, so it may be a little tongue-in-cheek to say sliced pickles are the backbone of McDonalds but still, this humble ingredient is integral to many of their burgers (even …
Elderflower Cordial, elderflower champagne and elderflower wine – Andy Hamilton
Although we already have an elderflower cordial recipe on our elder article it is one for making it in bulk. I decide that as I have just made a smaller batch of elderflower cordial, some elder flower champagne and our forum is buzzing with talk of elderflower wine it would be good to put up a few recipes here. Elderflower cordial – Elderflower Champagne – Elderflower wine For any problems with elderflower champagne please see Andy’s other site. Elderflower Cordial An easy to make drink that can be frozen in plastic bottles, leaving room for expansion, so it can be enjoyed all year round. It will keep for almost a…
Hawthorn Ketchup recipe
During most of my autumn courses I either run through how to make hawthorn ketchup or I have some on hand to try (preferable both!). This year I thought I would at least get round to having the recipe up whilst they are in season . This makes a very red and very delicious ketchup which can be used in the same way as a tomato ketchup. Please note that those on any heart medication are advised not to eat haws/hawthorn berries. Ingredients Mixed haw berries (midland hawthorn and common) 500g haws 300ml vinegar – red wine, cider or malt 170g sugar spices to taste – coriander, cumin…
Green Manure
Soil is a very complex living thing. In just one gram there can be over a 1000 million organisms, most of them beneficial to the gardener. These organisms help weather rocks, releasing their mineral content for our plants and aid the breakdown of organic matter, in turn releasing further nutrients for our ever hungry crops. Recent studies have even suggested that some soil borne microorganisms may be more effective than antidepressants in boosting the mood of the gardener. Most of these organisms live in just the top few centimetres of the soil, so leaving the ground exposed to the elements can mean they will be leached away, along …
Preserving Cherries Andy and (mostly) Dave Hamilton
Town planners of 20th century often included cherry trees in their planting schemes as they loved the blossom. The fruit was something of an afterthought, but not for us foragers. It has meant that added to the list of usual places to hunt for cherries you should include housing estates and parks. You will more often than not find the bitter bird cherry. but on some occasions you can strike the jackpot and find some deliciously plump variety that will rival anything you can buy in the shop. During June/July we are well into fruit season and the most opportunistic amongst us will not have to buy any fruit again until there is snow on the ground. This is a time when fruit is …
Sumac – Dave Hamilton
Stag Horn Sumac – Rhus typhina The Forager’s Lemon Staghorn Sumac makes a tasty lemonade. The small furry drupes form a larger structure called a panicle – picture by Dave Hamilton Sumac is one of those plants you may have seen a thousand times but never really realised it had an edible use. It’s not a truly wild plant in the UK but it does readily escape from gardens as it sends up suckers when the roots are disturbed. In this way trees can ‘escape’ from gardens over long periods of time and become ‘wild’. The sumac leaves are high in tannin and were traditionally they were used in the…
Group Foraging Days
Family Foraging Courses/Group Foraging Courses Don’t see a course in your area? Want an unique Christmas present? Think you could get between a group of 2 to 14 people together who would like to go on a wild food walk? Then email Dave (dave (at) selfsufficientish.com) with a list of preferred dates and locations, if you find one mutually agreeable click on the button below to book and pay for the course. Only £300 a day You will be sent a personalised card with a personalised voucher (or emailed if it is needed urgently). Suitable for landmark birthdays (30, 40, 50 60), Hen or Stag Days, Anniversary’s or work away days. The day will…
Just a catch-up
… and, I’m back… Sorry for the absence, I know it’s been awhile. Sometimes building this mad lifestyle just takes everything I’ve got. It’s not even how busy it gets, which it does, it gets crazy busy, but it’s all the rest of it, the struggling to keep my profile high enough so things happen. That’s the key, if you were interested, in how to write for a living, keep your profile high enough so things happen. And while I’m doing that, I’ve become more self sufficient than I ever was before. That’s good. At least it feels good. I’ve found some really fun self sufficient things lately that I’ll share with you in the next few weeks. Fun things, and a lot of…
Pitching to Simon & Schuster
Well, it’s certainly been an interesting week. I went to London, and not just any old part of London, but the offices of the publisher Simon & Schuster.My publisher, Watkins Publishing, invited me up to present my book to the Simon & Schuster sales team.The book, Pigs in Clover, is now written, accepted, edited, proofed and ready to go – though publication date is not until June 2012. I have been to the offices of Watkins publishing before, but that was way back when they very first took me on, and they didn’t really know me, so i was ushered from the street through the front door and shoved into the first empty office they could find, which happened to be the …
Day one of a new enclosure
This is day one (actually, hour one) of pigs having been moved into a new enclosure in the woods. Check out the New Girl – she’s the very pretty kune-kune (who doesn’t like a woman with tusks?).The enclosure is more than 3,000 square metres in size, and is utter luxury for pigs, bless ’em!I need to thank the Environment Agency for their help, advice, support and for supplying the fencing materials that made this new area possible – it’s the first of four new areas in the woods. If you have read bad things about the Environment Agency, rethink your ideas, and if you need advice and support, contact them. …
The fastest, easiest loaf of bread in the world
We’ve all been there: a friend phones you up and says, “come round, I’ll put the kettle on,” or “I’ll open a bottle of wine…” and we quite happily trundle round, BUT, if that same person said, “come round, I’ve just put a homemade loaf of bread in the oven,” we’d be on out toes and running round there faster than you can say, “I’ll bring the marmite!”Making bread is simple.This is the stripped down, self sufficient way to make a great tasting (and smelling) loaf of bread.Time:20 minutes work1 hour to prove20 minutes bakingIngredients:400mls warm water650g bread …
Homemade chocolate easter eggs
How great is it to make a homemade Easter egg? And they’re so easy! Okay, you might get yourself and the kitchen covered in chocolate, but as Shep said today on their Shep and Jo show (if you haven’t heard the Shep and Jo show on BBC Radio Devon, where have you been…!?), when they very kindly allowed me on again this afternoon, you are just going to have to lick it all off!Right, eyes down for homemade Easter eggs…This is how to make an Easter egg using the shell of a real egg as the mold.So, first you need an egg. You can get eggs in all different colours…
London Suits to Welly Boots
I’m doing a talk!Ilfracombe library, Saturday 14th at 2.00pm. There will tea, coffee and homemade cake, and me talking about stumbling from London life into Devon self sufficiency, hooligan pigs and rogue chickens. It’ll be lively, spiky and full of fun.For tickets call 01271 862 388.Please come or it’ll just be me!
Free Deer Meat
We went to town this morning to pick up a few things and just as we got back the phone rang and it was my brother, Rob. He said, ” Ah…what are you doing today?” My brother doesn’t call to just chit-chat so I knew he needed something and I said, “Nothing.” And we really didn’t have plans to do anything special anyway. He said he had a deer and wanted to know could he bring it out to skin and cut up. So I said sure. After all, we’re getting pretty good at it. Why not? So he brought the deer out.It had been given to him by some of his first wife’s family. It …
Harvest Monday- Lemonade
My lemons, of course, were last weeks harvest but I hadn’t done anything with them until this morning. I was so anxious to pick them but then couldn’t bring myself to cut into one. I did pick them up almost every day just to smell them though and make sure they were still nice and firm. I meant to make my lemonade this weekend but the apple jelly happened instead so this morning I decided not to put it off any longer and I dug out the little hand juicer. Six little Meyer lemons do not make much juice, though they do have lots of seeds. Yes, this was all the juice from all six of them. I just added water and sugar. A…
Venison Heart and Liver with Mushrooms Meal
You were expecting cookies or candies, I suppose…. well, we did make cookies and cherry pie but this post is about what I made for supper. The deer meat sitting in the cooler can’t sit there for more than a couple of days and room in the freezer is..questionable so some of it had to be used and I was curious about the heart and liver. Phil normally is more of a fan of liver than I am but I do like heart meat. I did a little investigating online and then came up with this: Take the heart and clean it out really …
A Violin
Today was all about deer meat here but since I mentioned the violin on facebook, I will save the deer meat post for tomorrow. I should have some finished jerky to photograph but then anyway. When I was a child in 4th grade, for one year, I took violin lessons in school. Our school had their own violins and trumpets so my brother and I were able to play without having to buy an instrument (he played trumpet). I can’t say that I was all that good at it. I never did understand how to read notes. Our teacher must have explained it to us but all I remember is…
Ham
I just wanted to show off our Christmas ham. I wish I could send out samples so you all could taste how perfect it was. Normally my hams are a little dry but this one was wonderful. It cured for about 3 weeks and was in the smoker on 250 for about 6 hours. It was a pretty big ham and we were pleased that it was done so quickly. The rest of the meal was great too though we cooked way too much as usual. Hope you all had as nice a Christmas as we had!
Deer Burger and Jerky
The other day, as you who read the last post know, I made deer burger and jerky. Originally I had thought to keep the deer leg whole but I just don’t have enough room in the freezer. My brother posted a Youtube video on facebook about adding bacon to your ground deer meat to make burger and I have plenty of bacon so decided to do it that way. I got all the white skin off of it and it ground up really nice and easily. Every now and then I would throw in a hunk of bacon and keep grinding (the …