Homesteading Anywhere

Building raised beds works well for your homesteading needs in the garden. Check these out! Enjoy

Cinder block raised bed Cattle pen trellis.

plus.google.com by Ben Cichanowicz

raised, divided herb beds
http://www.artandappetite.com

Here’s how to grow your own sprouts

                                                           

 The Glass Jar Method

There are many different sprouting kit options, ranging from stackable plastic rings to glass jars, sprouting bags, and automatic sprouters. My favorite is the glass jar method. Sprouting with this simple system involves soaking your chosen seeds overnight and covering the jar with a mesh screen and rubber band. In the morning drain the soak water and rinse the seeds twice daily, placing them on a rack to drain during the day. Harvest them within three to seven days. Some of the easiest sprouts to grow are alfalfa, fenugreek, radish, broccoli, mung beans, onion, cabbage, mustard seeds, chickpeas, quinoa, lentils, pea sprouts, and wheat seeds. For most sprouts, continue to sprout them until they have developed a long tail or their first leaves have begun to go green. In the case of chickpeas, quinoa, pea sprouts, and lentils, they are ready to eat as soon as their tails begin to unfurl or emerge from the seed.

Soil-grown Microgreens

Another way of growing sprouts is directly in soil trays. These kind of sprouts are called microgreens. My favorites are wheatgrass, barleygrass, or sunflower greens.

How to grow soil-based sprouts:

*Buy trays and organic growing soil from a garden nursery.

*Fill the trays with soil.

*Soak wheat, barley, or sunflower seeds overnight.

*Drain them in the morning and allow them to stand in a bowl for 24–48 hours.

*Small tails will sprout.

*Place the seeds on top of the soil, cover with another thin layer of soil, and lightly water them.

*Place them in an area that gets either the morning or afternoon sun (midday summer sun will burn the young shoots) and water daily.

*Harvest the wheatgrass or barleygrass after seven to ten days and juice it.

*Harvest the sunflower sprouts after seven to ten days and either juice them or eat them in salads.

To provide your soil-grown sprouts with a full complement of minerals and trace minerals, take Himalayan rock salt and make a salt-water solution of one part salt to 200 parts water. Water the sprouts from day four to day seven with this salt-water solution. Alternatively, get sea water (from a clean source, preferably a few miles out to sea) and make the solution from one part sea water to 20 parts fresh water and proceed as before. You will have the healthiest looking, best-tasting, super-nutritious sprouts around.

52 Week Food Storage

Here is a great list of options to buy each week. The point is to just start somewhere. Just add a little to your grocery list each week and you'll slowly build up a supply for your family. This list is not the best, but it does have some great options. Adapt this list to weekly grocery sales, your families likes & needs, etc. 

Week 1: Two cans tuna fish, 1 box salt

Week 2: 5 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese, 4 cans tomato soup

Week 3: 3 cans mushroom soup, 1 2.5 lb peanut butter

Week 4: 1 bottle vitamins

Week 5: 4 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 6: 1 bottle aspirin (500 tablets)

Week 7: 1 100 lb container wheat

Week 8: 1 5 lb powdered milk

Week 9: 1 5 lb honey

Week 10: 4 cans tuna, 4 boxes macaroni and cheese

Week 11: 1 10 lb sugar, 1 box salt

Week 12: 4 cans mushroom soup

Week 13: 1 bottle vitamins

Week 14: 1 10 lb. potato flakes

Week 15: 1 box macaroni and cheese

Week 16: 1 5 lb honey

Week 17: 2 cans tuna, 4 can tomato soup

Week 18: 1 10 lbs sugar

Week 19: 1 25 lbs rice

Week 20: 2 10 lbs of sugar

Week 21: 10 lb powdered milk

Week 22: 1 can mushroom soup, 1 10 lb sugar

Week 23: 1 can tuna, 4 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lbs sugar

Week 24: 1 10 lbs sugar

Week 25: 2 cans tuna, 2 cans mushroom soup

Week 26: 1 50 lb wheat

Week 27: 3 10 lbs sugar

Week 28: 1 10 lb sugar

Week 29: 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 30: 2 10 lb sugar

Week 31: 1 can tuna, 3 cans mushroom soup

Week 32: 1 can tuna, 4 cans tomato soup

Week 33: 1 25 lb wheat

Week 34: 2 cans tuna, 1 box salt

Week 35: 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 36: 2 10 lb sugar

Week 37: 4 cans tomato soup, 2 boxes salt

Week 38: 1 25 lb wheat

Week 39: 3 cans canned chicken

Week 40: 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 41: 3 10 lb sugar

Week 42: 2 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lb sugar

Week 43: 2 cans tomato soup, 2 cans mushroom soup

Week 44: 1 25 lbs rice

Week 45: 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 46: 4 cans tomato soup, 4 cans mushroom soup

Week 47: 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 48: 4 cans mushroom soup, 1 10 lb powdered milk

Week 49: 7 cans of tomato soup

Week 50: 7 cans of mushroom soup

Week 51: 2 10 lbs sugar, 1 box salt

Week 52: 1 5 lb honey

Lotion Soap Recipes

Lotion Bar 1

1 part Beeswax
1 part Cocoa Butter
1 part Coconut Oil

Melt together in top of double boiler, pour into bar molds (or
whatever shape you want to make)
When cool, remove from molds.

Lotion Bar 2

2 parts Beeswax
1 part Coconut Oil
1 part Cocoa Butter

Melt together in top of double boiler, pour into bar molds (or
whatever shape you want to make)
When cool, remove from molds.

Lotion Bar 3

2 parts Beeswax
1 part Coconut Oil
1 part Carrier Oil of choice (used Almond Oil)
Several drops Peach Fragrance Oil
1 drop Red Food Coloring
1 drop Yellow Food Coloring

Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 4

1 1/2 parts Beeswax
1 part Oils

Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 5

2 oz. Olive Oil
2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
6 oz. Beeswax
Your choice of essential oil

Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 6

Hard and Waxy
50% Beeswax
50% Oil of your choice

Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 7
Greasy at first but absorbs right into the skin
1/3 Beeswax
1/3 Olive Oil
1/3 split evenly between Avocado Oil and Shea Butter
Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 8

50% Beeswax
25% Cocoa Butter
25% Oil of your choice (a mixture of Coconut Oil and Almond Oil)
Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 9

2 oz. Olive Oil
2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
6 oz. Beeswax
Your choice of essential oil

Just melt the wax and oils in a double boiler, scent if you wish and
pour into whatever small mold you like. Allow to harden.

Lotion Bar 10

Massage Melts
2 tbsp beeswax
2 tbsp cocoa butter
1 tbsp thick honey or 1.5 tsp oil of preference (palm, olive,
almond, or
even jojoba)
5 - 10 drops of any eo if you prefer

Melt in water bath the beeswax and then add honey (or oil)
and whisk together and then if using eo add it and combine well. The key
to this recipe is keeping the beeswax very hot while mixing. Pour into
mold and let set overnight in refrigerator. Honey works very well and leaves

no sticky feeling, but if you prefer a softer bar then use the oils.

Simple Bath & Beauty Recipes

I thought I would start a new series about Simple Bath & Beauty Recipes. These are so easy to do, and so much better for your skin...a lot less chemicals. So, here is the first of a long line in the series...enjoy!

LAVENDER LOTION

1 oz. glycerin
2 tsp. oil of lavender
Put ingredients in a clean glass bottle and shake well. Refrigerate.
213. Lemon cleansing Cream
1Tbsp beeswax
3Tbsp veg oil
1Tbsp witch hazel
1Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp borax
6 drops lemon essential oil

Over low heat, gently melt beeswax in the veg oil. Beat for 5 minutes until mixture has a creamy, smooth consistency. In a separate pot gently warm witch hazel (I infuse lavender in the witch hazel, good for the skin) and lemon juice; stir in borax until dissolved and add to cream. Beat steadily. After the cream has cooled stir in the lemon essential oil, Then spoon into jars. This is good for eliminating excess oil and smoothing wrinkles. Plus the lemon gives it antiseptic qualities. Note: Borax is available in drug and grocery stores, and is a chemical needed in making some cosmetics.

Lemon Cleansing Cream (For Oily Skin)

1 Tbsp beeswax
1 1/2 Tbsp Unpetroleum Jelly (available in natural foods stores)
3 Tbsp jojoba oil
1 Tbsp witch hazel
1 Tbsp strained lemon juice
1/8 tsp borax
6 drops essential oil of lemon

Melt beeswax and unpetroleum jelly over low heat. Add warmed jojoba
oil to wax and jelly mixture, blending for 3-5 minutes. Mix witch hazel and
lemon juice, warm gently, mix in borax until dissolved. Slowly add this to
the wax mixture, beating until cool and creamy. After completely cooled,
add lemon oil, spoon into clean jar.

Lotion Bar Recipes

6oz cocoa butter
5oz shea butter
5oz aloe vera gel
.5oz palm oil
.5oz wheatgerm oil
.5oz sweet almond oil
couple of vitamin E. capsules (emptied)
Your choice of essential oil 

I sometimes replace the palm and sweet almond oil with other oils,
depending on what I have on hand, and the lotion bar still works
out. But the cocoa butter, shea butter and aloe vera gel proportions
should stay the same.

Make Grape Jelly From Juice

Making and canning your own grape jelly from grape juice (either bottled, frozen or fresh) is also quite easy. Here's how to do it, in a few easy steps and completely illustrated. You can use bottled white grape juice, red, Concord or any other variety; or even frozen juice concentrate. You can make the jelly sugarless, or add sugar, honey or even Splenda, depending upon your own needs and tastes. The yield from this recipe is about 12 eight-ounce jars. 

You will need:

Grape juice - 6 cups bottled, without sugar added or reconstituted from frozen, without sugar.

Pectin - 2 boxes: You'll get best results with no-sugar needed pectin, whether you choose to add sugar or not!

Sugar - About 4.5 cups of dry, granulated sugar.

Check the directions with the pectin; typically, it is 7 cups of sugar to 5 or 6 cups of grape juice and one box of pectin; but I add about another 1/2 box of pectin to get a firmer set. The precise measurements are found in each and every box of pectin sold. Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar and Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you'll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.

Stir the pectin into the grape juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).

When the grape-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (for regular pectin; about 6 and 3/4 cups of sugar per 6 cup batch of grape juice; or 4 cups of sugar if you are using the low or no-sugar pectin) and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Testing for "jell" (thickness)

I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jelly is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.

Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on. Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jelly off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner. Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes.

Lift the jars out of the water with your jar lifter tongs and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once cooled, they're ready to store, they are best used within 6 months.

Happy February!!

Have a wonderful week everyone....will be working on lots of new articles for your enjoyment this month!

Happy New Year

I hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration and look forward to more posts this year. May 2012 bring us all closer to the path we have all chosen to follow and keep us prepared for anything that may arise! Cheers!