Preserving Harvests for My Picky Eater

My VHTS (very hungry tween son) is a bottomless pit but a very picky eater. Add to that his food problems and allergies, and we have a problem.

Last year I dehydrated much of our harvest, but I also froze a lot. Didn't do much with canning and pickling. Here it is harvest time for 2009 and we still have lots of the 2008 harvest in the freezer. I got to thinking... what on earth am I going to do?

As I was harvesting yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes today, I really worked on puzzling this out. How can I get him to eat our harvest several months from now... during the Winter? I expect this winter to be long, hard and early, and combining that with the possibility of a swine flu quarantine, so this could become a very serious problem.

Here's what I've come up with, based on what we grow:

• TOMATOES: He doesn't like these at all, except as pizza sauce and ketchup. However, all of my canning supplies are packed away until we sell the house and move into a new place. So... I'm dehydrating all tomatoes, and will powder and rehydrate to make pizza sauce and ketchup as needed.


• STRING BEANS: He likes this fresh and frozen and canned, but as I said before, I can't can this year. He likes them cooked so I'll freeze these.


• DRY BEANS: He doesn't like my baked beans as well as Campbells or Bush's but he'll tolerate them. I'll finish drying them on the bush and vine (or pick before we move and string up to dry). I'll store them in a mason jar to cook in the winter. Perhaps I can soak, cook, mash, and hide in frycakes?!?!


• YELLOW SQUASH and ZUCCHINI: He likes zucchini better raw but none of it cooked and certainly not frozen first. I'm dehydrating a batch today. I'll store dried in a mason jar, and powder it to hide in pizza sauce or homemade gluten-free bread or smoothies or wherever I can.


• EGGPLANT: Same - dehydrate, store, powder, hide


• CUCUMBER: He hates cucumber unless it's benedictine (cream cheese, onion, cucumber dip) so I'll dehydrate, store, powder, and reconstitute into benedictine during the winter. Hmmm... yum.


• WATERMELON: He hates watermelon too. I know, unbelievable. I'll dehydrate any leftover, store, powder, and add to smoothies.


• PUMPKIN: He loves pumpkin pie. I'll dehydrate, store, then rehydrate to make gluten-free pumpkin pies and turnovers.


• CARROTS: We never have any left over, so we just eat them raw. In the future, hopefully we'll have extras, and we'll dehydrate, store, powder and hide. We don't like the taste of cooked carrots, so this will work.


• PARSLEY: I'm growing flat-leafed and curly, and he won't even try them. I'll dehydrate, store, powder and hide. I can buy more at Vitamin Cottage, already dehydrated.

That's my plan for the little bit we're growing this year. I didn't have the space or time for really anything else this year. When on sale, I'm buying: beets, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, cabbage, cantaloupe, bananas and other fruit. He likes much of those raw, none of them frozen or cooked.

So, as above, I'll mostly dehydrate (at night since the house gets shown during the day), store, powder and hide.

Just remembered that Vitamin Cottage (a local health food store) has mixed vegetables, spinach, parsley and other things, already dried. Especially fruit. I'll stock up on those, store in a mason jar, and powder/hide as needed. All of the dried fruit, whether purchased dried or dehydrated by me, will do well rehydrated and added to his smoothies. Loves it!

Eating to Help Prevent Swine Flu

I have complete confidence that you've heard about the possible swine flu pandemic that might have started in Mexico and as of this writing, has entered Canada, USA, Spain and more places. It has caused 86 deaths and many more people have caught it and survived.


But don't take a chance; read this article (http://colorado-preppers.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-pandemic-possibility.html). Then take charge of your life to minimize your chances of getting this swine flu. Supercharge your immune system by making some changes today!

1. Healthful fresh foods and nutritional supplements.
2. Sensible daily exercise.
3. Stress reduction.
4. Heartfelt daily prayers or meditations.
5. Regular loving intimacies with your mate.

Let's concentrate on number 1: eating healthy foods and taking supplements. I've been reading, and based on independent research, many people believe that eating as close to Nature's Buffet will help boost your immune system. That means:

• Take a multi-vitamin daily
• Add to your supplements: echinacea, goldenseal, zinc, vitamin c, vitamin d, and peppermint
• Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans
• Don't overcook your food, eating as much raw as possible
• Add lots of garlic to your diet - it helps to clean out your blood and boost your immune system
• Eliminate all meats (animal products) and dairy products (cheese, yogurt, etc.) no matter how hard it is
• Eliminate all sugar, white flour, and any and ALL processed foods, especially any with words that don't naturally occur (like maltodextrin, dyes, enriched anything, etc.)
• Stock up on dehydrated (without sulphur) fruits and vegetables
• Start your garden, if you haven't already. Even if you have only a little bit of space in a tiny apartment, you can have a grow light and couple of pots growing fresh greens, carrots, tomatoes and peppers
• Grow and eat sprouts on a regular basis: beans, alfalfa, clover, etc.

We are pretty ready, considering VHTS (Very Hungry Tween Son) has adverse reactions to many foods, including corn, soybean, wheat, peanuts, seeds and nuts. We could have rice, millet or certified-gluten-free-oats daily, along with lots of rice crackers, homemade rice brownies. He also loves dried peas, blackberries, blueberries and mango so he could have those daily. We have lots of apples and pears - enough for a couple of weeks minimum. He loves canned baked beans so we have plenty of those. He will take fish oil in applesauce (to get more amino acids in him). He's a very picky eater, but I'm working on a flourless brownie that has lots of flax seeds (again, more amino acides) to hide certain bits of produce in it... like spinach, zucchini and carrots. I might be able to hide herbs in there too!

Our garden will soon produce carrots, radishes and greens/lettuce, although VHTS won't eat salads without ranch dressing. Our seedlings for tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, etc. are comiing along well.

We have lots of herbs and medicines stocked up. Besides having lots of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds and beans, be sure to have lots of herbs and supplements too. Peppermint to settle stomachs. Echinacea and elderberry for lung health. Goldenseal. Zinc. Vitamins C (strawberries!) and D. Grow the garlic. Step out into the sun for 15 minutes a day (that includes your gardening time!).

As you may know, we are starting to prepare to sell our house. We rented a storage unit this past weekend and plan to pack and add to it weekly. Meanwhile, in doing this, I seem to have misplaced much of our prep items, including the night-time cold medicine and cough syrup. That means, I need to get more, dag-nab-it! At least I know where all of the food is!


I already have a cough but have had this for the past couple of weeks so I'm pretty sure it's not the swine flu. But today... besides getting more cough medicine (and celebrating my birthday), VHTS and I have lots to do today:

• I just placed another order for dried fruits and veggies from my fav place (http://www.justtomatoes.com/)
• Ordered more N-95 respirator masks - hope they still have some in stock!
• Health food store for more herbs, rice crackers and puffed rice
• Sam's Club for more honey, peeled garlic, dog food and socks
• Wal-Mart for more water, chocolate chips, eggs
• Dollar Store for disposable gloves, goggles and plain masks

Unbelievably, though, I awoke to 4 inches of very heavy wet snow on my car! What the heck? I can't drive in this stuff any more. Argh!

= = = = =

Disclaimer:

This website and specifically this article does not intend to replace professional assistance, either medical or legal. Please consult your physician for additional information.

Avian/Bird Flu Prep

Many people don't believe the bird flu will actually happen. That's ok. However, even if you think the whole bird flu thing is nonsense, it does make sense to prepare for the super-flu and super-bug that is making the news already.

Here's a few suggestions:

• Eat healthy. Avoid packaged and processed foods. Concentrate on foods as close to how nature provided them, like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains.
• Exercise at least 20 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. This will not only make your body fit but will help your immune system, raise your tolerance, and help you mentally and emotionally. Even young children can exercise a little every day (sometimes we play "chase the dog" which gives us all a snippet of exercise).
• Reduce your stress. This may mean cutting back on extra activities, saying "no" more often, or shopping before dawn to avoid crushing crowds. You could spend quality time with family and friends - your loved ones - playing a board game or singing along with a karoake machine.
• Meditate (or pray) daily. Your mind needs some time to just chill, as does your spirit. If you don't pray, sit comfortably while listening to soothing music and watching a candle-flame flicker in the dark.
• Have sex with a caring mate regularly (a couple times a week should work). This helps your body in many ways!
• Add a bit of vitamin C and echinacea to your supplement regimen. These will help your immune system.There is not nor will there be (in time) a vaccine to protect you from the bird flu. Your best defense is always a good offense. Get your body's natural immune system to it's peak and keep it there.

The 1917 bird-flu epidemic killed (an estimated) 50 million people, of which 675,000 were in the United States. Experts say another pandemic is very overdue. What else can you do to make sure you don't succumb to the next round?

• Look at your home. Is there a room that you can care for sick family members, away from other people? (Keep the germs contained.)
• Stock up on medical supplies, like Vitamin C, multi-vitamins, cough medicine, disposable gloves and surgical masks.
• Stock up on basic supplies, like food, can openers, toilet paper and water. If a pandemic really does hit, chances are people will be forced to be confined to their homes. Be prepared.

Disclaimer:
(Gotta write this because I'm just a writer and not a health care professional of any kind): If you think you might be sick, consult with a trusted health care professional. Also, discuss with your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise. Statements in this posting have not been evaluated by the FDA or anyone else.

What Do You Tell People?

You have boxes of storange/dried foods mailed to your home. Twice a week you bring lots of bags into the house from the dollar store or grocery or camping store. Friends and neighbors walk to your house to see boxes and storage buckets neatly labeled "peas", "sugar", "rice", "first aid". You practice regularly at the range. You attend gun and ammo shows every chance you get. You order special supplies over the internet. You subscribe and have delivered to your home several militant magazines. You have a warren of rabbits and cages full of "quiet" quail that increase and decrease on a regular basis.

What do you tell people?

That you're planning for the end of the world? For the s*** to hit the fan? For earth changes? For the next blizzard or earthquake or flood?

Yeah, right.

If you tell them all or any of that, chances are they'll be the first people on your doorstep when anything hits the fan. Gas prices go up again? They'll be 'round asking for a couple of gallons from your big reservoir that you'll never miss. Grocery store has a run on bread and milk just before a storm? Hi... can we borrow some bread, milk, meat and rice... just until all of this blows over?

Hmmm...

Here's what we do... since, for the most part, we're kinda anonymous with our blogs. We aren't impossible to find, but still.. our friends and families know we're store some things but ... we just say, our main purpose is to prepare for the next blizzard. For the most part, that's accurate

What do YOU tell people who ask "what on earth do you have all this for?"

Too Much Preparation Or Not Enough?

We regularly read www.survivalblog.com and came across the following a few months ago: http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/11/two_letters_re_adapt_to_surviv.html

Basically, the writers state that all the learning of survival skills, like gardening and hunting, won't help if the s*** really does hit the fan. If people know you're preparing, you'll be among the first targets for looters and scavengers.

We have to agree.

So when you are learning leathermaking, cabinetry, hunting, and other specialties for you, your family or your community, be sure to figure out how you would survive if you couldn't leave your place for 6 to 9 months - or longer. Do you have enough water and food? Toilet paper and diapers? Laundry soap and cough medicine? What if you couldn't even turn on lights, or light a fire to cook your meals? Or plant a garden because people would see evidence of someone tending to it?

Just a thought.

Low Cost Home Building

As you may know, we're looking for land to buy in an unincorporated area so we can do what we want without restrictions: raise chickens, bees and other farm animals, practice target shooting, have privacy, etc. We're not necessarily looking for land with a house, because we want to build our own. Not that we have money. Just the opposite.

So we've researched. Here's our plan:

1. Create a budget. Done.
2. Find a way to bring in more money. Uh, working on.
3. Make plan. Done.
4. Find the land. Must have alternate water source or grandfathered well. Within 30 minutes from Mom-In-Law and Hubby's job and town. Off country road and off beaten path. Still looking.
5. Place house on market (after making minor cosmetic repairs). Note: We just found out we can't place the house on the market until the first of June 2009 - bummer.
6. Sell everything we have that we can do without.
7. Buy couple of cheap sheds and move our boxes with the rest of our "stuff" into them.
8. Find inexpensive trailer to live in or pitch our tents. This is for while we build our home.
9. Sell home. Please God Please God Please God.
10. Start "building" our home (not necessarily in this order - we could start building before this home gets sold).

The following are links to building cheap homes:

• Build a cob house: http://www.meaningofdreams.org/Dream_House/dreamhouse_build_your_own.htm
• http://www.make-my-own-house.com/
• Build a huge cheap home with shipping containers - wonder if they withstand bullets?: http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_1180.shtml
• I once visited a tire home (for some reason called an earthship home but has nothing to do with aliens) - http://www.bluerockstation.com/earthshiphome.html
• Straw Bale: http://www.balewatch.com/ or http://www.blog.thesietch.org/2007/11/10/how-to-build-your-own-straw-bale-home/
• http://www.jetsongreen.com/2008/08/yale-grad-stude.html
• http://tinyhouseblog.com/
• http://www.byohouse.com.au/forum4/viewtopic.php?t=233&sid=7a3446424efdc6411bb2fc27eedb6af4
• http://nontraditionalhousing.tribe.net/thread/dcd514b2-9652-4634-a3cf-cbe3a21026ef

I think that's enough links!

Now... we can't publicize what we're going to do EXACTLY because this is our chance to become very private, but we'll give you several ideas about building a good retreat/survival home:

Requirements/General Plan:

1. Inexpensive.
2. Can do most of the work ourselves or with friends' help.
3. Environmentally friendly (straw-bale, old tires, old bottles/cans, container, etc.)
4. Can't easily be seen from sky (may need to plant fast-growing trees on the north, north-east and north-west sides)
5. Easy to defend from all sides
6. Lots of hidden storage
7. Mostly underground (reduce heating/cooling costs, easy to defense, etc.) - doesn't have to be directly underneath ground-level home.
8. Separate ventilation system for underground.
9. Deceptive first floor (giving no indication of having majority of house underground)
10. Lots of south-facing windows on ground-level for indoor "greenhouse" - yum - year-round tomatoes, peppers, herbs, blueberries, bananas, carrots, greens, strawberries, etc.
11. This may sound weird, but part of ground level should have (a) garage for concealed transportation and unloading, (b) barn with thick walls and separate ventilation system but to enable taking care of animals without leaving the house to wade through 6-foot snow drifts.
12. Underground bathrooms have composting toilets and minimal shower flow.
13. Underground will have a secondary/alternative kitchen-type area.
14. Ground level is mostly one big room (except the separate garage and barn), plus a bathroom, kitchen, and 2 side rooms set up like bedrooms. That "big" room will "house" the dining area, living room, library, music room, schoolroom, game room, et al.
15. Ground level has a good wood cookstove. Floor layout will enable that one cookstove to heat the entire floor.
16. Hook up to local utility for water and sewer. Prefer to dig well and use septic tank and gray-water leach field.
17. Purchase and hook up solar panels and/or wind turbines
18. Live off the grid, in a green manner, with strong self-sufficiency, and easily defensible.

This is what we're looking at. Hope we can do this fairly cheaply. Sure we can't get a mortgage for exactly what we're planning.

Winter Prep for Automobiles

This might be a little late for some people, but here's more information about preparing your car with survival essentials for Winter:

• Metal coffee can, 2-3 pound size. Punch 3 holes in the top of can, at an equal distance apart. This is to enable you to carry the can while filled with your supplies.
• 60-inch+ length of twine/heavy string. Cut it into 3 equal pieces, to use to suspend can.
• 3 large safety pins. Tie the string to safety pins and pin to car roof interior to suspend can over candle. This won't work with all cars. Give it a try. If it won't work, come up with an alternate.
• 1 candle, about 2" in diameter. You'll place the candle on the lid under hanging can for melting snow for water to drink.
• 1 sharp pocket knife or sharp scissors.
• 3 pieces of bright (red, orange or yellow) cloth that is 2" wide x 36" long. You'll use this to tie to your antenna or door handle - to help people spot you in distress.
• Food! Dry soup, packets of hot cocoa mix, tea bags, granola bars, small package of peanuts, hard candy, cup and plastic spoon. (No chocolate as it tends to dehydrate.)
• Warm wool socks, warm mittens (gloves don't keep you as warm).
• strike-anywhere matches or lighters.
• 1 emergency reflective blanket or 2 large green or black plastic leaf bags (to reflect body heat).
• 1 small flashlight, kept separate from fresh unused batteries.
• one dollar in quarters for telephone calls.

When you've prepared your can, grab a warm hat and place it over the kit. Keep in your car, or in the trunk. If you have a bigger can, you'll have more room for first aid supplies, pain relievers, small radio, etc.

Other things you might want to keep in your trunk:

• Large plastic garbage bags - 3-4 - for warmth, moisture protection, or sanitation.
• Small package of baby wipes (also for sanitation)
• Pencil and paper
• Plastic whistle, compass, mirror
• Kitty Litter/sand (for traction and weight)
• Gallon of water (insulate with blanket as it probably will freeze)

If you think it might be a problem getting to it, be sure to keep the kit in the body of your car instead of the trunk.

Earning Money At Home

An important part of being self-reliant is not being part of someone else's bankroll. If you depend on a business that you don't really have any say in, you not only won't give it your all, but you could be let go at any time. Especially in this economy.

I love reading survival-type blogs, especially http://www.survivalblog.com/. Very often, these different websites address this quandry. Do you continue to live in a city, near a job that takes much of your time for little money, or do you save up to buy a place away from civilization, doing something that you love for (usually) little money? In this economy, it's an important decision.

You need to discuss the situation with your entire family. Everyone you live with. Look at things realistically. If you stayed where you are, and stayed with your job(s), are you happy? Do you make enough not only to live on but also to store up? To see you through worse times, like a blizzard or total dessimation of the economy?

But to be truly self-reliant, you will probably choose to NOT work for someone else.

Take a look at the things you and everyone in your family love to do. Your hobbies. Specialties. Skills. Dreams. Loves. Strengths and weaknesses. What about things you would do if you had land? Make a list of all of these. Do you do them well enough to sell? See if any of them can make you money. Is there are market for what you do? Research other families or small businesses that do what you're considering; how much money do they make a month/quarter/year?

How much do you need to buy some land and live somewhere else? Can you do it while you're working at your job? Do you have any experience running a business? If not, take a business course. Talk to business owners. Surf the web. School yourself.

Take some time to really think about this.

Prepare Time for Year 2009

How much of the following have you started on?

• Bury cash money, food and a gun with ammo in the back yard (under a “shed”).
• Buy a diesel truck, know how to fix it and make your own fuel for it.
• Buy alternative heat backup, like a small propane heater.
• Buy alternative sanitation system, like a waterless composting toilet, or learn how to build an outhouse.
• Buy food from local suppliers, and in bulk from big shopping clubs.
• Cancel extra luxuries like cable, eating out at fancy restaurants, etc. Find free entertainment, like free days at museums, story hour at the local libraries, etc.
• Close your bank accounts. Pay with cash or money orders, and if you can’t afford it with cash, don’t buy it.
• Figure out a way to do laundry if you lose plumbing and other utilities. We have a small hand-turned washer and wringer (called a Wonder Washer: http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MC%20W100_A_name_E_[[ProductNameURL]] ), and bars to hang clothes in the basement as well as outdoors.
• Get a pattern, and sew reusable and washable sanitary pads, diapers and underwear.
• Get reference books on gathering edibles in the wild, and identifying plants, like mushrooms. Supplement your diet.
• Grow a garden, even if you have to use a corner of your bedroom. Preserve by canning, dehydrating, smoking, etc.
• Have 72-hour kits in your front closet, your car, and your desk at work – just in case of emergency.
• Have a yard sale or two. Get rid of your clutter, and anything that can’t be used by your family. There is a place, however, for small amounts of sentimental items.
• Have various sizes of candles, waterproof matches, lighters, lightsticks, flashlights, and extra batteries.
• Keep a couple thousand dollars (as an emergency fund) in a safe or other hiding place in your home, in small bills. Don’t dip into it except in a case of extreme emergency, like a further economic crisis or major weather situation.
• Keep alternative lighting and heating ready at all times.
  Keep at least 50 gallons of drinking water (stored in your home) at all times.
• Pay off ALL of your debt. Canceling your cable and other luxuries will help you pay your mortgage, and cutting out fast food will let you pay extra on your mortgage. Remember, don’t buy what you can’t afford with cash.
• Practice living without utilities – turn off the water, unplug the fridge and lights. Bundle up warmly if you do this in the Winter. Cook, eat, do dishes, shower, etc. outside. Then do what you can to live “off-grid” with solar or wind power (or other renewable energy) and alternative sources of water.
• Store extra cleaning and personal hygiene items.
• Store extra food – enough to provide for your family plus 2 for an entire year. Remember luxuries like hard candy and pudding mix. Learn how to cook with your stored foods (this blog - http://www.survival-cooking.blogspot.com/) gives a lot of suggestions.
• Store extra over-the-counter and prescription medications and eye-glasses.
• Store parts for your car, like air and oil filters, oil, brake fluid, battery, battery cables, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, transmission fluid and gasoline.

Planning a Survival Garden

We are starting to get our seed and gardening catalogs. We love pouring over them, but not just because we love to look at the lovely pictures, and envision harvesting the food and setting our table. We know there's a very real chance that the prices of food will continue to increase, and the quality will decrease.

Have YOU thought about your garden for next year? Really thought about it? If the prices of produce and staples continue to rise, do you want to offset your grocery bill by growing most of your food? Here's some questions to answer:

So it's time to start asking ourselves (and yourselves) questions:

• How much room do you have to plant? Step outside, and look around. Potted tomatoes and peppers might do well along the driveway. That empty spot on the front "lawn" might love an apple or filbert tree. What about windowsills that get 4-8 hours of sunlight in the Summer? Or a corner of your living room where you can place a grow-light? Can you share some space in a neighbor's yard or in a community garden? Look at all of your possibilities.


• What about for permanent plants, like berry bushes, fruit and nut trees, and asparagus or rhubarb?


• How much time do you have? (you work full time, spouse does too, kids have lots of activities & summer camps, etc.)


• How much energy do you have? (you're disabled or can't bend or kneel, you have an exhausting job, your kids and spouse doesn't help, you're sick, etc.)


• Look at your last several grocery lists. What is on there that you can grow?


• Do you want to grow a little of everything you eat, or lots of one or two things?


• Can you look at the PLETHORA of seeds available and limit your purchases to one or two of each vegetable?


• Is it worth it? Factor in containers, potting soil, tools like garden spade, seeds, dehydrator, water, etc.


• Are you willing to learn - not just about what to plant, but how to increase a harvest, keep out pests, prevent diseases, PLUS preserving your harvest by canning, dehydating, freezing, and so forth.


• Do you have the money? Sure, you MIGHT be able to do a bare-bones garden for almost no money, but can you feed your family on possibilities? Then you need to preserve the produce, by canning, dehydrating, freezing, etc.


• Think about the food groups: starch/grain, vegetables, fruits, calcium, proteins, and fats. Can you provide a good variety in each? Make a list. Figure out how many different plants you can grow to provide enough healthy variety to your diet so you don't get bored with just what you've grown/produced.


• What you can't grow, can you provide in bulk? (Wheat, Rice, Salt, Olive Oil, etc)


• What about non-edibles, like cotton, bayberry bushes for candle wax, etc.... have you considered them?

Get the family together and talk about this. No, it's not too early to start planning, and it's not too late. No matter where in the world you live, you can start a garden now or soon.

Note: we live in the Northern Hemisphere, in Colorado in the United States, so most of our information will be geared to Summer (June, July, August). Refigure it for your location, if necessary.

As to our personal lives.... we don't know where we'll be this coming Spring. If we haven't sold our house yet, we'll still be here, unable to plant because, really, who will buy a house with a small yard that has a cornfield covering the backyard? However, we hope to sell the house and move to a farm by April. So, we're planning our seed and tree and bush purchases on that assumption.

What about you? Be sure to request your catalogs right away to start your own planning.

This blog will discuss the different kinds of fruits and vegetables, composting, companion planting, indoor, outdoor, composting, and more. In addition, we'll talk about canning, dehydrating, recipes, camp-cooking, and basic survival info. We hope that we can help you make your decisions and guide you through this exciting period. Feel free to ask questions!

Preparing For A Self-Sufficient Life

Have you read this article? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/27/11143/168/114/667032

We've been working to be self-sufficient for a while. With the real possibility of food shortages and/or very high prices, we are even more motivated. BUT... even if nothing happens, and there's plenty for all of us, we are tired of depending on agribusinesses and oil dudes and transportation and government ... we plan to be self-sufficient anyway. We live in Colorado - where we've been caught by blizzards with no food in the house, and utilities downed by ice storms.

However, we have a problem. We have to sell our house in February or March and move to a different city, about an hour away. Will we be able to sell our home, find another one and move in before the first seeds need to be planted? We are hoping and praying we can. Meanwhile we must plan as if we will, so since we intend to grow almost ALL of our food next year, we need to make preparations NOW.

First, we need to store enough to get us through to Fall 2009. (Like rice, salt, honey, cornmeal, potato flakes, quinoa, millet, spelt, amaranth, oats, wheat berries, dried eggs, powdered soy and rice and goat's milk, spices, tea, olive oil, dried fruits and veggies, and canned fruits.)

Over the rest of this Winter, we plan to learn how to grow everything we need, including cotton, quinoa, etc., and how to process it, like how to make soybeans into soymilk and tofu. We'll learn bee-keeping, animal husbandry, cotton-ginning, and more. Of course, we understand, there is no substitute for real-life experience.

The seed and other garden catalogs have started arriving. My favorite Winter project! We've begun placing our orders, but have more planning to do. Since we have lots of containers from last year's garden, we'll grow what we can in those same containers, including: tomatoes, okra, peppers, beans, onions, garlic, eggplant, spinach and other greens, parsley and other herbs. We are already growing indoors: bunching onions, carrots and radishes as well as greens.

Once we find our land, we'll move our containers, then order and plant potatoes, sweet potatoes, berries, fruit trees and bushes, nut trees, etc. We'll need to order grain seeds and cotton seeds from other places. We'll grow black elderberry bushes for privacy fences and cough syrup. We'll grow bayberry bushes for wax for candles. We'll grow herbs for seasonings and medicines. We'll grow cotton for necessities like cloth, medical supplies and more. We'll grow juniper for fire-starting and berries. Subsistence farming for a family, and hopefully, a community. Then... we'll get chickens (meat, eggs, fertilizer, pest control, feathers, goats and/or mini cows (milk, meat, leather, lawn-mowing), and bee-hives (pollination, wax, honey). Anything we can grow or raise or do to be a self-sufficient family, we'll do. There are some things we can't do for ourselves: salt, olive oil, sewing needles, tampons, tea, spices, scissors, etc, but we're exploring ways to substitute for these necessities.

As for our plans, we're looking for three other families to build this life with. Must have at least two adults, and be like-minded. Maybe you read www.survivalblog.com ?!?

Now... as we create this self-sufficient, we'll take you through our process, giving as much information as we can. Please feel free to contribute your own information about YOUR journey into self-sufficiency.